Grandsunflower (1)




tall eye blue sky
looks over yet sees nothing
but an old man's misty vision

Who said it was all about the journey?




                                                     

                                                         hops
                                                         way
                                                         to go



Horse and Barge






                          Snake bridges, rope cuts
                          In stone. Measured heavy stride.
                          Brown leaves bob in wake.
                                           





New skipper at Ryanair

6.30 pm. News just in - Chris Walker has gained promotion to captain with Ryanair. He will shortly take up a posting in Pescara, SE Italy.
It's possible we might help him settle in.




Back from cruising

Bruising cruising, especially in the tunnels under Manchester. Rain, wind, double locks and a threat from low life which didn't materialise.
  Highlights were Lymm and Droylsden marina. One for its breakfast and the other for its night life; an impromptu 4th July celebration.
  The Bridgewater is perfect (wide, deep and no locks) but boring.

 

But two weeks, moving every day, is tiring. And memorable.






  It can feel like going back a couple of hundred years when you see snake bridges and rope cuts on masonry. It is also a great tribute to those who have voluntarily restored the cut over the last fifty years or so. Bugsworth Basin, near Whaley Bridge, is a fantastic example. 
  Whilst governments and entrepreneurs have always been involved, the people you most recognise are the designers, builders and the boatmen and women from every generation, whether plying their trade or opting out of the rat race or simply enjoying short excerpts from canal life.