First human dunking !

This week we have done … Red Bull, Rode Heath, Wheelock to Middlewich on Trent and Mersey. Over the Middlewich branch to Barbridge and now moored between bridges 3 and 4 on the Llangollen Canal.

Autumn is here! Leaves are starting to change colour and cos of all the wind lately they are snowing into the canal. We have had some sunny spells but the evenings are starting to get that bit of chill about them. It’s gusting winds today and I feel seasick!

So who got dunked in the canal this week? Yes, it was me! Only a partial dunking mind - just one leg wet! Well, it was dark when we came back from the pub in Wheelock last Sunday evening and the towpath is like the hills and valleys of Wales, and a real slope from the muddy, puddled path onto the boat and so I kind of toppled in with one leg. Ended up with a 3 inch gash on my knee (feel like a kiddie with a big poor-poor!!) which wouldn’t stop bleeding till Dai shocked it by pouring neat Dettol onto it !! And the next day pushing open the first lock gate I found a duck-egg on me bum ! Expect gangrene to set in any day now ! No sympathy from Dai whatsoever - he even texted my daughter, sister and his brother that I was p**sed and fell in the cut - close to the truth but not exactly the whole truth !

Finished crowshitting (crocheting if you’re posh) first Christmas present this week (blanket) and started on blanket number 2 to put away for Santa.

Winter stoppages just came out so we got the list and maps printed out at the Middlewich library. We’ll spend some time on the Llangollen (and do the Monty on way which is only currently navigable from the Llangollen for about 7 miles) and then turn onto the Shroppie. We need to be south of Hack Green locks by November 8 as the stretch between Nantwich and the locks will be closed from then until Dec 22.

Since last blog we have done … 25 miles and 38 locks
This makes total since Setting Off ….. 721 miles and 769 locks.

We are averaging 8.66 lock miles a day and 4.36 hours of engine time (including those days when we didn’t go anywhere but had to run the engine to charge the batteries). Last Sunday we had been living on the boat for 24 weeks …… where has the time gone??!!

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I know I said that Autumn is setting in but, no, this isn't snow - just a salt mountain in Middlewich

Llangollen canal is 44.5 miles with 21 locks - probably the most famous canal in the UK

Foxxie bracing herself against the wind !