nothing is ever quite as easy

As it looks like it ought to be.
I came back from holiday (I'm back!) with several thousand (about 4,500) pictures to transfer from laptop to desktop. But laptop needs an uptodate antivirus prog. Norton (which is currently installed and has run out) is getting a bad press and AVG has been recommended (and Oh Bother it's time to make dinner!). However, AVG doesn't want to play with my computer till all other antivirus programmes have been removed. Simple, press-button uninstall doesn't seem to quite do the trick. (Norton doesn't want to let go so easily).
I'm currently arguing with AVG and Norton and the computer about what has been/should be/can be removed, by increasingly unorthodox and aggressive methods.
Ok, it's done. (with no concessions to AGV's strong recommendations about the removal of previous anti-virus programmes. I removed everything I could).
The laptop was very good, on holiday, except for a sad blip where it swallowed a whole (2gig) card's worth of photos. I loaded six cards onto it though so the loss of a card is going to save me a little photo sorting time.
So now I'm transferring photos via DVD from laptop to desktop and it's taking ages and I can't wait!!!
So, day 1. We all 6 arrived in Sowerby Bridge and parked our cars and loaded our selves and all our bags and the dog onto a mini bus which took us to Ashton-Under-Lyne. Where our boat waited. We transferred ourselves, our bags and the dog onto the boat (not without a certain amount of tripping over the dog, our bags and each other). We set off and the boys (aged fiftyish to fifty-nineish) got well stuck into the winding of lock gates and the steering of the boat while the girls sorted stuff, made tea and wandered around the boat enjoying variously, the views, the floating pleasantly along and the interesting internal arrangements of the boat. We arrived at Stalybridge and some of us went shopping while some of us did important things to the boat's innards. We went out to eat and walked a very long way to the Station Buffet where we were able to eat pies with gravy and mushy peas on the railway platform if we so wished (sadly, the famous black peas were off - we had to make do with the ordinary greenish variety).
The girls headed back to the boat while the boys went to a nearby pub. Later the boys returned to find the girls arranged in a row on John and Linda's bed, sipping wine and giggling a lot.
The boat rocked gently, later, snores were heard and all was pleasant and delightful. The dog seemed quite happy with all the arrangements so far as he had been taken for plentiful walks along the towpath and spent several illicit minutes snuggled up with Linda on the bed. (apparently he told her he was cold).
I wasn't joking about eating on the platform. Here are John and Steve, admiring the famous station clock.

One tends, on canal holidays to see a lot of bridgesAnd lockssometimes both together (but not always looking like African masks)Also, in industrial areas, factory chimneysAnd factories with stuff growing on themIn between places where it's all green and lovelyLots and lots of geese and goslings

Ther may be more of these things in days to come. Feel free to avoid this blog if the excess of bridges, locks and assorted holiday stuff gets too much :)


While I was away, floating and virtually incommunicado, I now realise that exciting and alarming things have been going on back here. I must immediately contact my best friends in the real world and check that nothing like that has been happening to them. I thought about you all a lot but I was thinking quite inappropriate thoughts since what you mostly needed was less floaty and more urgently soothing!

Lovely to be back :) got to go to bed now
xxx

Two for tea and tea for one

Sometimes I offer Barney a cuppa. Yes please, he says and decides, coffee or tea.
I go away and make the opposite of what he asked for. I don't know why I do this but at one time it seemed to happen to at least half of his drinks. One of life's little mysteries.
Then sometimes I go away and make the right drink but forget to put the sugar in. Well anyone could be forgiven for doing that.
Then occasionally I put too much sugar in mine and not enough in his. No problem - just swap.

But tonight takes the biscuit.
I went away and carefully made a cup of tea - the right drink. Then I carefully put in the right amount of sugar....one spoonful. Then I carefully put in the right amount of sugar for me....half a spoonful. Then I realised I'd only made one cup.

Do you think maybe I'm not paying attention?...

It seems to me that whoever built this nest wasn't paying attention. It's in a lock gate at the bottom of the Watford staircase. Well at least it's on the lower side of the gate!
I was so amazed by this Kingfisher not flying away that I nearly missed him altogether!
Heron also stayed in one place long enough to take pictures. Perversely, I really really wanted to catch him in flight.

Eventually!

And this lady (obviously offended by the mud stirred up by passing boats) just appeared out of the bushes as we glided past :)
View from the top of the Foxton staircase (with gongoozler*...or maybe another boat person, I'm not sure which)
And from the lower end of the first five locks. The gentleman in shorts on the right is the lock-keeper,mowing the grass. There were two lock-keepers and they kept everything running smoothly as the only place two boats can pass is here, in between the two staircases. Everyone had to book their turn through the locks. It really is very neat as you get two boats at a time, one going up and one going down. they meet in the middle and pass and the locks are always set for you by the boat going the opposite way.
It all seems wonderfully peaceful and smooth and easy till you open the paddles an see the immense power of the water bursting up from below the surface. (here, it's being met by a leak in between the two gates)

*Gongoozler, usually found in many small groups by locks. People who stand and watch you working through, asking questions, pointing cameras and looking interested when you stop to have a row over who's fault it was that the winding thingy fell in the water. The children of gongoozlers are always very helpful and push lock gates and may even be given rides to the next lock if they don't seem too dangerously adventurous. At Foxton, we had more gongoozlers children helping than felt safe and the locks were lined with gongoozlers all pointing and asking questions at once. And as Barney pointed out, it really is better to push the gates the right way when there are so many people watching. Besides, if you push the wrong way you could push for ever but it won't open!