Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 20

Bosworth Battle site to Bosworth Battle site

 Saturday 20^th July

 It is now almost 7 am and I have just posted blog 19, telling you all that we’ll be turning around and heading back to Snarestone. This is probably true because we still need to get to a town for shopping and, since there are few places along the Ashby where this is possible, Snarestone it will be.

 The problem with this idea is that we don’t have any sun this morning, well, not yet anyway. So, could the weathermen have it wrong? Could we be seeing a lull in the heatwave, or am I being optimistic?

 After almost two weeks without problems, Rusty decided to have one of her turns this morning, just as I was getting up too. I don’t think she’s suffering one of her tummy upsets, it’s just that she needed to go out a wee bit earlier than usual. Wifey, being her usual stoical self, offered to take her out for me, to which I readily acceded. Such an understanding woman you would be hard pressed to find.

 So, it’s off to Snarestone although, if there’s a space at Shackerstone, we may stop there first and take our usual Sunday repast at the local.

 Sunday 21^st July

 How about that, we took all the trouble of turning around, stopping off for shopping at Market Bosworth and carrying on to Shackerstone, only to have the weather change to cloudy and cool. Not that I’m complaining, you understand, it’s good to cool down but, had we known this would happen, we probably would have carried on to Stoke Golding. As it is we’ll now have to suffer an hour at The Rising Sun at lunchtime. Shame!!

 Monday 22^nd July

 The sky started clearing yesterday evening, just as the sun was going down and, since the weather people told us it was going to be hot and humid today, I suppose the current overcast sky will clear again this morning. I hope that makes sense!

 This morning, after I’ve checked the weed hatch, we’ll be off to Snarestone and the bus into Ashby. We had considered going into Nuneaton instead, but that trip is over an hour and only allows us about 25 minutes before the return trip.

 I have a new art box, where I keep all my pastels and pencils, but it doesn’t have a handle. I bought at The Works, for the princely sum of £9.95, already crammed full of art materials, so it was cheap enough. It measures 12” x 15” x 1¾”, with a cantilever action, giving me two levels for pastels and pastel pencils, so an improvement on the previous one.  Our trip into Ashby is for a brass handle and other bits of shopping and, since we’ll have over 1½ hours there before the return trip, we can have a good look around and enjoy a coffee at some point.

 Unfortunately, by the time we return to this canal, that bus will no longer be running, as the local council is cutting that service. All these cutbacks are having a deleterious effect on local communities such as this, which is a great shame.

 We’ll probably only spend the one night at Snarestone then start making our way back off this canal. In actual fact, if we could find enough places where we could park the car, we wouldn’t mind spending the winter here. The navigable length of the Ashby is about 22 miles and has no locks to impede free travel. There are quite a few villages along the way and plenty of moorings. Staying here would save us over £1,000 in mooring fees, so it’s worth considering. Although, we would have to buy a generator or run the engine for about 4 hours per day, all of which would eat into those savings. Horns of a dilemma, I think you would call that.

 Tuesday 23^rd July

 Yesterday morning, bright and early, we set off to Snarestone and arrived at just after 9 am. We had plenty of time for taking Rusty out, a cup of tea and then off to catch the bus into Ashby. That driver is a disaster waiting to happen. He’d obviously been taking advantage of the sunshine, because instead of concentrating on his driving, he was busy scratching and picking at his loose skin.

 On the way through Measham, he stopped besides another bus and asked if they had any jobs going at his place and was rewarded with the good news that there were. Sadly the number 7 bus is shortly to be discontinued by Leicestershire District Council, so we’ll probably never know if he changed jobs.

 The rain that was promised by the weather people materialised last night and came down like stair rods, with a smattering of thunder and lightning to go with it. We were treated to more of the same during the night but, thankfully, it stopped this morning and, after waiting for a couple of boats to return from the other side of the tunnel, we made our way through to the water point and rubbish disposal. We are now moored up for the rest of the day, the weather has now brightened up and all’s well with the world. We have yet to decide where we’re going tomorrow, but it won’t be too far. Indeed, we may make our way back to Shackerstone and enjoy a midweek drink at The Rising Sun, but Wifey doesn’t know about my sneaky plan yet.

 Wednesday 24^th July

 Yesterday was very warm and humid and we had a wee drop of rain but, after a lengthy chat with the lady running the little charity shop near the water point, we settled in for the day.

 Alan phoned me at some point but, after only a few minutes chat the signal dropped. This is not unusual when we’re travelling around but, what puzzles me is when the message comes up telling me I can only make emergency calls, which is what happened in this case and, when Alan tried to call me back he couldn’t get through.

 There must be a really simple answer as to why this happens, which I’m sure the O2 people will explain when I next call into one of their stores. Similarly with the WiFi unit which, only this morning has given me so much trouble, going on and then off, that the Three shop will be getting a visit from me too. It’s quite possible that we’re at the extreme range of those signals, but it really is most annoying.

 So, think yourself lucky if you have a landline and high speed broadband and, if you are thinking of retiring to life on a canal boat, take the aforementioned stuff into account before you do so.

