Too hot to handle.

 

Only the ducks are managing to keep their cool.

Well we have been unable to cruise with being iced in, or when it has been too windy, or hammering down with rain, but never before when it has been just too darn hot! So, at the moment we are moving early, then taking turns every half an hour to steer, while the other one cools off inside the boat. The steerer has to keep a sharp eye out for Horse Flies that persist in buzzing up behind you and stinging your legs! We have seen many steerers cruising along under the shade of umbrellas, but we usually wear sun cream and our hats. So, if you see a boater doing a sort of Morris Dance with a handkerchief on the back of the boat, he may only be flicking the flies away. Some boating people have been going along with strappy tops or no shirts, sporting very red sunburnt skin and swigging alcohol. I bet they will feel like they are on fire when they try to settle down to sleep at night. It seems that most of the recommended moorings on the Shropshire Union Canal are for 48 hours only, so we have to keep moving on. Other mooring sites we have found to be too shallow, even with our wheelbarrow wheels floating to keep us right away from the edge.