To there and back again

Saturday 11th April to Monday 13th April 2015

Boat was prepared; bags were packed; goodies ready for the trip - we headed off at about 8:30, first stop was Tesco to fillup and then we were really off - straight up the M1.

I guess being a Saturday morning, and in the middle of school holidays for some we should have expected a fair amount of traffic, but we were all moving as usual - trucks in the left hand lane along with other slow movers; 70mph drivers next out from them plus the others who couldn't be bothered moving to the left; and then progressing to the real idiots in the right hand lane.

Why is it that with cars fitted with indicators, it seems impossible for drivers to show that they intend to change lanes by simply flicking a little lever on the steering column?

Anyway the variable speed signs soon enough brought everyone back to one speed as not one, not two, but three "incidents" (they used to be called accidents) slowed those in front so that they could gongoozle at someone else's misfortune.

As with most other times that we hire a car, we had decided to pay a visit to a National Trust property -  this time it was Calke Abbey at Ticknall in Derbyshire.
 

Lovely on the outside...

It is advertised as the "un-stately home" - the reason being that it is the only NT property that has not and will not be restored to its original grandeur.
Why? When it was given to NT back in the 1980's it had been going through the process of falling into decay over the previous 100 years and it was conciously decided to preserve it that way as an example of many other stately homes that had gone through similar decline.
 

...and in some rooms inside...

...the animals belonging to the heads weren't all shot...

...the heirs were fascinated by natural history...

...but just stored things everywhere they could.

top right hand corner - you can see the deterioration starting...

...and it continued...

...into most rooms.

more stuffed birds - stuffed into rooms

It was a statement that demonstrated the conditions that the heirs of the estate were living in - eccentric as they were.

some areas were quite good...

...very good in fact.

but the views were still lovely.

It achieved the desired result.

After spending a few hours there we were once again on the move, although not too far at all.

We were in Derbyshire, and only a few miles away from a place very dear to our hearts.

Lord Melbourne, after whom the wonderful city of Melbourne (Australia) was named was from this area and another location of the same name was within virtual sight - we couldn't go without a visit - so off we went.
 

Perhaps not quite as large as our own home city or a place synonymous with great sporting events, this particular Melbourne has its own unique charm and character which attracts and retains its visitors and inhabitants.

The road to Bollington was one of three choices, of which we selected the more picturesque - through the Peak District - along with narrower roads - narrower winding roads - not really Diane's favourite, but very much the choice for the driver.
 

the drive was great, as was the countryside

We pulled up in the car park at Bollington a little over an hour later - one of us exhilarated - the other not too shaken.
Elaine and Paul were already home from their adventures south in the new motorhome - Paul almost recovered from his cold and sore throat; Elaine looking as lovely as always.

Whilst the Chinese order was being cooked, Paul and I ducked across the road for a quick Guinness - it certainly would help with any residual illness - according to any good Irish medicinal book.

We did have a late night for us - Diane had already headed off upstairs, not long before I had fallen asleep mid-way through MOTD - in my defence I did wake up to see the second half.

Needless to say, I was not awake early in the morning, Paul beat both of us.

After a traditional Bollington continental breakfast, and a walk with the dogs, it was about time to undertake one of the main reasons for the visit.
The short 40 minute drive into Manchester for the derby match between United and City  the crosstown losers.

After our previous effort of arriving just on kick-off time, we left a lot earlier; found a parking spot right near where we wanted to be, but able to have a drink before the match at a United pub - The Quadrant.
It was heaving when we got there, but through a stroke of good timing and a lot of luck we ordered drinks immediately we got there.
The early game between QPR and Chelsea was being shown, but the real enjoyment was seeing the crowd and listening to the singing going on amongst all of the supporters - quietly confident of a red victory.
 

at The Quadrant, we were the lucky ones...

...waiting for a drink.

The walk down to the ground is about 15 to 20 minutes, which allowed us a chance to look through the club store; have something quickly to eat; time enough for Paul to use the outside conveniences; and pick up the tickets.
 