 We’re probably off to Shackerstone this morning, hopefully to that sheltered spot because today is supposed to be hot again.

 Friday 26^th July

 Moved along to Shackerstone Wednesday morning and managed to slot ourselves into a shady spot again. My cunning plan came to fruition and we enjoyed a pub lunch at The Rising Sun. We had a couple of mixed platters of breaded mushroom and such, which came on a wooden tray, no plate, just a wooden tray, making them kind of messy when it came to sprinkling salt and pepper on the food. However, a most enjoyable snack.

 Yesterday we set off for Market Bosworth intending to do a bit od shopping but, once again the fates were against us and, as soon as the clouds became really threatening, we pulled in at Congerstone, only a mile away from Shackerstone. In the event we didn’t get any rain at all, indeed the day turned very warm and we ended up getting the chairs out to sit in the shade.

 Today has dawned bright and sunny again, so we probably will get to Market Bosworth. At least we do now know the bus times, so we can avoid climbing that mile long hill.

 Saturday 27^th July

 From Congerstone to Market Bosworth is about a mile, so we set off just a wee bit later than normal so as to ensure finding a space. I hadn’t realised that the bus from there goes at 9.40 and was about to make a cup of tea, when Wifey spoiled my dream of an hour’s relaxation, before climbing the hill to the bus stop.

 Once we were in the town and had done our shopping, it was a gentle amble down the hill and onto the boat, where we immediately set off again, this time for the battle fields, a further two miles away.

 Alan Oxley and his wife Chris are once again back in town, so I expect to see a few more jokes winging their way to me via text. Since they are based in Newcastle under Lyme and we’re on the Ashby canal heading south, it’s rather doubtful that we’ll be able to meet up with them during this summer visit. However, we are planning a bus trip to Nuneaton within the next week, so it may still be possible.

 Now, with nothing more to say about yesterday and, since we are now back at the start point of this blog, this seems to be a good place at which to post it.

 So, cheers one and all and enjoy your weekend.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 19

Shackerstone to Snarestone and back to Bosworth Battle site

 Sunday 14^th July

 Something I forgot to mention in the previous blog, the reason Dave and Jackie have their boat up for sale is because they have bought a Park Home, just a short way from the boat moorings. Funnily enough Sheila and I have been discussing that very thing of late, because we’re not getting any younger and the time will come when, not only will we get tired of the same old routine of wintering over, followed by cruising the same canals, but it will become ever more difficult to manage.

 Not that there’s any fear of that happening any time soon. Oh no! But, when Dave mentioned that, compared to the 60 or 70k we saw advertised for such a place, back at Coven, the prices at their site are very much less, well, there’s certainly room for more thought on the matter.

 Tuesday 16^th July

 Yesterday we left Shackerstone just after 8 am and took a leisurely cruise through to Snarestone, where we managed to moor ourselves in the shadiest spot we could find. So, lucky, little doggie that she is, our wee pooch will not have to suffer the heat for a couple of days.

 As soon as we had downed our obligatory cup of coffee, we headed for the bus stop to catch the No 7 into Ashby de la Zouche. As soon as I spotted this monster I almost turned around and went back to the boat. Goodness knows how old it was, but it was an ancient looking double decker and should have been in a museum.

Now, I had looked up the timetable for this route, so I knew that it should have returned at 47 minutes past the hour. Well, after a visit to the nearby Co-op, we were left with about 15 minutes to wait. And we waited, and we waited until, after about an hour, Sheila took a look at the posted timetable, only to find that it only runs every two hours and the next one was another 20 minutes away.

 I have since re-checked the online, official Cresswell’s timetable and, you’ve guessed it, it’s wrong. We were hoping to take that same bus into Nuneaton this morning, but that trip is over an hour long, so Wifey will have to wait a few more days for her haircut, by which time we’ll be basking in the usual rain-sodden summer.

 Whatever happens though, we’ll be obliged to move from here tomorrow because the local Angling Club has a match on in the evening. These moorings are not designated as such and, since the Anglers do lease this stretch of canal, we are obliged to clear the way. At least we have been warned about it because, being a popular mooring place the anglers know there will be boats here, so they’ve posted notices along the canal towpath.

 Wednesday 17^th July

 After a morning of lazing about, we took Rusty for a short walk and, on the way back we got chatting to a holiday boater. During the conversation I mentioned that, as it was such a fine day Sheila and I would probably spend an hour or so in the local, and we did just that at about 1.30 pm.

 Our new boating friend had much to tell us regarding his and his wife’s profession. He was on his own because his missus was in France working; they both ‘work’ for the London Philharmonia, and he’s done so for the past 41 years, his instruments being Timpani.

 Apparently he enjoys taking this boat out on a regular basis and, when he retires next year he’ll be buying the boat he’s hiring, from the Ashby Boat Company and will be spending quite a lot of time on it. With his wife being quite a bit younger, he won’t live on board straight away, but he’s hoping to do so at some stage.

 Of course, not wishing our new friend to think living on a boat was all sunshine and flowers, we imparted some of our trials and travails from the past seven years. Although our Andy Smith lives and works in London, he won’t be mooring the boat there, because he prefers this part of the country for his cruising.

