I've not been called too posh before.... have you?

 I set off walking the next morning.  I'd left David to untie the ropes alone meaning to be ahead of him to set the lock.

This first lock into Alrewas is an absolute brute, when I arrived one bottom gate was open, it's a swinger, I closed it using every ounce of my strength and ran to open the top paddle thus getting water into the lock, holding the gate shut before the gate had a chance to swing open again.

A brutal start to the day.

I'd passed a moored up boat immediately before the lock with a man sat in the cratch, usually boaters routinely greet each other but he avoided eye contact, fair enough, free country.

When David came into the lock laughing and told me that when he passed the man, he said down his phone to his caller 

"Hold on I'll call you back"

He then called to David "That boat is too posh to be a narrowboat"  Now David didn't know if he was serious, being sarcastic or saying it in jest, but he wasn't smiling.

David just laughed.

The prettiest cottage I saw from the tow path.

We filled up at the water point.

 

Look at that brickwork and chimneys.

So from the end of Alrewas is a small section of river, when we got to the lock onto the river the warning board was yellow, there are three categories Reader in Alaska, light traffic lights, Green is go with gay abandon, yellow; Proceed with caution  and red; Absolutely no go, plus your boat is not insured on Red Boards.

I was going to walk anyway, David was perfectly happy so off he went.

And off he went onto the river section.

My first sightings of Red Robin, Ragged Robin, Robin of the Hedge, that was from my children's book of wild flowers, otherwise, its  known as Campion.

I had a bit of trouble keeping up but even then he said the current wasn't strong.

I did walk on for a chunk but got back onboard after doing my steps for the day, I have to say the bit I walked was deadly dull, in part away from the A38 but mostly a green tunnel.

We finally moored up at Branston Water Park.

Supper was fish and chips and a good long read.

 

Short cruise and a leisurely afternoon

I'm going to gather a few days together as we have done ridiculously little.

We left the mooring a bit late in the morning, but the volunteers had arrived at about 9am.  Three on duty, so those locks were a doddle and without wishing to sound like an American talking to soldiers, I thanked all three for their service.

The volunteer here was insistent that I walk around the corner down the Coventry canal which is immediately on the left and get a photo of the pub and the spring blossom, he didn't understand that I have only taken that shot previously and I wanted a different view.

The last lock outside Fradley.

In fact this was the morning, on our own so very peaceful.

There was rain forecast for the afternoon, I was delighted as I'd brought three books with me.

We were aiming for Alrewas.  David had been out cycling this morning and part of his 20 miles he'd come along the towpath between Fradley junction and the village of Alrewas and seen several boats moored up on a long straight section, staked but in lovely sunny country positions.  

"Shall we look and see if there is space?"

Oh yes says I.

So that is where we ended up, as we came to the last lock in Fradley and the skies turned darker and darker, I suggested that we just take that last available mooring here but he said nooooo its not going to rain until 2pm.

Well Reader I have to tell you that I find him very irritating when he does this, flies in the face of evidence right in front of his eyes and dismisses it.

I walked along, all the boats had gone and we did moor up.

It poured at 2pm.  Very irritating.

Supper was an invention of leeks, spinach and chickpeas all in a baked kind of risotto loaded with cheese at the end. 

  

To Rugeley and beyond!

We'd rather squashed ourselves in last night in a big space but right next to a winding hole and on a bend.  We both paced it out for size for a 70' boat to turn and after a bit of chin stroking and head scratching we decided it would be fine, also that we were going to be onboard if there were any difficulties we would be on hand to shift.

 We were rather surrounded by trading boats selling all sorts, but there had been a floating market at Great Haywood over the Easter weekend, I knew this as I had almost fallen over one of the signs on the towpath as I had walked through Great Haywood down to the first lock at Colwich.  We think some of them are likely making their way towards Crick in a month's time.

David coming through Plum Pudding cutting.  For the benefit of my new Reader in Alaska, in years gone by this was a wee tunnel, but either subsidence or it fell in so now its a tight cutting.  Crew members are supposed to go through on foot to check nothing is coming and some do!

First clutch of mallard ducklings of the spring for me.

Slow down says I when I caught this glimpse of the first Bluebells, yes aren't they lovely says David, but we do have them in our garden!  

Who knew?  So the first Bluebells I've seen outside of my garden.

