A nice easy days cruising for Hermione and Edie to gain a little experience handling the boat. Called in at Ellesmere facilities to top up with water, get rid of rubbish and explain how the porta pottie gets emptied.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself being a passenger, something that I don't very often experience since we started travelling with both boats. I could pop inside and make a cup of tea, make a snack or have pee without having to pull over or hover in a bridge hole.

Another comparatively easty day as there are no locks yet, just some lift bridges. As I am trying to give Hermione an idea of what it is like to single crew I explained in detail the process of negotiating a lift bridge on ones own. It is totally diffferent to working a lift bridge with crew.
With crew the boat pulls over and one member of the crew holds on to the boat while the otheer goes across the bridge, winds the bridge up and when fully open the first crew member takes the boat through the bridge hole and pulls over on the far side while the bridge operator winds down the bridge, makes sure it is secured in place and returns to the boat so they can continue their journey.
If there is only one crew member they have to approach the bridge and position the front of the boat carefully by the bridge. Go to the front of the boat (either inside or along the gunnel), get off, making sure thet they have rope with them and secure the front of the boat to a convenient bollard. (There is normally a convenient bollard to hitch to.) Once secure they can raise the bridge, cast off from the bollard, return to the back of the boat (either inside or outside) and motor through the bridge hole until the rear of the boat is level with the bridge, jump off with a rope and secure the rear of the boat to another convenient bollard. Not forgetting to take a windlass go to the bridge and lower the bridge. Once the bridge is fully lowered and secured in place return to the boat, cast off and contiue your journey.
It was several years into my living on the boat until I clicked as to why both lift and swing bridges were operated from the opposite side of the canal to the tow path. When the canals were built they were designed for horse drawn traffic, engines had not been invented. If these movable structures were pivoted on the tow path side the towing rope would have to be lifted up and over said structure, no mean feat when some of them are a good 25 foot high, much more sense to put the structure on the opposite side so the horse can just continue to pull the boat without obstruction.

Set off reasonably early. Very much a learning experience for Hermione and Edie as previously they had not actually done a lot of lock work.
Negotiated the two lift bridges without mishap as there were four of us working two boats, so much easier than two working two boats.
Got to Grindley Brook where I let the volunteer lock crew shepherd Hermione and Edie through the staircase and give them 'Best Practice' instruction. No problems with the next three locks just below the staircase.
Poveys lock was fine but when we got to Withymoor lock there was a bit of a queue. When it came to Hermiones turn she was still a bit nervous so was taking her time to err on the side of safety. Some guy wandered along from several boats back to offer help which we politely declined explaining that this was a first time boater and still learning.
At this lock there is a pub that effectively has the lock as their patio area with many spectators sitting around on the benches gongoozling so especially important not to make any silly mistakes. Moored up just short of Marbury Lock for a well deserved rest.

Everything was going swimmingly and we negotiated Marbury Lock, and the three lift bridges through Wrenbury smoothly, Hermione gaining experience all the way. Got to Baddiley No 1 Lock and started preparing it. Hermione was in the lead with Iowner and we were moored on the lock operation behind her in Dennis. I was assisting Hermione when a woman came marching along the tow path saying words to the effect that she wanted to jump the queue and go first as they were in a hurry, most unbecoming behaviour for a boater. As we were almost ready we politely declined. Then things got strange. The boat that the woman was from just kept coming and barged their way up to the lock gates indicating to me that this was not a request it was a command. Not enough room for him to actually get into the lock as Iowner was in the way. That wasn't going to stop him. He hitched a rope to Iowner and started towing her out of the way. Absolutely incensed I promptly started emptying the lock so as to prevent him actually getting into it. When the guy saw what I was doing he got off his boat and came along to where I was and punched me! In defending myself I leant in close so as to minimise any further damage due to punches. He then grappled me and threw me to the ground. Because I hung on to him as I fell, he fell with me and I will admit I was terrified that he would fall on me so I twisted out of the way and made sure he hit the ground first. My No1 was on the phone to the police and Hermione was taking a short video of the process. In the process I lost my spectacles and both hearing aids and a clear recollection of what happened then.
I do know that we managed to get Iowner through the lock and I think that the guy then got his boat Lady Sylvia through the lock, by which time the police had arrived and questioned us all as to what had happened. As we had video evidence of the incident and I was somewht bloodied along both arms, there was no defence and the police asked me what I wanted to happen next. They gave me the choice of prosecuting and appearing at a court somewhere sometime or allowing the police to make the guy go on an 'Anger Management Course'. While this was going on I was crawling round on the grass looking for my spectacles and hearing aids, but with no spectacles that was not easy. Edie found my spectacles and one of the policemen found my hearing aids, so no real harm done.

