Shardlow to Weston Lock

Having ventured into Shardlow yesterday & found the village shop a cauliflower or two short of any vegetables anda distinct lack of footpaths off the cut, we decided to move on to bridge 8 below Weston on Trent.
On closer inspection of a photo of Lesley stood on Caxton's roof during our prolonged stay at Bishops Meadow Lock, she appears to be doing something strange with a piece of wood (double click for bigger photo if you're feeling brave)!
I also don't know what she and Graham were doing along the tow path in Shardlow-especially as this was BEFORE a visit to a pub.
A couple more shots of Shardlow and a 3 mile trip to here (3 locks) + waterpoint saw us moored up & lunched & ready to head off on a circular walk to Weston in search of fresh veg at the shop. The shop doesn't exist anymore, neither do the ones ahead at the villages of Swarkestone or Barrow on Trent (it would appear), so the new currency on the cut is food....I'll trade you one courgette for two leeks or half a savoy cabbage & two portabello mushrooms for a haddock fillet...I'm sure we'll not starve, it just means that the catering committee has to work a bit harder.

This is Weston's church.


The Old plough Inn was still there and we were given a great welcome by the new tenant who'd only been there 10 weeks. The menu looked interesting & different although we didn't eat there. He (the landlord) was very friendly & quite undisturbed by 4 muddy dogs & 4, even muddier, humans. A great day and lovely to do what we love doing the most-off the boats (well, not the drivers), walking the dogs & operating the locks as we go. I've really missed this whilst we've been holed up and on the rivers. Talking of rivers, we can see the Trent all over it's bank and swooshing down the valley - we really did only JUST get through in time. I think it will be awhile before the rivers are re-opened.