I’m just reading the new posts she put on the weblog, and I have the feeling she left out an important part of the cruising. So it is up to me to fill in the gaps.
After spending some days with Pat and Stephen in Salt, they start cruising back to the Staffs&Worcs.
And after that they turn onto the Shroppie.
Weird, because the Shroppie at the moment is a dead end, with the Middlewich Branch breach not yet repaired.
I suddenly get a feeling of déjà vu…
Guess where I end up? Exactly, in Swanley Bridge Marina.
And what happened in Swanley Bridge Marina in March 2016?
Exactly, I was taken out off the water (see I F@$%#*G KNEW IT !).
At first nothing happens to me. They meet up with friends for a night out at The Cotton Arms in Wrenbury.
Magda attends an Open Mic Night in the marina.
Encouraged by the marina staff, she comes back to the boat, grabs her melodeon, and becomes the first melodeon player ever at the Open Mic nights.
(Thanks, Andy, for sending her the poster, and for encouraging (forcing?) her to play…!)
And on the 17th of September they leave.
As I later find out, to cruise the Union Canal in Scotland on hire boat Patsy, together with Ann, Mick and the two dogs.
Don’t think their trip went completely to plan.
The first day they have to spend at the hire boat base. Storm Ali is battering the country, and makes cruising impossible.
The Falkirk Wheel is closed for the day.
They are not able to go to The Kelpies because a hire boat has damaged one of the locks and the Scottish CRT has closed the Forth&Clyde Canal.
They can’t go to Glasgow, because two lift bridges are out of order.
They have to squeeze through and under fallen trees.
But they have delicious meals…
… celebrate someone’s birthday…
… are on the Edinburgh By-pass (but not as they know it)…
… and enjoy every moment of the trip.
And what happens to me? Well, I am taken out off the water.
I get blacked, touched up, get new (proper) fenders.
Ready for the long way home.