Shiralee: Cruise 2014 # 28

Saturday 25^th October to Wednesday 29^th October

 Sunday 26^th October

 The trip from Hilmorton to Braunston yesterday morning, took us almost hours, which is a bit much over a six mile journey. However, since we had to stop at the Midland Chandlery and then dispose of rubbish and top up with water, it works out just about right.

 After leaving the water point to look for a mooring spot, we came to the bridge over the entrance to the local marina. The far side of the bridge wall was draped with a blue canvas; presumably due to damage or work being carried out. In front of that was a notice, which advised boaters to ‘drift past the canvas’.

 Floating besides the canvas and out into the middle of the canal, were several huge balloon type thingys, similar to those in that old TV programme, The Prisoner, only not as big. I’m assuming these balloons should have been tethered to the edge of the canvas, but, who knows? Later in the day at least one of those balloons floated past where we were moored. Strange!

 We’ll be staying here for today and, just for a change, we’ll pay a visit to the biggest pub here, which I think is The Millhouse. Tomorrow morning we have six locks to do before we go through Braunston Tunnel, after which we’ll go on to the Leicester Arm of the GUC.

 Now, when we left Crick in April, and after going up Watford Locks, we had hoped to moor up opposite Welton Hythe Marina but, as luck would have it, much of the towpath had been used to dump dredging material, which doesn’t make for safe mooring. So, in that situation we had to move along to the junction. Hopefully we’ll find a spot there again this time but, if not then we’ll have to continue on and find somewhere else.

 Watch this space!!

 Monday 27^th October

 The Millhouse is now The Boathouse and is a very popular Sunday venue, judging by the amount of people queueing up for food when we arrived there. Since we have never used this pub in the eight years we’ve been passing through Braunston, we have no idea when the name was changed. Be that as it may, it’s a pretty good place to bring family and friends for a meal and chat.

 That canvas by the bridge into the marina, seems to be covering a serious fault in the in the structure of the bridge. All around that part of the bridge has been boarded up and the water is constantly being pumped out and into the canal beyond it. There’s also a CRT barge across the entrance, preventing boaters from entering. It’s just as well there’s another entrance for the resident boaters, else they wouldn’t be able to come and go while the repairs are being made. Even so, the marina must be losing business, because the diesel pump is just beyond that entrance and can’t be reached from the other one.

 Now, about this blog. We’ll be back at Crick within the next few days, at which time I will sign this one off. However, since you have now had to tolerate my ramblings for the past eight years, I’m wondering if it’s necessary to continue with it.

 Although this blog was intended for family and friends, it is open to the public and I do have a few followers. The question is, would my family and friends, and my few followers actually miss it if it wasn’t there?

 I suppose I could open a Twitter account and ‘tweet’ items of interest as we go along, but would that be adequate or even wanted? The phrase, ‘horns of a dilemma’, comes to mind. Hmmmm! Decisions, decisions…..

 Tuesday 28^th October

 We had intended to go through Braunston Tunnel yesterday morning, and then go on to the junction with the Leicester Arm, but the six locks here took almost two hours, so we decided to spend the rest of Monday at the top of the locks.

 This morning we’ll leave at our usual time of 8 am, pass through the tunnel and, with a bit of luck and calm weather, pass through the seven Watford locks and on to Crick. That same bit of luck could see us at our moorings before midday and then, tomorrow morning I’ll finish this blog and post it.

Wednesday 29^th October

 Well, after 3 ½ hours, seven locks and two tunnels, we arrived back at Crick Marina yesterday at 11.30. What’s more, we had a glorious morning in which to do it.

 So, that’s the end of our 2014 cruise and we now look forward to winter, brrrr!

 Finally, in case you are curious about such things, we totalled 262 hours of cruising; passed through 312 locks and travelled 534 miles during our seven month sojourn. For what it’s worth, we bought 838.92 litres of diesel at a cost of £785, which equates to about £0.68p per mile.

 Kind regards to all who have been keeping up with the Chamberlains this past eight years.

 Enjoy the rest of the week and weekend and try to stay out of trouble during the winter months.

 We now have the pleasure of looking for another dog.

 Dave and Sheila.

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2014 # 27

Tuesday 14^th October to Saturday 25^th October

 Tuesday 14^th October

 According to the weather forecast we should be getting some more warm weather, but not until the weekend. Meanwhile, it is now just turned 7 am and that wind is still rather strong. So, do we stay or do we go? We’re down to just one-and-a-bit bottles of milk, so we either go on to Hinkley Wharf, or stay here and get the bus up to town and stay another day. Hmmmm! Tricky. Not least because Hinkley Wharf is all of eight miles away and, in windy weather, that’s not something I look forward to.