 Talking of which, Andy informed us that, at the far end of the canal, just a few hundred yards from where we are now, there are some new pontoons and, he thinks, these pontoons are just waiting for new boats to occupy them. So, if the price is right; and we’ll be asking the nice man who looks after that area about it when we leave this morning; we might just find ourselves moored there this winter.

 I haven’t a clue as to where we’ll moor up today, and neither does Sheila. I guess we’ll just play it by ear.

 Thursday 18^th July

 Well, we decided to stop at Shackerstone again yesterday morning, and we managed to slip into the most sheltered spot. Even so we still suffered from the heat although, happily, no more problems with Rusty. Later in the day, when it was really warm and sticky and Rusty was lying on her bed, panting, we dunked her feet into a bowl of water, which she didn’t seem to mind. She then went back to bed. Strange animal!

 Today could be a bit of a problem as we can’t decide whether to stay here and get a cab into Market Bosworth, or go on to Market Bosworth and face the completely open moorings. Whilst we’re not desperate for eatables, Sheila really would like to get her Barnet shorn; I think she plans on getting it down to a Jarhead look, but I could be wrong about that.

 The walk into town is long and uphill and, although we’re pretty sure that buses do run from fairly close to the canal, the only one I can find online comes from Leicester and doesn’t pass that way, so it looks like a long tramp up that accursed hill.

 If we do go on to Market Bosworth, we won’t stay there, not in this hot weather. Instead we’ll push on to the moorings at Bosworth Field, where it is pretty sheltered. Unfortunately the moorings that serve the battle site are closed off, so we can’t moor there and pay the place a visit.

 Friday 19^th July

 Hot, hot, hot! According to the BBC News yesterday was 12 days continuous hot weather, well, I made it 13 days.

 We stopped at Market Bosworth as I said and trundled up the hill and into town. I don’t think I would have bothered had I known it was over a mile and uphill all the way, but I did.

 When we arrived Wifey checked out the local hairdressers, of which there were three, only one of which could accommodate her straight away, so off she went. Meanwhile, I went looking for a drinky poohs at, what I thought was a pub, but in fact was a restaurant. So, I retraced my steps and bought a newspaper and paid a visit to the local coffee shop.

 This lies at the end of a passageway that once was a pub courtyard. At the current count, MB is short of four of its pubs. These are the restaurant I mentioned earlier, the courtyard where the coffee shop stands, another restaurant in the Market Square and, lastly, the block of flats that now replace a pub part way down the hill. I think this town now has only two pubs. What a shame!

 So, having enjoyed a coffee and quick scan through The Mail, I went searching for the missus, minus a good deal of her hair. She still hadn’t been finished, so I stood around, and stood around until, finally I got  fed up with this game of soldiers and crossed the street to the Market Square and a seat, in full sunlight.

 After soaking up the sun for about 10 minutes, and becoming most uncomfortable in the process, I re-crossed said street and hovered outside the hairdressers until, finally, my shorn missus emerged, looking none the worse for her ordeal.

 The return walk to the boat was nowhere near as much of a struggle as the upward journey and, once the shopping was disposed of, we set off for Bosworth Battlefield moorings, where we arrived about ¾ of an hour later. Sadly, there was no fanfare of trumpets to welcome our arrival. Indeed, with the actual moorings closed off; although there were two boats moored there, somewhat thick I suppose; we moored a little way before them and on the towpath side. And there we stayed and will probably stay for today also.

 Saturday 20^th July

 For the past couple of weeks we have felt the heat, so much so that we have done our best to find shady spots to moor up in. So far, on the Ashby canal, we’ve not done too badly, with Shackerstone, Snarestone and, for the past two days, just above the Bosworth Battle Fields, all three of which have provided pretty good tree cover.

 Watching the BBC News yesterday, where they threatened us with even hotter weather to come for next week, we have decided to return to Snarestone, where we’ll stay until Tuesday morning, with a break on Monday to catch the bus into Ashby de la Zouche again, only, this time we’ll be prepared to spend a lot longer there, knowing full well that the bus doesn’t return to Snarestone unto 1 pm.

 I really don’t mind the warm weather but, along with our wee pooch I don’t like it when it gets unusually hot, as it has for the past two weeks. So, back to Snarestone and hopefully, a break in this sticky stuff by the middle of the week.

 So, you have been warned, there won’t be much of anything out of the ordinary in the blog for a few days.

 On that happy note I’ll post this latest scribe.

 Cheers me dears.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 18

Atherstone to Shackerstone

 Wednesday 10^th July

 Yesterday we shopped early and were away from Atherstone by 9 am, heading for goodness knows where. In the event, after a bit of a delay at the 2^nd lock up out of the 5, we stopped at a spot between bridges 30 and 29.

 The delay was as follows: Having entered said lock and started filling it up, along came a man from the next boat waiting to come down. When it came to opening the top gate to let me out, the darned thing wouldn’t move; not even with three of us pushing it. After a bit of thought we decided to investigate the bottom paddles, which, as we suspected, had been left slightly open and allowed as much water to run out of the lock as was running in. Needless to say, the previous boat through was a holiday hire boat.

