A while by Mercia Marina

We spent a lovely weekend in Alrewas Catching up with Paul's RAF entry.  On Friday we had visitors for lunch, and in the evening 13 of us met up in the British Legion Club

"The Gang" at the National Memorial Arboretum

for a meal and a
natter.  We were very blessed with the weather on Saturday for our visit to the Arboretum.  15 of us gathered for a wander around.  Photo is courtesy of George, so he isn't in the pic.  What a rabble!
Some more of the guys made it on board for a cuppa at various times, so all in all a very enjoyable weekend.

Since then we don't seem to have travelled very far.  Paul has had 2 vertigo attacks, but meanwhile we now have Falcon up for sale.  Just privately at the moment, but think we will probably end up with
a broker.  We pulled into Mercia Marina

The willow spiral at Mercia Marina

yesterday to buy a replacement gas valve, staying on their visitor moorings until Paul had fitted it, just in case he needed any more bits.  So with having lunch there it was about 4 by the time we left, so we moored for the night just outside.  Back there today to use the internet!

Hopefully tomorrow we will be making our way towards Shardlow.

Me in the centre of the Willow Spiral!

Arrived at Alrewas

Some planter!  Our washing can be seen in the background!

Well since the last update from Tixall we have been busy travelling south.  We have also been busy with Paul doing some painting and me some spring cleaning!  Falcon will be up for sale at the end of this month, so we want her looking her best! We did spend 2 nights in Rugely, although we did move a short distance on the second day to be closer to Tesco!

On Tuesday we pulled into Kings Bromley Marina for the night.  It was a lovely day and I managed to do lots of washing!  This is one of the few marinas that has washing lines so I was able to peg out!

The family of geese I had to pass to get back on board

There haven't been any locks for a few days, but made up for it today as we have worked through 8!
So we are now at Alrewas.  Paul's get together with his RAF buddies is at the National Memorial Arboretum this year and we are now walking distance from it.  We are hoping to welcome some of the guys on board.

Approaching Bagnall Lock at Alrewas.

Back in the days when our boating was on a time share boat we used to frequent this part of the Trent and Mersey quite regularly and in the picture below is the living willow arch at Bagnall Lock.  This was planted for the millennium and when we first saw it there were just small green shoots on it.

Expect we too have changed over the years!

Back to Tixall

Tixall Lock

Friday morning we left Tixall Wide with just 1 lock today.  Just after we had been through the lock we saw a moorhen with 4 tiny chicks.  They are so small and cute!  We arrived at Stafford Boat Club in time to have lunch and just before it poured with rain!
We have moored here before and their facilities are very good, including the bar!
Our friends Annie and Colin have a mooring here and they arrived back on Saturday morning.  In the evening the 4 of us went into Stafford to The Picture House, which is a Wetherspoons pub.

With Annie and Colin

 The building obviously used to be a cinema, and apparently they show old black and white movies on a Sunday.  The picture doesn't show how well they have done the decoration.

On Sunday Annie and Colin took us to Halesowen to Coombeswood Canal Trust open day.  Several days of cruising, but only an hour by car!  We are member of the trust, as are they.  The weather was perfect and we had a lovely day and caught up with several more friends!

Leaving Stafford Boat Club

Yesterday we moved on, back the way we came and are moored again at Tixall Wide.  Thankfully though this time the sun is shining.

Still in Staffordshire

We did move on on Thursday, 3 miles and 4 locks bringing us to the top of Stone.  We moored and made a cuppa, then as a boat went by Paul said the lady is waving at us, I think we must know them.  It turned out to be Sarah and Ade who we met last year in Stafford Boat Club and then they came to see us a couple of times when we were near Leeds where they live.  They were on their way back to

Getting there

their mooring. With some time to spare they moored in front of us and that evening we all went to The Star, the pub by the bottom lock at Stone, where we had a meal and a few jars.  The next morning they moved on whilst we were still in bed!  We followed them down more slowly later that morning, to moor opposite The Star so we could get some shopping.  Saturday morning there was a farmers market in the centre of Stone, so we had a look around there before moving on after lunch.  We moored at Weston on Trent, there is a pub there but we didn't visit!  Spent a couple of nights there catching up with some maintenance jobs.  On the Sunday afternoon a boat went past going the opposite direction to us.  It was Eli with Annie and Colin on board.  We first met them in Braunston in 2012 and have met them several times since.  The last being at Stafford Boat Club last year.  They were unable to stop as they were meeting up with friends, however we have booked to spend the weekend at the boat club so will probably catch up with them then.
We stayed at Weston until Tuesday when 2 locks brought us to Great Haywood.  We moored and had lunch then moved on to get water.  Just then someone was calling out to Paul and Rene and John from narrow boat Peregrine were walking over the bridge!  We met them when we were on the Huddersfield Canal about 4 years ago.  We cruised with them for several days before going our separate ways and we hadn't seen them since.  So last night it was off to the pub again for a meal and a natter.  We are now moored at Tixall Wide bow to bow with them.  So once again Peregrine and Falcon are back together for the time!
It is sad at times that these are our last few month on board, but also lovely as we keep meeting up with friends from different places. It has been a wonderful 7 years and we aren't quite finished yet.