 Again I say, we’ll wait and see.

 Wednesday 15^th October

 We walked about half way up the hill to town yesterday morning, and then stuck our hands out for the bus. Having decided to stay here for another day we thought we would pay a visit to the local butcher, rather than wait until we reached the farm shop.

 The rest of the day passed without incident, but we’re determined to get away this morning. So far it looks pretty calm out there, but whatever the weather we’re moving on.

 We’re told, by those nice forecasters, that we’re due for some warmer and brighter weather by the weekend, which should mean a pleasant, cruise back to Crick.

 Thursday 16^th October

 Yesterday dawned damp and cloudy and I fully expected to be cruising in the rain. However, by about 7.45 we were ready to leave and; thanks to the entrance to the new marina; turning around was pretty easy. Since the marina has been taking in new boats, the nearby long-term moorings are now open to anyone wishing to use them, so it should be even easier mooring in future.

 I had intended topping up with water and disposing of rubbish at Sutton Wharf and then going on to the farm shop but, as the 24 hour spot was free, we pulled in there and stopped for the night. This morning then, we’ll go on to the farm shop, stop there for a bag of logs and then move on to Hinkley Wharf, where we’ll take the bus into Nuneaton tomorrow morning.

 I bought a new eye plate when were at Fradley Junction and was going to rivet it on whilst we were here, at Sutton Wharf a few days ago. But, looking through all my odds and sods, I discovered I no longer have the right size rivets for the job, hence the reason for going in to Nuneaton.

 Friday 17^th October

 Yesterday was an interesting day, which started out looking quite dismal and rainyfied, but turned quite pleasant after a while.

 After disposing of rubbish and topping up with water, we made our way back to Hinkley Wharf, where we caught the bus into Nuneaton. Walking around that town can be a bit of a slog, so, when it came time to pop into M&S for a long-promised pair of slippers, I’d had enough and we quickly walked back to catch the bus back to Hinkley Wharf and the comfort of our boat.

 Believe it or not, but the main purpose for that bus ride, was for my slippers. No doubt I’ll get them eventually, but as they are not too urgent, it can wait a while longer. We could take the bus from Hawkesbury Junction; which is our next stop from here; but that would mean going in on a Saturday. Yeuk! Don’t like Saturday shopping!

 Wrooong! Hawkesbury won’t be our next stop, that will be bridge 3 on this canal sometime today, then it will be on to Hawkesbury on Saturday morning, where we’ll stay until Monday, savouring the delights of The Greyhound pub at Sunday lunchtime. Why spoil a perfect weekend with a bus ride to Nuneaton??

 Saturday 18^th October

 We had a good start to yesterday; nice and calm and clear; which should have meant an early start to our next move. But Wifey had other ideas, because she wanted to do some washing and pay for her Health Lottery ticket. Unfortunately, the local store only does the Lotto, so she had to wait until the Post Office opened at 9 am. So, we eventually set off at about 9.15 and arrived back at bridge three at just after eleven.

 My friend Alan and his wife Chris have now returned to Germany, so I can expect a whole string of emails from him soon, some of which will be big. I don’t mind these when I have a good signal, but they can be a problem in low signal areas. However, the solution to slow downloads is quite easy, I simply close down Outlook and go direct to my server at Absolute Email and read them there.

 The signal at Crick can be a bit of a pain too, despite having an aerial fitted for the local WiFi. Sometimes I use that but, on the odd occasion I use the Three WiFi, which also has its ups and downs. On our first bus trip to Rugby I’ll be calling in to the Three shop to see if an upgrade could make a difference.

 Over time, since I bought this laptop, it has become quite slow in booting up, especially the Internet signal, which is always the last thing to open up. Even opening up a Word document can be pretty slow. In order to try to improve this boot up speed I tried a programme from Avast, which made absolutely no difference at all.

 Yesterday morning, having nothing better to do, I Googled for ‘speed up computer’ and the first thing to come up was Spark-Trust PC Cleaner, which promises to remove all rubbishy stuff, especially in Registry and System Files. So, I immediately downloaded this and left it on my Desktop. The plan is to wait until we’re at Hawkesbury Junction, where I’ll have plenty of time to run the programme.

 However, just to be safe before running the programme, I again Googled for Spark Trust and found another site that offered more information about Spark Trust, not much of it good. The main problem with this programme appears to be the aftersales service and its ability to mess with things that it shouldn’t, especially the Registry. And then, should the buyer find that the programme has caused such problems as, say, missing programmes, it can cost $200 or more for one of their techs to come to the rescue. So, not wishing to take any chances, I am now going to remove Spark Trust. I have no idea what I’m going to put in its place, but I know a man who does, and that’s Alan’s son Ellis.

