Sat 20th Aug - Fazeley to Armitage - weather good -

Load car with food, not much room left for Dave Vickers, Blossom,George the Labrador and myself. Change over with the Knight family at Fazeley Junction. Stand in front of butty boat wondering how the hell am I going to get on that! Managed it and without anybody laughing. Set off and I do the unpacking, by now it is time for food and water for the boys so stopped off at Armitage for the evening. The boys sold some bags of coal to a couple of moored boats with Blossom and Dave 'the butcher' Vickers humping the coal while 'Dangerous' Dave Davies took the monies and issued the receipts. Meal at Spode Cottage, value for money.

Sun 21st Aug: Armitage to Stone - weather good - good suntan.

Leave Armitage and head for home at Rugeley, moor boats at bottom of garden and collect more food and other boaty things. The boats look good at the bottom of my garden. Head off towards Stone more cooking and cleaning. (you can tell it's mainly men that go on the boats)One of 'the butchers' famous stews for tea tonight then head for the Talbot pub in Station Street, quite a distance from the canal but my sister and brother in law have come to see us in the car and they ferry us all to the pub, Not many locks today and some great views of the countryside.

Mon 22nd Aug: Stone to Longport - weather crap, raining nearly all day.

Early start this morning with Dave Vickers cranking the engine over at about 6.30 am! Came through Stoke on Trent, what a mess with road works on the canal eh! well this was the right place for it.At one section Dave Vickers had a workman shouting at him across the canal to stop the boat but when your on a motor boat you can't hear a lot going on, especially with all the works going on around you as well. He was trying to control the flow of boat traffic through a new tunnel - traffic lights would have been a lot easier and less stressful - but what do I know I am only a hairdresser! Finally got through Stoke on Trent and moored right next to a pub and a chip shop. No cooking, Hurray! Dangerous went off up the towpath to take photos of Middleport Pottery and do a reccy - he appeared later with a can of cider for me and Guinness for Blossom and Butcher.

Tue 23rd Aug: Longport to Hassal Green - weather not too bad

Only a fairly short day today to get to Hassal Green. Weather was quite good so Blossom got on woth some painting of the butty to get her ready for the National. Stopped at The Romping Donkey. Dangerous said he did not want any food so he went off to the pub and chatted with some holiday boaters in the bar. Butcher and Blossom did some more clearing of 'junk' out of the butty hold then the three of us went to the pub for our tea and had a really good meal as the carvery was two for the price of one so we had four carveries between the three of us. Later in the night Dangerous joined us from the bar with the guy off the holiday boat and had himself a meal.

Wed 24th Aug: - Hassal Green to Middlewich Junction - weather sunny with showers

Another early start, even the dog is exhausted. Arrived in Middlewich and get a good spot right opposite a chippy and the Kings Lock pub. Decided we would eat in the pub tonight. Dangerous went off to buy bread, bacon and brasso and have a nosey round. Again Blossom and The Butcher set about preparing the boats for the show, cleaning the engine and re tying the butty cloths up. Went to the pub but we were too late for a meal as they stopped serving at 9.00pm and also by this time the chippy was shut. Had sandwiches on the boat when we got back. Had a good night in the pub apart from a group of nice boys taking the mickey out of our black Country accents and our conversation that is until Blossom put them right!

Thur 25th Aug: - Middlewich to Preston Brook - weather fairly dry

We leave Middlewich and we were helped down the three locks by some British Waterways workers. Went passed the Anderton Boat Lift and through some more tunnels. This canal is realy twisty and windy arrived at Preston Brook and found our pitch with all the other working boats.
We had a night in tonight absolutely exhausted but there is still loads to do on the boats to get them ready. Dangerous went off the boats at tea time to stop in his VW camper van with his partner for the rest of the weekend.

Fri 26th Aug: Boaters day at the show - weather raining on and off all day

Lay in until 9.00am, cooked breakfast then more painting and cleaning, all in the drizzling rain. I painted all the cross beams and planks with red oxide. In the evening after me, Blossom and Butcher boy had worked all day. we went down onto the site for some 'fast food' and a pint. Showground very disorganised and muddy. After an hour in the main beer tent we went up to the games bar tent. On our way up there, Butcher was following me up along a temporary security fence where the ground was not so muddy, he did not realise that I had moved over to walk around a dog leg in the fence and he walked straight on into the fencing. His hand went straight through the mesh in the fence still with his pint glass in it through the fence. Could not stand up for laughing. To top it off, when we got back to the boats, I took the dog a walk and he fell into the canal so a wet night for him.

Sat 27th Aug: First day of the show - weather damp but warm.

