Shiralee Cruise 2011 #13

Sunday 26th June.

I have just spent some time posting the latest blog and, not for the first time, I noticed I had some followers. Followers, for you non-boaters are, as the name implies, other like-minded folks, who actually take the time to read blogs posted by other bloggers.

A very nice couple from North Yorkshire, Mike and Maggie, along with their two wire-haired Yorkshire Terriers, own a boat called Rose of Arden and, many moons ago, when I was bemoaning the fact that I hate putting our Rusty in kennels when we go visiting, they left a comment suggesting we might do as they do, which is to have a reciprocal arrangement with other dog owners.

I have to confess that it has taken me many months to get around to responding to that comment, not least of which has been the problem of how to do so. Sadly the people at Google, whose baby Blogger is, are not very forthcoming in this regard. However, I did manage to find a simple suggestion from another Blogger, and that was to log on to the blog of Mike and Maggie and leave a comment of my own. Now, why the heck didn’t I think of that?

As most folks know, our JTR lady, she who seems as forever young as Pluto, but is well into doggy middle years at 13, does not get on too well with others of the canine world. Puppies, older dogs and dogs of her own size, she seems to tolerate better than bigger breeds, such as Alsatians etc.

Obviously I have apologised to Mike and Maggie for the delay in responding and, being boaters themselves and obviously good natured ones at that, I have no doubt they have accepted my apology. But, as I pointed out in my response to their comment, nobody with a dog of their own would want our Rusty on board with it and, if they accepted the idea, certainly wouldn’t want to repeat the experience. I certainly thank them for the suggestion and, should we be fortunate to find somebody willing to do so, we would rather farm her out to a fellow boater than have her return from kennels with that god-awful cough. No, not Kennel-Cough, simply a result of continuous barking on her part.

Anyway, many thanks to Mike and Maggie for following our blog. Now all I have to do is find out how to follow theirs and others, which could take a few months longer. Cheers me dears!!

Monday 27th June and what a day we had yesterday, all hot and sticky, but that didn’t stop us spending a pleasant hour at The Boat pub here at Gnosall. In fact this was probably the best hour of the day, given that the temperature was easily in the 80’s for the rest of it. Had we moored between the next two bridges, I for one would not have suffered so much, because that section of canal is sheltered by houses on one side and trees on the other.

I really don’t like the heat much, not as much as when I was younger and the five years I spent in the RAF, those two years in Malta were sheer magic. Today though, what with me being well and truly overweight, excessive heat and humidity drive me to distraction.

Apart from our hour at the pub, nothing exciting happened, as is normally the case when cruising, very much like you folks who live a ‘normal’ life, time simply drifts along with the same old same old. Not that life is boring on the cut you understand, far from it, what with birdsong to wake us up and some of the scenery, which really is special. Indeed, cruising from one town/village or open space after another, we could be in danger of forgetting just how lucky we are.

Just like you folks at home we moan about the weather, especially when we are caught in a heavy downpour, just as we are mooring up. However, when we sit down to a cuppa on those rare occasions, we realise it could have been much worse, we could have been in open country, with nowhere to moor and been absolutely drenched. Almost five years now we have lived on Shiralee and we can honestly say we wouldn’t have it any other way. Indeed, tomorrow we celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary and will take a pub lunch for the occasion.

Today we will head off to Wheaton Aston, a place where I’m pretty sure we won’t get online. Once again this is a place that is well and truly sheltered by trees and houses, all of which are high up on hillsides. But we have to stop there, because I need to see the local GP for some medication.

Talking of which, I was reading an article in the mail the other day, about tests being carried out on diabetics. This test involved the patients being put on a strict, 600 calorie a day diet for two months which, according to the report, had the effect of removing fatty deposits from the pancreas, allowing it to carry out its normal function of producing Insulin at a normal level. But, don’t try this at home folks! I have kept the article to show my diabetes nurse when we get back to Mercia. And it’s not simply a matter of losing weight, that won’t do it on its own, the diet is designed to remove the fatty deposits, although the loss of weight comes with it and is a bonus side effect.

Tuesday 28th June is a day I would be foolish to forget, not only is it Wifey’s birthday, it is also our 31st wedding anniversary, for which we will celebrate in the time honoured manner, of a pub lunch. But first we must take a walk to the local surgery and ask for a prescription for medication.

The trip from Gnosall to Wheaton Aston yesterday, even though it was very warm, was a most enjoyable one, aided by a light breeze. Now that we are well into our summer I’m always concerned that we’ll experience difficulty in finding new moorings. I needn’t have worried though, there was plenty of space on offer here, nicely set among the trees and well shaded against the sun. That too shouldn’t have been a problem because the weather changed later in the afternoon and down came the rain.

