Reception variable

We tied up last night on the moorings at Wheelock. About the only TV station available was the one that gave us the important bits of Portugal vs Holland. There was no Three reception whatsoever, so no blog post. However we've had some great alternative reception.

First was Lewis and Tre (two 11/12 year old boys) who'd come down from Sandbach on their scooters. We got chatting about the boat and what it was like to live on one, and how fast you went, and the toilet and the engine, etc. They were great fun. Then there were the waiters in the Italian restaurant – a family business, I think. Fantastic smily welcome and the Italian food looked great. Unfortunately we'd chosen the Sunday roast – should have gone for the olives and pasta.

Later I got out my guitar and sat in the cruiser stern of Erin Mae singing folk songs (fairly softly). OK for a while, until I was doing James' Taylor's "Country Road" a bit louder (well, it's that sort of song) at about 9.30. Woman came out of the posh house across the green and told me there were children sleeping in her house. I don't think she meant that I had lulled them into slumber. I agreed to call it a day, but then someone popped down from a boat 30 yards away and said they'd been enjoying it even if she hadn't!

Early start this morning – under way by 7.15. So we were ready for a coffee when we got to the shop / café at Lock 57. Dan in the café was friendly and welcoming and helpful. Eventually found ourselves chatting to him about the relative merits of electric and gas ovens for cooking brownies! And the coffee was very good. Then, a couple of locks later, we passed NB Epitome Two tied up for lunch, so we stopped for a quick chat with Mike and Denise, who we'd last seen in Market Drayton.

We've done 25 locks today, in just 6.7 miles. It was the stretch sometimes known as "Heartbreak Hill", and a necessary part of any boater's initiation. It took us about 9 hours. But now we have chairs out on the towpath on a beautiful, calm, sunny evening in Kidsgrove. It's good! Have to go and see if there's any Three reception to post this tonight.