A gorgeously hot spring day, a welcome change.

So we left Rugeley at a reasonable time and made our way south.  I didn't see much of Rugeley as I was still unpacking and organising, but David had already planted the car ahead.

He is trying to get into the habit of sending me a location of where the car is, for as I've said to him, if he is knocked off his bike, I won't know where he is or where the car is.  Today he sent me a location of Oxford city centre, now he's pretty good on his bike but I hoped that he hadn't really made it to Oxford, and so it proved.  

He is going to need a wee bit more practice on locations.

Just next to Kings Bromley Marina, north of Fradley, on the T&M canal.

These were a bit of a surprise, firstly to be able to see them as the undergrowth has been cleared away but also what is the development of them going to be..

We were aiming to moor up in the vicinity of Fradley.  With the demise of HS2 (Train line to any overseas readers, a highly controversial new line that was over due and trillions overspent from London to the wild and wooly north.  Post covid and with more and more people working from home, plus the country is broke the project was cancelled in 2023).  But prior to the cancellation, the area around Fradley Junction has been carved up not least but the bulldozing of many mature trees.  

We were curious to see how the area had been left, even if it has been left.  I think I'm correct in saying that it is going to run to Lichfield (Very close to Fradley) and not beyond.

Time will tell.

One of our favourite moorings is immediately above Wood End Lock.  This lock has a charming early victorian cottage,      Wood End Cottage, that was surrounded on one side by said mature woodland,  but last time we came through was surrounded cleared woodland and mud with pencil sized trees planted in tubes.  

With much anticipation we rounded the last bend and oh the joy to see one boat on the mooring, this appeared unoccupied so we moored up quickly.

So as to the pencilled sized trees, they've grown.  Now David knows a thing or two about growing stuff and he says they are far too close together.  But I'm sure the team from HS2 will be out walking the big area with their secateurs so that's alright then.

We got the bikes out and peddled off to the pub in Fradley, it's called The Swan, but know to all the boaters as The Mucky Duck.  We were lucky enough to get a table outside with cyclists, families, Boaters, dog walkers and god almighty 

what ever is that noise?????

A crowd of about 30 Motorbikers arrived, revving and revving to make sure all heads were turned to watch them and my god the fumes made my eyes water and me to cough.  

All in black leathers, skulls all over the place and many many tattoos.  Most of them were older than David and that's saying something.

The majority drank pints of Coca-Cola, then later they left quite literally in clouds of smoke.  

But you could hear the engines for miles afterwards and they raced around the area.  

I think it said that Wednesday was "Bikers Night" so you might want to put that in your diary.  

Todays 'Pretties' I spotted all the way along to the pub, about a mile, the sun was shining and everything was fabulous.

I call this Campion.

No idea but pretty.

One of the joyful sights of Boating, no not Bikers but the yellow Flag Irises at this time of year.

So here we are, curiously they left scattered trunks of trees, some with nesting boxes.

WaL looking pale, but Reader this is the good side, the other side is pink!

Pretty close together....

On the other side of WaL, looks to be a maize field planted and a Heron. 

Twilight and the handful of taller trees remaining. 

So this was a Sunday, so we didn't any HS2 workmen at all.

Very late lunch was fish and chips for both of us and a high standard it was too.

 

 

  

Chocks away Biggles

Reader here we are all present and correct, the spring cruise has  finally started and will run seamlessly into the summer without you hardly noticing.

News first.  Now who remembers these two?

For those of you who don't, this is beloved youngest daughter Verity and her Kiwi husband Mitch, these two departed these shores after Mitch living here for fifteen years, Verity went around the world when she was eighteen and brought Mitch home with her as you do.  Well they are now giving NZ a whirl and yes you've guessed it, they are expecting their first baby due later this summer.

I, as all mothers would want to am going out to be there and to Lendahand.           (I'd have gone with or without an invitation, but I do have one.

David isn't, he is staying here to mind my mother and of course play golf.

