Wednesday 19th August, 2015 in Calder Grove.
Our feathered friend refused to give up and returned to harass us after breakfast. If you have a microscope, you can see R sticking his head out of the bathroom window watching the goings-on. R waited until the swan was next to the shower outlet and then sprayed it with water. That seemed to put it off!
The weather was much improved today and we decided to walk into the city centre for a couple of items - plus M was still hoping to meet up with her cousin Jonathan. She had already called the Diocesan office and spoken to a very helpful lady called Bev. Apparently, Jonathan was in continuous meetings all day but Bev said that she would get a message to him.
Our walk into the centre was by a different route today and we discovered some marvellous old buildings such as the old Opera House (still a theatre) and beyond it, the white building was the old Picture House (now sadly derelict).
Costa Coffee was conveniently situated, directly facing the cathedral, so we decided that we would sit in the sunshine and wait on the offchance that Jonathan might come and find us.
Bev phoned back to ask if we could make it to the cathedral - and M replied that we were already in Costa. Bev said that was great as Jonathan goes there quite often! All of a sudden, there he was, in his cleric's attire, beaming broadly. It was utterly wonderful for M to see him again after twenty years and for R to meet him for the first time.
Although we had only about 15 minutes together it was truly marvellous and we resolved to meet up again for dinner with him and his wife Pam when we are next up this way.
It was then time to say goodbye to Wakefield. We had moored on a canal cut between two road bridges as close as we could to the city centre.
As we left Wakefield, we turned on to the River Calder, which is quite wide here. The catherdral spire can still be seen in the distance.
The Calder &Hebble Navigation has a unique paddle system for some of the sluices. It is a capstan, and you need a special "spike" (we have named ours "Milligan") to turn the capstans. Knowing this, we had acquired one for the princely sum of £20 - and we had to use it for the first time in Broad Cut Low Lock.
So far, we have only found a couple of locks that use it - but without it, you cannot open the paddles on those locks.
We were amused to see this cow, kneeling down to drink from the canal.
We moored up for the night by the Navigation Inn, a fair way from the M1 crossing but very close to the railway bridge. However, neither disturbed us in the night and it proved a very quiet and pleasant mooring.
Today: 3 miles, 2 locks and 2.5 hours.
Trip: 260 miles, 154 locks and 165.4 hours.
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