Monday Southport

We decided to go to Martin Mere Wild Fowl Trust, about 5 miles from Southport.  We have been there many times, one of Merry’s favorite places.  Tricia came with us.  We walked around the various ponds and enclosures, and it seems to have been greatly expanded over the last few years since we last visited, so we had a grand old time.  There are also blinds to see the migratory birds as they swoop in to regain strength as they continue their journey.

We took a break and had lunch at the café, then sat on the patio and watched the workers try to catch a swan swimming in the lake.  About 8 workers armed with giant nets on poles tried to gently trap the swan in a corner so as not to stress it too much, without luck.  Each time they got close, it flapped its wings and hopped over the advancing line.  It was pretty amusing.  After about an hour, they caught it, put it into a cage, and released three other swans into the same lake.

After all the fun, we drove back to Tricia’s and packed; it was time to move on to my cousin Brenda who lives in Ormskirk, about 20 minutes away. 

Tuesday Ormskirk

We started slowly with coffee and hot chocolate, then went to see Brenda.  We chatted for an hour and got a tour of the property, 49 units with lovely manicured gardens and a nice lounge.  After the tour, we joined in the coffee morning and were treated to cake for the birthday girl.

We went to a nice country club for lunch, Brenda, Myself, Tricia [the three cousins], and of course Merry. It was called the Scullery which is normally a place next to the kitchen where all the prep and washing up occurs in old England

Wednesday The Beatles

Ormskirk is almost a suburb of Liverpool, and I have heard many good things about the Beatles tour, so we travel to Liverpool to take the time.  Being raised just 20 miles from Liverpool, I have a very poor opinion of Liverpool, but I did go to college there, did Jury Duty there, and have some good memories.  40 years later, the city has changed a lot, and it could only get better.

The tour started at the Albert Dock which has been gentrified and very posh now, was on an open-air double-decker, and we got to see penny lane, strawberry fields, Paul McCartney’s childhood home, and lots more places.  We enjoyed it very much.

We had time to take the city hop-on, hop-off tour as well, but it was late in the day, so we just made the trip with no hop-offs.  It also started raining hard, so the tour was spoiled a little.  There has been a lot of new development, and most of the war bomb sites have now been developed.  It was nice to see a cruise ship moored at the Pier Head, developed recently [decades].

We had the pleasure of returning to Ormskirk during rush hour, another thing that brought back memories of when I worked in Liverpool.

Thursday Middlewich

In the morning, Merry, Brenda, and I went to Ormskirk market.  Merry has been waiting for all year for this and missed it on Saturday due to her surgery.  Merry spent quite a lot of time shopping while Brenda and I spent some time in a coffee shop nearby.  Merry was not disappointed.

After the market, we all went to the local Toby Carvery, another of Merry’s favorites. 

In the afternoon, we traveled 45 minutes north to Middlewich, a favorite canal stopping point where my nephew Glen and his family live.  We spend quite a bit of time at Glen’s and catching up on family matters. 

Friday, Fly back to the States 9/9/22

We returned the rental car to Manchester Airport and after some frustration getting through airport security, we went to to the gate, well into boarding. We were finally heading back to the States with a stop over in Iceland to change planes.

On arrival in Seattle and after clearing passport etc. Our good friends Randy and Janice, who we became friends with on our cruise, met us. We planned to stay with them for a few days and visit family.

And they lived happily ever after.

This concludes our canal boat blog. We hope you have enjoyed following along.

Saturday Southport

We got a call at 8:30 am from the hospital to say no surgery today, too many major injuries to deal with.  20 minutes later they called again to say they had, found an open bed, and it was back on and waiting for a call with a time.  At 9 am, they called to say come in at 10 am.  We were thankful we were not sitting in a waiting room while they decided. 

I checked Merry in, and they told me I could only visit during visiting hours. 

Merry Checked in

I was told I could come back from 5 to 7 pm, so I headed to the market town of Ormskirk, about 20 minutes away, and looked at all the stalls that Merry so wanted to visit. 

I returned to the hospital at 5 pm. Merry had her surgery and was back in her ward with six other ladies.

