We're home !!!

Well - after a brilliant day we reached Macclesfield and tonight we are moored up opposite the famous Hovis Mill - we are only on a 24 hour mooring, so will move somewhere abouts tomorrow !

We had such a good day - my brother, Trevor, came to help us up the 12 Bosley locks and two swing bridges - and thank God he did, 'cos some of the ... actually most of the ... lower lock paddles were soooooo hard - I thought I was going to give myself a hernia doing them !  Trevor also did a lot of the paddles for a lady who was following us up the locks !  Anyway - we made it up !  I even got a nice canal-water shower on about lock 7 - when I was opening the top paddles a massive spurt of water shot up - got me in the face, up my trousers and down one wellie !!!

The swing bridges?  Well - Trev and I did them - and, again, thank God, he was with me - cos I found them very confusing!  The first one was an automated one (one where you have to stop the traffic - yikes !) and the second one was manual (but you still needed a BW key) - but the 'latchey-type-thing' was so heavy - or stuck - there was no way I could have done it on my own !  Thank you, Trev !

I know - I could drive the boat and leave all this to Paul - but that sounds like my worst nightmare - so I'll just keep whinging about locks and swing bridges!!

My dad, Burt, came to spy on us at a few places along the way - and took some piccies.  Tonight we walked Trev home, walked the dogs to Burt's place and bumped into some old friends on the way back to the boat - just brilliant !

Anyway - no pics tonight as it is getting late - so just this fantastic welcome that Trev sent to us .... what more can we say !