Sometimes the explanation for English town names is quite simple. In the 7th century somebody built a pile of stones to make a grave here and the town has been called Stone ever since. The motto of the town is Sit Saxum Firmum or in English…

According to the promotional leaflet the town has a chic and almost Mediterranean feel, and the shops ooze class and individuality. Judge for yourselves.

I was always taught that if you have class, the last thing you do is ooze on people, but maybe things are different in North Staffordshire. I must admit, some of the shops did look interesting.

On the other hand, some were downright dangerous.

Swan stuffies? What’s next, a cuddly Genghis Kahn, or Hitler cushions? Next thing you know your kids will be staring down the barrel of one of these.

The Crown Inn (now the Crown Hotel and possibly not the same building) has a place in canal history.

On June 10th, 1766 the Trent and Mersey Canal Company was founded here. James Brindley was appointed chief surveyor, and Josiah Wedgwood (the pottery manufacturer) became Treasurer. We are approaching the potteries, and soon bottle kilns will replace breweries as canal side ornaments.

Last time we passed through Stone I wrote about how the local brewer invented thermodynamics, so now let’s talk about how a local baker revolutionized brown bread. Richard “Stoney” Smith was born in the Mill House, Stone, in 1836. A late developer, it was not until 1887 that he patented a process for extracting wheatgerm during the milling process, steam treating it to prevent grittiness, and then adding it back to the flour. This produced whole wheat bread with a rich flavor and high levels of vitamins and fiber. In 1890 the bread was named Hovis, still one of Britain’s more widely recognized brands.

We passed the half way point on the Trent and Mersey today.

We’re not planning on going the full length, though. The current plan is to turn off up the Caldon Canal, and then double back and go down to Stourport. Our previous plan to go up the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals has been canceled due to lack of water.

This morning I noticed an interesting effect.

Cows and Canada Geese were sharing a field, but as the cows move in, the geese got out of the way. Could this be the solution to the nation’s goose problem? Simply have cows patrol the towpath and the geese would stop crapping there. Of course, then you have the problem stopping the cows crapping on the towpath, but I’m sure that the nation that invented the collapsible baby buggy and the wind up radio should be able to produce cow nappies.

Meanwhile, Nick was completely ignoring the bovine drama.

He spent much of the trip perched at one end of the boat or the other fondling a guitar pacifier, a plastic rod resembling the skinny bit of a guitar, with plastic ridges for the strings and frets. A placebo treatment is obviously quite effective in treating withdrawal symptoms in guitar addicts, and if widely adopted could prevent anyone from ever having to play air guitar.