 Later in the evening along came a bunch of people in sculls and canoes, and it was quite late too. Obviously they know when it’s safest to take their boats out. This canal is somewhat loopy, in that there are lots of twists and turns, so they have to be wary of boats coming up behind and/or emerging from the next bend ahead.

 This morning we’ll be off to the start of the Ashby canal and, when we get to the end of it, we’ll catch a bus into Ashby-de-la-Zouche. Two years ago, when we last travelled that canal, we caught the bus to the nearest town, but this time we’ll be a bit more adventurous.

 There’s only one thing likely to mar the trip to the Ashby this morning, and that’s a sunken narrow boat. But, at least we know where to find it, because enough boaters have told us about it. This boat has been lying there, around bridge 18, for over a week now and, when I mentioned it to two BW/CRT workers on the way here, all they could come up with was, ‘oh, the owner probably can’t afford to pay for its removal’!! Which remark left me kind of speechless, I mean, what’s more important, the safety of boaters or the inability of the owner to pay for his mishap? It could be months before some decision is made regarding its removal. Meanwhile we boaters have to negotiate our way around it. So much for the improved efficiency of RCT over BW.

 Thursday 11^th July

 Correction to the details re-sunken narrow boat, it’s been there for much longer than a week. Either that or so many boats have hit it that it’s now almost falling apart. Indeed, if it stays there much longer, it won’t be recognisable as a boat. Still, I suppose the fish enjoy investigating it.

 Well, we spent yesterday at bridge 3 on the Ashby canal and today will move on Hinkley Wharf where it is but a short walk to the bus stop for Hinkley where, having taken quite some time online to discover, there is an art shop where I can increase my stock of Derwent Pastel Pencils.

 As for the rest of our time on the Ashby, well, that will be a slow cruise to the navigable end at Snarestone, where we’ll probably catch a bus to Ashby-de-la-Zouche and also where we’ll be obliged to pass through the tunnel and turn around to go back to the Coventry canal. Our other stops will probably be atStoke Golding, Market Bosworth and Shackerstone. One place that we won’t be stopping is Trinity Marina, where they charge £50 deposit for a key to get in and out of the place.

 Needless to say, there are one or two decent watering holes along the way.

 Now, just in case I haven’t mentioned this before, some of you lovely family members may be wondering why I no longer send text messages from each place we stop at. Well, prior to leaving Mercia Wifey and I had a little chat about this and we came to the conclusion that to those people who did receive my texts, I also sent my blog and it seemed pointless for them to read about our moves twice. And besides, I can’t imagine anything more off-putting than to be half way through something important, only to be interrupted by a pointless text message. So, we abandoned the idea and, since nobody has complained at the loss of this information, we think we probably did the right thing. Nuff said!!

 Friday 12^th July

 Well, the weather is set to really warm up this weekend and I really do not like it when it’s up in the mid-20s.

 Anyway, we left our moorings at bridge 3 and, with a view to taking the bus into Hinkley, we cruised to Hinkley Wharf and tied up. After a quick cuppa it was off to find the nearest bus stop. The trip into town took only about 15 minutes and, according to the First Mate’s blurb, should only take 20 to 30 minutes to walk. Yeah, right, pull the other one. Fifteen minutes on a bus does not equate to 20 minutes by Shanks’s pony, especially not with my dicky legs, so it’s just as well we took the bus.

 I particularly wanted to visit Hinkley, because, having telephoned an art shop there I wanted to add to my pastel pencils. Sadly this shop, once we found it, had only a few of the ones I needed, so I was somewhat disappointed. Also, they had colours amongst theirs that didn’t correspond with my list of 72.

 This morning I received a reply to an email I sent to Derwents, in which I asked about their 90 range of pastel pencils and was told that the 90 range had been discontinued and that the full range is now 72. So, that’s alright then. This will undoubtedly cause more confusion in the future, since some shops will still have some of the 90 range in stock.

 Today we’ll go for a cruise but, as yet, we haven’t decided just how far we’ll be going. That will be a nice surprise!!

 I’ve been undecided of late as to whether to continue with ukulele practice; something I’ve neglected of late, in favour of my pastel painting; or get back to the guitar and simply learn some songs. Not that I’m a great singer, you understand, but I do like the idea of being able to strum and pick along with my favourite tunes. The trouble with guitar is that I do have difficulty with the most common chords of ‘C’ and ‘F’ and, as anybody who plays guitar will tell you these are not the easiest chords to learn. They’re even more difficult for me, because of my slightly twisted, arthritic fingers. Ah, well, no doubt I’ll get there eventually!

 Later…..

 We eventually decided to stop at Stoke Golding for the day and will press on tomorrow to Shackerstone.

 Meanwhile, just a couple of miles short of the moorings is a small mooring basin by bridge 21, called The Bridge, obviously! On our last trip up the Ashby two years ago, we spotted our friends Dave and Jackie, who used to moor at Pilling’s Lock and had taken up moorings at The Bridge. It would appear that there are some moorings available at this site and I have now emailed our friends for more info.

