Monday 23rd April (Contd.)
Hi again. I have just posted blog number 4 and then sent you all an email to that effect. As usual the pesky programme refused to send it – that’s Outlook – and so, once again I have had to disconnect the dongle, reboot the laptop, reconnect dongle and click on send/receive, at which point the message went out immediately.
If anybody reading this blog has any idea what the heck is causing this, I really would appreciate some info. This situation is driving me up the wall.
I’m hoping for some finer weather so that I can get out there with the Olympus and take some new photos. Not that there’s anything wrong with those taken by Wifey with her little Fuji, but I would like some up to date ones for the blog.
Maybe I’ll get lucky at Norbury Junction and, next week at Market Drayton. Meanwhile, a short walk to the local shops here at Gnosall, then off to Norbury Junction where I’m hoping the chandlery will have a fan belt to replace the one we used.
Tuesday 24th April
We are now at Norbury Junction and I can only get one bar on the dongle and no connection. Nowadays this is a rare occurrence, probably 3 are forever improving their service. Well, that’s what they tell us anyway.
Shiralee moored at Norbury Junction
Nothing untoward yesterday, apart from more rain, that is and we even managed to order a replacement fan belt and, just to pass the time, Wifey cleaned and polished the rest of the brass plaques, which I replaced. Well, couldn’t let her do all the work, could I?
Today we’ll stay here and then, until we reach Market Drayton on Saturday, it will be mooring somewhere from nowhere!
Wednesday 25th April
We had intended to move on a further five miles but, as the weather forecast on Yahoo told us yesterday, we are due for about a month’s worth of rain over the next 36 hours. So, unless this rain stops, or reduces to a very light rain, without the heavy wind, we ain’t going nowhere baby! So there!!
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| The Junction Inn at Norbury |
We ordered a new fan belt from the local chandlery on Monday and was promised it would arrive yesterday. It didn’t. In fact the supplier can no longer get hold of the size we want because the importer has lost the contract for Isuzu parts. Surely there are other importers and suppliers who stock the size we want? Nope!
Hopefully the one we fitted will last until we return to Mercia. Meanwhile I’ll telephone Justin back there at the workshop and get him to find one.
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| View of cafe, chandlery and boats from bridge at Norbury |
Thursday 26th April
The forecasters were wrong, we had the month’s worth of rain yesterday, which means of course, that we should be able to leave Norbury this morning. We’ve lost a day, but that’s no problem as we only intended to travel five miles and stay for another two nights, which, after just one more overnight stop would then have seen us in Market Drayton, where we need to get our fridge topped up, it’s looking rather sparse at present.
Yesterday morning, just as I was enjoying a little ‘surfing’, my connection dropped to almost zero. Later in the day, after I found a break in the rain to investigate, I found my poor old dongle lying on its side and, what was worse, the small, plastic bottle it was housed in was waterlogged. Luckily the dongle was still dry, but, after drying the bottle out and replacing the dongle, I simply didn’t get around to putting it back on the roof. So, no Internet this morning.
The sky is cloudy but with no wind, so we have a good chance of moving on this morning.
Friday 27th April
Despite the nasty weather yesterday, we left Norbury Junction and headed towards Market Drayton. However, afte a couple of miles we had had enough and pulled in by The Anchor Inn by bridge 42. We have moored here in the past but have not used the pub, although Jackie and Dave told us they have enjoyed a good meal here.
About half a mile away to the south east of us is the hilltop farming village of High Offley which boats a 15th Century church, and quite a big one by the looks of it from our moorings. It appears to stand all alone on top of a hill, most impressive.
Today, hopefully, although the weather looks set to baulk us again, we’re hoping to make Goldstone Wharf, about five miles away but, even as I hammer away at this keyboard, it is raining and not looking too promising.
Saturday 28th April
Yet again, no service in the dongle here at Goldstone Wharf and, as we know from experience, no mobile reception either. But, rain or shine we’re off to Market Drayton today, where I’m pretty sure we’ll have both.
According to Wifey; and she keeps a record of such things; we have now had rain on every one of the past 10 days and, looking at the sky out there this morning, today is quite likely to be the 11th.
Making our way here yesterday morning; for the most part in the pouring rain; took us two hours, a journey of five miles which, had it not been for at least a mile of moored boats, should only have take an hour and a half. The Shropshire Union is very popular for long-term mooring, probably because of the huge amount of farmland on both sides of the canal, and the fortunate thing for those of us on the move, is the moorings supplied by the SUC Society, all of which have proper mooring rings.
Opposite us lies the Wharf Inn, a very fine establishment, if memory serves, although we have decided against a meal there this time around. Perhaps, on our return, we’ll indulge. Sadly there are no shops here, which is why we must move on to Market Drayton, whatever the weather. Our refrigerator is looking pretty spars, and we don’t even have crumpets for breakfast. What is more, we only just have enough bread for toast and we’re getting pretty low on milk.
