As seems to have become the norm, the combination of Glastonbury and Wimbledon brought out the worst of the English weather. The flooding in Yorkshire was awful and commiserations to the families who lost loved ones.

On a lighter note, earlier in the week as I was watching the floods on the telly in a local pub with some friends, it struck me that if the same thing had happened where I live, Francie and I would probably be in a better position to cope, in view of the survival, camping and boating  equipment we have to hand, as opposed to my mates.

We actually live in a flood plain which has 2 emergency pumping stations designed to kick in if the River Alt ever rises too far. Threatened local water  authority cutbacks will force one of them to be closed in the near future.  What's Sods' Law again?...

Got home from work today and checked the nest, and only the runt of the flock was left.
From the squawking from the garden it was obvious the others had made a dash for it, and I managed to see 2 of the little uns on their first tentative flights.
One was stuck on the garden fence in a 'shall I or shan't I' mode, and I was able to get up close to take a pic; the other was high up in a leylandii tree. Mother and father were observing their progress and as usual the killer cat from 2 doors away made his foul skulking appearance. The would be murderer was sent of in a hail of Fred Labrador barks, blackbird squawks and a handful of pea gravel from the border.
I really dislike that cat. I can't account for the remaining chick, hopefully he found a safe dry roost as it is all thunder, lightning and rain here tonight.

As usual nowadays the weather decided to do its own thing.
I fancied a trip up to Coniston to kayak the length of the lake from Water Yeat and sneak a quick pint somewhere, but the forecast was poor and twas a touch iffy here in Formby too.
Of course by midday it was glorious, and I was almost suffering from heatstroke having moved the last ton of grit for the patio through the house via wheelbarrow. I took the opportunity of relaxing in the shade for half an hour with one of Mrs Artois' fine drinks, and took a few pics of my blackbirds' babies.
They won't be here for long, but its good to see 4 birds survive from the 5 eggs she laid, [only 2 survived the first clutch]and as they are nearly fledged, they should be taking their first flights within the week.

So, Bluggites, today I went to Stockport, to visit Brookbank Canoes and my favourite store, Decathlon.
Having bought my new paddle leash [Northwater, no expense spared] and lusting over a North Shore composite kayak [50th birthday present maybe, Francie??] we tootled off to Decathlon. I've never seen it so busy.
I bought a 0 second tent; well.... lets say a beach shelter [£12-95] 2 pairs of Forclaz 500 socks, a Quechua A100 Ultralight self inflating mat [£19-95], and a dinky little folding table [£7-95] for car camping, and a few other odds and ends.
Then we popped into Go Outdoors for a mosey. and here's my beef: In GO, a Thermarest Prolite3 short mat is £65...£49-99 in the Outdoor Shop, and its the same weight [stated on the packaging; not tested] as the Quechua one.
For me thats a no brainer, especially with the guarantee Decathlon give [manufacturing faults covered not misuse or puncture damage]
And its blue too.
And for what I want it will do just the job.
Nuff said.

Top weekend at/on Anglesey.
Camped at the excellent Outdoors Alternative campsite on Saturday, and in the afternoon I paddled about 5k on perfect waters from Porth-y-post around to Trearddur Bay.
The water quality was excellent; very clear and many fish seen and I managed to explore the at cave at the base of the big old gloomy house.
I was amazed to see lots of people coasteleering around the rocks ; it's really becoming popular now.
The boat handled well with the new padding on the hips and knee braces, and new cranked Lendal paddle felt good. It's making me wonder whether to trade up to a composite kayak for better handling and speed..mmmm...

Blugger work. Spent all week tidying up and painting. Planning trip to The Lakes or North Wales this weekend. Still can't make my mind up; part of me wants to get the kayak in the water and t'other feels like a long lonely walk to contemplate shitty life at the moment. I'll let you know in time.