David has asked me how long I'll be gone and I say I'll almost certainly be home again, by christmas, maybe.

Thoroughly thrilling news, you just can't have enough babies in the family says I.  This will be our fifth grandchild.

"Guess who's having a boy?" she trilled down the phone,

"A boy? How wonderful" says I, delighted,

"Not me!" Its a girl,

"A girl how wonderful" says I.

All this brings me back to the point, that this spring summer cruise is to be a bit shorter than previous summers.

We departed Great Haywood the other day and for the first time in two years headed south.  Its been warm these last days and well I have almost forgotten what it feels like to have the sun on your skin.  Sun cream was slapped on bare skin, sun hats too retrieved from the back of cupboards and away we went.  

Approaching Great Haywood lock.

In Colwich lock

The cottage here is charming, I'm not sure why WaL is pointing uphill.

I bet this lot have been squelching about in mud before this weekend. 

Nice bit of carving and what a good idea to chop down a willow tree.

Here's his nose.

It was in the later part of the afternoon and we had in mind to moor up in a quiet spot in the sun, David didn't fancy Worsley Bridge on the Trent and Mersey just past the end of Shrugborough Estate, so on we chugged.  

The old "Pig Farm" where in the past we and many others brought cheap diseasel from a moored up work boat used to have a couple of quiet spots but this has changed as the pigs have been replaced by private moorings, on we chugged, there's on spot with armco just big enough for WaL a short distance but of course by 4pm on a sunny Friday it was already taken.

On we chugged and tried to get on just before the aqueduct over the river Trent north of Rugeley and although several boats here and there we tried twice but it too shallow.  So boringly we went around the sharp bend and moored in Rugeley itself.

We sat in the cratch with the sides rolled up and pretended we were miles away from it all.

Supper was chicken curry, now I wouldn't ordinarily post a recipe but this really was a QUICK one even if David had dug it out of the freezer this morning.  It was quick when I made it so give it a whirl.

HERE 

Safety First.

 The time had come for WaL to have the four yearly Safety Check.  

The first time we had WaL done yonks ago back in 2016 I think it was, the marina we were at previously organised the safety checks for any boat that needed one altogether was organised by them there.  We didn't attend we were told we didn't need to.

We learnt later that the tester couldn't find the gas valve and "got cross".  Well when we did get back to WaL we had been charged a full call out fee, which was fine but I bet all the other boat owners had too.  

But my biggest complaint was that there were large dirty hand prints on the cratch seat cushions, oily ones.  Presumably in looking for the gas valve he'd lifted the long cratch cushions and in the manner of Eric Sykes     HERE       in turning around knocked off the Eco Fan from the Reflex Stove.  That proved to be broken and had been placed on the cooker hob not where I'd left it on the Stove.  Luckily for us David wonderful Lewis mended that by fitting a new motor onto it.

All of the above totally without proof of course but you can see why I was a bit disgruntled.

He failed WaL too, this was a four year old boat!  Some weeks later we caught up with another Fernwood boat in Braunston completely by chance, it was immediately in front of WaL in being built, a very similar built boat who also had recently had a Safety Check done and passed.  Not at all annoying.

Anyway enough of these old grudges.  WaL passed this test with flying colours.

But as the weather was calm and almost dry we took the week to enjoy ourselves aboard.

After the Safety was completed we took off for Tixall Wide, it was still terribly flooded in the adjacent fields which now look like an established water park for birds but I did notice mosquitoes buzzing about more in numbers than I would have expected, but it has been very mild, mild and wet.

We were waiting to see long lost friends you see.  Those "Boat Sharers" have now got their own boat and more to the point are home and onboard after overwintering in Canada where their grandchild resides.

The first day it was blowing a total hooley, I think it may have even been another named storm (There have been so many) anyway they arrived and we had big hugs all around.

The following day we pulled the pins and set off northwards.  I would have fancied a flit to Penkridge for a bit of a change, but with the dodgy weather and us only having another few days to play, we decided to go north, nice pubs, nice moorings, few locks and easy for us to scoot home again for appointments.

