As this is being typed up, the weather is in a dryish spot compared to much of week that's been anything but reminding me more of one family holiday when it rained for nearly all the time we were way to the point we HAD to leave as where we were staying was flooded out.
One memory of that era in the summer was playing out which didn't just include the park which was prone to flooding too but of woodland and not untypically for this district the local canals where we'd watch the narrow boats coming in, chat with people and offer to help for a bit of extra pocket money operating the lock gates.
At that point there were two locks as thanks to salt mining subsidence which is a major problem around these parts a Steel Lock was made and installed in 1958 to get around the effects of subsidence on the conventional lock which was quite notable in England but sadly it proved to be both hard to work and unreliable.
Eventually it was taken out of commission by the then British Waterways Board, the government department responsible for canals and associated infrastructure but that didn't stop it being a magnet to local children which after a number of incidents lead to it being be demolished.
Looking to the far right, you can just make out the ridge where a prominent folly in North Staffordshire can be found.
If you were wondering why all this photo talk but where are the pictures the reason was a big delay at the lab as, given this is 2015 I actually wanted them scanning to jpeg digitally using a professional scanner rather than the cheap and cheerful sub $60 offerings you can get.
Here we have a moored Narrow Boat (aka a "Barge in Northern British) along the Trent and Mersey canal in the North-west Midlands of England.
Taken on Minolta X500 (aka 570 back in Canada and the States), Tamron 28-80 F3.5-4.2SP on Fuji Superia 200, handheld.
This scene is a typical one near Caroline's home.
It is the summer and in this part of England, people travel sections of inland waterways called Canals in a set pattern. The section of canal is called the Trent and Mersey linking the Midlands to Lancashire
This particular vessel is registered at Whixall, Shropshire in the Midlands and often is seen where she is hired from travelling from Audlem in the South to Runcorn in the North of Cheshire, a district with close links to Liverpool and the Wirral.
The people will typically stop overnight having used local shops, the Post Office and Public Houses before travelling toward Middlewich for the next leg.
Continuing with last months theme here are a few new pictures for you.
Sloe Motion. What a name, eh? This one is registered nearby at Northwich.
It has traditional flower and brass fittings.
