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.