2 short trips and now a week long one - all with "johnny Foreigners"...

NOW keep your knickers on - it's a term of endearment NOT xenophobia!

 Since Pat left, I've done the usual manic boat clean, re-stock and collapse in a heap for a few hours...  Luckily,  one of the guest changer overs took place in Leeds  and I was able to moor the day before  Clarence Dock on the visitor moorings - thus making use of Shoreline and water on tap...  it makes 5 loads of laundry SO much easier.

You might recall my old phone died a couple of months ago and I hurried out to replace it in the centre of Manchester... well, my new one is ok - except I can never find photos I take ... or rather, it doesn't put them in any logical or dated order - ERGO, when I try to find some to jog my memory of what I've been doing - it's bloody hard work!

Take the Canadians - a lovely couple who came on for a few nights to play around on the boat from Granary Wharf, down to Knosstrop and then up the Rodley and back into Leeds...  I cant for the life of my "find" any of the photos I KNOW I took of us having laugh...  they have to be "somewhere" on the phone but I'm buggered if I can find them... grrr.

YOU'LL have to take my word for it that they were a blast and we had a smashing time - they even took me out for dinner with their daughter and flatmate on their last night on board to save me cooking.  I'm not sure whether that was a kindness or they were sick of my food... I obviously deciaded to take the former theory lol.

AFTER they left, a lady who had come for a few days last year joined the journey and we pretty much repeated the same journey - once again TRYING to get a look at the Industrial museum at Thwaites mill - only to be accosted by a moorings chap who wanted the fiver "mooring fee" but told us the museum would not be open the next day as there was a schools day on...  he still took my money... if Id been a bit smarter I'd have said thanks but no thanks and  moved across the other side of the canal for FREE - hey ho...

WE went up the "other way" and as far as Rodley before turning round and heading back into Leeds for our final night back in Clarence dock.  A swift clean and few loads of laundry later and I was ready for the next guests - THIS time from Australia...  a couple of old old mates.

For some reason however when I plugged my phone in to the old laptop today, it FOUND some photos I 've been taking on this trip - no idea WHERE the others have gotten to but never mind... I think the lesson here is to keep plugging it in regularly and let it DO it's own thing lol.

When Vickie departed, I had a race back to Wakefield ready to pick up  the aforementioned Aussies and then retrace my steps (well chugs) back to Leeds over a couple of days...  The weather had been glorious and once again I ended up a bit pink - weird given it's the end of the year and I should be "used" to sun shine by now...

Their first encounter with an electric lock was helped by us sharing with a yogurt pot

GRP cruiser - who as is usually the case, wanted to hang back in the lock so I didn't smash in into them and sink them.

We over-nighted in Castleford and the following morning awoke to a lovely mist on the Canal -

It soon cleared and we were on our way up the Aire and into Leeds. by early afternoon - NOT before TRYING Thwaites Mill museum again ... which was ONCE again, closed... THIS time for a private wedding... grrr...  

Luck was back on our side however and we were able to tie up in Clarence and plug back in to shoreline again... - and then the weather decided to change... and not for the better.

After 2 nights in Clarence Dock (so they could go to the Armories Museum...) we set off up stream for Granary Wharf.

We were lucky and able to share with a Hire boat - which continued with us all the way up to Rodley...

As we approached the manned staircase, Lois had a quick go on the tiller - and even manged a smile...  the previous shot was more of a look of terror

- being kind, I'm not posting that lol

The first flight was a swift, trouble free passage... it being "run" by a volunteer.

The 2nd one however was a little delayed whilst the most obnoxious lockie we ever keep having to deal with  tried to show off by running 2 boats up and 1 boat down the stair case at the same time... the other 2 boats being hirers...  luckily I'm fabulous and rather than expressing what a pillock I thought he was being, ignored him and just got on and DID it....

Hey ho...

WE made to Rodley, where we tied up for the day, and went in to the Barge for a pint (or 2)...

Until next time...