Back to a full crew.

Mags’ procedure went well on Thursday, almost according to plan in fact. She wants to thank everyone for the good wishes and supportive comments. She was still in recovery when I arrived for afternoon visiting, but was back in the ward shortly after. She was very dozy though. Friday’s visiting started as normal, but I wanted to find out when they were going to discharge her. I was surprised and elated when the nurse told me that they were just preparing the paperwork and then she could go. We were packed and waiting when the doctor arrived with the necessary reports, then we were away, zooming down the corridor like rats deserting a sinking ship!
To be fair the staff were very good, attentive and caring. but it’s still a hospital, after all.

With Mags safely installed back on board we had a quiet weekend, then first thing this morning I took the hire car back and we were on the move away from Queens Head at 10 o’clock.

A bright morning after another frosty night.

Thursday morning Meg and I went back to Lower Frankton to fill with water and dispose of rubbish, a damp, cold trip, slightly better on the return to Queens Head.

Meg wrapped up against the cold drizzle last Thursday.

But today was in marked contrast, bright and sunny, almost warm in the sunshine.

I’d spied some logs on the towpath the other day, so we pulled over and the chainsaw was put to use.

I think it’s beech, but to paraphrase Bachman-Turner Overdrive from 1974 (You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet) …any wood is good wood, so I took what I could get…

Rednall Basin, a now-overgrown transfer basin between the canal and the adjacent railway.

The long straight down to the aqueduct over the River Perry, a haunt of the local kingfishers.

None around today, but I‘m sure they appreciated us breaking the thin layer of ice on the water.
We pulled in just before the aqueduct on the offside mooring, after several days moored next to the road at Queens Head the peace and quiet is blissful. I got all the wood chopped and stacked in the cratch then we just sat and chilled.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading back up Frankton Locks onto the main Llangollen Canal, then west back towards Wales. Mags has got to go back to Shrewsbury for another blood sample in the week, just to make sure that things are moving in the right direction. Until we get the results of that we can’t really make any decisions on where to go, but I don’t think there’ll be any problems. Every day she’s a little better.

Locks 2, miles 9½ since last post.