[merry speaking] The ward:  The woman whose bed I was taking was still in the middle of the room, waiting for her meds from the pharmacy…she remained there for a long time!!  She introduced me to the other five women in the room, one who had a fall and broker her leg and ankle; another who was in for something else rendering her immobile, and a third was also bedridden, and I had a hard time seeing her and the last whose name was Lisa I think also bedridden.  So, five bedridden women for the nurses to care for…there was quite a lot of commotion, but I was determined to get into it the next day.

It was not long after I got into a gown that the Dr. Assigned the surgery came in to see me, which was super since it had now been about 16 hours since my last meal; I questioned him about the surgery and effects I might have, trying to assure myself there would be another day…he reassured me. I began to relax; my p/b had been near 180, high for me; I understood that it was “normal” and not to worry…he said I could ask the anesthetist any questions I wanted. 

The anesthetist was almost on the doctors’ heels, which assured me more.  The orderlies, or whatever they might be called, came to get me about 2:30. I was taken into an anti-room, not the surgery, and given all sorts of meds and evidentially the knockout I had been dreading. 

The next thing I remember was being in my room, back in my bed, and Rod was there.  I was alive!  And came thru it all ok. 

Once I was out of the surgery, I was wide awake.  I had a sensation of my hand being across my chest though I could see it being at a 90-degree angle held in a frame.  The fingers were warm, though not mine, of course, and touching them was an out-of-body experience.  They remained that way until early next morning when they did belong to me at last.

The following day, I was interested in how all this would work out…5 women who could not ambulate.  It worked out very well.  There was none of the usual b/p during the night, even myself!!  At 6am, the first team came in. Those needing meds were first given theirs…no watching that you took them, they did.  Then necessary personal needs were met… cloth dividers were separating the beds and used.  They did not constrain speaking, nor was there any reason to constrain them.

There were comments made all the time to make everyone feel special and not done with anything other than a bright, cheerful smile on a new day.  Then came breakfast. A man brought in set-ups of cereal three choices, toast, choice of bread, tea and coffee, and hot chocolate for me, and it was like a party! 

Amanda was the star nurse, making each one beautiful with wonderful words, even to our confused lady who had some very annoying sounds that she constantly made, and even when that woman constantly pushed her buzzer when the nurse was in the room.  I can understand why there are no visiting hours before lunch!!!  By 10:30, all was quiet, and those who needed to rest.  A Minister care in shortly, a Minister I had requested since I missed going to church today.  He read me part of a psalm that happened to be my favorite psalm!!!  I could not have asked for a better piece, psalm 121!  Briefly, we centered on me and my feelings and quickly turned to a member of my family who needs prayer more than I do.  Lien, who is in need of all your prayers.  The Minister and I chatted for a while, and he made me feel good to be alive!!!

The surgeon came next with good news, I was well and soon to be released!  I had NO cast on my arm; a cast was not needed since it was fixed with a plate and screws.  Three cheers for the NHS!!!  From here on, Rod can continue.

[Rod] Merry was groggy when I arrived but soon livened up when she knew I was there.  Her arm was straight up in the air, held by a frame. 

They brought around dinner and Merry was assigned an egg sandwich, an orange, yogurt, and potato chips [locally called crisps].  She surprisingly ate half of the sandwich, offering me the other half and the crisps.  I was told she would need to stay in for the night, so I left at 7 pm and spent the evening with my sister Tricia.

Sunday [Rod]

I had been given a number to call at 9 am for an update.  They told me she was approved for discharge after the noon meds, and they would call me when she was ready for pickup.  They really don’t want visitors milling around.

Merry had to miss going to church and the usual Sunday Roast dinner.  She was released at 12.30, and Tricia and I went to pick her up.  She was allowed to walk out of the ward, down the elevator, and out the front door, which would not happen in the US.  During the morning, one of the nurses spent some time with her and even plaited her hair.  It looked very lovely, and what a nice touch of care.

Merry had wanted to go to a car boot sale in Burscough, a 30-minute drive from Southport, and she said she was up for it, so off we went. 

We never did find it.  It was forecast for rain and was held in a farmer’s field, so I suspect it was a small turnout, and they ended it early.  We had a little drive around and ended up back at Tricia’s to recuperate.

My soccer game [Manchester United] was at 4:30, so we watched that.  An excellent result.  After that, we decided to go to a pub [Thatch & Thistle] for dinner.  Luck had it they were still serving Sunday Roast, so Merry got her roast dinner, and we had a pleasant evening with Tricia.