Now, for you budding, or even experienced mathematicians, a problem I have known about since I was at secondary school, a looonng lime ago.

You are a farmer who has a field of exactly 100 yards, - yes, yards, not those pesky metres – in diameter. You have a goat that you intend to tether to the edge of said field and you want it to eat exactly half of the grass in that field.

Question: How long should the tether be in order to accomplish this task?

You can ignore the fact that the goat’s head will be in front of the tether. Do not be fooled by what looks like a simple answer, it’s not!! Good luck!

So, back to today. Our first port of call is the doctor who, for some reason best known to himself only opens between the hours of 9 and 11 am, a fact I hadn’t realised until I consulted our First Mate book yesterday for the telephone number. The chances of an appointment are, I fear, pretty remote, especially as we only have another 24 hours on these moorings. No matter though, I’m not desperate yet and we can always wait until we get to Brewood, which is our next stop along the way.

Now, on the subject of being kind and considerate to fellow boaters, a subject I touched upon in my last blog, when we first took up this lifestyle, we had something of a learning curve regarding such mundane subjects as tying up efficiently, running the engine and speed limits and locks and any number of common sense details. We even took a course on boat handling and another on engine maintenance. The latter can come in useful, but I tend to leave such things as servicing to the professionals.

In the early days we seemed to be beset with high speed morons who would pass us at excessive speed and rock our boat quite considerably. It didn’t take long for us to realise that, if the boat is moored correctly the speed of passing boats will have little effect. We no longer find it necessary to yell at those boaters who choose to ignore the 4 mph limit on canals. In fact there are times, such as in a high cross-wind when, in order to avoid hitting moored boats, it becomes necessary to pass at a higher speed than usual, and most boaters accept this. Well, we do.

Looking up between the trees I can see a clear blue sky and, according to the weather forecast, we can expect another very warm day. No matter, being amongst the trees has its compensations, not least of which is the shade. It also has its hazards, although not serious ones, one of which is falling twigs and small branches, most of which choose to become dislodged during the hours of sleeping. I wonder why! I heard several during the night and, now that it is daylight, nary a one. How strange.

And that is that for today. Cheers me dears.

Ooops! I’ve just taken doggy for a walk and didn’t notice much by way of twigs on the roof. Instead, and all in one place, were loads of bird droppings. Surely this could not be what I heard? Nah! Not unless they were laden with rocks.

Wednesday 29th June.
Yesterday was a really good day, starting with our walk into the village. Our first port of call was the doctor’s surgery, which just happened to be non-existent, well, in its original position that is. From previous experience and knowing our First Mate book to be almost five years old, we assumed it had relocated, and we were right. A visit to the nearby Post Office confirmed our suspicions and it was but a short walk to the new premises.

The opening times of the surgery had also changed, very much in keeping with surgeries around the country with two sessions per day Monday to Friday. The receptionist here was most helpful and we have to call in again later this morning to pick up a prescription.

Our next stop was the Spar shop, and again we found the staff there very pleasant to talk to. The shop itself, although of a mini-market size, stocks just about everything you are likely to need whilst travelling by boat, we probably spent a wee bit more than we normally would have done, but our visit was well worth it.

From where we are moored here at Wheaton Aston, it was easier for us to turn back to the nearest bridge and take the pathway between houses and through the housing estate. However, once our shopping was complete, we took the road that leads to the pub, The Hartley Arms, and then across the bridge and onto the towpath and back to the boat, approaching it from the opposite direction from which we left it. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I tell you this so as not to confuse you with which shop we used. You see, if you are moored nearer to the pub and go into the village in the direction from which we returned, you will find another mini-market that is much closer to the canal.

Around 12.30 we ventured out for our celebratory meal at The Hartley Arms which, I have to say, was a very pleasant surprise. Whilst the place wasn’t exactly jumping when we arrived, it soon began to fill up, which came as something of a shock to us, it being a Tuesday, which is a day not best known for busy pubs. Mind you, they do have a Pensioners Menu that offers two meals for just £6.00 and, judging by the ages of the vast majority of customers, I would say it is a well frequented establishment. Whilst the list of meals on said menus was pretty attractive and of a fair variety, we preferred the main menu, but still we only spent £25 in total, including drinks and a sweet for Wifey. To all travellers through Wheaton Aston, we highly recommend this pub.

Today, after collecting my prescription, we’ll be heading off through Brewood and on to some 48 hour moorings where, we hope, Dave and Jackie will still be moored. Their plan was to stop overnight at Brewood and then move on to said moorings.

Now, not knowing how and when we’ll next access the Internet, I’m going to post this blog right now.

Cheers me dears.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.