Bollington on the Macclesfield Canal

Since moving onto Gracie, we have made a conscious effort to buy locally and use the shops and services "on the cut" - we came up to Bollington last night because there is a Fish & Chip restaurant /takeaway - The Plaice, which comes highly recommended - if you get the chance to go = do try the Bollington Pudding - it is divine. Anyway, as I said we are trying to shop locally and therefore I went into Bollington and bought meat & veg from the butchers and then went into the bakery. The smell of freshly made vanilla/custard slices meant I had to purchase some - they were divine. However, no-one;s tills were working, so no chip & pin for those with cards. Then this afternoon, NB Alton (coal boat) came down the canal, sp we bought coal and her chip & pin wouldn't work properly either - it did the second time as I held it over my head - however, is Bollington in a dead spot? (it's an extremely pretty town with lovely shops though)
[URL=http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/Stella_Ridgway/media/DSC_0029_zps48ba43a9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o589/Stella_Ridgway/DSC_0029_zps48ba43a9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

and the day has arrived - still some packing (and getting rid of rubbish to da) It's raining; fortunstely everything in boxes. Tonight we'll be aboard our new home!

On 16th August 1819, 15 people were killed and up to 700 injured when troops waded into a demo calling for the vote at St Peter's Field in Manchester. On the anniversary this year, there's an event being held at the Radisson Hotel on Peter Street, featuring speakers, poets and bands, including Salford rap collective Class Actions, recently returned from a tour of Austria.

Amongst those events in history that are ingrained into consciousness from school or elsewhere is the Peterloo Massacre which happened almost around the corner in Manchester.

It's now 194 years since around 80,000 people meeting at St Peter's Field, to demand Parliamentary reform and the vote, were attacked by the cavalry, leaving 15 dead and up to 700 injured. The massacre was named after the Battle of Waterloo which had happened four years earlier.

The community and trade unions have been determined that this horrid event in working class history is never to be forgotten, and in recent years there's been an annual event to show respect. This year's Peterloo Massacre Anniversary Event looks set to be the biggest yet.

On stage at the Radisson Hotel on Peter Street in Manchester will be speakers plus ace radical singer songwriter, Claire Mooney, political poet Dave Puller and Salford rap collective Class Actions.

Class Actions have recently completed a debut European tour, which took in Austriaand Germany, playing venues in Vienna, Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz, taking the Salford attitude to new audiences supported by radical publisher, Bahoe Books, and on stage by The Unknown Hip Hop Artist from Budapest.

.In Munich, Class Actions' Aslan AK and Mike F posed with an Anti-Fascist Action flag inside the very beer hall where Hitler attempted the Munich Putsch in 1923, and in Austria their shows featured a localised variation of their trade mark song Rip Up the Sun, which involved the audience burning copies of Austria's two most infamous tabloids the Kronen Zeitung and the Österreich.
Friday 16th August 7:30pm £3/£1
Radisson Hotel, Peter Street, Manchester

"It was an honour to be invited to tour such a beautiful country as well as play a bonus show in Munich" says frontman Aslan AK "I felt proud to export the radical socialist and anarchist tradition of Class Actions' adopted city to a continental audience. I hope our legacy is that more people in Austria will show the red card to the tabloids we used as firewood, I wish more venues in England would let us burn the Sun!"

Mike F, Class Actions' producer adds "It was a brilliant feeling to play in front of our first international audiences and the support from Bahoe Books was incredible. We've been lucky enough to meet some really great people and perform with some inspiring artists. It was an amazing experience."

You can see Class Actions closer to home on August 16th, along with guests Andy Carrington and Freddie Engels, plus some other top artists, at the Peterloo Massacre Anniversary…

Peterloo Massacre Anniversary Event 

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1901


On the 16 August 2013 - we start a new life aboard Gracie - we remember those that died to give us the freedom which this present government is fast taking away from people; when will people wake up? Your rights at work are being stripped away - did the people at Peterloo die in vain - I fear so, as people sleep-walk into a fascist state 

Apologies, I have no been updating - I can honestly say I am now officially excited; we have now exchanged contracts and will move onto Gracie on the 16th August - so G-minus 9 days. 

