Sunday Oct 26th Flixton Air Museum

With no Classic Car shows throughout winter on the last Sunday of the month in winter our car club, the PCVC, usually get together for a short run and a Sunday lunch. On Sunday the 26th October we all met at Flixton Air Museum near Bungay. We spent a little time in the museum followed by coffee and cakes before driving over towards the Suffolk coast for a good value Sunday Carvery at High Lodge Leisure Centre near Darsham.
Just a few photos from the museum.

English Electric Lighting

Sea Harrier FA2

Part of the Wessex Helicopter Collection. A Whirlwind.

A couple more early Wessex copters.

Sadly the museum has lost their Ken Wallis collection as the family has taken the gyro copters and memorabilia back for Probate and they will not be returning which is against his known wishes. Outside is an interesting collection of static planes and various WW11 displays from the various East Anglia USAF bases, in particular the 466th Bomb Group.

Hawker Hunter FGA9

English Electric Canberra

Other Aircraft including a  Hunting Provost,  Vickers Valleta and a Puckara in
the distance.

As usual we all had a good day out, especially good to see Ted out recovering from his heart op.

Henham Steam Fair Sunday 21st September

Bit of a catch up blog
On Sunday 21st September a friend and I went to Henham Steam Fair at Henham Park, Suffolk. This is usually the last show of the year that I attend, this time as a paying customer.
Quite a big show with plenty to see and loads of tat to look around. We started of at the Vintage cars as Richard had a couple of friends with old cars, he was hoping to see some Austin A70's, maybe a Hereford or Hampshire as he will be shortly taking delivery of a project A70, but no such luck, nearest was an A50.

Austin 7

Lanchester

We then spent time looking around the vintage bikes, where his bike knowledge and reminisces was imparted on me, interesting stories even though bikes are not my cup of tea.
Next up was tractors, hundreds of them of all shapes and sizes and plenty of Lend /Lease stuff from WW2 when the USA sent thousands of tractors over for the war effort. Richard, from an agricultaral background knew a fai bit about these too.

British Field Marshall Tractors.

After lunch our next port of call was the Steam power, some very nice machinery on display, including a replica of Richard Trevithick's first steam road vehicle "Puffin Devil"

"Puffin Devil"

A couple of Marshall Steam engines where on display, Marshall and Sons started in Gainsborough, Linc's, they eventually become Field Marshall making diesel tractors in WW2 as the picture above, after WW2 they merged with Fowler and Sons of Leeds, again building tractors, small railway engines and bulldozers, before buying the Leyland Tractors name and models and continuing under this name until the 1990's.

Marshall Traction Engine.

Marshall Road Tractor

Sawing Demonstration.

Later in the day we had a look around all the auto jumbles, again on the lookout for Austin A70 stuff, then it was the commercials and military vehicles before spending a bit of time in the Classic Car section talking to friends before heading home.

Nice Pickford's collection.

Even somewhere to sleep.

That's it for shows this year, we have a couple of drive outs for pub lunches planned for some winter Sundays in 2014. Hope spring comes round soon.

Shropshire Union 2014 Day 6 and 7.

Thursday 
Getting a bit repetitive, but Thursday was another sunny day. In no rush our plan was to get water before heading back to the Llangollen canal.
We left Barbridge about 9.30am and reached Calveley services which are situated in an old canal and rail transhipment depot.

Calveley services.

We winded at the winding hole before Bunbury staircase locks then made our way back to Barbridge and to Hurleston Junction for the 4 locks up to the Llangollen Canal.

Bunbury locks ahead.

Very nice property near Hurleston Junction.

It was straight up into the first of the 4 locks with no queue, Gill prepared the first lock whilst I worked the other 3.

Entering Hurleston Bottom Lock.

Neat manoeuvre by Gill in the pounds.

Hurleston Top Lock.

We carried on, past Swanley Marina before stopping for lunch just before the locks. Sadly, we suddenly remembered been moored here on 9/11/2001 when the news of the World trade Centre disaster occurred so we quickly upped pins then negotiated Swanley Locks.

Approaching Swanley No 1 lock.

Next up was Baddiley locks, set in nice pasture lands with wooden fringes to the canals, very pretty on a sunny day.

Near Baddiley.

Baddiley Top Lock.

