Manchester

Today we went to check out the Museum of Science and Industry.  What an enormous museum.  I spent a couple of hours and Mick another half hour more.  It was lunchtime by the time we were both back on the boat.

After lunch we decided we'd chug around to the other little arm across the canal to fill our water tank.  We had to pass beneath a collection of ornate bridges.  Being a pleasant Sunday there were people everywhere.  It was so mild that we were out in t-shirts.

I lost count of how many people walking by took a photo of the boat.  If we were in sight many of them came and asked permission.  While I sat at the dinette I had the towpath side blind closed so they couldn't see me but I could hear them.  Plenty of comments about the being Aussie thing.  We had a couple of folk call out to us that we have a beautiful boat with one fellow saying "Yours is the nicest along here".  Awww... thanks!

Barry and Carol's new tractor seats got a lot of attention.  Yesterday Barry painted the first coat of red gloss so they now match the boat colour.  Plenty of passersby stopped to look at them and discuss them. While they were out Mick spied a couple climbing onto the back of the boat and yelled out to them to get off.  They did, quick smart, but rather cheeky I thought. 

Later in the day we had a call from the Kiwis.  They were ready to start out on their motorhome adventure so wanted to come and see us before they left.  Before long we spied them coming into the carpark across the canal.  There was a flurry of over boisterous chatting and photo taking before we waved them off.  Hopefully we will get to meet up with them before we fly home and they take the ferry to France in June.

We had a quiet evening of cards on nb Winton's Folly for our last night in Manchester.