This week started with Winnie the Pooh Day (the birthday of author A.A. Milne). As ever the ursine who always underestimated himself as the Bear of Very Little Brain, got our life afloat spot on in a succinct reminder which seems valid for everyone, however they are living and working.
So often we forget that life is not a series of hurdles to be overcome, bags of money to be gained or promotions to be won, but just as Pooh says, a journey to be experienced, and to be honest, to be enjoyed. If hurdling, money, or promotions are how you get your enjoyment – fantastic, but if they aren’t then maybe make this year 2022 one for enjoying your life, channeling your efforts into the things that do give you pleasure.
Recognising that the experience of journeying is actually one of the delights for us of living and working afloat, we brought a long stay in Bollington to an end this week after three fabulous days of visits from family and friends. Bollington is a delightful spot, but who knows what other delights await us? Staying in one spot, however beautiful, has the potential to reduce our adventures and experiences.
The rain cleared as we set off, cruising past Cafe Waterside which has become a second home to us this past few weeks (another reason we need to move on!).
We headed up the Macclesfield, under the rather beautiful Hag Footbridge – I’d love to know how it got it’s name as the stone bridges around it are all obviously named after people – Ryles, Braddocks, and Grimshaws being just three. Dare I say the first three sound solidly male and have been given sound stone structures…?
One of the most enjoyable parts of living as continuous cruisers is the endlessly changing views from our windows. Every day brings something new. We found ourselves iced in this week – in two different places on the Macc.
We had to wait for the sun to come up and melt the ice before we could move on each time, once as we needed to move once because we had been in one place for a long time (for us!), and once to access services. Moving through thick ice can damage the blacking on your own boat and on that of others, so we only move in very thin, broken or melted ice if we have to. We were passed by CRT work boats and its evident there’s a lot of work going on on towpaths and cutting back vegetation in addition to the major works.
Once underway it was all change as we completed the Macclesfield and turned onto the Peak Forest Canal. This time we can’t turn to Marple as the flight of locks are shut for significant winter work by CRT (Canal and Rivers Trust), so we carried on to the Canal Forest Upper which is new to us – Buggy Basin and Whaley Bridge beckoning ahead. New signage too – yellow and blue bridge numbers instead of black and white – it’s all change here!
It’s not all been visual experiences this week – the sweet smell of Swizzles from the factory at New Mills alongside the canal wafted us on our way.
So another new canal, a new journey, and new experiences – hopefully they’ll keep my mind off the perennial constraints of the far-from-new-pain of the annual tax returns – might these be Pooh’s “problem to be solved”!
Pickingupducks 