Easter rush begins.

4 Locks, 9 Miles. Now moored by Peels Wharf, Birmingham & Fazeley Canal

There was a touch of urgency as we set off this morning, we desperately needed a pump out and the closest facility was Fazeley Mill Marina on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Our Nicholsons guide showed facilities at Narrowcraft at Grendon Dock but there was no sign of any such facilities. Alvecote Marina was another option but guess what? Closed on Mondays,damn! Here we saw Nb Pania moored up with kiwis Baden and Rosamund who were obviously out at work.  Sorry we missed you guys will catch you again sometime.

Still the weather was holding out for us so it wasn’t a worry. At the locks we found a constant stream of boats so it was virtually 1 up, 1 down the whole way. No wastage of water today. As we queued at Glascote top lock alongside S. M. Hudson’s boatyard I noticed that he had about 10 hulls scattered around the place in various stages of completion so perhaps the recession hasn’t affected his business too much.

At Fazeley junction we turned left to travel the short distance to Fazeley Mill marina for diesel (74 litres @ 54p) and a pump out. We had a bit of a delay here as the manageress was away at the bank so we had to wait for her return. After this we returned to the junction and headed North again where we were lucky enough to find a mooring opposite BW’s Peel Wharf.

As we moored up Bob and Barbara on Nb Chi Cheemaun came out to talk to us as they follow our blog. The name Chi Cheemaun comes from the “Big Canoe” in the book Hiawatha. While chatting, Andrew on Nb Granny Buttons came cruising by. We had passed him earlier but he was still having a late breakfast. He hove to for another quick chat but he has to get his boat to Streethay Wharf for blacking so he was soon under way again.

1601 locks, 3400½ miles, 59 Tunnels, 44 swing bridges and 39 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Granny Came a Calling.

This morning saw us sitting out on the towpath again lapping up the sunshine, it’s a hard life this boating lark. The forecasted rain never eventuated which was great. While enjoying the peace and quiet we spotted the 5 Buzzard’s that we had seen 2 days ago. They came circling above us with their plaintive cries but still not low enough to photograph. After about 10 minutes we did a recount and found that they had brought a friend along with them as there were now 6 birds.

Being a fine day and the kids now enjoying another school holiday there were plenty of boats on the move. While having an afternoon cuppa we became aware of a boat alongside us moving very slowly. Upon investigation it turned out to be Andrew Denny on Nb Granny Buttons (at last). We have been following Andrews blog for quite some time so it was nice to finally meet the man behind the pen so to speak. Andrew moored up for a quick visit and a chat which went on for about an hour. Eventually Andrew had to tear himself away so that he could reach Polesworth before nightfall. It was nice to meet you after all this time Andrew, hopefully we may meet again some day.

A Pie Like No Other.

During one of our morning tea sessions with Mike and Denise on Nb Densie last week we were told to look out for Nightingales Pie shop when we visited Atherstone.

Yesterday while in Atherstone we kept a look out for this establishment and actually walked straight past it because the name over the door said 19 Gales, a play on words (or numbers) if ever there was one. Well we found that it was more like a farmers market with all farm fresh meat, vegetables,eggs, and of course farm house baking of all sorts. As the fridge is fairly full at present we only bought a Steak and Kidney pie for £3.50.

Last night the pie was on the menu with fresh vegetables. Neither of us had ever tasted a pie quite like it. Nice steak, not grisly cheap cuts that most pie makers seem to use and lots of kidney, not just the odd bit here or there. After this, a unanimous decision was made to walk the mile or so back to town to buy some more of these gourmet delights.

This morning the weather forecast was for rain but was far from it as we set off into town. We were uncertain as to whether the 19 Gales shop would be open on Saturday or not but we needn’t have worried because it was and we purchased another Steak and Kidney pie as well as a Chicken and Mushroom pie, hot cross buns and 2 Blueberry and Apple turnovers. That’s the menu sorted for the next couple of days, MMMMM.

Break Out the Windlass’s.

9 Locks, 1½ Miles. Now moored near bridge 47.

We're back to locking after the winter break.

The day started with a couple of shopping errands, Dot into town and me just up past the coal yard where there is a small car accessory shop where I was hoping to get some filters for the engine. I finished up with only the oil filter but I did get some cross reference numbers for future reference.

It was mid-morning before we eventually got under way and of course we had some locks ahead of us. For the last 4 months we have only had to contend with the stop lock at Hawkesbury junction which only has a drop of a foot so it was time to break out the windlass for some serious lock work.