It was a peaceful walk to the ground...the horses in the background co-operated
for the picture

We then made our way to the entrance - Paul and I had no problems - we were without any bags; poor Diane had to turn the taps on to convince the steward that she wasn't going to leave the bag containing the camera and iPad at any bag depot - apparently they have stopped people taking cameras and tablets into the ground - cannot understand why.

She is a marvel at getting her own way - I should know it has been happening to me for over 30 years.

Our usual seats at the Stretford End - the place was noisy early - we hadn't seen it like this before, but this was our first derby.

Then the players were filing out; handshakes; a quick run around and they were lined up for the kick-off - and underway.
 

before the action began

getting ready...

...go

Devastating first 10 minutes and we were 1-0 down; then the scores were levelled and after that we we not headed either on the scoreboard or on the pitch.
This was the best I have seen them play in over three years - there was purpose to every move; the full width of the pitch was used; the creativity was there and there were no passengers.

Hardly surprising that they finished ahead and with the score line at 4-2 (only inflated for City's benefit by a very late meaningless goal) it now almost certainly means Champions League football for Old Trafford next season.

We thought we would wait a bit for most of the crowd to leave the stadium before heading off, thinking it would be less crowded on the walk back to the car - not so, Sir Matt Busby Way was completely packed from the ground to the main road.
 

Happy faces after a great win.

Just the crowd to contend with.

The journey home was an easy run and we just caught Elaine's brother Trevor as he was leaving; Elaine, herself, displayed her usual enthusiasm for the game and scoreline - "4-2, is that a good score?"  - Paul you have failed that girl by not instilling the understanding of sporting events.

Diane and I had a cuppa and a bit of a relax, and resisted the offers of another night's stay - we do like to be back where we must be when we wake up rather than a morning trip back; there was the usual break after a couple of hours driving to refresh; avoided the possible crash when an outside lane car ignored my indicator that showed I was changing out by 1 lane and just moved in 1 lane - no indicator necessary apparently to the driver.

We made it back to Ferndale just a little after 12:30am - and managed another morning of sleeping in.

The car needed to be returned; work needed to be done; and an overdue blog also was required.

Now that it has all been completed, I can rest easy until tomorrow.

Also I can be reassured that our marriage will apparently last forever.
As I was writing the blog, Diane was gong through an on-line quiz that she found on Facebook - "How long will your marriage last?"
After filling out all of the answers it came back that we are perfectly suited and we will be together for the rest of our days.

That might have been the case had I not said, just a little too quickly "it seems like that already."

over 400 miles by car

A visit and then we cruise again

Friday 6th March to Saturday 7th March 2015

We had a very welcome visit on Friday from Bev and Roly - it has been a few weeks since we had seen them.

It was a late morning call as Roly needed to be home and rest up before he went out on a brewery tour (read as a p___-up) - a total of 9 were going out for the "tour", including Sue and Andy, Dot and Gordon, Sharon and Richard, Vinnie and Rob.

By the look of the photo on facebook it looks like they had a good time, although I suspect that may have been early on in the evening - they were all still standing.
Bev meanwhile was quite happy and looking forward to her "double-Corrie" on the TV and looking after the dogs.

We all caught up with Elaine and Paul and after Bev and Roly headed off we had a cuppa with E and P to say goodbye as we were heading off the following morning.
After nearly 2 months on the Macc around the Bollington area and north of there, it is now time to head off ourselves.
It was a bit sad in saying our farewells after such a long time but we have been able to help both with looking after the dogs and chatting with them about what they would like to do and anything else - sometimes just to do something different; they have helped us with transporting us here, there and almost everywhere.

I would be loathe to say it but have to admit that James Ward played a great match in the 2nd Davis Cup rubber to defeat John Isner - we watched the final set - Diane got her tennis fix in the process.

