Down to Kinver to see old friends.

 Although you can go through the Bratch Staircase Locks out of hours so without the guiding experience of the lock keepers, we chose not to and waited for 8am and as the only boat in sight for the last 15 hours, were given preferential treatment and down we went.
I brought a mooring pin as a spare from the wee tollhouse office here.  We haven't ever dropped on in in about the five years we've been using them, but now I have a spare I fully expect that to happen this week.

I'm very fond of old stairs.

Down he goes.

Into the last chamber.  Its hard to capture it all in a single photo 

Bratch locks are on the edge of a more built up area and new houses have gone up around, but after another lock you feel as if you are simply miles from anywhere again.

I'm sorry to say that my fantastic photos of the countryside refuse to upload on my rather ancient (I think its nine years old) laptop.  I need a new one thats for sure. 
But its is the most lush canal with trees bends and just beauty at every turn.
I was pleased that I had the windows closed  here...

So taking the best part of 6 hours we arrived in Kinver to be met by friends Chris and Sarah.  Sarah came aboard and Chris fetched the car and we moored about half a mile down the canal where the hills had opened out, a nice stretch of armco and only one other boat.  This left us with a nice country walk to their new home, a darling cottage in Kinver.  Chris later dropped David at Co-Op to fetch milk and we were invited to supper at theirs.  
Thank you very much both for a lovely evening.  I should have taken a photo.

Sunshine at last and I took off one of my coats.

So here we are again Reader.  My mother is very well thank you for asking.

We got back to WaL at about teatime, so after moving the car along and me making the bed David in his wisdom indicated an evening cruise and how lovely that would be.... 

Now we have had WaL for Oooooo seven years now,  July '12 she was launched, during that time we have had precisely one evening cruise, that was in high summer too.  It just goes against the grain in my head, but here we are in sub zero conditions with rain threatening at any moment, going for a scenic evening cruise.

So we left Penkridge at about six-ish.  I had many layers on.  

At Penkridge lock as we approached it was like a youth club, 

no offers of help, no smiles come to that, but at my presence, they all vacated to a party I guess.  We emptied our rubbish and I picked up all of theirs too.

Onward and upwards.  No boats anywhere during the day let alone in the night.  But here we met Alan and his very very smiley dog Jack who was full of the joys of spring.  Alan in a Reader and stopped to say Hello.  

Nice to have met you Alan.

and the very bouncy Jack.

Mooring up at Gailey after a couple of hours and in light rain now  we got on the miserable visitor moorings under trees very quickly getting supper underway which was beans on toast with cheese on the top, delicious.  

There we stayed all the next day in unremitting rain.  Actually it rarely happens that it rains an entire day. 

I quite liked it, snuggly eating flapjack, drinking red wine, writing the blog and reading my new book.

The next morning David set off at about six, he could do this alone as it's a pound for several miles.   
I joined him sometime later having tidied the boat and played with my new cordless Dyson.

I then did some driving as David did the rickety paddles. 

This is where I got very wet feet.

As we trundled along we were chatting about this canal, how much we enjoy it and just how many times we have been here.  It seems this is the third time.... various reasons but here we are again.  Now as you proceed on the summit you come to Wolverhampton, our son-in-law Leon is a Black Countryman so he is allowed to say horrid things about Wolverhampton, but look here Leon and see how stunningly BEAUTIFUL it is here!

A green tunnel, Kingfishers are spoken of but we see one today, we did see a deer, trapped in the playing fields of a school though, I would like to hope it got its liberation before playtime.

Then these open meadows, no other boats just us.  Worth sitting in the miserable moorings for today looking at this.

First cygnets we've seen this year.

Purple pretties.

Bit tricky to fit through here even is I am a waif.

Love to see these echoes of a previous life.

Old Hop-along used these gingerly, they are wet and a bit green.

We greeted a boat who was just setting off (Behind us), they came from our hometown, in fact the man was born where we live now, but he didn't remember our farm.  They passed us as we moored up at Bratch Locks.  We'd done 5.5 hours and it felt like it.  We walked up to the locks in the sunshine.  Not a single boat moored up apart form us, the Lockkies were a bit bored. 

