Pills and Boxes

So here's my last tryout with a new font.

The weather was bright but cold.  It called for my windproof trousers, (basically plastic) but they did the job but a bit of an annoying rustle!  

Off we went about 10am after D returned from popping the car into the next county.

I was on and off the boat, walking when the tow path was smooth otherwise I'd turn an ankle! 

Though the woods then later on right though Tamworth.

So then some farming news, here is a field being prepared, cultivated, we would have thought for maize, it used to be a dairy farm but no sign of cows now so it might be for a veg crop.  If we pass again later in the year I can put you out of your suspense.

He had no idea I took this, deeply engrossed in his radio via his bluetooth hearing aids. 

Curious this field, I thought a field margin but David says its far too wide for that.  Could be an error.  Old farmers just love spotting other farmer's mistakes...

First of three Pill boxes I spotted today walking, I couldn't identify this one.

Bluebells in the firing range, doing so well I guess as they are undisturbed.

Second Pillbox, an A Type-24 for those buffs interested.

 I think a Crab Apple blossom

This third of the day at Fazeley.

 I was helped by an oncoming boat at the Tamworth locks, the two boats crossed over in the adjoining pound, nice and neat then onwards for a long while mooring up again at Grendon, just short of the Athelstone locks.

Grendon mooring.  All on our lonesome. Nice.

We'll do them tomorrow, crack of dawn or later in the day when more chance of meeting boats....?

Decisions.

Supper was the leftovers of the chicken dish. 

Leaving Rugeley

Morning all, 

Another change of font here, I'll see how we go....

We set off this morning a bit on the later side, David had moved the car onwards and I, well frankly Reader I was reading a really good book so stayed where I was, snugged in bed.  

However, on we went, through the drag that is Rugeley apart from mooring on the northern outskirts we haven't yet in 13 years stopped in Rugeley.  

So this regime I'm on involves walking.... I'm having a bash at doing 10,000 steps a day.  This is quite new to me, I am usually to be found sitting chatting to my one true love (He often has his hearing aids switched to bluetooth and listening to the cricket, football or some podcast).

So heading south I hopped off of WaL before the permanent moorings on the offside before Plum Pudding not getting on again until the woods started, I then got off again from Shade House lock  

I'm a fairly brisk walker it seems, David is much slower so I am happy with my headphones, my podcasts and no rain.

We headed out of Rugeley and onto Fradley, nice volunteers who said they hadn't been that busy, we turned at the junction onto the Coventry canal.  Although the moorings were full at Shade Lock with boaters many of whom knew each other and were out helping a new arrival who was mooring up completely in the rough and using the boat in front of him to secure himself onto, the visitor moorings on the Coventry were almost empty, something I haven't seen in years.

Lots of colour along the way, I'm very partial to a purple Beech. 

Bit fuzzy as it was breezy when I snapped this Hawthorne/Blackthorne is it?

Pretty Blues

The first Bluebells I saw but plenty since

Gorse but still a nice burst of colour.

I was trying to capture the bright greens of the new leaves coming out.  In the sun they were vibrant.

Shade House Lock.  The cottage still looking sad, it is supposed to be let again after HS2 is completed and its access road reinstated.

You don't often see Mallards on a house roof.

WaL coming around the bend again.

I know this as Red Robin.

We carried on without stopping to Willingdon, it had made quite a long day for us finally mooring up about 4pm.  I couldn't wait to put the heating on and we almost lit the Lockgate.

Supper was a pasta cheese spinach and chicken dish!  It was delicious even if it does not sound it.  

  

New Adventure ; cancelled or just postponed

Welcome, welcome Reader,

Its been a while I know but here I am.  Actually there are fewer and fewer of me left.... Bloggers I mean to say.  All my old favourites have ceased blogging (Not died) but I keep tapping away, I do wonder how "Vloggers" manage so much work, 

I'm far to lazy.

Now for my birthday "Month" in March, I used to have a Birthday Week but now it's been upgraded, we went to my favourite hotel in Buxton for a couple of nights (Highly recommended if you want to curry favour with your wife) afterwards we nipped over the hill on a most beautiful scenic drive to our marina to meet the mechanic who serviced WaL and then luckily the weather was FAB so we took her out on a jaunt on our favourite pub run northwards.

Fabulous spa hotel in Buxton, can't wait for my next birthday.

The turn at Aston marina was interesting as one of the bow thrusters had failed of course this was when the breeze picked up.  I offered and offered to hop off either the front or back (Stern or bow for purists) but after only a couple of clunks darling made the turn.