 Of course, even if we don’t hear from Dave and Jackie, we will give the owners of the moorings a call, because mooring there would knock about an hour or so off my drive to Harlow, and that can’t be a bad thing.

 Saturday 13^th July

 Yesterday was pretty darned hot and, having decided to stop at Stoke Golding, we were subjected to the full force of that heat. With no shade whatever, even when the sun went down, we suffered for my decision to stop. Of course, we could have moved on later in the day, but, since we didn’t know what we could be letting ourselves in for, we decided to stay put and brazen it out.

 So, this morning after breakfast, Wifey will take a walk into the village and buy a Mail, and then we’ll be off to Shackerstone, with one stop along the way to dispose of rubbish. I know of no other lifestyle that obliges you to take your rubbish with you!

 It’s now just after 7 am and already warming up, so we can expect a very hot weekend, so, if, as we suspect, the moorings at Shackerstone are fairly well sheltered; this is Sheila’s memory, not mine; spending the weekend there should be more comfortable. The Post Office cum Newsagents no longer exists in Stoke Golding, so no paper this weekend. Shame!

 Sunday 14^th July

 Well, this is some heat wave, very, very hot yesterday. It started out pretty warm and by 8.15 we were on our way to pastures new. We had planned for Shackerstone for the weekend, but would have settled for anywhere where there were a few shady trees. Sadly, after topping up with water and disposing of rubbish, we did, eventually end up at Shackerstone and, as luck would have it, found a spot right at the back end of the moorings.

 We were really quite knackered by the time we arrived at 11 am and, with the sun already hiding behind the trees, we took the chairs down from the Topbox and rested our weary bones. Of course Rusty came with us, but she’s a dog that can’t sit still and, instead of resting, she wandered around at the end of her lead, making herself even more exhausted that she already was.

 We returned to the boat quite late and, when it came time for Wifey to take her out for her last call of nature, she shouted to me just as she left the boat. I shouted back but, without benefit of a reply I assumed all was well. Apparently that wasn’t the case, because, when Wifey returned to the boat it was with the news that, as she lifted Rusty off the boat the poor wee thing collapsed on the ground. Eventually she managed to get her up on her feet again and walked her around for a few minutes.

 I’m hoping this was just a case of heat exhaustion, but we’ll have to see how she is when I take her out this morning, although she’s showing no signs of wanting to at present, and it’s already 6.20 am. I’ll wait until I take Wifey her early morning cuppa, then encourage Rusty to make a move.

 Meanwhile, more news about the moorings at The Bridge, and it’s not very encouraging. Dave phoned us yesterday evening and, after catching up on the gossip, he told us that the cost of renting a berth at the place amounts to about £580 per quarter, or £193 per month. I was absolutely gobsmacked at this news after all we only pay just over £200 at Mercia, where there are all the boating facilities, so I don’t think this one is going to be a viable proposition.

 Keep looking folks!! It’s early days yet, but The Bridge would have been an ideal location, what with the almost 30 miles of lock-free cruising to be had on the Ashby canal and the much shorter car drive to Harlow.

 This morning, what with the fact that it looks like being another really hot day, I think we’ll move on to Snarestone because, if memory serves me correctly, the moorings lying just before the tunnel, are far better shaded that here at Shackerstone. We’ll still get our Sunday lunchtime drink, of course, but I’m hoping it will be somewhat cooler there, especially for our wee pooch. I’d hate to think of her collapsing again today and, having already looked up any vet practices around here and finding there’s nothing within five miles, this could pose a problem.

 Finally, while we were enjoying a relaxing rest in our chairs, we heard boisterous noises emanating from the canal bend behind us. This, we thought, sounds very much like a bunch of people on a Day Boat and, indeed, that’s what it was but, as we soon discovered, it wasn’t one Day Boat, but two, with upwards of 20 blokes of varying ages. Only one of those boats could fit in behind us, so the other one stayed out of sight.

 Normally we would equate Day Boats with noise and stupidity but, as these fellows walked by they gave us a cheerful ’hello’ and explained that this was their third year of this Saturday lunchtime bash. Of course they were noisy, but they weren’t abusive with it, unlike some parties of mixed genders that we’ve come across, and not one swear-word between them.

 And, I guess that’s it for another blog.

 Take care and enjoy the rest of this warm weather while it lasts.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

 

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 17

Whittington to Atherstone

 Thursday 4^th July

 Yesterday morning we set off for Ventura Park, a huge shopping area in Tamworth. The main aim of this stopover was to buy a few more pastel pencils at Hobbycraft and also to buy a new coffee pot at Sainsbury’s, along with a small amount of shopping.

 Two out of three of those aims were achieved and I’m sure you can guess the one that wasn’t. Yep, my pastel pencils! In the Faber and Cassell’s range they were sold singly, but all they had in the Derwent range were in boxes of 12, 24 or 36. So, after walking around Sainsbury’s and then trudging for what seemed like miles to Hobbycraft, all I came away from there with was a pad of lightweight watercolour paper.

