"Honk!" ... "Quack!"

After collecting youngest dahling from her volunteering job this afternoon, we ventured over the hill to Etherow Park for a quiet stroll with Shadow. Youngest's mh has not been at all good over the weekend. She was quite withdrawn at first walking round but came out of her shell a bit afterwards, enjoying a chocolate slice in the cafe. She has occasional dips & it's slow progress getting her back on track, but progress is progress and get her back we will.

Your Gal's poison was a cappuccino & chocolate flapjack. The 'cino was dusted with chocolate powder. Mmm, chocolate.

The park has a fairly active model boat club, an insular bunch so we don't disturb them. Today one of the boaters (extra 1) had brought two 'ickle vessels along and we watched him launch one of them. Boat 2 on the trolley looked like a short hop river ferry sort of thing with a passenger deck and a drop down ramp in the bow. Their hobby does look very meditative, on a quiet midweek afternoon at least, on the weekend maybe not so!

The park which sits alongside the River Etherow consists of a short canal leading into a large millpond, with a second millpond adjacent where our model boater was. In Ernocroft Wood on the opposite side of the river used to be a small coal mine whose output was carried across the valley by bridge and dropped into simple barges, the remains of one seen in extra 2. These would have been towed the half mile or so to be unloaded at &  power Compstall Mill. The canal is/was not connected to the inland waterways network so am not sure how further afield the coal would have gone.

After returning home with Shadow I mentioned to youngest wanting to have a nosey in a shop near Ashton, travelling by Biscuit, so she came along for the ride. Am hoping all the fresh air will help her sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is another day.