That was Sat and then we met Serendipity ...

Saturday morning I spent a couple of hours shovelling Caxton out and then got down to writing a letter to my Mum - Joe had gone into Macclesfield with Graham.  When the men returned Jill and I left them to wield a chain saw and convert the ash logs we had gathered into precoius firewood whilst we took the four dogs to Macclesfield Forest.   The forest is near a village called Langley and is spread over high ground and around a series of reservoirs; mainly conifer but there has been an increasing amount of native broadleaf planted. 
The dogs had a serious rummage, we were not mown down by cyclists and it made a pleasant change. 

Sunday we pulled pins and headed towards the locks at Bosley. 
At the moment we still have Graham and Jill's Pajero with us which means that one of us has to move it in the general direction of our journey.   As the two boats set of in watery sunshine, Jill and I set off to retrieve the car. 
About 100yds back from Caxton was a moored boat called Serendipity and the owner popped his head out of the offside side hatch and commented on what a fine morning it was - we, naturally, responded in an equally pleasant way and agreed.  Casting his eyes down the cut the boat owner  spots the sterns of Matilda Rose and Caxton as they set off , 'I am glad to see those two boats are going' he says 'they have done nothing but run engines since they have been here.'
'Oh dear.' says I, 'Surely they didn't run their engines late at night or early in the morning?'
'No, no, not that, but I can't see why they have to run their engines for so long, all these new boats are the same, boating is meant to be simple, I built my boat 22 years ago and my life has been blighted in the last fifteen by people running their engines!'
OK, time to fess up I thinks...
'Well goodbye mate, those two boats are ours and we now need to catch up with them.'
A bit of bluster from the 'lucky' boater ensued but have no fear, he was soon back into his stride.
'Why do you have to bring your homes on board a boat?' he enquires.
Jill at this point has had enough and tells him that she isn't prepared to do her washing in the cut.
'Use a launderette' is he response
'What launderette, there are hardly any of them'. says Jill
'There are three in Macclesfield' he replies
'I don't live in Macclesfield' says Jill 'I live on the boat.'

Time to go me thinks....
'Come on, why are we wasting our time arguing, lets go..' says I, ushering four dogs towards the car - I think I might have asked him where he kept his boat horse at this point,which perhaps wasn't helpful but I had had enough as well by now.
I am surprised that this boater has continued this lifestyle given that he claims to have had his life blighted by selfish engine running boaters for at least fifteen years - he must be a very stoic fellow indeed - and he obvoiusly has strong views on how everybody else should run there lives!