We ended the day with a natter [casual talk] and an early night.

Friday Southport

We had a later start due to the very late night.  We had a chance to catch up with my sister Tricia about what has been happening in the family and at 11:30 we decided to head into Southport town center for lunch and re-vist our favorite places.

We had lunch in a café in the victoria arcade, a very charming building that I am very familiar with.  Very nice. 

We then headed to the pier.  Southport is a seaside resort but the sea is rather unusual.  The tide can come up to the sea wall, but when it goes out, it is over a mile away.  When it comes in, it can come in faster than you can walk, so it can be quite dangerous.  Because of this, the pier is one mile long. 

My mother when she was living loved the pier and walked the mile at every opportunity.  It fell into disrepair and had to be demolished.  The citizens demanded a new one be built.  Money needed to be raised and my mother Ida was the first to chip in, and her name is permanently engraved on a place No1.

After walking the pier, we headed back to town.  Merry wanted to go in the amusement and had a bit of fun. 

Then we walked the length of Lord St, the main shopping street that Merry loves so much. 

Exhausted, Merry sent me to get the car at the other end and we returned to Tricia’s home.

The hospital called to say surgery tomorrow so fasting from midnight and they would call at 9 am with the instructions.

More chatting and a nice tea [evening meal] and watched some telly and a glass of wine before taking an early night.

Thursday Bath

First, I put money on the parking and headed back to the BnB for the simple included continental breakfast.  Just what we needed.

The hop-on hop-off bus traveled right past our guest house, so we decided to do that in the morning and then head to my hometown, Southport.  It was two circuits.  We did the city tour twice, then transferred to the highlights circuit, which we enjoyed very much.

We went back to the car only to find a parking ticket.  Apparently,, I had mistyped the license number into the app.  I am told it can be fixed online without a problem.

We headed out of town towards Southport, about a five-hour drive up the motorways.  It was slow getting out of the city but once on the motorway,, we were mostly traveling at 70mph.  The traffic in England is much more hectic than in the states and driving took a lot more concentration.  We stopped at motorway services and got petrol and something quick to eat “a Whopper”.

We had to pass through Birmingham which is a big hub city and that slowed us down and it never got back up to speed the rest of the way.

We arrived at Southport hospital at 6:30 pm and checked in at the Accident and Emergency, then we waited in the waiting room until 11:50 pm when we were called to be seen, that is 5-1/2 hours in a small crowded waiting room.  We got to know several people, and at the time, it got pretty entertaining in our shared frustrations.

The doctor was very nice and ordered new X-rays.  Once reviewed, he was unsure if surgery was needed and called for an orthopedic consult.  While we waited, Merry got her dressing changed.  The orthopedic doctor was on the fence about whether surgery was required, and it was decided the orthopedic team would review the X-rays the following day.  We finally got out of the A&E at 2:30 am.  My poor sister Tricia had to wait up for us to arrive.  Tomorrow we will find out if surgery is needed.

Bath

Sister Pauline and her husband Steve arrived about 12:30, and we quickly headed off to a pub nearby in Frampton for lunch.

The Village Green in Frampton is said to be the longest village green in England and is about 22 acres in size. Cricket is played on The Green outside the Bell Inn, one of the two Pubs on The Green, the other being The Three Horseshoes at the opposite end of The Green.

The area around The Green has been designated a Conservation Area, the range of Architecture spanning several centuries ranges from “ Cruck Cottages” to impressive Tudor and Georgian houses.

After lunch, we packed our bags, and they took us to Gloucester to pick up our rental car.  From there, we headed off to our next adventure, Bath, about 75 minutes drive.  We chose the country roads and enjoyed the drive, but 50 miles per hour is quite different from 4 miles per hour on the canal.

We arrived at a BnB we had booked.  There was no parking, so we parked in the car park across the street and paid the fee.  The room was on the second floor and was small.  Just two feet longer than the bed and two feet on either side, but it was clean and cozy.  It said private bathroom, but that does not mean on-suit.  Yes, it was down the hall, shared with one other room.  I questioned the private bathroom, and they said yes, it has a lock.  OK, for one night, I guess.

We headed out to explore the town and grab some dinner.  Merry chose a nice-looking Chinese restaurant, and that was nice.  We headed back for an early night.

