BASKETTCASE

We are having a leisurely day today, because we covered so much water yesterday.  After the tunnel and all the locks we arrived at our destination, Hassall Green, at about 4.20.  According to Nicholson's Guide we should have had quite a choice of eating places after our hard day, but had settled on either The Canal Centre, which had shops, restaurant, maps etc, or the Romping Donkey for a pub meal.  Unfortunately the Romping Donkey was boarded up, and the Canal Centre had closed for the day.  Nothing daunted, our team of three carried on, through cold and rain, and completed an extra 9 locks arriving at Wheelock tired and hungry but well satisfied.  We moored up  and went in search of food.  Right next to the tow-path was a restaurant called the Old Mill which is a very nice Italian eating place: lots of exposed brick and beams, round oak tables and padded chairs, and attentive service.  The hilarious thing was that we had promised ourselves a 'dirty meal' like fish and chips or a take-out, because none of us had showered.  So there we sat in all our unwashed glory, dining out in style.  I guess we all smelt the same, because none of us remarked anything, and the staff were very polite.  I fancied a mixed seafood risotto but was a bit anxious about eating mussels and octopus and other shellfish - the last thing I want is to make myself ill and spoil everyone's holiday.  There was a very expensive mixed seafood on the Specials board which was salmon and tuna and prawns, so I had a conversation with the waitress about what would be in my risotto.  I am pretty sure that she asked me what I would not want to find there, so I said mussels and shellfish.  Somehow the wrong message got through and my tomato risotto rice was full of mussels, and squid.  It was gorgeous and although I was so full I had to go to bed early it has done me no harm.  All the food was good, so we felt the mislaid plans had turned out very successfully.

We laid in until 8.0 this morning, had breakfast and were chugging away by 8.45.  It has been a pleasant journey through some rural areas with orchards and well-tended gardens bordering the canal, and some more industrial areas, although nothing like the potteries.  Middlewich is a salt-producing town and has been since Roman times.  We passed the back of a big plant with an unbelievable mountain of pure white salt.  Apparently they extract it from the earth, and the workings have been so extensive that the canal has sunk many times and had to be shored up.

We are moored in Middlewich now at 12 midday, and the others have gone on a foray for the makings of a BBQ tonight.  It is a lovely bright sunny day with blue sky, although not hot, and we only have about 6 miles to do to reach the planned destination.  Whether we stick to that remains to be seen.  Once Dave and Kate get started on locks there is no stopping them.

I am doing pretty well, managing to take photos and some video, and to sit on a chair up the back some of the time.  I brought embroidery, but really there is not a lot of point in looking at what I am stitching when the scenery is being left behind at the rate of four miles an hour.