And so it was that Saturday morning arrived and we were ready to go and just after 7 am we pushed the front out and engaged the warp drive - we were off.
We also turned the Reflecs off for the first time in almost 2weeks - it is a sure sign that it is getting warmer.
Whilst it was still early, the temperature was quite mild, just a gentle breeze and after a while the sun came out - it really felt like an early spring day and you started to get the same feelings that you have with cruising in nice weather - "it's good to be the king".

Onward towards  Macclesfield; we have found this section to be uniformly shallow for us, but one thing we have noticed in our recent travels - here and our return from Bugsworth - is that there is less rubbish through the bridge holes.
That is a result of more traffic, which suprisingly we did not encounter this morning.
 

a bit of a nuisance if you need power

definitely unfriendly

consideration is reciprocal - it seems to us that Macclesfield
is a bit unfriendly towards boaters and their money.

We stopped for water at the CaRT yard - as we have done before. It took a while to fill as Diane had showered on the way as well as running the washing machine and then I joined in whilst stopped and showered as well.
 

me thinks that a discount might be needed to complete the sale

It was just another mile or so until Gurnet Aqueduct where we moored up in full sunshine - it was almost summer-like conditions by this stage and it was not even 10am.
 

I simply love this bridge - a fine example of a snake bridge

fine sunny weather 

Off we go shopping into Maccelsfield - an Aldi visit; proper coffee; to the markets looking for books (although we have about 20 still to read); and to Poundland.

We have snuck another fasting day in this week - after Paul's revelation (read as admission) of his weight-to-power ratio, we confirmed our need to reduce the intake, and more walking.
However, we popped into Weatherspoons on the return leg for a light lunch - which it was - Diane even had a salad.

Back on the boat and Diane cleaned the chimney and we stuck the new extension on, which is now working a treat in the wind - eliminated the problems.

Settled in towatch the Aston Villa v West Brom match and after seeing about 75 minutes the signal just vanished - not only BBC1 but for all channels.

No problem we saw the last bit on iPlayer - a deserved win to Villa - James will be happy.

So for now we will be free of TV for the night - I have been trying to write this blog under extreme duress - Diane is playing Trivia Crack against Paul and also Dot - and she gets very excited when she wins - which apparently she is doing quite often.

4 miles
YTD: 91 Miles, 25 Locks, 1 Tunnel, 2 Lift Bridge, 5 Swing Bridge
Totals: 2985 Miles, 2146 Locks, 99 Tunnels, 36 Lift Bridges, 157 Swing Bridges

Spring has sprung

Sunday 1st March 2015

Like a new born lamb, I sprung out of bed this morning - the first day of spring had arrived.
Excited and exhilerated with expectations of a bright sunny day, mild and gentle breeze, warm sun on the back - how sadly disappointed was I when there was none of this.
A slightly overcast morning with brief bursts of sunlight for the solar panels.

Oh well, it was still spring and so to encapsulate the imagined feeling, and to make up for some late winter slackness, the engine had a decent going over - there was checking of oil levels, screwing of rear seals, removal of separated water and a good check on the batteries.
All were basically OK - save for a litre of engine oil added - how dull was that - at least there could have been something that would make me feel a little guilty for not having checked for three weeks - but no, Ferndale was being a good girl.

What else could I do with this inner spring vitality - something really exciting - I knew just the thing; what could be more thrilling than cleaning, tidying up and rearranging the wardrobe - nothing beats it.

Things got a bit better after this - had to really - much more of this and I would need to have my nanna nap to get over it all.

Out to lunch at The Cock and Pheasant - the meals were really quite good, as they have been before.
After which we walked back down to the Spinners Arms, having missed a downpour whilst we were eating.
The 6 Nations match between Ireland and England was on and we stayed for the first half after seeing Ireland grind out a 9-3 lead.
Back on the boat we settled in for the second half, just as the rain pelted down and the wind started blowing - again missed being drenched.
An excellent hard fought match developed with the Irish running out the victors by 19-9.

Nothing beats a day packed full of exhilaration.

A visit to Pemberley

Saturday 28th February 2015

Once again the weather figured large in our considerations regarding travel.

