Cassie enjoying Caroline and James garden

Managed to get through the heavy snow to stay with our good friends Caroline and James for the weekend in Newmarket.

Cassie was very well behaved at Hilary's parents home.

Yesterday we visited Hilary's Dad and Stepmother in Worcester and had a nice day. Did have bad weather driving back but no delays on the motorway.

We travelled from Stoke to Penkridge to catch up with Rita and Scooby. Great to see them and they cooked us a lovely meal. Will be returning in the New Year for a games night.

Saturday night we stayed with Maria and Paul in Stoke who we have not seen for sometime. We had a great evening.

Cassie making a fuss of Andy after we visited the A & E in Northampton for a fractured wrist which is now in plaster with another visit Thursday to the hospital.

Bridge at Flore

Picture showing the river on the Nene Way.

The last couple of days we have had severe frosts leaving the trees looking very pretty as shown in this picture.

This weekend just gone we had Sue and Dave up and had a great weekend as usual despite being frozen in.

Have not posted lately as I have been working and have kidney stone problems which I am waiting for an ultra sound appointment so have just been cruising between Weedon and Gayton. This is the first snow fall this winter that we woke up too.

We have been waiting for the arrival of our first grandchild and Madison was born at 12.20am on the 23rd October 2010 weighing 8lb 2oz.

Today we travelled down Whilton Locks and by luck we paired up with boat that had been hired by a Youth Club.

It was great to have a crew of ten doing the lock work.

We are currently moored on the Leceister Arm and today was spent bottling the homemade wine.

Also starting off the sloe and crab apple wines.

As we travelled from Rugby we see Al and Del from Derwent 6.

So last night was a homemade wine and sponge cake evening.
Sorry about the poor photo.

Hawkesbury Junction and lock as we near the end of our journey for today.

On our travels today we saw one of the last remaining telegraph poles used for the early telegraph cables.

The poles and cables followed the path of the canal.

The last couple of days Hilary has visited her parents in Worcester and last night we met Wendy and Rob for a drink at Atherstone.

The locks were bathed in sunshine as we left this morning.

You see some strange things on the towpath!!!

This tight spot is at Handsacre where the canal is cut in the rock face.

Yesterday we moored at Great Haywood on the boundary of the Shugborough Estate the home of Lord Lichfield.

Pictured is the pack horse bridge which is between Great and Little Haywood.

Yesterday we left Stone with Diane and Peter on Plan B after carrying out work on both boats.

Hurray I have managed to finish painting the gunnels today just as the rain started to fall again.

Last night was the first meeting of the H.S.B.C. (Heartwood Supporters Boating Club) at the Crown and Anchor in Stone.

Penny and Mick sadly could not attend.

Another member of the Heartwood family,Easy All moored at Aston Marina near Stone.

Yesterday Penny and Mick returned to reality as Mick prepares for a new job.

Yesterday Penny,Mick,Cassie and myself went foraging.

So last night I made the main course for tea and Penny made the crumble using the blackberries we picked.

Yesterday Intrepid and The Maisibert ( the twins) reached Stone after passing Festival Park where it all began.

Yesterday we met up with Penny and Mick from Intrepid as they have had to cancel their attempt to travel around the U.K. on jet ski's due to the bad weather.

Last night was drinks and a meal in Congleton and today was to cruise to Kidsgrove passing Ramsdell Hall.

Yesterday Ray returned to Braintree, the day did not start well as Cassie fell in as she went out in the morning and then

fell off the boat as we cruised and swam to a field of sheep.

Just to top the day as we filled with water the hose came out of the filler and water sprayed the saloon area.

Hilary and Ray locking as we travel up Bosley Locks heading for Macclesfield.

Dont let the sun fool you as we are moored and it is pouring with rain and the wind is blowing.

This is the view from the aquaduct as we travel over the Trent and Mersea.

Yesterday we turned on to the Macclesfield Canal which turns over the Trent and Mersea via a aquaduct.

On our way down the Shropshire Union Canal Ray managed to catch the deer at Beeston which graze on a WW2 bunker area.

After having trouble at the staircase locks in Chester as the previous boat had drained the middle pound we went for sunday lunch at the Mill Hotel.

Afterwards we gave Ray a quick trip around the wall before heading on our way.

Ray seems to have brought this funny yellow round thing with him.
I think it could be called sun.

This evening brother Ray joined us for a week and we left Ellesmere Port to head for Macclesfield.

We are currently moored at the Ellesmere Port Waterways Museum.
The Maisibert is moored between the two cruiser's on the right side of the picture.

Last night we went for a meal in the Mill Hotel and returned to the boat via the canal underneath the city walls

Chester has been invaded by colourful Rhino's.

They are all painted with different designs and are placed all over the city.

Chester is a good shopping area and have a lot of little side streets to explore.

We had a mishap at the staircase locks leading to the basin,the previous boat had left the bottom paddle open which drained the water from the middle pound leaving the boat grounded on the bottom of the lock.

We have walked the city walls on several visits by car, this is our first time to see the walls from the canal.

We encountered this trip boat from the Mill Hotel on a bend near the city walls

Today we have moved on to Chester,the Steam Mill is now a night club and apartments.

Cassie has just finished her season and we thought we would give her a bath/shower.
But she ended up with a bad hair day.

Today there was an auction at the Beeston Cattle Market so we had a look around.

Last night we walked to Beeston Castle which started out as short walk for Cassie.

Last night we moored near Beeston Iron Lock so named because the lock is built with sheets of wrought iron not brickwork.