Rowkin Rovings Blog

20th and 21^st August 2016

Photoless Day for Saturday.

Our good news is that Mapes is improving. She still didn’t eat anything but just seems a little brighter in herself. Still need to keep a really close eye on her as she is not out of the woods just yet.

It was a day of household tasks. Pulled up mooring and chugged back into Chester to do some final washing before our next lot of guests arrive. After accomplishing that task we moved up about a kilometer and went into Waitrose for a pantry top up.

Puttered on out of Chester to the countryside and pulled up at Christleton and went into The Cheshire Cat for a drink. Got talking to a very interesting lady who was telling us about her 16 year old daughter who was off at the end of the week to a five day outdoor concert being held near Leeds. She had us in stitches as she had been trying to convince her daughter that a set of wellies would be of more benefit than a crop top in the wet muddy fields where the concert is being held. Apparently the five days is being spent sleeping in a tent in one of the fields. The daughter was also excited as she had paid £35 for a VIP ticket to use clean toilets for the duration. Her mum seemed to think that all she would get for that would be a slightly cleaner toilet with maybe some toilet paper. Meantime the daughter was thinking that it would be a luxury dunny with hairdryers supplied and plush carpeting. We would love to be a fly on the wall to see how all this turned out. Fun talking to her.

Sunday was spent making our way back down the Chester Canal. As it is Sunday we have shouted ourselves to a traditional pub lunch and found The Shady Oak right on the bank.

Tell you, this life is really difficult to handle. We spent a couple of hours here talking with another boating couple who were out for their first time and look like they might be planning further trips. We were lucky as the weather has stayed overcast but fine so were able to sit out in the garden and enjoy our meal. It was certainly a popular spot for boaters.

It is very rural around this area with lots of dairy cows and sheep in the fields. Lots of lovely little lane ways and delicate stone bridges.

Had to laugh as this particular bridge as had a note to say “Weak Bridge” but had no weight restrictions on it.

We passed by this rather spectacular old British Waterways working boat that had been built in the 1930’s to haul coal and then in the 1960’s was converted to a live aboard boat. There has been a lot of work put into it to get it to this stage and no doubt a lot of work to keep it going.

Took Toque out on the towpath today to teach her some of the technical functions of the locks. As you can see, she is more about looking pretty than being helpful. Normally the girls are always on the stern of the boat and secured on their mats to the boat railing. Today though Toque needed a really good walk as with Maples having been sick she hasn’t done much exercise. We walked her between a few of the locks and then whilst working the locks we secured her to a post so that she would not be in the way. Of course she was the center of attention due to the cuteness factor.

Mapes actually ate some breakfast this morning but strangely she picked the capsicum out of the food and did not eat it. This is most unusual as this is her favourite part of eating. We were just chuffed that she ate well and then this evening she ate another full meal minus the capsicum again. Toque made sure it didn’t go to waste though.

We went for a bit of a wander up the road looking for a pub as we have pulled up early and with no TV reception or internet availability we thought we should get out and have a bit of exercise ourselves. Found this rather impressive pub that allowed the four of us in – only thing was that it rained on us walking up there and when we went into the bar area we brought in the wet dog odour – ooops!! It didn’t seem to bother them so just had a hot chocolate and then made our way back to the boat for the evening.