Tuesday Saul Marina

The first order of business was moving the boat to the fuel dock.  The sign said to back in, which was quite a way, and canal boats don’t back up well, but I made it into the fuel dock.  Our closing fuel was 58 liters at a cost of  £99.76, plus we had the blackwater tank pumped out for £18.  We also picked up tokens for the large laundry washers and dryers to finish the laundry ready for packing.

Our total fuel bill was £331 or $400 for five weeks of traveling, a total of 172 miles and 146 locks.

We made it back into the awkward slip as easy as pie.  Maybe it was not so much luck after all.  Next comes the washing of the boat outside and cleaning inside.  Sister Pauline and Steve are arriving tomorrow morning, and we are heading to bath, the Cotswold’s, and on to my home town Southport to see my other sister Tricia for a few days.

By lunchtime, Merry had completed the laundry and I had almost finished the outside of the boat.  The weather was nice so we headed to the little café across the canal “The Stables”.  I was little but had a big menu and a long queue to get served.  We ate outside and it was worth waiting for. 

We had to cross the canal swing bridge.

We headed back to the boat for a rest.

We finished packing, that is the three tubs of items we leave at Pauline’s house all organized and inventoried. Then the travel bags. We just have carryon luggage and everything has to get into those. Quite a challenge. I can travel light but Merry’s stuff spills over into mine a bit. The travel plans are:
9 days traveling England
a week or so in Seattle
Then I [Rod] fly home and Merry plans to continue traveling the west cost to see more family.

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal

We had a lazy last morning in Gloucester.  We were eating up food in the refrigerator but just needed a load of bread to finish up our last two days of meals.  We walked around the marina shops and found an ethnic grocery store.  We picked a nice-looking loaf and one tomato and crossed our fingers they would be nice.

We had planned to eat lunch at the marina before pushing off.  We selected a café/pub and found a table.  We were warned that food takes 40 minutes to come out.  We accepted.  Our food arrived within 20 minutes, but I was not complaining.  When finished, we headed back to the boat and prepped for takeoff.

We embarked on our final voyage back to the home marina along the Gloucester and Sharpness canal.  It is an actual canal with a towpath but is extra wide and deep because it has commercial traffic off the River Severn.  There are no locks on the route but about five lift bridges operated by lock keepers.  The first and second bridge was no problem; the lock keeper started the process as we approached.  The third bridge was different, with no sign of a lock keeper in his little hut.  I called the phone number on the chart and got another bridge.  He said he would make some phone calls and get it open. Meanwhile, I was fighting a little breeze keeping the boat in mid-channel.  About 10 minutes later, a lockee arrived, and the bridge opened. 

The next bridge went smoothly, but the lockee asked us to travel slowly as he had to drive ahead and open the next bridge.  That worked fine, and we were in the home straight.  The last bridge is right at our turn.  The procedure is to go through the bridge and past the turn, turn around in the basin, head back towards the bridge, and make the turn.  The turn is too tight to make it from the other direction.  It was a light turn, and many people sat around enjoying the day to watch if I made the turn nicely.  I did, and just one last challenge.

We turned into the home marina.  I had called ahead to see if I could get fuel.  They said it was 3:55, and closed at 4, so it was too late.  I must moor up in our slip and go to the fuel dock the next day.  The challenge was that the slip was the last space, and we needed to back in so we could exit the boat more easily.  All this with no room to maneuver, and the locals would all be watching.  I nailed it.  30% skill, 70% luck.  Can I repeat it tomorrow?

We secured the boat and got the shore power figured out with Steve on the phone to assist.  The huge marina must be hundreds of narrowboats stored needly in boat slips.  We took a walk to explore what was available at the marina.

Merry did her usual miracle, making dinner single-handed.  No TV reception, so we played cards and had a glass of wine before bed.

Sunday

We had a church for Merry just yards away from the boat.  [Merry]  The mariner’s church.  A large crowd in a smallish church was refreshing.  I was welcomed as people arrived.  The service was long and included a lot of singing.  An excellent sermon with a theme of being humble. 

After church, we found a nice pub for Merrys Sunday Roast.  We left the engine running to charge the batteries.  After lunch, we tried to find parts of town we had missed, but it all looked familiar.  We headed back to the boat.