We'll do Bratch Staircase in the morning.

Can't believe Elf and safety allow these ancient steps to remain.  Long may it stay that way.

Our mooring tonight.

Supper was my favourite fishcakes from Sainsbury's as I stocked up on them at home. 

Let's celebrate new parents.

 So this morning we were a little late in starting because we wanted to pop into Great Haywood Marina for a diesel top-up and they open at 10am.  

So off we went properly, and turned onto the most lovely Staffs to Worcester canal. 
My favourite after the Leicester Arm of the G.U.

Still cold, I had worn my fleece lined boating trousers as a precaution, I was glad.

Here is Tixal Wide, so called because it is wide.   I left it a bit late to get the obligatory photo of Tixal Gatehouse, if you have a fancy to stay there you can.....  simply click here and cough up good gold     HERE

Cozy pad for a weekend.

I had a go at helming and here is the pretty pretty cottage at Tixal Lock.  I think it looked tidier and a little bit more loved this time.

He hates being told what to do but sometimes.....

Attractive reflection in the canal of this bridge but I was just a fraction too late to do it justice.

Now for the highlight of the afternoon's cruising.  Grey Wagtails.    More about them HERE, they are on the RED list so an even bigger treat to have seen the nest.  The parents were sitting on a fence while I did the lock, both had mouthfuls of insects in this shady spot with trees all around, there were masses of flying nasties so the future bodes well for them.We watched them a while while WaL was in the lock, but not wanting to disturb them we moved on.

Possibly four chicks.

I think this is the female.

Adult with the nest, but it was watching me.

Think this is the female again.

Well that completely made my day.

We moored up in Penkridge, semi packed, finished the fishcakes from the freezer, had an early night and at first light David collected the car from somewhere, and off home for a couple of nights to check up on my mum beating all the traffic in the process.

See you in a couple of days.

Cream teas and cold feet

This was a great bonus today, we met up with John & Louise who we do try to each year but it's tricky sometimes with geography. 

After a heavy shower we walked up to their boat and the grand chat-in started over coffee, it was then adjourned to the  The Swan aka The Mucky Duck at Fradley.  Its changed hands twice since we were last there and I can tell you the steak pies, from Coates Butchers in Alrewas and they were superb.

Later adjourned to WaL where we had a cream tea, well with maybe a little wine too.

They departed at bedtime but walked back to farewells over coffee and watering up.

WaL coming into one of the three locks today

At Shadehouse lock, saying goodbye to John & Louise from NB Ploddin' Along

Saying goodbye to the Wallies.

It was freezing this morning, over coffee I asked the others if it was overkill to out on my extra warm fleece lined trousers, No, put them on was the advice and I did.

  

The  journey around to Armitage, Handsacre and Rugeley was uneventful.

In Rugeley the flag of The Black Country, confirmed by a son-in-law that we are now in said country.

We caught up with a boat approaching Plum Pudding cutting, actually we almost ran into them as they were going so very very slowly, probably about the same speed as I go when I'm helming, but it was a benefit as her crew hopped off to see that the way was clear.  For non-boaty readers, Plum Pudding was an old single file tunnel now with the roof removed, but still only single file.  

Approaching Plum Pudding, look carefully to see her crew member checking for traffic coming.

She goes in with WaL following on closely afterwards.

The view behind.

Now before we knew it we arrived at Colwich Lock, this is always a bottleneck and we've never been through without a wait.  Not today, a single hander was coming out and although we waved as soon as we saw him the gates were shut,  I hopped off but as I walked unto the lock, I saw a man had opened them for us. 

Result.

I walked up, greeted him and thanked him.  Cute dog too.

"Parlez vows Français?" he asked

Oh golly, now straining my French from school and a couple of other trips (Paris with my sister looking at art) I thanked him in French, quickly removing "tu" and added the more polite "vous" then asked him how he was managing in England without any English, was it difficult?  

