Lockdown mooring 3 to Lockdown mooring 2

Waking this morning my phone brought news from my brother that the BBC had reported that all cats should now be kept inside as they may carry the virus on their fur. This had been banded about a couple of weeks ago, hence Tilly no longer being allowed out in Nantwich. Today this story had spread like wildfire across social media. A short while later I received another message from Andrew informing me that the BBC had got it wrong and had misquoted the BVA! Their recommendation was to keep your cat in IF you have symptoms or are in self isolation, so as to cut down on possible transmission of the virus. So much for the BBC checking out their facts! Fake Feline news!!

Tilly, who was very relieved (so where we) was allowed out whilst we had breakfast and very handily she returned as we were finishing up. The doors and hatch were firmly closed. A quick phone call to Clewlow’s in Nantwich (the butchers) to place an order for tomorrow and it was time to move.

As we lifted fenders and rolled back the covers we noticed that all the green on them has already gone. Well it’s not gone, it has a dusty quality to it instead. Maybe when it rains the next time this will wash away. I’ll keep you posted.

We pootled down to the winding hole in bright sunshine, no need for coats today it was so warm, a beautiful day to cruise. Oleanna turned and headed back towards the services.

Just as we neared bridge 104 Mick had to stop Oleanna on the spot. One of our neighbours this morning had headed for water and was now reversing back to their mooring. Mick waved them onwards and we backed up giving them enough room to come past. Sadly the boat ahead had lost it’s straight course towards the bridge (that’s if a narrowboat ever has a straight course in reverse), so it took quite a lot of hard work at the tiller to get them through the bridge hole. The chap jumped off and pulled them into the side and waved us through.

Our turn to top up on water again, we’ll do the same again tomorrow, but in these times it’s best to have a full tank when ever possible.

Onwards to Barbridge where we passed Ruth and Richard on NB Mountbatten. With no need for coal and the diesel tank still quite full we didn’t feel the need to stop them, we’ll get to see NB Halsall next week at some point.

The bank up to the reservoir has sprouted pairs of white sticks since we left. A couple of weeks ago a chap had been digging little holes in the bank and we’d noticed he was placing markers at these sites. Wonder what they are for? By the outfall there was a van and generators, three chaps busy at something too.

Just before Hurleston Junction a narrowboat has pulled up on the offside, a grassy bank all to themselves. We’d though about it when we came past last week, but with every tree now cut down on that side we’d have had one very unhappy cat!

The AreandAre mooring seems to have had an epidemic of flags. Four between the three boats. We bipped our horn to say hello before returning to the mooring on the other side of the bridge.

Once we were safely moored in the existing holes Tilly and I walked back to the bridge to get our Sunday photo of the mooring. Depending on how busy the towpath gets this weekend we may move to find a wider stretch as we’ve already noticed an increase of footfall with the sun.

One job on the list is to go through the food drawers on Oleanna and try to use up anything that should have been eaten sometime ago. Today I remembered that I had a couple of bags of gluten free bread mix, so I dug the oldest one out and risked using some of my yeast stash to see if it would work. This was left to rise during the news conference. It did so well that I considered trying to find more of the mix on the internet. I haven’t seen the make for a long time and it doesn’t appear on their website. I’ll keep the other bag, only out of date by six months, for a while longer.

When not cruising today the boat has been filled with the sounds of summer. Radio Five Live Sports Extra are broadcasting the whole of last summers Ashes Test Match at Headingly, Mick is a happy man.

The farmer has been busy whilst we’ve been away. Modern day ridge and furrows have appeared opposite. Wonder if it’ll be potatoes? The Lapwings were having a veritable feast and singing all about it. With the cricket, the sunshine and the farmer finishing ploughing his field across the way, it made for a lovely day. Just a shame we need to leave our bubble to restock our food supplies tomorrow.

0 locks, 4.28 miles, 1 wind, 2 straights, 2 outsides, 1 full water tank, 0 rubbish, 1 butchers order, 1 long shopping list, 4 flags, 13 babies, 1 lovely day not to go far.