Shardlow

The weather certainly changed today. As we got up this morning, the wind was blowing the tiny conkers off the tree we'd moored under last night with such a force that it sounded like someone was throwing stones at us. 

It's been the Spanish Grand Prix today and we couldn't get any TV reception where we were moored opposite the marina so we had to move. We tried to turn the boat round in front of the Clock Warehouse pub but the wind was just too strong and it was impossible without hitting the moored boats, so we went back up the lock and moored in the same spot as Friday night. Later on we watched another boat trying to turn round there. He obviously didn't care about the moored boats as he rammed 3 of them whilst turning his boat round. 

The satellite picked up the signal with no problem but the wind was so strong that the picture kept flickering because of the movement of the boat. We've never had that problem before, but if I say that we had to have 4 mooring pins and ropes out to stop the boat banging about (we normally have 2) maybe that will give you some idea of the wind strength! The waves coming down the canal were huge and some even had 'white horses'.

Even though the wind was so strong, the sun shone and it was too nice to stay indoors after the race finished, so we set off with both dogs for a nice long, slow (because of Charlie) walk. This van was parked beside the lock but Scooby Doo was nowhere in sight (it says Mystery Machine in case you can't read the sign)

Just beside the first bridge is the old salt warehouse. This is where the salt was stored when it was unloaded from barges bringing it from the Cheshire salt mines in Middlewich, Nantwich and Wheelock.

Charlie did really well and managed to walk down past the automatic stop lock. When the river goes into flood the red lights flash and the gates close.

The wind continued into the evening getting stronger & stronger and blew one of the planters off the roof. Luckily it blew onto the towpath rather than into the canal but we decided that all the pots had to come down before we lost any. They're now residing in the cratch and shower.