nb Bridge Street

Monday 30 th December 2019 Although Brenda’s mouth is now uncomfortable rather than painful, and the swelling largely subsided, she went to the pharmacy in Middlewich Road while I walked to B&Q’s. We then moved, hoping to find a mooring at Bramble Cutting, but not before two boats passed heading in the same direction. Luckily both turned into Oakwood Marina. We then both started to get quite anxious in case the moorings at Bramble were full. We need not have worried, the moorings were actually empty and so we moored right at the Middlewich end where, even if another boat arrived, we would enjoy an interrupted view from the front cratch. View from the Back End at Bramble Cutting We opened a bottle of Prosecco and spent an hour glorying in the views until another boat moored. Bramble Cutting has to be our favourite mooring spot and will always be a special place for us although this time, the ground is satu...

Sunday 29 th December 2019 Brenda had a shocking night’s sleep after chipping a tooth, resulting in the side of her face swelling and the beginning of earache. Fortunately, as the day progressed, the pain abated and the swelling reduced, but a visit to a pharmacy will still be required on Monday morning. We left the mooring quite early for a slow cruise down to Anderton, winding at the Boat Lift and passing, en-route, Ken and Astrid on Susie. After stopping for coal at Anderton Marina, we again filled with water at the service station. Being unsure as to how long we will spend at Bramble Cutting, it seemed prudent. The canal side at the service station was a muddy quagmire and the hose full of mud at the end of filling. CRT spend so much money on towpath upgrades for the benefit of walkers, you would have thought they would maintain this to a better standard for the use of boaters. While filling, we saw Paul and Dawn emerge from Anderton Marina, heading for the Broken ...

Saturday 28 th December 2019 We were very excited today, to be moving again as we want to be at Bramble Cutting for New Year, as we had intended ever since deciding to spend the winter in and around Middlewich. We have been moored at the Middlewich Narrowboat site for 22 nights, the longest we have yet spent in any one place, and have run the engine for 23.1 hours in that time, to charge the batteries and produce hot water. We were beginning to suffer from Tilleritis. Being very short on coal, I went to Kings Lock Chandlery only to find them closed until 6th January. However, Anderton Marina sell coal so we will have to run there, further than we wanted to go but, unless we meet a fuel boat en-route, there is little option. A small boat has been moored just down the canal from us and, although now being here for 22 days, nobody had been near this boat. Over Christmas some scrote had untied her and she had drifted onto the opposite bank and only today, had started movin...

Christmas Day (continued) This is our second Christmas aboard Bridge Street, but one very different to last year when there was just the two of us, moored at Stoke Golding on the Ashby Canal. This year we are still sat at the Middlewich Narrowboats site. We have been in Middlewich, our past home for 20 years, since the beginning of November apart from a few runs out. It has been nice to see the grandkids and catch up with friends. While moored up at Middlewich, there really has not been much to report, a normal life albeit whilst living on a boat. We have had a few days out to Northwich travelling by bus. The car journey would normally take about 15 minutes, by bus it is an hour, but the longest it has taken has been 2 ½ hours. Quite often, at the end of another seemingly busy day, we ask ourselves what we have done today. Retirement is a bitch and you wonder how you fitted everything into a working life. A few jobs have been done around the boat and at Trace...

Christmas Day 2019 A Very Merry Christmas to one and all. The boat is decorated inside with many lights, some small living Christmas trees that have been decorated and bits of tinsel. Outside there are lights all down the roof and atop the cratch cover and pram hood, with a lighted wreath on the cratch front and a floral decoration attached to the tiller.

Monday 9 th December 2019 Tracey’s mother’s husband died at their home in Spain, so Tracey flew over to support her mother and again for the funeral. During this time, we had the kids quite a lot so Brenda rang CRT to request an extension to our stay. This they duly did without fuss and we can now stay here until 1 st January. This takes any pressure off having to move. CRT are very good in these cases, if they are kept notified of any requests rather than just over-staying.

Friday 6 th December 2019 We left the mooring above the River Wheelock for the short run into Middlewich where we watered up before mooring at the site of Middlewich Narrowboats again. On the way down, we again passed our old house in St. Annes Road. A strange feeling. Weather: wet and generally miserable.   Day Total: 1 lock; 1 mile; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 3.1                            (including running for hot water etc)                Overall Total: 854 locks; 1469 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 932.1