Monday's a working day

You might have noticed on Saturday's post I noted that Worksop Town lock on the Chesterfield canal was going to be "dewatered" today. So I went out for a look. Nothing doing on the pond, but a workboat was nearing Morse lock: routine cleaning and greasing/WD40ing of the mechanism.

Down at Town lock they'd got it all underway. The planks across (called stopboards, I'm told) were holding back the water and the two wooden paddles had been removed. One new one, steel & plastic, was already in and only needed connecting up. The size of the hole in the wall of the canal surprised me. (clicking any of these pics will take you to the full set on Flickr)

I read Diane's post about an old friend's visit. It reminded me that an old friend of mine had sent a postcard from Crete threatening to visit when they return from their hol. I haven't seen her for some years (about four, I think) and it will be great but I hope she gives me notice: at least a week. I'll need that long to get the flat into visitable condition. The sofa is buried under books, maps, bus timetables and brochures. The DVD rack was knocked off the wall by one of the cats yonks ago, spreading its contents hither and yon. My desk is a total mess: cables, monitors, maps, spare PCs, a scattering of CDs/DVDs, a magnifying glass(?), all manner of bits of paper, coffee stains etc. Don't even start thinking about the kitchen! The bathroom's a heap of unwashed clothes bursting out of the linen bin with old copies of Private Eye mixed in and the odd discarded razor blade.

So, Sioux, give me warning before you come.