Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

" Bristol Fashion" is the name of the canal boat in my collage.
I looked up the meaning of this saying:
"Tidily tied down and secure."
It may have been, but the floods on Boxing Day soon overpowered it.
It has been brought up from the bottom of the canal, and breaks my heart to see it completely wrecked.
In another photo you can see a boat which is still down on the bottom. Only the roof showing.

We decided not to join our group walking the muddy, boggy fields near Harewood.
Instead walked along the Calder Hebble Navigation Canal from Brighouse towards Elland.
Did a detour to Cromwell Bottom Nature Reserve, ( see extra photos of a Jay and the Long tailed tits.)
In many places the tow path has the canal on one side and the river on the other.
There were signs everywhere of the flooding. Piles of debris everywhere.
Huge trees, fencing, garden chairs etc.
Part of the wall between the two had collapsed in places.
Part of Cromwell Bridge had fallen in, and so you couldn't walk any further along the canal, it was blocked off.
Electric cables had fallen in.
However some people were ignoring the fencing that had been put up and climbing over, although one or two did turn back.
A lock keepers cottage, which we have passed many times on a lovely summers day, had been flooded, and half the garden washed away. ( see extra photo)
I have admired it so many times, and said how nice it would be to live there. It has the river on one side and the canal on the other.
A place I wouldn't choose to live now!

The weather was colder, but sunshine and blue sky all day.

Finished off with a soup and coffee in a little cafe on the way back.

Then driving home I put the car radio on. Very appropriately I heard the Brighouse and Rastrick Band playing Marching through Georgia.
Then followed the Slaithwaite Band playing " All in an April Evening" which brought a lump to my throat, as it was one of my Mum's favourite songs.

Nice end to a lovely day.