He answered by saying he was visiting Wales, now one of us was getting it wrong and it turned out to be him, he was English, lived in Little Haywood and had just returned from Hong Kong, appalled that the British don't speak other languages and had tried French on me.

I thought it a good joke and he walked along with us to Little Haywood telling us all about the area.

French Hong Konger.

The lovely Shrugborough now barely visible from the canal but in this exact spot.  In taking this shot a man on NB Centurion said hello and he read the blog, I should have asked your name sir, apologies.

Did I tell you it was freezing today?  Well which much laughter and hooting this lot came past, the boy on the back confirmed that "Yes his feet were a bit cold!"

With the heating on, we snugged up.



Supper was a bit of a hotchpotch.  So I baked red peppers cut in halves, they had tomatoes inside and a whole tin of green olives on the top with mushrooms, then halloumi cheese on the side and to top it off fried eggs on the top.  
So far this year David's favourite supper.



PS  I heard back from David Lewis, farmer with more knowledge than us and he says about this photograph;

The tractor was 'bed forming'. It follows a stone and clod separater and forms flat topped beds necessary for growing straight carrots and parsnips. Not for potatoes as they are grown in ridges often in pairs. 

Bloody rain and is that a hanger?

Reader forgive me but I forgot to put this couple of photos up, the first one was of these two GORGEOUS Golden Retrievers.  But look carefully, there's not only one more but two more that I couldn't take without making them bark.    They were in wonderful condition and totally joyful.  They are also the favourite breed of my husband.  

I always said I'd get another dog as soon as we had grandchildren, to make the grandchildren want to visit.  Now it seems the time is coming near as not only are we expecting our first grandchild but if you can believe it TWO!  But wait for it, two are due on exactly the same day.  We are just about over the shock/joy/surprise of it, deep growing excitement building now.

Hence dog photos, there maybe more to come.

Outside the Greyhound the other day, FOUR delightful Golden Retrievers.

Another forgotten to post photo, this at Atherstone.

So the run up from Atherstone to Hopwas was uneventful, but cold.  I ended up wearing much clothing and felt like the Pilsbury Boy, (Google that for anyone too young to remember).  We spent only the one night at Hopwas and David was keen to go to the pub, unusual in itself.  He even called ahead to se if they had BT Sports.  Yes said the barman, so at 7:45 off we trundled to The Fox to see Liverpool V another team in some competition.  We ordered two vile coffees at £2 each to start with, I had my book, but what did we find but they have SKY Sports not BT.  Honestly Reader David nearly cried.  

But being the wonderful wife that I am, I saw that another customer had the match on his phone, tiny screen I know so I downloaded the App and away he went.  We didn't need to stay in the vile coffee serving pub so he walked back to the boat with his nose in his phone like a teenager.  I got mega Brownie Points Reader too.

After the result I think he'd wished he hadn't bothered.

The next morning, we were away at a reasonable time and were on our way to Fradley, to meet great friends John and Louise from NB Ploddin' Along.  We met with a chance encounter back in 2012 and been friends since.

If only we had left Hopwas 20 minutes earlier......

Last nights mooring.  Normally its full here but early in the season I guess.

Bluebells carpeting the "Firing Range" just past Hopwas.  They looked bluer than this.

So the farming news for today is.... well David wasn't quite sure but from the audible clatter himself thought they were stone picking uppers.  I await confirmation from David Lewis who knows everything.

Whatever they were doing its lovely soil and very neat.

 Now maybe some of you have seen this or similar, with zero knowledge we guessed it was asparagus growing.  We simply love asparagus, but with only melted butter.  The mad Norfolk contingent serve it with bacon and a runny egg.....!

Asparagus beds or just weeds.

The A38, which really should be moved.

As we approached Fradley, someone kind has done a lot of cutting back, so much so I saw in the bushes, I've never noticed it before, but consulting the map showed it to be a zonking great aircraft hanger   HERE   I mean Who Knew?

We moored up on the Coventry Canal, approaching the water points.  This was when I wished we'd have left ten minutes earlier as we got caught in the heaviest down pour of the day, of course we did.


Supper was the remaining Chicken Korma.  Really very good.