We where on home ground now, just a mile to Wrenbury Mill, we headed for the first stretch of visitor moorings before Wrenbury, passing NB Beefur Sorry, I was the one who shouted out to you as mentioned on your blog post of 23rd September.
We moored just before Wrenbury Church lift bridge and settled in for a spot of polishing and cleaning before heading off to the pub for a meal and a drink.
Friday
We awoke to an overcast day on Friday morning, after a good breakfast we walked to Wrenbury for the car and drove to Chester for a day of retail therapy for Gill. Firstly we walked round part of the city walls, had a look at the cathedral and gardens before hitting the galleried shops.

City Walls.

Clock on the city walls.

Eastgate Street.

Galleried Shops in Eastgate Street.

Grosvenor Shopping Centre.

We had a light lunch in Chester before continuing our walk around the city. We did not walk down to the canal, having been through Chester on the canal a few times in the past.

Abbey Square

Entertaining Squirrel.

Chester Cathedral.

We headed back to Wrenbury late afternoon, then moved the boat up through the lift bridge and reversed into Wrenbury Mill Basin where we completed the cleaning and packing before heading to the Dusty Miller for a well earned meal.

Back in  Wrenbury Mill Basin.

Saturday
Saturday was the normal shareboat turnaround day, we dieseled up, new gas cylinder, filled with water, pump out then a final packing up and cleaning before heading back to Norfolk.
Another lovely sunny week on Centurion, which has run well with no problems. That's it for the boat this year, we have enjoyed all our 4 weeks and look forward to next year.

Shropshire Union September 2014 Day 5

Wednesday morning we had a bit of a lie in before I made Gill get up and make me a nice breakfast. With no more visitors planned and the boat pointing in the Audlem direction we headed off that way, again. As can be seen it was another sunny September day.

Sunny September Day.

At Hack Green locks we encountered a radio controlled boat called Victoria Plum which pushes a small butty before it called Victoria Plums Garage! The owner looks to be slightly disabled and has the remote round his neck whilst he does the gates, he appeared to be a single hander.

Remote control round his neck for the boat behind him.

Centurion goes away as the boat is operated by radio control, the bow thruster's
also operated by radio control

Safely steered in by remote control.

Mooring at Audlem bottom lock we walked up to the village and the Audlem Mill craft centre for Gills crafty fix, before popping in to the BCBM office who now manage our Centurion syndicate.

Shroppie Fly and Audlem Mill.

Former Audlem Lock Keeeprs cottage..

St James Church - Audlem

Audlem seems a nice little town, but it is blighted by traffic, chelsea tractors everywhere and the new co-op seems to have had an affect on some of the local shops we have used before on previous visits, looks as though the bakers, and Fruit and Veg shop have shut down.
Walking back down the locks we saw FMC Dove working down the locks. I like to see traditional boats and this guy was doing it the traditional way, paddles dropped with hands on the shafts to control. bow up on the gates with engine in gear, pulling the gates open with a rope and engine in reverse, then pulling shut the gate shut behind the boat, where the rope then falls away and is retrieved whilst his partner lock wheeled ahead. Good to see, but I forgot to take photos of the rope work.

FMC Dove

FMC Dove in Audlem lock 13.

A couple more traditional Boats.

We had a late lunch back at the boat before setting off back to Nantwich, firstly calling in at the large Overwater marina for ice cream from the cafe, then on through Hack Green, across Nantwich Aquaduct, past Hurleston Junction before mooring opposite the Barbridge Inn.

Overwater Marina.

Barbridge Inn Mooring.

Shropshire Union September 2014 Day 4

Tuesday
Tuesday morning, after a boatie breakfast of Bacon and Egg Sandwiches we prepared for our guests, Gill sorting out a buffet type lunch, myself having a tidy up. My cousins from Marple and Cheadle arrived with their partners around 11am and away we went to the winding hole at the end of the embankment, then back through Nantwich before tootling on passed Hurleston Junction. We moored for lunch at Barbridge. After lunch we gave them a locking experience, turning right onto the Middlewich branch to the reasonably deep Cholmondeston lock.

Gill and George on lock duty. George remembers as a child helping
boatmen down Wigan Locks for a bucket of coal.

Jim and Carolyn. 

Sylvia.

First time in a lock for them all.

Leaving Cholmondeston Lock.

Carrying on we turned at the next winding hole then made our way slowly back to Nantwich before mooring on the embankment again for the night.

Nantwich Visitor moorings on the embankment.

We showed our guests the aqueduct before saying farewell. They really enjoyed the day, made all the better with the good weather and are looking forward to an invite next time we are nearish to Manchester.
Gill and I had all the buffet leftovers, including the rest of the wine for a late tea before relaxing in front of the telly.