It seems "appointments" and ageing go hand-in-hand.....

So it was a shortish trip with the darling Lewis's, but longstanding Readers to this blog may recall that some years ago we plus three other Boating couples went to France boating in one of those Le Boats, looks like a bathtub, you know the kind     

HERE 

Well, come June we are repeating the fun and going again.  So watch this space.  The Lewis's included.

So I'll just add a few snaps of our few days away and in a months time, we'll be back onboard WaL for a proper trip.  By then we are desperately hoping that the rain will have ceased at least not as much as it will involve a river currently on red boards.

Reader I splogged in the muddy mud to bring you this photo.  David was here at dawn and thought this was the highest he had ever seen the Trent up the arches on Essex bridge, he thought it had dropped a bit by the afternoon when I made it here. 

The back of Shrugborough Hall, I've never seen so much colour here

The formal gardens also looking wonderful considering the weather.  Puddles on the pathways never mind the grass.

Here is the Lewis's lovely boat NB Caxton.  We were leaving Tixall Wide and Caxton just about to turn to follow us.

This is a swan who was a bit annoyed at having boats invade his section of the canal.  He bit at our back button but this is Amanda's photo and he was trying to bite her arm off.

Beautiful blossom here and there.

The last day, we had to be home but I was very envious of them being out for weeks.  If timings permit we should like to see them again before June, if not then au revoir Les Lewis's.

She knocked these up on request, I think they are actually Canadian, Cinnamon Buns with cream cheese icing and yes they are as good as they looked.  Just ask her, she'll make you some.

Amanda did this rather good selfie, I hope she allows me to use it here, she called it just like the old days with us all together.

Slightly out of sequence but this is Amanda's photo of us moored up at Tixall.  Note the new path...?  I was regretful at first as I thought it will just enable cyclists to go bananas, but it's pretty good not to be paddling in mud here in the winter.

 

David, I'm leaving!

 In March we had cause to leave the house and flee, we had workmen coming in.  

We were renewing our bathroom after thirty years and the plumber had asked nicely if we could be out of the house for a few days while they turned off the water, drained the central heating system and knocked out the old suite.  David said later when I told him that yes we could go away for a few days, I said a fortnight.  

I know him, he'd naff off to the golf club leaving me in all the dust and cold.  

So away we went.  

The plumber said he'd be two weeks.  

We went to Devon to Topsham on the river there bird spotting shopping and strolling plus seeing life long darling friends Rob and Sue.

One day we went to Castle Drogo which was fascinating, in that built 1911-1930    HERE     built by a multi millionaire who against all advice wanted a flat roof castle to provide an ENORMOUS area for entertaining on the roof top, despite having huge rooms inside the castle and a large terrace however almost immediately the roof leaked and continued to leak for decades.  But that's millionaires for you.

There we scrambled down the path, me in heeled boots and my best coat to the cliff top and watched a Peregrine Falcon hunting. 

Just look at this sunshine, it was glorious.

Right behind us here we watched a Peregrine Falcon soaring and diving, a sight that will stay with me.

Had the daft owner put in a slightly sloping roof it would not even have been seen.

David lodged with this newly married pair when he was a agricultural college in 1974, yes he is that old.

The beautiful view from Topsham.  I could retire to here....

We said goodbye to the adorables and moved on to belatedly celebrate my birthday to a spa hotel, a rather nice one in Buxton.  

We had visited there some years ago from Bugsworth Basin and driven to Buxton, at that time the hotel was surrounded by hoardings as the mammoth refurbishment was ongoing.  It had cost millions over budget after all sorts of problems were found with the foundations and the water, a bad combination if you ask me but oh golly how wonderful it is now its completed.

It did a fair bit of raining in March in Derbyshire as you might expect but who cares it was toasty in the spa.

Next down to the boat for a few days.  We took WaL out of the marina and sat in Tixel Wide.  It was like being in a county cottage for a weekend.  Lovely.