Worth another mention, we saw this a couple of years ago way down on the Grand Union canal, it so made me laugh, as I have often said this.

Slightly sad sight of Woodend Cottage.  Still fenced off and unlived in due to the works surrounding it here of HS2.  For those readers overseas, HS2 is a highly controversial high speed railway line costing money this country can now ill afford, due to Covid and high numbers of people now working from home and conducting their business via Zoom, I think it will never be appreciated.  This cottage was isolated by the works and out of range of emergency services but when the works are finished it is supposed to be lived in again.  It is the most lovely setting..... apart form the new railway going nearby.

I walked down to the next lock from here and beat David to the lock, we did want to stop in Fradley to check out The Swan pub, I couldn't discover from my source today, that is to say the volunteer Lockie as he'd only been here a short while, if the pub had indeed change hands again, we both had really enjoyed fish 'n chips in the sun last visit and I was keen to repeat the pleasure.

Always pretties along this stretch, the yellow flag Irisis are also just poking through the grasses along the banks to flower next month.

When I got to the lock, ten minutes before David, there was a WaL sized space, I can only think that someone had just departed as it was only about 11am...  So for the second time we rubbed our chins and  thought about the sin of it and then decided it would be alright, just.

We were overlapping the lock landing a smidge but using the first bollard to tie up on. 

This was the lovely view, open fields, no tall hedges and solar.

It looks more sinful from this angle than it actually was.

Now on the off chance we did google the pub, and found out that they stop serving food several days a week at 4pm.  We are old and lie to eat about 5pm to 6pm so that was lucky.  We ambled down to The Mucky Duck and did have a nice late-ish lunch. 

Now you might remember that the last time we came past this fabulous property literally on the junction of the Coventry canal was for sale.  

I begged David to buy it for me.  He said no Lisa we have small grandchildren but just look what the new owners have achieved, clearing away the brambles and installing a childproof fence and some new windows.

So that's us today, about a 90 minute cruise, coffee, read my book, blogged and well, went out for lunch in true holiday  and restful fashion.

I had lasagna, homemade is a word often banded about on menus' but in this case it was. 
  

Late Late Late

 Apologies and all that for my tardiness, but there is a good reason.  My poor mother.

Easter was planned, we'd even been shopping!  Then at about 8pm one evening before Easter a phone call because my mother had pressed her personal alarm.

Off we went, David already in his JimJams, to rescue my mum who we both expected to have fallen, but no, with chest pain, blue fingers, white as a sheet myself and the ambulance crew thought heart, a scan or two and a night or three in A&E it proved to be gall stones, two of them.

Nine nights in all and my mother is now the self appointed ambassador for our new hospital, the food, all the staff and the NHS in general.  When I was visiting all staff be them doctors nurses or porters waved to her and she back to them.

She came to ours for a couple of nights and then back to hers, she lives alone and she's 95.

I'm pretty proud.

So as I have hinted in a previous post we were to have met up with NB Caxton and NB Hogarth for a jaunt right the way down to Gloucester but this has had to be abandoned for this year.  

David and I are now shorter on time, I didn't really want to be on the river as keeping the car handy is far more problematic in case I have to be home again for my mum.

So as the other two boats decided to wait for us, Caxton's crew have delayed their return from France and Hogarth's crew are enjoying spring at home in their garden, David and I have a quick fortnight now to go, well wherever we wanted, then home to check on my mum (golf will be in that mix), then fingers crossed for a rendezvous with the two boats.

The Staffs and Worcester canal to Stourport, the Caldon canal, the Coventry canal and the Trent and Mersey canal were all in the discussions and the Trent and Mersey won.

It's a nice case of a week out, see how far we get and a week back.  That is the limit of the deadline, just how I like it.

Looking fabulous but overall I prefer the white blossom.

Glorious morning when we left our mooring.

Approaching the entrance to the left.

A swan who usually nests thereabouts giving two poxy Canadian Geese what for, but they came back for more.

David coming into Great Haywood lock.

And here he is leaving.  I walked down to Colwich lock.

Is this a wee violet growing on the lock gates?  Too pretty to be pulled out.

Yellow pretties

Purple pretties.

and pink pretties

Gorgeous cottages almost at Colwich lock.