Travelling through Staffordshire

Giant Tea Set!

Well Monday saw us have a safe transit through Harecastle Tunnel. The tunnel is 2926 yards long.  It is one way traffic with the entry to the tunnel controlled by CRT.  There are big extraction fans to remove the exhaust fumes from the tunnel.  It isn't quite straight so when you start out you can't see the end!  When we got there it hadn't long shut in the southerly direction so we had about an hour to wait before the boats from the northerly traveling boats to appear.  This was good as it gave us chance to have some lunch!
Yesterday we traveled down through Stoke on Trent.  Some very old building along the canal with the pottery kilns and warehouses.

Josiah Wedgwood mosaic made with plates

Unfortunately some of them are quite derelict.  We were definitely traveling down as we worked thorough 5 locks before mooring at Trentham for the night.  This morning we worked 1 more lock then moored by the Wedgwood Factory.  Although we have passed through here several times we have never visited.  So as this is probably the last time we will be in the area we decided to visit.  You pay for a factory visit but the museum is free!  We had a very nice lunch there.  Definitely worth a visit.  So much to look at.
Will be moving on again tomorrow towards Stone.  Hoping to be there for market day on Saturday.

Reaching Kidsgrove

Entering Lock 44, our 3rd for today

Sunday we moved onwards and upwards, working 4 locks before lunch!  It was a lovely sunny day so we didn't go any further spending the afternoon relaxing on board with all the doors open for a breeze!  We were taking our time so spent the next day pottering about with odd jobs.  In the midst of which we discovered a leak under the galley sink.  Turned out we needed a new waste. So on Tuesday after just a short cruise to Wheelock we got the bus to Crewe where there is a Screwfix.  Despite the old waste having come from there the new one was different.  But Paul got it fixed and all is now good.

Lock 42, you can see the aqueduct carrying the Macclesfield Canal over the
Trent and Mersey Canal.

On Wednesday we got the bus again, this time to Sandbach where we were meeting my cousin Dawn and her husband Dave for lunch in Case Mia.  An Italian restaurant that we found there a couple of years ago.  After a lovely meal they took us to the supermarket before bringing back with our provisions!
Thursday was a busy day with us working up through 14 locks, with very few boats in the opposite direction. Most of the locks in this flight are doubles with 2 side by side.  Although not all the second chambers are open.  Another 6 locks on Friday.  All through fairly small villages, or in the middle of nowhere.  Yesterday was storm Hannah and we also had rain all day long.  So we lit the fire and did nothing at all!  So today again has been a busy day.  Just 5 locks which brought us to Kidsgrove.  The water here is almost orange due to the iron in the rocks.  Then after lunch a walk up the hill to the launderette.
Tomorrow we will be going through Harecastle Tunnel which will bring us to Stoke on Trent.
It will then feel that we really are getting southward.

Leaving Middlewich

Our favourite mooring in Middlewich

Moving on from Anderton on Sunday, it took us 3 days to reach Middlewich.  We did stop a couple of times!  One stop was at a place called Bramble Cuttings.  It is surrounded by private land, so the only way there is by boat.  Only room for 3 boats (of our size) and we were lucky enough to pick up the last mooring.  The middle one!  The next morning both boats moved off so we pulled back as the bank was low and Paul thought it would be a good opportunity to paint one side of the hull.  He had just finished washing the side when it started to rain.

Busy at work!

Whilst it wasn't heavy rain it did last most of the day on and off.  So no painting was done.  But we didn't move on either.  Luckily the next morning was dry and Paul got the job done before we moved off.
We arrived at  Middlewich in time for lunch.
Shortly after, due to an advert I had placed on Gumtree a chap came along and bought our 2 bikes.  We haven't used them in a while and as we are looking to sell Falcon later this year we need to start clearing out a few things!
On Thursday we worked up through Big Lock to moor in our favourite spot.  The picture above was taken by our niece Cheryl who came to visit again.  Think this will probably be her last visit on board as we will be moving out of her area as we head further south.  Must say the weather has improved at lot.  A hot and sunny Easter, just lovely for everyone.  So this morning as we are moving up the remaining 4 locks in Middlewich at the first lock we are 3rd in the queue!  Not so bad though, there were as many boats going the other way.  So once we got going it was easy!  With a stop in the shade for lunch we moored here about 3pm.  Paul is now busy painting the other side of the boat!  I am helping by sitting still!