But my golly the surrounding flood waters..

Tixel Wide, on the left is the tow path and beyond that the flooded fields of Shrugborough Estate.

Warm enough to be in his lesser warm fleece.

Certainly needed sunnies glasses this day. 

Then lastly we joined the middle daughter Koo and her family for a few days in Centre Parks at Woburn.  Much fun and swimming was had by all.  

This selfie was taken by number one poppet, with number two poopet wanting to have a go.

Both Poppets on my bike.

And lastly my dear mother, who is well thank you for asking, here she is winning the Easter Bonnet competition at her social club and being presented a prize by the vicar, mum donated the hat to the vicar who wore it home!

So that was us, we ended up being away from home for three weeks and yes you've guessed it, the bathroom wasn't finished.

It is now.

 

 

Don't you just hate it when computers do this sort of thing?

Now do you remember Reader that our boating friends from 

NB Hodmedod sold up their home in Suffolk, sold their gorgeous boat and moved to Scotland?  Not just any part of Scotland but an isolated part of the mainland that you have to catch a ferry to? 

Sarah and David last summer.

Hodma'dod meaning     HERE  if you didn't already know.

Well David, 78, (I give his age as it a factor in their story although I hate it when newspapers give peoples ages when they have done something stupid) David has started a blog.  Now in these days of Vlogging massively widespread I shall give you the heads up as it a joy to read see some photos of the view from their front door step, so much better than a vlog.

HERE

Do go and give it and him a whirl.  I wish I had the courage to do something like that when I that young or frankly now.  

My David says I am completely risk averse, my David, loves a gamble and will happily play "Petrol Roulette" that is to say "Oh there's plenty in the tank to get us home", I refuse to play that game, he might get us home but not enough to get to the garage the next morning, however I digress.

Back in the autumn I signed up to follow David Ruddle on his blog, the link had been sent to me from John, recently of NB Ploddin' On, to sign up and receive notifications of a new posting you had to indicate areas of interest, I think I ticked art, wine, culture, lifestyle and history.  

In the follow days I received some other blogs via email that I might be interested in...

I was somewhat surprised, I think it was the "Lifestyle" option I ticked, as I said to John when I sent out a cyber SOS, I thought it would be gardening and making jam.

 a few days later again......

The next day or so saw this arriving (For the sensitive among you I have censored the image).

Then this

This was the final one, I deselected my choice and decided on another three walking, food and gardening.  From then on it's all been fine.  I am really only interested to read about David and Sarah and their quite dramatic change of living.

He writes beautifully and very descriptively too.  If you want to hear how they are getting on then hopefully this link will work, but if you did want to read about Thailand or that husband then there is a search engine on the site.

 

HERE

Autumn Days, well just a few of them.

 Well Reader it's been a while and we have been having no end of non boating fun, until last week that is.

The boat was due to be serviced so we had decided to chance our hand with the weather and with good luck take the boat out at the same time.

Well Reader, not only did we have one of the best journey's up from home, leaving the rain on the south coast.    Not raining in Staffordshire, but not sunny.

The heating quickly went on.  

When we took delivery of our pride and joy in the summer of 2012 the heating control panel had been set by the installer so that the heating at the press of button goes on for one round of a single hour.  This remains the setting till this day as the owners cannot fathom the instruction booklet.  But on this day we put it on several times.  Added to which the reflex stove went on too.  I was cross with myself for not cleaning the glass window before lighting the thing so the pleasing flame was invisible, the controls adjusted while looking at the flame it was a bit of heating roulette, one tweak  to low and the thing goes out then you have to leave it until stone cold to light it again if not, the meths can give you a fright of a minor explosion (Yes I did that, just the once).

We went walking to my favourite bridge in the afternoon after unpacking, of course to Essex Bridge.  

This is the river Trent at Shrugborough Hall, it meanders around but joins together here at Essex Bridge, pretty high after all the monsoons we've had but not actually flooded today but it had been previously.

