Tuesday 21^st April 2020

Brenda stayed in bed while I sorted out yet more of the family photos. I have been suffering from sunburnt lips that have erupted into sores. They are quite painful and have been keeping me awake. However, they are getting much better under Brenda’s care.

After breakfast, the roof tools that were never painted, two barge poles and a spare broom handle, were sanded and primed. All the tools except these were painted in the first few months of being on the boat almost two years ago, but these were never done. I suppose that without the lock-down, they would have waited longer yet. However, there is time and here at Syke’s, there are picnic tables and BBQ stands to rest the work on.

In the afternoon we walked to Minshull Lock about a mile away and enjoyed trying to identify all the wildflowers that have appeared.

We spent the remainder of the day sat on the benches reading, before coming in to cook dinner. Lamb cutlets with cauliflower cheese and Brenda experimented with roasted plums to accompany the meat. It was delicious.

     

While cooking the dinner, we had the family of ducklings at the side door and fed them with bread. Presumably, it is the same family we saw leave the nest and enter the water for the first time. There

are 6 ducklings still living, so only 4 have been taken. They are now 10 days old and they were every bit as aggressive towards a drake that was trying for the bread, as the drake was to them.