Two Quiet Days at Silsden

The last two weeks have been hard boating. Starcross left Marple on 14th May and dropped down the Peak Forest and Ashton canals to Manchester before climbing over the Pennines on the Rochdale Canal in four strenuous days to Brighouse.
I've been boating against the clock with an appointment to keep on the Leeds & Liverpool tomorrow.  At times I've wondered if I was going to make it. Time lost on the Rochdale thanks to Grimshaw Lane lift bridge refusing to lift; a lock closure on the Calder & Hebble that I'd missed at the route planning stage and, of course,  the failure of my Python Drive all seemed at one stage or another to threaten to scupper my plans.
So it was with some relief that I arrived at Silsden on Monday with two clear days in hand. Hil went home for a few days and I did - well, not a lot really.
After a very quiet and relaxing Tuesday Hugh and Jeanette came by and whisked me off to Knaresborough for the evening and today Hugh and I made good use of our bus passes, returning via a roundabout route and stopping off in Keighley in search of some Timothy Taylor's beer.
Tomorrow the fun begins again when my brother, his wife, their two children and their partners begin their first ever boating holiday on a hire-boat from Silsden boats. Starcross will accompany them for a few days and I'll have six novice boaters and two boats to keep an eye on!