Sunday 29th April
It would not be difficult to call yesterday ‘a funny ol’ day’, not least because we travelled about 12 miles (unintended) without a drop of rain, after 11 days of the stuff.
We are, as you all know, enjoying our cruise along the Shroppie, and you also know we are heading for Market Drayton but, for reasons that will be explained, we are now back at Gnosall.
With five locks and four miles to go from Goldstone Wharf to Market Drayton, we left at 07.45, somewhat earlier than usual, so as to be the first at the top of Tyrley Locks. We had travelled less than a mile when we spotted, what appeared to be a fallen tree across the canal.
Now, this section of the Shroppie lies in a pretty deep cut, so it looked like we might just pass under the tree as it was straddling the canal at an angle, with the main trunk and branches resting on the opposite bank.
Sadly there was no way we would pass under this obstruction and, even though we do own a tree saw, we were fearful that any interference would invoke the wrath of the tree gods and bring it all crashing down on Shiralee.
Our only recourse now was to report it immediately to British Waterways. Have I told you about the poor mobile reception along the Shroppie? Fortunately, during the ¾ of a mile reverse back to Goldstone Wharf, we managed to find a dog-walker who ‘phoned BW straight away. (Perhaps his mobile is on steroids!)
At Gnosall last week we did enough shopping to see us through to Market Drayton. Of course, with hindsight this was a big mistake because we were now faced with a dilemma, do we await the arrival of the emergency crew and removal of the tree, or do we return to Gnosall for much needed supplies? Well, not knowing how long it would take for BW to remove this obstacle – bearing in mind that that particular section of canal is pretty narrow and, with five locks just another mile or so ahead, up which several boats were quite likely to make their way, it being a Saturday and all, AND, just how was the BW barge going to pass any boats that did come up the locks, not to mention the time taken to remove the tree and secure the canal for safe travel – well, it seemed prudent to go back to Gnosall and spend the weekend there.
It took us almost an hour to reverse Shiralee back to Goldstone Wharf where, fortunately, there is a winding hole, then turn around and head back to Gnosall, a journey of a further 10 miles in quite a high wind. We made it by 12.45 and, of course, made ourselves a cup of good, strong, hot coffee, before venturing into the village for some goodies.
Our shopping trip was also quite eventful in that, upon deciding not to purchase pork pies and sausage rolls from the mini-market, because we were going to pay a visit on the butcher, when we did arrive at the butcher’s he was just tidying up ready to close and go home. Something about making the missus happy, if I heard him right! His words were said with something of a chuckle. Go figure!
However, here I must relate what happened on the last occasion when we walked into his shop a little late on a Saturday. Having disappointed us on that occasion he gave us a pie of some sort, I think he preferred to do that rather than throw good food away. This time he gave us an apple pie and a packet of faggots, which both went down rather well at dinner time and we still have half the apple pie for today. Yummee!
And that, my friends, is why we are now spending our second weekend at Gnosall. We are now safely ensconced just behind the water point, we have a pub sitting above the next bridge and we have shops for more goodies, including the aforementioned butcher’s for the stuff we missed yesterday.
In fact we do not expect to leave here until Tuesday midday because we need to take a bus into Stafford in order to fill my prescription for the month of May. We also need to call into the 02 shop and get them to sort out my new mobile, which I am unable to set up a PIN on, although the nice sales lady did so when I upgraded.
So, on Monday morning we will top up with water, travel about two miles to the nearest winding hole, turn around and return to Gnosall, only we’ll stop at the same place we did last weekend. We’ll probably stay there until Wednesday morning and repeat our cruise towards Market Drayton. By which time that tree should have been removed but, if this pesky weather continues, there may be another tree blocking our way. Who knows the vagaries of British summertime? Summertime? This is more like Autumn!
Posting now
Well, I was going to post this before Wifey climbed out of her pit, but the posting of photos gave me a problem, so I’ll try again later!
Monday 30th April
Well, so much for that idea, posted the blog, added a photo, added another photo and that’s when it went pear-shaped. The second photo was nowhere to be seen, and then, after scrolling down, there it was at the end of the blog. So, I pressed the back button and the posting disappeared, which is why I’m going to try again now.
Yesterday was pitiful weather-wise, rain all day. So much so that the towpath was under an inch of water, there was mud everywhere and it just wasn’t worth walking to the nearest pub only about 100 yards away.
This morning is looking better, with an almost clear sky and a light breeze, which is just as well because we have about four miles round trip to turn the boat around.
The blog
Once again I have entered the blog and once again, after previewing same, I found the additional pictures have moved to the bottom of the page. I really don’t know what to do here.
All the best
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