So now clearing house big style. 

We have given CD's away and I have four crates of books to take to work for them to sell for charity; we have found a home for the kettle and toaster and tonight we took the NZ flax and the jasmine to our niece to put in her new garden she has planted. (We have permanent visiting rights now!). i am being ruthless in the kitchen - not used something for three months goes!

It is a strange time - saying goodbye to one phase of life and waiting to start the next phase I suppose. 

It is said the universe conspires to make things happen when you decide to do something; I have always found the Lord does that - I have faith that everything will be OK; there are (and have been times when I have been very down and of course when I look back, there will be just the one set of footprints in the sand) times when all seems bleak, but it always turns out for the best, you just let things happen and if you have faith it is always OK (of course, sometimes you don't know that until later!)

Well G-minus 20 days - we are hoping to complete the house sale on the 16th August and we went to the marina yesterday - got off to a bad start as dogs have to be on leads when not on the boat - they were quite confused by the slipway,although Shiva went in for a paddle. We looked around and then went off to find Riverside Park, next to the Bollin - the dogs really enjoyed "splashing around on the river" and there is 70 acres to explore. Chris wasn't sure about the marina, but as I said to him; if we were CC (Continuously Cruising), you wouldn't let the dogs out off the boat without being with them, especially with the amount of dogs being stolen these days. We can only see how we like it. I think we may be better at the far side of the marina, where you can get straight in and out of the canal to leave, rather then from the actual basin. We shall see.

Now to start seriously downsizing the kitchen - am doing a car boot tomorrow and next week and that will be our lot before we move (I have also mucho trips to the tip to get in!)

Chris has had a busy week - last week, he was in Norway

as you can see, it was a beautiful location and he had a lovely time! On Thursday, we had some good news - the kidney stone has disappeared, so now to concentrate on the pain; although it might be better to do that once we have moved GP's.

We are getting quite excited now - just want the next three weeks to be over and we are away to our new liife!.
Interesting story in the Daily mail yesterday (I don't normally read it, but there was a stroy about people moving aboard a narrowboat - not a good liveaboard IMHO, stove not in the middle of the boat and little storage - they also don't have solar panels and as for CC, I think they might have put themselves on the Canal and River Trust's radar! (You need to keep a log and be constantly moving in an onward direction to qualify - I wonder if they know that?)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2375836/Cash-strapped-family-save-fortune-selling-house-moving-NARROW-BOAT.html

and so the count down begins - Chris has flown to Norway today (photos WILL be posted!) to be at his youngest daughter's wedding tomorrow - I am off to see our moorings in Macclesfield tomorrow and I have the house buyers coming Saturday - so am hoping to get a provisional completion date from them. 
The weather is still hot and sunny - I am on leave today to dog-sit! We are going out again shortly to take the afternoon air and for the dogs to have a dip in the Bridgewater Canal
Chris is back Sunday and then it is one appointment after another with hospital, ATOS etc

A philosophical note as it's Sunday

A note on the spiritual aspect of our journey - we put our faith in what we were doing was right and that all would work out - I have always found this in my life; you just need the faith that the Lord has you safe and if you put your trust in Him, everything will be OK. A lot of people think this is quite bizarre; however, everything happens for a reason and we don't know the grand plan (I always say it's because He doesn't want to scare me!); but if you have faith it will all be OK in the end - it is hard to see the rightness of any decision when you are at the bottom of the hill - you need to get to the mountain-top; look back and see how it unfolded. 

You always have the choice of course not to follow His path; but I have found (through bitter experience) that when I didn't do that things were pretty bad - although He has always ensured that at the end, once I got back on the path with Him, that it worked - there are many times in my life where, when I look back, there will be just the one set of footprints in the sand and for that I thank the Lord for ensuring I found Him in me. In the end that is what it is all about - finding God within yourself and behaving in that way - whatever religion you have or follow.

Peace be with you all (and in the UK) in what will be the hottest day of the year so far they tell us - 34C - i can live with that - I hope it is still warm when we get onto Gracie!