We met up with the gorgeous John and Louise who motored over from their home (Remember now boatless...?) and had a lovely lunch at The Dog and Doublet at Sandon, followed by an evening of cards, apricot tart, champagne and just a few beers.  

Anyway back to now.

We had planned a super trip to Gloucester and the Sharpness canal but it's all to cock, that caused by all the closures, the Tardebigge Flight, The Stratford canal, a bridge on the Sharpness and sadly The Macclesfield not that that one effected us such a pity as we were to have been a three boat convoy.

The Yars, the 'Ex-Boat Sharers'.  For those new here The Yars are Joe and Lesley, we go back a long way to 2010 I think when their new build NB Caxton was exhibited at Crick when we were looking to have our boat built.  Lesley and Joe so called Yars to us because their second boat was NB Yarwood, however after a break from boating, buying another home they have completely redecorated they have come back to boating and now own a very gleaming and comfortable boat NB Hogarth.

Now the Ex Boat-Sharers Amanda and David now own NB Caxton although several other owners have had her in between. 

Got all that?

Well the Caxton owners are delayed in France with a new bathroom so while we all shuffle our collective feet, we set off to rendezvous with the Yars.  

Perhaps they should be renamed The Hogs but somehow I prefer Yars.

Always a joy to see natural Primroses.

Someone has been busy, could be the National Trust as this bit of laid hedging, can you see how the expert has partially cut through the tall stems and bent them over?  Long may the practice continue as I personally hate tall hedges but we all want solar power these days. 

Great Haywood lock is just out of sight to the right but goodness another leaning tree.

Just before Colwich lock these gardens are gorgeous and reclaimed over recent years.

We pootled down towards Rugeley, hoping to get onto a charming single mooring out in the countryside but not this time so ended up in the outskirts of Rugeley.

Supper was Haddock in breadcrumbs with green veg.

I'm on a new regime..... more of that next time.

Oh gawd I wish they were closer

 Welcome back Reader.

  

It has been a while I know, when I left off last year we were expecting our daughter and husband over from New Zealand with their four month old baby.  

I had said repeatedly when I was there that they didn't have to come..... but they did, I collected them from Heathrow and when we got back home David had the baby put into his arms and she gave him the most beautiful smile.  

I was slightly miffed as I had been with her when she was born and cuddled her for weeks but I get the blank face.

Such is life.

Here they are, 28 hours flying and not looking too bad on it.

Mutual love.

So this is my mum with her tenth Great Grandchild, pretty good achievement mum.

So when I got home in September from NZ, David announced that for our winter holiday he'd like to go to New Zealand, I was a bit surprised due to the distance and that I had only just got home from there but come January we did return, I wasn't really wanting to do a big tour as we had done almost exactly ten years previously for their wedding, I just wanted to be with all their family.

But beaches were included.

So jet lag has its benefits, here we are on the beach in Auckland at about 6am, David even swam too.

Now Frequent Flyers to this blog may remember the lovely Marilyn and David, from their own blog

HERE 

Well we became friends via this blog really, but we only met face to face three times!  Marilyn and David sold up their narrowboat Waka Huia back in 2023, and returned to live full time in their native NZ, after having their summers in the UK for many years.

 

We took a flight from Auckland down to Paraparaumu, a wee airport north of Wellington, they picked us up and took us to their wonderful home in a retirement village.  Frankly I could go and live there myself right now and my David was equally impressed with the facilities, pool, gym, cafes, bar, endless activities and even a nurse on call!  

It was so very very impressive, with only an eight year waiting list.....  

We played cards, walked the extensive grounds, including the native forest and met some of their friends, including a lady who produced a quiz which I may reproduce for your delight on here, we ate like kings and I have the recipes of the delicious meals, Thank you both so much for you amazing hospitality and I hope to return the favour if you return this way. 

They even got up at dawn to take us back to the airport back to Auckland.

Paraparaumu airport way back in time,  the aeroplanes have changed and now there's a terminal! 

Three days before we flew David decided to take his Brompton, he whizzed around the park and to the french bakery, a bakery so good it's sold out by 11am.

The view from Michell's family Batch on the Coromandel peninsula.

We are all in factor 50spf.

The baby being bathed in the family tin bath that has seen every one of the 18 grandchildren bathed, and now onto the Great Grandchildren, so many of them I don't know.