We encountered a few boats today and a BW work boat that was on its way to Hartshill. We got into discussion with one of the BW guys and mentioned the 2 couch’s in the canal at bridge 30 and Nuneaton. He was aware of them but they had not got around to retrieving them from the water yet.

At lock 7 I spotted a Buzzard slowly circling around on the breeze and stood watching it for a while. It wasn’t until I had been observing it for about 10 minutes when I realised he wasn’t alone, in fact it turned out that there were 5 of them. They were a beautiful sight all circling around at different altitudes within a small area occasionally all coming together so that a good camera would have been able to snap them in one picture. All this against a clear blue sky, fantastic.

By the time we got moored up the temperature had climbed to somewhere around 15deg and what a glorious afternoon it is.

1597 locks, 3391½ miles, 59 Tunnels, 44 swing bridges and 39 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Careless Chemist!

0 Locks, 2 miles. Now moored near Atherstone Top Lock.

The morning started out quite misty but very slowly improved as the day wore on. It wasn’t until about 3pm that the sun finally broke through the cloud cover but the day was not a patch on yesterday’s glorious weather.

After we had morning tea with Chas and Ann it was time to say our farewells as they head South and we head North. We only intended to reach Atherstone where we had organised our next prescription pick up. After lunch we wandered into town and found the chemist who shall remain nameless only to find that the prescription had only just arrived in the morning mail and had not been dealt with. No problem, we just went for a wander around town and called back later.

Back on the boat we were sorting out the shopping and the prescriptions when we noticed that one of my drugs was in a different coloured box, nothing unusual about that as chemists change their supply source and different suppliers have different packaging. On closer examination they were found to be double the prescribed dose so I then had to walk back into town to get this rectified. Basically it was just an inconvenience as it wasn’t too far to walk.

Back at the chemists I asked to see the Manager or Pharmacist and pointed out the error which had supposedly been checked by 2 members of staff. They were told in no uncertain terms that it was careless and not good enough. How many people just collect their prescriptions and just take it for granted that they have been given the right dosage or drug etc?

Something like this could have fatal consequences to a child or the elderly. After some consultations with another member of staff I eventually received the correct dosage with the explanation that the manufacturer had changed the colour of the packaging and they had been placed in the wrong bin. NOT GOOD ENOUGH. They are supposed to be trained professionals and for 1 of them to make a mistake and then have another member of staff confirm the same mistake, TOTAL CARELESSNESS.

1588 locks, 3390 miles, 59 Tunnels, 44 swing bridges and 39 lift bridges since Nov 2006

It’s Picnic Time.

0 Locks, ½ Mile. Now moored North of Clock bridge (32).

Early this morning Chas,Ann and Molly from Nb Moore 2 Life came calling on their morning walk. Dot went with them but I had a more pressing engagement with another leak under the bed. No, not the calorifier thank goodness but the recently installed shower pump. One of the fittings had decided to work loose and was leaking. As I didn’t have a big enough spanner or multi grips I had to use the grip tool for getting lids off jars etc: This worked a treat but I then had to check to see to what extent the leakage extended under all the suitcases etc; stored under the bed. Luckily only one case was affected but I decided to pull everything out for a better chance of drying it all out.

Due to this unfortunate incident our plans for the day got revised, so instead of going to Atherstone we just moved up to the water point for a top up and then carried on a short distance to where Chas and Ann are moored between bridges 32 & 33. By the time we got moored up the sun was blazing down on us so an executive decision was made to break out the picnic table and chairs with morning, afternoon tea’s and lunch all being held out on the towpath. Hurrah for summer, bring it on.

The day turned out not to be a total disaster as I got a few jobs done and our winter boots were cleaned and stowed away until next winter.

1588 locks, 3388 miles, 59 Tunnels, 44 swing bridges and 39 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Allotments make a come back.

In the 29 months we have been travelling around on the Cut we have past many allotments which up until now have been looking a bit sad and unkempt. Just the odd plot here and there being cultivated but recently we have have gone past the same allotments and there seems to be a resurgence in their use. A lot more of these plots have been cleared of weeds and brambles, ploughed or dug over and even a couple of truck loads of manure delivered on site.

Perhaps today’s government need to look at the actions of the government that was in power prior to WW I who encouraged the populace to take on the allotments with grants of seeds and fertiliser to help the country through the war effort. Lets face it, this recession is not much different to the situation back in the early 1900’s and something like this could be a small way to getting the country back on its feet. Some how I don’t think the forth coming G20 talks are going to have the answers that Gordon Brown is looking for.