The Treasures of Congleton

The Treasures of Congleton

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Congleton appears to be a pleasant little town with a thriving shopping street that has escaped the worst excesses of redevelopment, though currently suffering from a bad attack of bunting. There are some nice Tudor… and Mock-Tudor buildings. Water power from the River Dane was important in the early industrial revolution when it was used by mills that spun imported silk fibers into silk thread. The weaving into fabric happened up the hill in Macclesfield. The fortunes of the British…

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Little Moreton Hall

Little Moreton Hall

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Last night when I went out for a walk, I noticed a lot of different butterflies and birds. I saw kestrels, pheasants… … goldfinches… … thrushes bobbing through the pastures… and several kinds of butterflies. It turns out that the land is part of an organic dairy farm… … so it looks as if not using pesticides is visibly improving biodiversity. This morning we walked through the fields again, pausing to chat to the cows… … to get to Little…

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Out of the Darkness onto the Macclesfield

Out of the Darkness onto the Macclesfield

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Today we went through the Harecastle Tunnel. That’s half an hour of navigating the boat through total darkness apart from the lights on the boat and the little pinpoint that it the end of the tunnel. Just to make it more interesting, in places repairs to the tunnel have used up almost all the headroom, so you have to crouch down to avoid getting knocked off the boat. Soon after leaving the tunnel we made a sharp turn from the…

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Uber sucks

Uber sucks

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If you open the Uber app it really looks as if Uber operates in Stone, but when you actually want to go somewhere, it turns out that they don’t have anyone willing to take you there. In fact we just wanted to get back from the grocery store to the boat (a bit less than a mile), but no luck. We also tried the local cab company but they said they couldn’t get anyone to us for half an hour…

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Cows Overhead

Cows Overhead

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It was cold and moist this morning, so we got off to a late start. The canal was quite busy, and we had to wait at some of the locks for one or two boats to go through ahead of us. Though it takes longer that way, there are plenty of people around to work the paddles and the gates, so it makes the work easier, and when there is a boat coming the other way you don’t even have…

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Wildlife

Wildlife

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The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust dues actually manage to have some wildlife in their HQ at the Wolseley Centre. Most of it is squirrels though, because the squirrels have repurposed the bird feeders. Every one is now a squirrel feeder… … and the birds have a hard time getting a beak in. This one is waiting his turn. Finally. While I was watching the squirrels (and the occasional bird) … … I got talking to a woman who was recruiting members…

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The Hurdy-Gurdy Woman

The Hurdy-Gurdy Woman

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Donovan may have sung of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man, but last night we heard his female counterpart. She was one of ten or so musicians gathered for Folk Night at a pub. The ensemble consisted of squeeze boxes, spoons, penny whistles, an Irish harp, autoharp, a pedal organ, guitars. Granted, there were bits where they were “singing songs of luh-uh-uhve” but actually there were more sea chanties and traditional folk tunes, music hall oldies and a few original numbers. High level…

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Nature

Nature

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The meadowsweet is in bloom along the less well mown bits of the towpath. Popular names of common plants being what they are, it is also known as Bridewort, Meadow Queen, Meadow Wort, Pride of the Meadow, Queen of the Meadow, Lady of the Meadow, Dollof, and Meadsweet. It was used as flavoring for mead, an insect repellent, and a charming addition to bridal bouquets. While it would not guarantee the happiness of the marriage it would at least protect…

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Putting the Pole in Polesworth

Putting the Pole in Polesworth

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Just outside Polesworth there is a monument of fossil fuel. Poised on top of an old slag heap from the local coal mines there is a golden pillar forty feet tall. The cross section represents a silver birch leaf, but you can’t see that unless you are forty one feet tall, or happen to have a forty foot ladder in your backpack. Stilts might also work, or a really tall unicycle. Anyway, it represents solar energy stored in fossil fuels,…

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Nothing to do with Snakes

Nothing to do with Snakes

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Atherstone, formerly known as Adderstone, has nothing to do with snakes, so the lady in the Heritage Centre told us, when we asked about the snakes in the Atherstone Mural… … and the Atherstone Totem Pole. What the Atherstone Heritage Centre does have to offer is the fact that the canal runs through town and they used to make hats here. The lady there is also convinced that it is the site of both Boudicca’s last stand, and the Battle…

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