 I had hoped to find a decent sized storage box as well, but even that was a no-no. Plastic rubbish, or 30 quids worth of wood, which contained even more art material that I didn’t need. Ye gods, just about the biggest supplier of artists’ material and equipment, and all I could find was a pad of paper.

 So, after about 2 hours of foot slogging, back to the boat and onward to Fazeley Junction, which joins the Coventry canal with the Birmingham and Fazeley canal. Actually, the original B&F started way back along the Coventry, at the first bridge with a name rather than a number, but the sign by the main road that runs alongside Ventura Park does say Coventry Canal, and that bridge does have a name. All very confusing!!

 Anyway, here we are at Fazeley and, after settling in and making sure the TV signal was O.K., we switched on and watched the tennis. However, Aunty Beeb then decided to mess us about. Initially the Djokovich match was on BBC2, then it switched to one of the points on the Red Button, then it went on to BBC1, where it finally stayed until the end. But, why the heck can’t they see that such an important match should be left alone? You can bet your life they didn’t mess with the Murray match. Goodness knows what they’ll mess with this afternoon with the ladies’ semi-finals!!

 This morning we’ll be taking the bus into Tamworth, but I’m hanged if I can remember why. I suppose Wifey will know!

 Tomorrow could be interesting though because, having passed this way on more than one occasion, and having avoided going up the Birmingham and Fazeley branch, we might just do that tomorrow morning. However, we have no plans for going all the way to Brummy land, we’ll only take in about three miles or so, then we’ll turn around and continue down the Coventry. Apparently, there are some lakes and water parks along the F&B and it would be a shame to miss them.

 Friday 5^th July

 Yesterday, after our trip into Tamworth, we, just like any sane person in the World, watched the ladies semi-finals at Wimbledon. I’m pleased to report that there was very little screaming and shouting at either of these matches.

 Today, when we reach our moorings along the B&F, I have no doubt we’ll watch the men’s semi-finals too. I’m sure there’ll be a few grunts and groans emanating from the gentlemen involved, but nothing that will mar our enjoyment.

 If our Mr Murray can defeat the 6ft 8inch player today, I have no doubt he’ll be facing Djokavich in the final, but that’s a big if.

 Tomorrow morning we’ll make our way to Polesworth, mooring up where we did a couple of years ago when, in very hot conditions and with my dodgy knees still mending, we had to walk to the Doctor’s, only to be told to come back the following morning. Instead of obeying such a ridiculous order, we waited for a more amenable surgery further along the canal. I really wasn’t that desperate for the medication, I’m pleased to say.

 The pub we used at Polesworth, on an earlier occasion, is not mentioned in the Nicholson’s Guide, but I actually sat in there whilst Wifey had her Barnet cut, after which she joined me for a swift half.

 Saturday 6^th July

 Well, we decide to turn right at the junction and head towards Birmingham. This stretch of the Brimingham and Fazeley canal is virtually straight up to the first lock and the winding hole. Both sides are wide open fields, some of which looks flooded. About half a mile before and up to the lock, the whole of the left hand side fields are being worked on and is blocked off to the public. We assume this is to add pathways around the site for visitors to wander around the lakes.

 Anyway, we turned around at the lock and returned the way we came, mooring up by Fisher’s Mill Bridge, after which we took a short walk along the footpath to the lake. This one is still open to the public and has small islands dotted around it for birds to nest. There were quite a few Black Headed Gulls squawking at each other and making a heck of a din. It seem that this area too is being worked on and will be interesting to see when next we come this way.

 Yesterday afternoon and evening we spent watching the men’s semi-finals at Wimbledon. I take back what I said about the men grunting and groaning, Janovicz certainly did his fair share against Murray. But then he did have a lot to prove, being a fairly new addition of players from Poland and standing 5ft 8 ins in his size 11 shoes. Murray will now meet Djokovic in the final on Sunday.

 Today we’re off to Polesworth, back on the Coventry canal and will spend the afternoon and evening watching the lady’s finals.

 It looks like being another scorcher and, if we can find moorings under trees, I’ll be most grateful for that. It would be nice to find a bit of shelter from the sun as the inside of the boat is almost like a sauna, but without the steam.

 Sunday 7^th July

 The eight mile trip to Polesworth took us almost 3 hours and, just as we were approaching the moorings, we heard some really loud music, which seemed to be coming from the pub in the high street. However, as we walked into town a short while later, we noticed that the roads were blocked off from traffic, which could mean only one thing, Carnival day!

 Had the day been somewhat cooler I suppose we would have returned later to enjoy the festivities but, with the afternoon temperatures in the scorching zone, we sat and watched the tennis instead. There’s one thing about having a solar panel and the addition of this Alternator to Battery Charger, we don’t have to worry about voltage levels, especially on a sunny day like yesterday. Indeed, it’s doubtful that we’ll even need to run the engine this morning, once the sun comes up.

 Actually, with the temperature set to soar even higher today, I’m not too sure if it will be wise to walk to the pub this afternoon. The alternative would be to give the pub a miss and move on to somewhere shadier, perhaps under some trees. We knew that these moorings would be fairly sheltered, but we still get the sun directly overhead for the best part of the day. A nice, big overhanging tree would be ideal today.