We wanted to be back in Bollington by Monday at the latest, but the forecasts of high winds and rain at varying times gave us no option but to leave Marple today.

It didn't start as a particularly friendly day with misty drizzle about - this I found out on my journey down into the town for Diane's paper; having already made her coffee, she was able to occupy herself with Facebook, reading blogs and viber until I returned.

One other reason for leaving when we did was that the National Trust property of Lyme Park at High Lane was on the way - just a mile from the canal and was open; and the moorings were only 2 miles on from where we were.

We cruised past Goyt Mill - an eagle eye out for anymore fruit tossers - but as it was Saturday, I guess they must be all plum tuckered out.
 

2nd red door up - no sign of any tossers on
a Saturday

The moorings were reasonably full but we managed one on the end even though we were out a bit from the bank - no problems as we were not staying the night.

Then the walk up to the property - just 1.1 miles - but at one of the bus stops Diane contemplated catching the bus but decided not to; only for one of the ladies waiting for another bus to advise that once there it was a further mile to the house - this was becoming a bit of a trekking expedition - perhaps we should have engaged some of the locals to act as porters.
 

The main entrance - the cottage would do us

Anyway, it was a leisurely walk to the front gates, despite what the management of the boat might say, but I have to say I was thankful that they had a courtesy bus operating between the carpark and the entrance, so we only had to wait a few minutes for someone to pick us up.
We were a bit early for opening time (11am), but this we knew and also the cafe was open which enabled us to have a cuppa before seeing the house.
 

Just the stables block up there, mate!

Why this house? Well it usually doesn't matter to us, if there is a National Trust property on the way and it is open we will stop off to see it and get maximum use from our membership; but this was a bit more special for Diane - it was used as the stately home of Fitzwilliam Darcy called Pemberley in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - the version with Colin Firth appearing out of the lake.
I suspect that Diane was expecting that the man himself would appear in person with clothes all a-dripping.
 

Not actually the tradesman's entrance - just not the front of the building

This was/is the main entrance - could do with a bit of  high
pressure water cleaning

Fortunately the sun made a welcome appearance and we walked a bit further up to see the house.
Unfortunately any chance of taking photos inside the house were knocked on the head, so nothing there....
 

...but she slyly took one photograph

As usual with houses of this outward grandeur, the interior also were impressive, with most of the decorations being from the original owners.
Again it just amazes me the extent of the wealth that was held by individuals in the past by virtue of an hereditary connection.
One item of interest was the Caxton Missal - printed in 1487 - one of only two surviving copies. Apparently it was printed in France, because they could do a two-colour print. Our latin was not good enough for a translation.

The impressive Long Hall, the Dining Room and many other rooms were worth the effort, but for Diane, she wanted Mr.Firth emerging from the lake in front of the house - sadly he was not in today and then she was told that the lake out front wasn't the one that was used anyway - they had a spare lake further back in the property.
Nice to be able to have that additional one in case the first choice is not good enough.
 

Madam in the orangrie....

....with the Madman

Now this is the more familiar sight - the building I mean

a selfie by the lake 

It was Colin Firth's day off, so the body-double had to stand -
hope you can see the striking similarity

After seeing all of the house that we could as well as the orangrie and some of the immediate grounds we had to be heading back - there was still the matter of a boat trip which included water and diesel.
The courtesy bus picked us up from outside the house and we then only needed to walk from the main entrance, back to Ferndale - this was a bit easier as it was all downhill.

So off we were again, the weather showing the signs of what we knew would be coming our way - it was a bit colder and a bit more windy.

Stopping only at Higher Poynton for a top-up of the diesel and water tanks we continued on to Bollington, taking the last mooring, just one along from where we were previously - there must be a small shelf where we are as we need to be out just a bit, but we are back.

7 miles
YTD: 87 Miles, 25 Locks, 1 Tunnel, 2 Lift Bridge, 5 Swing Bridge
Totals: 2981 Miles, 2146 Locks, 99 Tunnels, 36 Lift Bridges, 157 Swing Bridges