Crazy Canal Capers!

Thursday March 25th 2010

So why is Mr Shiltonpig stroking a swans backside? Well before we get to that exciting tip bit, lets go back a bit and start at the beginning....well it all began in 1977...well ok not that far back...lets just go back as far as this morning. Today Mrs Shiltonpig chose the location..and where did she pick? A canal...to be precise the Trent and Mersey Canal. Its not the first time we have gone caching down this canal as we have previously done some in Stoke on Trent. For further info on the canal please click on this. Incidentally this is the first set of caches in ages that we could use the push chair, no wonder Mr Shiltonpig looks so happy today his neck looks normal!

Last night the heavens had opened and decided to rain so heavy that the canal path was just puddle after puddle. I think that this is the reason that the entire fly population of Willington decided to swarm around everywhere we walked....now now don't be unkind I know you were thinking they were swarming because you think we are smelly. Well I will have you know that we had a bath last year! The first cache took us to the local train station and there was a sense of satisfaction on finding it as somebody previously hadn't been able to find  it...a rare moment for team Shiltonpig! This then lead us on to the canal and all the caches that awaited us.

We recently have found all manner of cache conatainers, think its fair to say that the one Mrs Shiltonpig is holding is not only the brightest but also the only sunglasses case we have ever found. Believe it or not this took us a while to find even though it was bright orange! At the back of the canal was the main railway between Derby and Burton, so Josh was going choo choo an awful lot today, although by the time he looked up the train had gone by. The rather smug look on Mrs Shiltonpigs face is because of the 4 caches we had found up to this point, she had found all 4....and by the end of the morning she would have gone on to find 6 in total in comparison to Mr Shiltonpigs meager 2.

It is worth noting however that not being satisfied with 6 caches, she accused poor old Mr Shiltonpig of deliberately giving her the wrong place to look while he found the proper place. Clearly somebody is taking this caching thing a little close to the heart today!!!!! Anyway we had bread in our bag from before sliced was invented and thought that it was about time we did feed to to some poor unsuspected ducks....these swans came up and so a discussion ensued about whether or not a swan is a duck or not. In the end we just agreed that Mr Shiltonpig was right....that is until we looked it up on the internet and found out he was wrong....a swan is a member of the geese family.

So the caches trail took us away from the canal and then onto a road, we passed a sign saying "Cats cross here" a cache is nearby...but just a short distance up the road is a marina. The marina is pretty large and was full of pretty barges and the hedge in the shape of a swan that Mr Shiltonpig was so strangely feeling. But just look at Josh (who has been vaguley quiet in this particular blog) and Mrs Shiltonpig in this photo, lovingly looking up at Mr Shiltonpig for one reason and one reason only....he holds the picnic bag. So chance to relax, have some food and enjoy the marina view. Oh and for Josh to continue his ongoing obsession with stones! But the afternoon had more adventures to hand....