 Wherever we are today we’ll be watching Murray take on Djokovic this afternoon.

 Later yesterday a middle aged couple arrived and moored their boat behind us. After a while the husband strode off into town and the wife came out and after swapping stories about our travels, she said that she hoped we didn’t mind, but that she would have to run her engine later. I must confess to being somewhat surprised at this, but she said she always liked to ask before doing so.

 Anyway, after assuring her that she really didn’t need to do so, she then explained that they had problems charging their batteries sufficiently to stay charged. It seems that the people who built the boat had fitted batteries, that were both physically and ampere-hours wise far too big for the alternator. As a consequence of which they were suffering from the same problems that we used to have, prior to fitting the Alternator to Battery Charger. So, after giving her the details of our new system, we settled down to more chatting, and quite entertaining it was too.

 This same lady also told us thate they moor their boat at Otherton, which is near Penkridge on the Staffs and Worc canal. Anyway, whilst they don’t live aboard, she did say how cheap the place was and, after describing the marina, we now know why. It appears that, as we noticed when we passed the place some time ago, the pontoons in the marina are very old and rickety and, not only that, the road leading to it is full of potholes. This sounds all too familiar because, as you family members may remember we had the same problem at Keckys’s Farm in Sawbridgeworth. Unfortunately it’s still too far away from Harlow and would still take about 2½ hours by car, so it’s a no-no.

 Monday 8^th July

 Before watching Murray give Djokovic a mauling, albeit a difficult one, we spent an hour in the Spread Eagle pub. The state of the place was a far cry from our visit two years ago, but then the landlord was spending his last day there prior to new owners taking over. He still had a few regulars in but you could see the place desperately needed an infusion of new blood, not to mention a bunch of decorators. Hopefully things will have improved by the time we pass this way again.

 The weekend has been rather warm and we’ve tried to find sheltered moorings, but even the ones we’re at in Polesworth do no benefit from tree shades until late afternoon. Still, we’re off to Atherstone this morning and can only hope to find shadier moorings there. We’ll probably only stay for one night there and will pay a visit to their big Co-op store.

 Question? When is a Co-op store not a Co-op store? Well, in the case of the store in Whittington, it’s when they sell Co-op goods but don’t accept Co-op membership cards. How odd!! We’ve never come across one of those before.

 Tuesday 9^th July

Yesterday dawned bright and warm again but, not wishing to spend another day under that blistering sun, we planned to pass through just a couple of the locks leading to Atherstone, stay the night and then go on to town for shopping. Well, ‘the best laid plans….etc, etc. We ended up going through all six locks and still found ourselves without much shelter from the sun.

 Having arrived at our destination a day early, we decided to settle down for the rest of the day and do the shopping this morning. Later in the morning Sheila toddled off to find a hairdresser’s but, as is quite common with those establishments, those that she found were all closed, what with it being a Monday and all. Well, the poor dears do work most Saturdays, don’t they?

 This morning, after shopping at the big Co-op in town, we have another five locks to go through and we’ll moor up somewhere short of Nuneaton.

 Until later then, have a good week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty

Shiralee: Cruise 2013 # 16

Great Haywood to Whittington

 Friday 28^th June

 As mentioned in the previous blog, it’s our anniversary and Wifey’s birthday. We should be moving on this morning, having spent our 48 hour allowance but, as it is tipping it down with rain, we might just trundle ourselves through the nearby lock and moor up near Sandy and Andy, who turned up with their dog Taz yesterday morning. However, since it’s not too windy, we might just spend an hour or so with Sandy; Andy will be working this morning; then move along a little later, it all depends on the weather, as usual.

 We want to be in Handsacre for Sunday though, because that’s where we’ll enjoy our celebratory pub lunch. Here’s hoping!

 Saturday 29^th June

 Well, our anniversary and Wifey’s birthday went off quite well, even though it rained for most of the day. We had intended to get to the pig farm in the morning, but instead we opted to stay at Great Haywood, although we did move down the lock to join Andy and Sandy, who had moored their boat on the 14 day moorings. Unfortunately Andy had to work yesterday, so we scrounged a cup of coffee off Sandy and chatted for a couple of hours. Yes, really, a couple of hours.

 Today, if the rain stays away, we’ll trundle along to Rugeley, where we’ll do some shopping at Morrison’s, after which we’ll continue on to Handsacre, where we’ll enjoy our promised Sunday lunch.

 Sunday 30^th June

 Well, here we are at Handsacre and it took us 3½ hours to complete the trip, not including our stopover at Rugely for shopping.

 Yesterday remained dry and today has also started out that way, although the clouds do seem to be building.

 Early this morning I awoke determined to finish my pastel of the Llangollen Trip Boat, which I did and all before giving Sheila her 1^st cuppa of the day. I can’t say I’m 100% happy with the result, but it’s a vast improvement on other stuff I’ve done. I’ve sent a photo of it to Emma asking for her comments. If she suggests improvement; which I’m sure she will; then, if I can get it improved to my satisfaction, I might even sign it.

 Today we will dine out for a change, instead of just beer and snacks. But, have no fear the Guinness will still hold pride of place on our table.

