Anderton Lift

We followed Seyella down to the river Weaver. Geoff and another boat went first.

 In the lift at the top.

 On the way down.

 At the bottom.

 The 'Cathedral'.

Our mooring on the river Weaver.

Ann's computer

Ann got her refurbished Del Latitude D620 from Portable Universe at Milton Keynes by going on the internet.  When it arrived she discovered that the keys did not display what was printed on them.

A complaint to the supplier was ignored.  Our credit card statement indicated that the payment went to Easy IT at Bracknell.  A complaint was sent to them suggesting a claim for the money back.

Soon after that was sent I got a call from 'Harry' at Remarketing IT.  (How many more companies are involved?)  'Harry' asked what was on the 2 key.  When I told him he said that it was an American keyboard!  We agreed to send the computer back.

It was boxed up and sent by Interlnk Express.  Two days later I got a call from 'Harry'.  The keyboard has been changed, the battery was faulty and replaced and some adjustments were made to the mouse pad operation.

Interlink Express returned the computer in good order.

Timing tunnels

We left our mooring at half past the hour with an hour to get to Saltersford tunnel. Only three miles and we got there on time to go through. 

Several boats had come through on their time slot so we went on in to the darkness. A one way 424 yard small hole in the hillside.

Our bimini had been put down to avoid contact with the rocks and brick. There were more bends in the tunnel than the one at Braunston and being only one way proved more difficult to navigate.

The next tunnel at Barnton was longer but at least you can see through it. That one is not timed so we sounded the horn on the way through.

Is this another breach about to happen here?

The breach

It happened between Dutton and Anderton. The high bank fell away and the water escaped down the hill. The canal was closed for a while. 

The trees were lost so the gap provides a spectacular view.

A huge amount of rock replaced the sandy bank.

The towpath is just gravel and concrete but at least there are some rings to tie to.

The other side of the canal bank has also had a makeover.

We are enjoying another summer weekend now on the Trent n Mersey.

Sunshine days

Seyella and M2L were moored at Dunham but facing in different directions! I had turned ready to fetch Ann from Sale.

 Geoff and I with both dogs went off to see the deer near Dunham Massey Hall. A wonderful chance to get close and almost personal with not so wild animals. 

Geoff and Margaret joined me for the trip. Ann got a Metro Tram from Piccadilly to Timperley. Then we travelled back. Ann was looking pretty with her short hair cut and summer clothes. Molly was as pleased as I to see her back on board.

Seems Ann has bought the sunshine with her, loads of post and extra technology.

We now have a WiFi dongle for our Panasonic FreeView Recorder. It promises to connect the TV direct to the Internet. Well it does work up to a point. It does not have a full browser but can link to a selection of websites. Looking at some movies from YouTube proved that our 3G connection is not fast enough.

Ann is trying to use her reconditioned Del Lattitude D620 laptop. It came with MS Windows XP but the software does not match well with the keyboard. What you see on the key is not what you get on the screen. In particular some of the Shift characters. It is enough to put off a reluctant user.

On a very sunny Monday friends sat outside Moore 2 Life.

There was John and Rosemarie from Devon Maid, Geoff and Margaret from Seyella. 

Moving out

Ann went off on the tram to catch a train from Piccadilly.  The same Cross Country train that we often get from Stafford or Banbury to Southampton.

Geoff and I moved our boats away from Castle Quay after taking on water.  I then endured a damp trip on my own of about fifteen miles.  Thankful that our Bimini could stay up to keep me dry!

I stopped opposite Dunham Massey Hall with a view of the gardens and a green tree lined tow path.

Back to Manchester

Oh what a windy day it was. We left the Trafford centre, headed down to Waters Meeting and turned left to head for Manchester.

It was a wonder that things stayed on the roof. As it was our aerial nearly took of. Another boater had to stop to remove his plant pots that had nearly gone overboard.

The trees and factory buildings provided some shelter from the cross wind but where there were gaps the boat changed direction and at times leaned over alarmingly!

Moments before arriving at Castle Quay, Geoff rang to say we should turn left under the railway arch. He had gone right to find all the moorings taken!

As it was we went along side Seyella when Geoff arrived near the Museum of Science and Industry.

There are so many boats here obviously overstaying their welcome but there are no wardens to control the situation.

Geoff has seen NB Pilgrim and invited Malcolm and Barbara for meeting on board Seyella. 

The boat turned

While we are travelling with Seyella, Geoff's blog would have kept you all up to date with our travels and problems! 

 

We got as far as joining the Leeds and Liverpool canal near Plank Lane and the Pennington Flash. Now we head back to Manchester so that Ann can catch the train south to visit family being a long way from home.

There are plenty of places to stop on the Bridgewater canal with its well kept tow paths. Even the off side can be used as here at Boothstown.