Back in the 1950's Mitchell's grandfather built their batch primarily for fishing, I think they were one of twelve batches built, today there are many many more two are in the same family hands as in the 1950's.

Back then it was sheep grazing land without a tree or hardly a bush.  Today the natural bush has recovered much to the pride of the families.  Where we are standing is still grazing land.

I could barely watch as Mitchell climbed up the rocks then with all his nearest and dearest watching he jumped into this natural forest pool.  Evidently it was freezing, but NZ freezing.

Greater Auckland from the top of an extinct volcano 

Leaving on a jet plane....

Well I guess you can imagine how hard it is to leave, but let me tell you, it's way harder.

They won't be over here again for a long while so guess where we will be going next winter.

Well Reader that sums up pretty much what we have been about since last autumn.  Normal service will be resumed in a short while.  Just after Easter we will be off on a grand trip.

Stay tuned for more on that in April.

TTFN

A long trip and a short flit.

So Reader here I am again.  Back from endless cuddling, kissing and cooing over new beloved baby.  

She has quite a name to conjurer with Xanthe Olympia.  The well travelled parents spent a summer in Greece and went to the site of the first Olympic Games and Xanthe was born during this years Games in Paris. 

If you needed reminding it is winter down under when we have our summer.  I've seen heavy rain before but this was something else, almost biblical and it goes on for hours.  The the next day I was in a tee shirt.

Anyway after a bumpy start mother and baby were doing marvellously and I loved every minute, I could retire to Auckland....

Moi leaving on a jet plane

Xanthe in a swaddle, these were soon dispensed with and she liked to have her arms free.

View from Cornwall Park Auckland.

So odd to Magnolia trees in flower in the summer, I was seasonally confused all the trip.

Mitchell's adorable mother and her two sisters.  (I now count them as my honourable sisters.)

Verity's lemon tree in the garden, I LOVED having lemons on tap.

Xanthe asleep in the shade of the Camellia tree, under the blanket knitted by my mother.

Unusual Irises under planted with parsley, a novel idea.

Part of Onehunga harbour and somewhere down there Verity's house.

One Tree Hill, visible for miles around and Verity's kitchen.

One day I drove to Mission Bay, where they serve Italian Gelato in Pistachio flavour,  to die for. 
This is Rangitoto Island, you can catch a boat and walk up it, I didn't this trip.

Tulips 

Bird of Paradise plant or tree.

Kowhai Trees coming into bloom

This amused me, we are the Carr family and we DID have a herd

Verity and I at Auckland Harbour

Saying goodbye was horribly hard, luckily they are coming to visit all the family later this month.

So to celebrate my return, seemed David missed me!  We have come away on WaL for a short waft up and down.

We had several ideas, first the Ashby, not enough time so just down to Hawkesbury Junction and dinner in my favourite pub The Greyhound.  We got to Fradley on a windy day and moored up on the end of the moorings immediately before Shade House Lock, as we approached a boat left the exact spot we fancied mooring on, great.  

The next day was high winds and rain on and off.  Maybe we'll just go as far as Tamworth or even Hopwas.....

We went to the Mucky Duck pub.

The following day was rain the entire day.  Luckily we had the car so pootled off to the cinema in Tamworth, on the way home again we had supper in the Tame Otter at Hopwas so we did go there one way or another.

The next day it was blowy but brightened up nicely.  We winded at the entrance to the Coventry Canal and retraced our steps.  We'd pretty much ran out of time to get down the Coventry so inserted a detour into the end of the week of going to London instead to see the Granddaughters (And their parents of course) so we had an uneventful run back to Great Haywood and are sitting on a nice mooring in Tixel Wide, I intend to drink the champagne that's in the fridge, stretch the old legs around Shrugborough grounds and read my book.

Shrugborough Hall almost completely hidden now the trees have grown around it and the hedge is unchecked.

I am a good Boater and get off to walk ahead in Plum Pudding, plenty don't bother and just plough though.

WaL was covered, but I quite like the coloured leaves.

This went on half way though the week.

We returned in sunshine and needed our sunnies.  The gorgeous hills come into view that is the beginning of Cannock Chase and tells me we are almost home.

Look carefully and you might just make out the Sweet Chestnuts ripening, we are too early for autumn colour this time.

So that's us done for this year I feel.  Xanthe and her parents are here for a month and that takes us almost up to Christmas, we'll be doing a fake Christmas for them as in NZ its all going to the beach which of course is all mad.

So until the spring, I'll just say Au Revoir Reader.