Got up early cooking and cleaning, the boats are as good as they are going to be but they look a lot better than they did Loads and loads of people were looking at the boats and asking all sorts of questions which I had to keep sending them to Blossom we also had a four legged visitor on the boat a dog decided he would just leap into the butty to meet George. Talked to loads of people today and finally finished showing the boats at about 5.30pm.The motor boat Lily turned up later and tied outside the pair and had a good laugh with it's owners Andy and Lainey. Had a quick wash and change and rushed over the show ground to try and see the last bit of the day but every thing was closing up for the night. Hung around the site and had some more fast food then a couple of pints in the games beer tent as there was a jazz band on in the main beer tent. Did not see any other NBT members all day, apart from one new member who introduced himself and chatted for a few minutes. Went to bed absolutely knackered!

Sun 28th Aug: Second day of show - weather wet and miserable

Up early again greeted with rain so not so many people about this morning as it is quite cold.picked up as the morning went on and by early dinnertime was quite busy again when Pete Harrison turned up and had a cup of tea and sat on the butty backend with Blossom talking to visitors. By 2.30pm Butcher, Blossom and me had had enough and needed a rest and I wanted to see round the show. Blossom decided to lock the boats up for an hour or so and go off the show site. On our return just before quarter to four there was a note on the butty hatch from Dangerous saying he had called up at 3.30pm. Spent last hour and a half again showing the boats and talking to people. Blossom signed someone up as a member this afternoon who want to learn to steer a butty.

Mon 29 Aug - Last day of show - weather dry but cloudy and dull

Last day of show and the quietist of the three days. I was quite glad really for I feel I have talked myself out seeing all the hundreds of people over the last couple of days. Not much else to say about today really other than Dangerous turned up at the boats at 5.00pm as the festival finished to say goodbye. We ate on the boats tonight having a spaghetti bologneise.

Tue 30th Aug: Preston Brook to Middlewich - weather red hot

Our time slot for leaving through Preston Brook Tunnel was not until 3.30pm this afternoon - this meant we had lost three quarter of our first days boating on our return journey and made it difficult for us to reach our intended destination of Barbridge and so we had to carry on boating after dark today which I did not like at all. Finally tied up below Middlewich Big Lock at about 9.30pm, fell into bed tired and without an evening meal apart from a sandwich.

Wed 31st Aug: Middlewich to Barbridge - weather started really hot and sunny but finished heavy rain

As we were behind on our trip schedule due to the tunnel yesterday it was decided to have an early start so we were off by 6.30am and soon making the turn into the Wardle canal where Mrs. Maurine Jinx (ex Thos Claton boater) made the three of us a cup of tea and brought it out to us on a tray saying "don't worry about the cups as I've got plenty and you can return them the next time" which I thought was so nice. There are only three locks on the Middlewich branch canal but at each of them we had to wait an hour for our turn with all the nutters about. Finally got to Barbridge Junction and tied the boats up at about 6.30 - 7.00pm when we sat on the pub tables under an umbrella in the pouring rain while we waited for our lift home. What a week it's been, I don't know which part aches more my legs, my arms, my feet or my throat. Would I do it again--------Next week we are moving the boats from Barbridge to Norbury making our way to the Black Country Gathering of boats at Windmill end!!!!!!!

Sat 4th Sept: Barbridge to Norbury - weather warm and dry

Got up to the boats at 6.30 pm after finishing work at 5.00pm. It's been so busy at the shop as I was closed for the last 10 days and all my customers were wanting to have their hair done so I have been really busy and I am really tired. Met a new member, Steve Hallsworth a sprightly 71 year old from Carlisle, who had joined us for his first time ever on a working boat and I'm afraid he was in for a baptism of fire as we had a hard time ahead of us with a total of 29 locks in front of us tomorrow. Blossom decided that we would get an hour's boating in so we set off at 7.00pm and boated to Nantwich wharf and took on water and emptied our rubbish. No pub so it was early to bed after sandwiches and mugs of tea.

Sun 5th Sept: Nantwich to Goldstone wharf - weather hot and sunny until last thing!

Another early start as Blossom said we had lots of locks and we might get held up so we set off at day break, just as it was getting light. Within half hour we were at the first of many locks. Good job we started early though as we did not meet any other boats until we were half way up the next flight of locks. We finally reached our stop off place by tea time all completely done in. Wash, change, put slap on and were out to the Wharf pub for a loverly meal and a few ciders. While we were eating our meals we were entertained by a massive thunder and lightning storm and propper rain for half an hour. Some poor sod at the pub had parked his car with the sun roof open all through the torrential rain---ar shame!

Mon 5th Sept: Goldstone to Norbury - Weather dry and sunny spells

As we only had a couple of hours boating to do we had a lie in until after 8.00am and then we had breakfast in comfort before we set off at at about 10.00am. No locks today so had a great time just sat on the butty hatches steering and watching the world go by. Arrived at Norbury at 12.30pm and Steve left for the station at Stafford on his fold up bike. We set about cleaning the boats out before our lift came and brought us home.

Dawn Edge.