 Tomorrow we’ll be off to Fradley Junction and start heading down the Coventry canal.

 Now, just before we left Great Haywood yesterday morning, we had a short chat with Andy and Sandy and they gave us some news regarding Chris and Josie. It seems they will be leaving Mercia Marina in August and are moving to Streethaye Marina, which is about 20 minutes’ drive from Mercia along the A38 and is considerably smaller, holding only about 90 boats.

 There appears to be some disgruntlement by some of the Mercia residents, all to do with the growth of grass and weeds around the marina. Sandy was particularly upset at this state of affairs because she suffers with hay fever. But, it’s not only the growth of weeds and such; supposedly in order to preserve the wildlife; but the geese, of which there are a whole host, are leaving their droppings all over the footpaths and nobody seems obliged to keep these pathways clear.

 For us, who only moor there during the winter, these problems don’t have much of an effect, since the geese tend to spend more time in the water and aren’t rearing their chicks. Also, the grass is dying off before we get there, so we have no way of knowing how bad the situation gets during the summer months.

 Assuming we don’t find online moorings during our travels, we could very well return to Mercia.

 Monday 1^st July

 After a short chat with Andy and Sandy on Saturday morning, during which they told us that Chris and Josie were also leaving Mercia, we set off for Handsacre, where we planned to enjoy Sunday lunch at The Old Peculiar pub. We managed to moor up in exactly the same spot as we always do when passing through there, right opposite the last house before the bridge, said house being on the other side of the canal.

 We’ve never experienced any problems with the people in that house and indeed, the owner actually gave me a cheery hello as we arrived. However, later in the afternoon he appeared with just about the longest hedge trimmer available and set to chopping down some unsightly weeds and such along the canal bank. This, as you can imagine, was pretty noisy, but it didn’t spoil our enjoyment of the tennis too much. He even raked up all he’d cut down and put it in a wheelie bin.

 The real problem came when, late on Sunday afternoon he came out with a flame thrower. Yep, a flame thrower, and proceeded to set fire to a bunch of growth which, had he taken notice, was surrounding a tree stump. Had he also realised that there was a gusting, swirling wind out there, perhaps he wouldn’t have chosen that particular time to set fire to the stuff, but I doubt it. The result for us was a boat full of smoke, for which I thanked the nice man, in no uncertain terms. After all, it was a pretty hot afternoon and our only recourse was to close all windows and doors.

 Eventually the fire died down, but the stump continued to burn and, since there was no other way of getting away from it, we decided to move on and we’re now at Woodend, about a mile from Fradley Junction. So, as a result of one man’s ignorance, we will be able to take our time leaving here for Fradley, so I suppose you could say every cloud has a silver lining, even a cloud of smoke.

 This morning is looking pretty good, a clear sky and no wind, although the weather people have said it will be considerably cooler.

 Laving here a bit later than normal, probably around 9 am, we’ll stop at Fradley and dispose of our rubbish and top up with water. What we’ll do after that is anybody’s guess, we may stay overnight or we may move on.

 Oh, almost forgot, we also met up with another boating couple, just as we were finishing our lunch at the pub. We didn’t chat long enough to get their names, but we did discover that they live in Stroud, Gloucestershire and moor their boat on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal, which runs from the River Severn to the Bristol Channel, with just one lock at each end. Apparently, moorings at their marina only costs about £1500 a year.

 Now, I’ve just checked on Autoroute and according to that it would only take about 2½ hours to get to Harlow from there. Of course, even though it would be cheaper than mooring at Mercia for the whole year, it won’t save me anything in time or petrol when travelling to Harlow. My version of Autoroute is so old that the cost of this trip would only be about £17.50!! Wow, those were the days!

 Tuesday 2^nd July

 Having spent a very peaceful night at Woodend, we then moved down to Fradley Junction and spent the night there on the Coventry branch. Once we arrived and settled in it was just a case of disposing of rubbish and whiling away the time until this morning, when we’ll continue down the Coventry canal to Whittington.

 Wednesday 3^rd July

 Not a lot to report for yesterday, except to say that we moved on about five miles to the village of Whittington. On the way there we passed the new Streethaye Marina, where Chris and Josie are moving to. Much to our surprise this marina is nowhere near finished, but it does have a few boats moored there already.

 Our Nicholson Guide is so old that it mentions The Swan pub at Whittington which, as I recall, had already closed when we came through two years ago. The pub has now been demolished, no doubt in readiness for a new block of flats. There are two other pubs here, one of which is The Bell, which is quite a walk away from the canal. The other one is The Dog, neither of which have had the pleasure of our company and, since we probably won’t come this way next year it’s unlikely that they’ll do so.

 We did walk into the village yesterday, but only for a small amount of shopping and to fill a couple of prescriptions, both of which Wifey collected later in the afternoon.

 This morning we’re heading off to Fazeley Junction, but on the way there we’ll be calling in at Sainsbury’s and Hobbycraft, which are on a huge trading estate about a mile before the junction.

 Well, I think that’s about it for this blog. Time to post. Enjoy the rest of your week.

 Dave, Sheila and Rusty.