Lady Sylvia

Hermione and my No1 both insist that the guy was the one who had tried to hurry us up at Withymoor Lock. I looked up Lady Sylvia on the internet a few days later and found out that it is a hire boat out of Middlewich and I can only assume that they were in a hurry to get back to the hire company. As it turned out they were on a hiding to nothing as there was a stoppage between Hurlston and Barbridge Junction. All that aggression and angst for nothing except a police record as the incident was recorded (if he is ever involved in a similar incident he will be prosecuted according to the police who attended).

Post Script

I heard later from one of the CRT staff that a hire boater had attacked someone along the towpath with a windlass a few days before our incident and a few miles further back from our first encounter. I am not saying it is the same person but I have my suspicions.

As is my want I went for an early morning walk and found a tree laden with sugar plums that looked to be perfectly ripe so before we set off Hermione, Edie and My No2 stripped the tree harvesting over 10 kg of fruit.
It was quite windy so I said to Hermione that a little more throttle can be useful for guiding the boat and avoiding being pushed into the bank. She took me at my word and soon brushed the side of the boat into something, a tree branch, a bridge, who knows what but the upshot was that the fold up step at the front of the boat was nearly ripped off and left hanging on with just one screw and my carefully crafted figurehead in the form of a dragons head was somewhat the worse for wear. She was most apologetic but it made me remember that I have done much worse myself and told her that she has not done anything that I have not done myself in the past.

Nothing I haven't done myself

When I first purchased Forty Two, as the boat was called then, it had a bright yellow cratch with lots of perspex so as to act as a sort of greenhouse, however it only lasted a few months until I totally demolished it in about two seconds flat going through a bridge hole on the Ashby canal.

Negotiated Hurlston flight with the help of the volunteer lock keepers who were free with their 'Best Practice' advice for Hermione regarding the antics of Edie. Had no trouble motoring on to Nantwich where we used the facilities and moored up for the night.

Took a day out to visit Nantwich and do a bit of shopping for consumables, fruit and veg while Hermione in the mean time had been discovering the delights of boating with a car in tow and had caught the train to Whitchurch where she had previously left the car to collect it and keep it close.

Stopped at the Secret Nuclear Bunker for lunch and then on to Audlum

We spent the next three days furiously collecting damsons and processing the for the forthcoming winter. Hermione joined in and made a number of pots of chutney as Christmas presents for friends and relations.
The only incident of interest to boaters was when a hire boat passed through a lock leaving the gates open. I had a quick glance backwards and it seemed that they had left the previous lock gates open as well. Boats cannot rush away from the scene of a crime so it was not at all difficult to accost the person on the tiller and explain that they really should close the gates after them. I was told by way of explanation that the crew were all in their 70's as if that gave them special privileges. (I am in my 70's as is my No2.) Not relevant I said and asked if they had been given any instruction when they collected the boat. I was assured that they had received no instruction whatsoever.
Red rag to a bull, I promptly rang the hire company concerned and explained the situation and was assured that a) the people on the boat HAD received instruction and b) they would be getting a call from the hire company to remind them of their obligations to other boaters and CRT.
A short while later I saw the guy on the tiller receive a telephone call. They closed all the gates after themselves for the rest of the way down the flight.

Hermione and Edie off home leaving my No2 and I to finish processing damsons and start foraging for apples, which we know are at the lock by the Secret Nuclear Bunker.

While my No2 was processing damsons (I did help quite a lot) I set to and made a new figurehead. So as not to have it suffering the trials and tribulations of my boating (I demolished incarnations 1 and 2) I decided that the big dragons head should be mounted much further back which left room for a much smaller one on the hitching dolly where all the others have been mounted in the past. In order to restrict the overhang I could only have a small head, so, let's have a baby dragon. Now mummy dragon keeps an eye on baby dragon protecting it from all and sundry, including, hopefully, low lock gates and overhanging branches.

Just above Hack Green Locks, near the Secret Nuclear Bunker, where the apple tree is almost hidden by other trees at the lock. Many a boater going through the lock seemed interested in what we were doing but no-one else bothered to harvest any of these free fruits.
I have heard that CRT are actually planting a linear orchard from Worcester all the way to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, planting roughly 3,000 fruit and nut trees aiming to create the world's longest continuous community and linear orchard. What a good idea.

This is a mooring close to the road, so I contacted Robert to let him know that I was at a location suitable for installing a second side hatch. I like the first one so much I want another.
Like the silly billy I am I forgot to take any pictures of this installation but it went off without a hitch and no more holes in my carpet so now I have a side hatch on either side of the boat, bliss. I did however take pictures of the finished product later on so have included them here.