More of June 10-6-10 to 25-6-10

We did get the car cleaned and covered, and to use up the electricity that we had bought while at the marina, we also hovered and ironed and did the emails and banking on the wifi as well before we left.  We got chatting to Mac and Jackie from Skyy before we left who happened to be friends of Judy on Angonuka who we’d met before we came into the Marina.  Also our claim to fame was that we while we were in the marina we ended up 2 boats from Phyllis May 2, owned by Terry & Monica Darlington, and he wrote ‘Narrow Dog To Carcassonne’.  We set off from the marina heading for Middlewich     and the Boat & Folk Festival, but slowly as it didn’t start untilthe 18^th, so we were planning to go through and onto Northwich and then back to Middlewich.  On the way I fixed the horn (new roof socket required), and fitted some extra step ups on the rear doors to make it easier to get on the roof when required.  At Church Minshall we just missed a ‘Vicar of Dibley’ style bring your pets to church service.  We had gone for a walk (with Charlie) and as we passed the church they were just turning out.  At Northwich we visited a Salt Works (it was closed) so we cycled on into the town and went to the Salt Museum, very interesting.  Cheshire has big salt deposits, and for years (even the Romans did it) it has been pumped out in the form of brine and then boiled and turned into salt at the many salt works that there were.  There is also still one salt mine in the area.  On the way back to the festival we stopped for a day and a half at a lovely spot where the canal opened out almost like a lake with lots of wildlife, and I did a load of little jobs on the boat, including starting to touch up the roof where the paint was peeling.  If you’re interested here’s a list of the wildlife we’ve seen so far.  Water Vole, Lapwings, Herons, Kingfisher’s, Goldfinch’s, Grey Partridge’s, Robins, Chaffinch’s, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Goslings, Ducks & Ducklings by the ‘n’ , Buzzards, Kestrels, Cormorants, Bulfinch, Bluetit’s, Reed Bunting, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck. When we  got back to Middlewich I collected a new water gauge that I’d ordered and fitted it during the weekend so now we know how much fresh water we have so shouldn’t run out anymore.     The festival was excellent, and we took in as much as we could with shows in the big tent each evening and fringe music at various sites during the day.  I managed to watch some of the England match in the pub next to the tent as well but I wished I hadn’t bothered.  We also met up with Richard & Liz on Dragonfly. On the Monday 21^st after the festival we set off for the Anderton Lift to go down on to the River Weaver where we were meeting Lady Godiva again.  The lift restoration was finished in 2002 after 20 years closed.  It consists of two 250 ton tanks, each can carry 2 boats, supported on hydraulic rams with the heavier top tank pushing up the bottom one and vice versa.       The Weaver is beautiful and we went to both ends and back which is about 20 miles.  We did most of that with Dragonfly and managed a BBQ on the Monday night with Lady G and a BBQ with Dragonfly on the Wednesday night.     We are going back up the lift tomorrow, Sat 26^th, as we have to push on in order to get to our rendezvous with Chris & Lyndsay on the Macclesfield Canal next Wednesday.