A picture is worth a thousand words.

 This life is so relaxing with no particular place to be at any given time unless of course you have yourselves committed to something. I have never in my life had a camera in my hand as much as in my time afloat. Thousands of pictures both sides of the pond have gathered on discs. Recently after taking 985 pictures off my laptop I had this idea to sort the discs into some kind of filing system. Should I sort them by canal, year, animal, vegetable or mineral. I could not decide and after the 3 days of them sitting on the table Jaq gently suggested it might be a winter project. Look at the picture right that is everything going back to 2006. Maybe i should start sorting them onto disc from now but how? Suggestions!!!!
Anyway while looking through the 300 or more still on the lappie i decided to blog some. Every blogger must have the same problem of what to blog or more to the point which pictures to use. I can pick a disc from say 4 years ago and without captions after just a few pictures I can recall/re-live that year of cruising.

 

Stone is a small town in Staffordshire on the Trent and Mersey canal. The picture shows almost the whole of the pedestrianised high street with perhaps a 100yards behind me. Just here in this one street there are 7 charity shops, U.S. readers know them as thrift shops. They are at least a good supply of books so I`m not complaining.

Stone is said to have got it`s name from the pile of stones on the graves of  King Wulfhere`s 2 sons back in 665AD. They died at the hands of their father following their conversion to Christianity.Religion and death still walking hand in hand 1347 years later........sad......when will we all learn.  It`s hard enough at times living our own lives so why try and live  life for others.                                                                The canal came through Stone in 1771 after Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley signed a document that brought about the Trent and Mersey canal company. Brewing and shoe making were a big part of Stone`s history. The picture on the right shows our floating home going through Star lock. Jaq is at the tiller/helm  while I am in charge of the lock gates. The lock is named after the pub and part of it was here long before the canal arrived.

   

Solar lights by the mooring rings in Stone

          

Leaving Stone we were on our way to meet Sally and Joe at Sandon so we spent a couple of nights at Burston a tiny hamlet, U.S. this is just a few residences,  a short walk up from bridge 86. No shop and a half mile walk over the railway bridge to a pub on the main road. A lovely walk in search of a post box and a sit in the evening sunshine on one of many benches around the pond. I just love finding these little gems along the canal as we seek out the quieter moorings. Stone was ok for a couple of days to stock the cupboards but being moored in a long line of boats is not our thing.

 There is always so much between blogs that is never revealed. Those discs in the picture top of page contain hundreds of blog posts.  

 A fairly recent un- published picture that might be a blog subject by Jaq sometime during the winter as she looks back on her new life afloat.