23rd and 24th of August. Sunshine!

And indeed there was sunshine on the Shroppie. On Tuesday we shopped and were just unpacking when Iris caught up with us and moored next door. After lots of chat we set off and made five miles and one lock. We tried but failed to moor in a spot with a lovely view - defeated by the edge shelf which was too wide for our fenders to stop the boat banging.

The mooring we missed.

We went on and found another mooring place with a tree for shade and a picnic table. The lovely weather tempted out the BBQ again and we sat out with our food and Scooby and watched many happy boats going by.
We were expecting a cool cloudy day on Wednesday but instead it was bright and warm. We stopped at Aqueduct marina for diesel, gas and more gromits, plus a nice brunch in their café. We got in just before the party of 20 cyclists! A few more miles and one lock got us to the end of the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire and we turned briefly onto the main line before turning off again onto the Llangollen. There was no lock-keeper at the lock flight and the pounds were quite low. Robin got into an altercation with a very rude skipper who couldn't control his boat. However, it was too hot and the view too nice to argue for long. We had a mooring in mind and pottered on. The countryside is properly rural now with lots of cows. Such restful animals, standing around in bunches.  

It clouded over, with just one patch of blue remaining, but the rain didn't come and the light was lovely in the evening. The mooring was quiet; Robin caught 2 roach and a bream, Jo finished her book and Scooby slept.

Our quiet mooring.

And then later on, the omens were good for the day tomorrow, perhaps the forecasters will be wrong again.

This photo was taken about 8.30pm from the side hatch.