Finally able to leave Nantwich

Linda and David dropped my 'phone off on Sunday and I set off for Morrison's on Monday whilst G went to the dentist (he's now cracked a second tooth). I then went to the chiro before heading back to MR and, finally, pulling pins late lunchtime.

 Hack Green Bridge still in a sorry state - just the two locks this afternoon as we want to position ourselves at the bottom of the Audlem flight ready to head up and into Market Drayton in the morning

We moored at the leisure area with all the windows firmly closed - despite the lovely sunshine. Potential BBQuers were driven inside. The stench from the muckspreading going on opposite was all pervading. Daisy didn't care; she was just happy to be in a quieter location.

On Tuesday we set off before 8.00am in order to meet Linda and David who I'd volunteered to lockwheel us up the Audlem (these poor long suffering people will be glad to see us out of their patch).

These guys were pleased to see the back of us too - if you want privacy, the towpath up the Audlem isn't the smartest place to rear your young.

 I'm beginning to feel jinxed with the Audlem flight - having locked a (newbie) single hander down when we came through, I thought going up would be a doddle with 2 extra pairs of hands. Oh if only we hadn't stopped for water which allowed another boat to pull out on us as we came out of the 3rd lock. An elderly gentleman with a young Thai lady lockwheeling - I use the word lockwheeling loosely. They were both lovely, well mannered people, but both absolutely clueless/stuck in planet la la. After a couple of locks she became tired and got back on their boat leaving me to carry on locking them through on my own (Linda and David were with MR)! He insisted on climbing out at every lock (despite my pleas to stay where he was as it took so long) and then she wandered off in the opposite direction and disappeared altogether

 The queue was now stacking up and the crews off of various boats behind us were now all up with MR to see what was happening - I was beginning to lose it so, whilst waiting for a boat coming down, Linda said she'd go up and take over. By the time she'd walked up to his lock, the boat was there, but no sign of him anywhere. We waited a bit (thinking he might have been caught short) before knocking on the side but there was no-one in,  he eventually sauntered down from the next lock up. Goodness knows what he was doing. When I, finally, got him out of the last lock, he thanked me kindly and wished me a pleasant day before informing me he was mooring up there for a few days and wandering off with his shopping bag.

We stopped for lunch and then said goodbye to our lovely lockwheelers before heading off towards the Adderley locks and Market Drayton, where G had arranged a meet with an old Air Force colleague.