Monday 21 April 2014

First Anniversary and a goodbye



Today is the anniversary of our first day aboard the good ship Festina Lente. What a good year it has been, the lifestyle has been everything we knew it would be and a bit more. 

FL has become a real home for us, she has kept us warm safe and dry, carried us through beautiful countryside, taken us to busy towns and quaint villages from the Thames to the Peak Forest, she has behaved impeccably, she has provided us with fun and new friends, she has made us slow down and relax, she has shown us historic locations, she has shown us the natural world, life on the farms, hills, hedgerows and waterways, at the end of the cruising day she has often found a canal-side pub for her crew..... perfect.

FL waiting for the water point to be free

We moved along from our mooring to the water point to top FL's tank.  Paul & Elaine and the boys came to say farewell from their new base in the affluent area of Higher Poynton.

Paul Elaine Sammy and Bombo

We will truly miss our Aussie buddies.
We got going after the tank filled in warm sunshine even the breeze had lost its cold edge. At one point I had to get the boaters pole of the roof to shove FL off a shallow bank, it's the first time I have had to use it. A short cruise down to bridge 24, Whitley Green near Bollington to moor for the day. As it was such a nice day the paintbrushes came out and a coat of black applied to the gas locker hinges.

We decided to go to a pub dating from the 15 Century, it is 250 yards from Bridge 25 according to our map but not knowing our left from our right we walked half a mile in the wrong direction, about turn and there it is on the west side of the bridge, ' The Windmill' as soon as we saw it we realised we had been here before with Joe and Lesley only last week, what a pair of wally's we are. Sue had a roast beef dinner and I had Cumberland sausage and mash, the Doombar barrel had run dry so we both decided on a glass of Tatton Best which was very drinkable.

Our mooring FL is second to last on left.

Hinges blacked.
The Windmill with post box.

Archery centre is next to the pub.

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