And home again

Morning Reader, I know you must despair of me but in the meantime we have been home, I've seen my mother and she is chirpy, I've helped my daughter paint bedrooms for imminent arrival of their new baby, had my hair done which some will say is shocking, but in late middle age (when does late middle age become old age?) if you can't shock then when can you?

So here we are back onboard, a whole host of jobs to be done that I don't want to do.

So to recap, we had a fortnight's holiday on WaL, we sauntered down the Trent and Mersey as far as Stenson Lock and back again, Loitering in Alrewas then moving between Alrewas and Fradley in the sun....

 

We moved on to here, it took us about 25 minutes to get here at just the other side of Alrewas.  A few boats went passed but only a few.

There was a bench next to the boat on which we sat having coffee, butterflies fluttered  around in the sun and the birdsong a delight.

Hawthorne I think.

David enjoyed cycling around the area, it's largely flat and he remained in striking distance of the small bakery in Alrewas, I can recommend the pain au raisin, almond croissants, cheese scones and something else delicious that I can't quite remember.

We went to the Mucky Duck pub for a drink, we had plenty of food on the boat that would not travel home so absolutely did not intend on eating, so we shared a starter of spicy cauliflower florets.  The sun shone, as we sat I inwardly judged the passing boats and everything in the garden was rosy.

 

Guess what's under here...?  Yes that's right, a water point.  There wasn't one here as 14 years ago, we knew someone who moored here on the CART moorings here, it was pricy moorings and without electricity or water.  Fortnightly he'd have to go through 6 locks to Kings Bromley for fuel and pump outs, then 6 locks back again. 

Cherry scones

Cheese and chive scones

Leaving Shadehouse Lock and heading for home.

The new shoots with the sun coming through was just gorgeous.

Out of sequence, but this is a camper van, parked on the private track that goes to the few houses here, he didn't care and the volunteer said he had no idea who it was.  I suggested letting a tyre down.  Good thing not everyone choses to park like that!

The Mucky Duck Pub on the right.

Now these are the trees planted after HS2 had cut down mature trees, they have taken but will need thinning out for sure.

 

After I got back onboard David was grinning , telling me a passing woman had told him he had a nice one.  

Honestly schoolboys.

The next minute we were at Colwich Lock, a mother and two charming teenagers were engrossed in the lock action, a short chat proved they were Americans, they had never seen anything like a lock before...  The young man helped me wind the paddles and do the gates, I gave a very condensed history of the locks, (They hadn't heard of the Industrial Revolution), so I said would you like a ride on up to the next lock, they were delighted and hopped aboard.

Turned out they were on a trip to Europe to see the countries of their heritage, England, Italy, France and Spain.  

I said if you are impressed with the age of Locks and canals you must see the fabulous Essex Bridge (and Shrugborough Hall exterior).  The mother was widowed last year and on this trip she had left her other 8 children at home with their grandmother and the other 4 adult children who no longer live at home.  That's right do the maths, 14 children, her husband died when the youngest was one year old.  

Quite and experience meeting such a gorgeous family I just wish I'd taken their photo.

This sight means back at base for me, it's the very beginning of Cannock Chase, how fabulous in the sunshine, soon the new growth will obscure the view.

We are back again so normal service will be resumed shortly.