Dewsbury and Horbury

Today is our day for rain. We always seem to get one. Everyone except essential hands (that'll be Dad, Mr and Mrs S then!) retreat into the boat and do indoor stuff. Dad, Mrs S and Mr S don ponchos and wet weather gear and move the boat anyway. Dad's poncho is a bit old by now and turns out to be not as waterproof as previously, so by lunchtime Dad's shoulders are very wet and he is shivering, so it's good to get in at lunchtime and get changed.

We continue down stream through Mirfield and Ravensthorpe. At Thornhill Double Locks we're tempted off up the "Dewsbury Arm" (of the canal) by guide-book descriptions of Mosques and Minarets - we are expecting a Turkish skyline. No such luck. The guide book is rather old and the canal is little wider than a drainage ditch, being enchroached from both sides by reeds, and at the terminus is a marina with just enough room to turn the 56 foot boat, a huge builders merchants selling slabs and concrete stuff, and a new housing estate most of which has the ground floor boarded up. Friendly locals, but of Mosques and Minarets we see none. Mum and the girls head for the supermarket for more provisions.

Back aboard and now drying out as the sun breaks through we head for Horbury where we moor in sight of the Bingley Arms, purveyor of fine Black Sheep beers (not that had any sway in where to moor, honest).

More Terry Pratchett tonight, and now the girls are enjoying the Feegles' antics re explaining their misdemeanours to their women when they get back indoors from the latest swearing-stealing-drinking-fighting outing. TP has it that the Feegles are all very brave when they're out doing man-stuff, but then they are faced with the wrath of "her indoors" pursing her lips (Och Noooo! No' the purrrrsin' o' the lips!), folding her arms (Nooo the foldin' o' the arrrms!") and a-tapping of her feet (Och - the tappin' o' the feets!) and demanding "There had better be a really good explanation for you being this late!" (Ochhh.... no the explainin' - Arrghhh Waily Waily Waily!) and so on. All good fun, and Mum doing all this in a superb Scottish accent, has the whole crew laughing and talking in Scottish

Mad

Deefski