The beginnings of Cannock Chase, a signal to me of leaving properly.

Going over the River Trent at Rugeley

Best name for a long time I've seen.

So that was our first day out, 4 or 5 hours to get past Rugeley.

Supper was that salmon pasta dish at 500 calories that has become a firm favourite.  Actually left overs we brought up with us but I forgot to bring the Christmas turkey curry that's still in the freezer...... from 2024.

Off home again.

So after a couple of nights here we set off to Sandon Lock, this is only the third lock north of Great Haywood.  

As all Boaters in the UK will know there are precious few  boats that are red, but would you Adan and Eve it, here was another directly behind us.  

The two men chatted paints, cleaners and cratch cleaners too.  

Two shiny red boats moored together.

Sandon Lock

Winding or turning just above Sandon Lock.

A lady on a boat we passed said she thought this place may have silted up but we managed it when I took the stern rope and yanked her around to speed up the process.

The last day we were joined by the lovely John and Louise lately of NB Ploddin' On.  Frequent Flyers to this blog may remember that our two boats down the Grand Union canal in May 2021.   HERE 

We all had lunch at The Saracens Head in Weston and jolly good chinwag we had too, lots to catch up on in over a year.    

I'm so silly for not taking a photo of us all. 

Hoo Mill lock, almost back at Great Haywood marina.

Packed up pretty quickly after this trip, just over an hour but there was precious little food in the fridge and unworn clothing was left on the boat.

We will be back just after Easter for The Grand Summer Cruise.

It's been a while but here we are...

Dearest Reader, 

Hello and how are you?   Haven't the last five months flown by?

Well it has for us, but that could be to do with being in New Zealand for a month when you all were here enjoying storms and rain.

We caught up with Marilyn and David   HERE  at their home in Waikanae on North Island.

A damp morning in Waikanae but we went visiting Open Gardens which was one of my favourite things to do

We did a short trip to South Island...

Picton, looking awfully like Lake Garda where we went frequently. 

Then went to the Winterless Sun of the north of North Island.

Verity and toddler Xanthe

This is the sort of beaches common in NZ, Mitchell was speechless when he first arrived and was introduced to our pebbles....

Another great thing about NZ is that there are no potholes on their roads!  

Now just think about that for a minute.....

Anyway the big news from there is that Fliss and Leon (Eldest daughter and in the UK) are expecting their third baby in June and  Verity&Mitchell are expecting their second baby in July so I will be returning to NZ to "Lindahand", David will stay here to have care and control of my mother and play golf.  

I'm booking flights today via Canada, thank you Marilyn for that gem of information.  I haven't told my mother yet so don't let on if you see her.

We had WaL serviced the other day and came up a day or so earlier but an issue with the batteries kept us in dock, but here we are out in GLORIOUS sunshine and zero wind.

A lot of discussion about where will we go, finally deciding that we will just do a jaunt north of Great Haywood, it's my birthday month so we can visit the nice pubs along the way.  I have made the mistake of bringing the remainder of the roast lamb we had a Sunday or two ago, so I fished out of the larder the ingredients for Delia Smith's Xacuti Lamb curry, with coconut it was delicious but this morning the entire boat smells of it.

I went off marching to get my steps in and came across this previously unknown to me view of the wonderful Essex Bridge

Built in the late 1500's by the Earl of Essex who was Queen Elizabeth the First's beau.  He had a Castle or Manor House in the vicinity.

Finally away after the service.  This is WaL arriving at Hoo Lock

Hoo Lock, site of the by wash collapse previously. 

The sight of these really does lift ones heart.  My first of the year.

                                              ( For my Reader in Alaska these are Primroses)

Weston Lock, this is the CART maintenance that we can expect, sandbags.

White violets, oh so romantic.  I've seen them here before.  

So we trundled to just north of Weston and quickly got the Lockgate stove fired up.  We are in credit on electricity in the marina so used our wee electric heaters for a couple of nights.  Probably cheaper than diseasel at the moment.

David is watching the football just now and then we are going to walk to the Holly Bush here at Salt.  It's evidently changed hands.... again.... We must use it or lose it.  

This also applies to banks and post offices.

So on reflection we have decided to stop here today and not move on, owning mostly to the football (Both David's teams are playing each other) and the sunshine.  We will move on tomorrow and turn.