Our time on the boat is ending [August 31 is the handover day], so we started the packing process.  We leave most of our clothes and personal items in England.  We decided to buy plastic tubs to store our things, making it a little easier for Pauline and Steve to handle and keep them.  At this point, we just needed to ensure we had enough space in our tubs.

We want to turn over the boat nice and clean, but the birds have other idear’s.

Later in the afternoon, we walked around the bason, about a one-mile trip.  When we returned to the boat, a seagull had settled on the canvas roof and did not want to move.  No problem.

Merry is a little more comfortable, but her arm can hurt at the slightest wrong movement. The sling provided by the hospital was rather pathetic, so she found a nice scarf in a Charity Shop and is using that as a sling now. She wears the hospital one around the house [boat].

Saturday Gloucester Basin

We dreaded a call from the hospital to say Merry needed to go in for surgery on her broken arm, so we stayed close to the phone.  No call came in, so hopefully, that is good news.

Saturday was the big festival day in town.  In the marina basin, there were a lot of boating demonstrations which kept us entertained.

 

After a simple lunch in, we ventured out into town.  The main square had a stage built, and guest groups took turns playing 60’s music while local dancing groups danced traditional 60s dancing.  I hope there were no heart attacks.

Moving further into town, there were classic cars on display, I mean 500 in total, and they were true beauties.  The proud owners were happy to tell the stories of how they were lovingly restored.  The mostly men who came to admire them had trouble keeping the drool off the shiny paintwork.  I must admit I did have a short list of favorites.

I watched Manchester United in a local pub while Merry went on Charity Shop patrol and found a couple she had not seen before.  After the game, we wandered some more and found the cathedral.

We returned to the boat to recover before going to a restaurant for dinner.  I had to try several before I found one with a table available.  We both had a steak which was quite good by English standards.  I have always been disappointed with UK steaks, but that is being spoiled by the US quality.  I had to cut up Merry’s steak as she was eating one-handed.

We returned to the boat and tried to have a quiet evening, but the town was still throbbing with activity.  Things quietened by ten, and we got a good night’s sleep.

I have had some comments about us doing a lot of traveling. We have only been home three weeks this year. I call it “Adventure before Dementia”.

Ouch

We set out at 10 am to travel from Tewkesbury to Gloucester, about a three-hour voyage.  We were moored on the Avon River and needed to pass through the lock, operated by a lock keeper, and back onto the River Severn.  The lock keepers know what is going on and told us about a closure on the River Avon that did not affect us.  Apparently, a car had driven off a bridge and ended up in the middle of the canals, and divers were checking for anyone trapped.

We had a lovely sunny morning.  On the River Severn, we had a second, massive lock to pass through, operated by a lock keeper.  Merry did most of the steering with no locks to operate while I sat on the bow. 

As we continued, we did not see any boats [except one kayak] going either way until we approached Gloucester.  Merry made sandwiches as we traveled.

As we arrived in Gloucester, we had one last lock of our travels to get on to the canal system again.  This time the lock was going up and again operated by a lock keeper.

There seemed to be plenty of open moorings, but we soon found out they were all reserved.  It was bank holiday weekend, and a large group of classic boats was gathering for display.  We found one space by the dock entrance and were happy to moor up for the weekend to enjoy the activities.

We decided to go ashore to explore.  As Merry was stepping off the boat, a large tour boat went by very close to us at a high rate of speed.  It caused the boat to lunge, and Merry fell.  She was trapped between the boat and the dock wall, but I was quick to stop her from falling further, and Andy, a dock security supervisor, came to assist and gave first aid. 

Andy said Merry must be seen at the A&E [accident and emergency].  I was ready to call an ambulance, but Andy said it would take about two hours for an ambulance to arrive and offered to take us.  The bottom line is she had a broken arm, cuts, and abrasions.  They put her arm in a cast and sling and cleaned up her cuts [over the next five hours].

  We took a taxi back to the boat and picked up some dinner.  By the time we got to dinner [9pm], Merry was hungry yet feeling cruddy.  The day seemed to collapse in on her..  I ordered some dinner for her, and she picked at it, but she decided she needed to be in bed.  When we got back to the boat, Merry managed to get ready and flop gingerly into bed because of the sling.