The loveliest of C15th bridges that I know. I stood in ankle deep mud to bring you this Reader.

Shrugborough Hall, I am very happy to report that it this part has been painted, about a year ago or possibly early this year we walked around here and the facade was in a very sorry state, mind you the steps look to have been missed.

Not much in the way of autumn colour this year, we wondered if the recent gales had burnt the leaves as generally they were brown as opposed to oranges or golds. 

Mamma

Papa

and baby although I thought he looked like an Ewok for any Star Wars fans.

So warm and snug we were that night although the bed can be a tad chilly, I wear big pink and fluffy bed socks for sure, thank you Amanda and I go all high tech with a hot water bottle too.  Funny how husbands get all cuddly when the wife has the care and control of a hot water bottle....

The next day dawned sunny, beautifully sunny, not a cloud in the sky sunny.  The engineer came, played about at the back of the boat, I don't know if there were any problems, I didn't ask but after he'd departed we started the engine and crept out of the marina. 

 For these weekend jaunts, we do mostly go north from the marina at Great Haywood.  This is primarily because there are such great pubs, in fact last night we drove to Sandon and had a lovely supper.  We drove there because I refused to walk from the canal the short distance on the busy road without pavements, in the dark with the cars driving at a little over 80mph. 

There was no point in bringing food with us for these few days as we were going onward afterwards for more fun. 

So on the boat we went towards Weston, two locks and a good snoop at the workings for HS2.  

I couldn't be more thrilled about the northern section being cancelled, obviously I'm speaking from a personal point of view, I have always thought they should have started from the north and worked southwards thus helping the northern cities but we are where we are and now we won't be changing marinas as HS2 was going to clip the corner of the marina.  

We already have the train line running past the marina,  the noise does not worry us one bit only the dust coming all over the boats while they build.  

I have not met a builder yet who does not create dust...

It was cold, we only were going to do a couple of hours to get to Weston, (if you aren't aware that is where the next eatery is,  The Saracens Head) We didn't see much life going along, only a dog walker or two.  It was rather lovely to do just the two locks in the sunshine, I felt it was April instead of November and that we had the whole summer ahead of us.

It's not clear but I'm pretty sure David and WaL are down there in the trees.  A couple of years ago the tree on the right of the photo was full of golden leaves but not this years, just brown burnt leaves.

A sunny view over towards the HS2 workings, not a soul in sight.

You can tell how calm the day was and how little boat movement there was by the reflection.

Sunset before Weston   (hash tag No Filters)

We moored up as twilight was descending, we took the last space and due to the slight curve in the armco I did what I loathe about Boaters in the summer months, but we left a 

Git-Gap, 20 minutes later would you adam and eve it?  

A boat came past looking to moor up it was dark by now, he had his head lamp on as they crept  past and I felt terrible, but the next morning we saw them moored up just a couple of hundred yards along the way so no great damage.

We had an excellent supper at the pub but got back to WaL pretty early and lying in bed I listened to an owl or two.

The next day was a protracted discussion about the weather over the next few days and where we should turn.  We could easily go on up to Stone and turn (wind) there, that would take most of the day and part of the following day in bad weather.  For my part I told David that if it got cold I'd be inside so the decision was his, the alternative was to turn at Sandon.  We were governed by bad weather rain and high winds coming in, again, plus the fact that we were leaving WaL to go to Buxton on the Monday so didn't have time in hand to ride the weather out.

Easy decision in the end, we did turn at Sandon and went back to Great Haywood.  We actually did go back into the marina to fuel up not in the rain due the following day.

So a short trip but a gorgeous one.  

Winding at Sandon, how lovely is that?

I was on stand-by to pull the stern if required, 70 ft's are best helped to wind by a tug on a rope.  My god she's looking pink instead of red David!

   

 

The best bit of colour.

Sandon Lock heading back. (I've just realised that this was heading south again not north)

Somewhere or other.  

The last morning we packed up the small bags, emptied the water tank, remembered to turn off the gas and left for Buxton.