 Meanwhile I’m studying another programme called SpeedZooka, which claims to be much better. Who knows?

 Sunday 19^th October

 Much to our surprise and even though it was rather windy yesterday morning, we managed the three miles to Hawkesbury Junction without getting wet. In fact it didn’t rain until much later in the day.

 We’ll be staying here for today and, depending on the weather, we’ll be heading for Newbold on Monday morning. Newbold is about 11 miles away on the North Oxford, with just the one lock here at Hawkesbury. Alternatively, should the weather deteriorate, we’ll stay another day and maybe take the bus into Nuneaton.

 Tuesday 21^st October

 Well, rather than take the bus into Nuneaton yesterday morning, we made our way towards Newbold and ended up about half way, at bridge 26. I’m not sure if this was a good idea, as I suspect we’ll have wind and rain this morning, which will not make for pleasant cruising to Newbold. I suppose we’ll just have to see.

 Bridge 26, on the North Oxford canal, has a farm directly opposite and, last year, when we were considering where to stay during the winter months, we gave this serious consideration. It’s quiet and peaceful here and, just a short way from the bridge there’s a big lay-bye for cars. However, staying here would mean similar circumstances to those when we moored on the Grand Union for our first and second winters; moving the boat to top up with diesel and similarly for water. So, Crick it will be for the foreseeable future.

 Friday 24^th October

 On Wednesday morning the nasty weather had cleared up, so we made our way to Newbold. Following our coffee and chocky bics, we walked into the village and did some shopping at the local Co-op.

 While we were there I had a phone call from my sister Carole and, while I was taking that Wifey popped across the road to book a hair appointment, which was set for 2.30 in the afternoon.

Now, I’ve been neglecting my ukulele practice of late and so, whilst Wifey was having her hair done I got stuck in. Not for long though because she was soon back. Normally I can expect at least an hour of free time when she has her hair done but, when she explained why she was there for such a short time, I understood.

 It seems that when she asked for a cut and blow-dry, she didn’t actually get a cut and blow-dry. What she actually got was a cut, along with a spray down of her hair as the stylist went along. The result was the same, except she had to wash her hair later in the evening. Still, at a cost of just nine quid, who’s complaining? It’s got to be the cheapest hair cut Wifey has ever had. Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the hairdresser thought we were dirt poor?

 Yesterday we took the bus into Rugby, for the express reason of visiting our favourite café/ restaurant, which is called Brooke’s, after the famous writer and poet Rupert Brookes who, as anybody familiar with his work knows, died at the age of just 27, back in the time of the first World war.

 Saturday 25^th October

 We only had four miles and three locks to do from Newbold to Hilmorton yesterday, so we our time about it and arrived at 10 am; about average for that distance. Thankfully the weather was kind to us, but the rain came as no surprise later in the evening.

 This area in Hilmorton is surrounded by aerial masts that seem to have been here forever. I’m not sure what they do; probably something to do with government eavesdropping; but the nearest mobile phone mast is a very short distance away. But that didn’t prevent me from having problems getting online this morning. I managed it eventually by moving my WiFi unit to a different window but, in the process of doing so, I dropped it on the floor and the cable tie that attaches it to my piece of wood broke and I first had to renew that.

 I have the WiFi unit attached to a piece of wood, strapped around with two cable ties. One of them holds a couple of rubber hooks and the other holds the unit. This means that, should we be in a problematic position for Internet connection, I can move it to a different position. This doesn’t always work, but it does give me some options.

We’re off to Braunston this morning, where I know Internet connection can be dodgy, so I’ll post this, our penultimate blog and wish you a great weekend.

 Cheers for now.

 Dave and Sheila

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiralee: Cruise 2014 # 26

Saturday 4^th October to Tuesday 14^th October

 Sunday 5^th October

 When we arrived here at Polesworth on Friday morning, we immediately erected the spikey aerial and then later in the afternoon we checked the TV out and found that the signal was breaking up. This problem is due to the high bank opposite, at which we have to point the aerial. So, we added a pole to the single one, which made all the difference.

 Yesterday morning; as it was pouring with rain; we didn’t bother checking out the new DTV 1000 aerial but, later in the afternoon I decided to wire it up and check it out. I wired in the plug, attached that lead to the little booster thingy, plugged it into the TV and, even without taking it outside the boat, much less attaching it to a pole, we had a perfect signal. All I need to do now is take down the old aerial and wire the new one in, but on a very short pole. Yippeee, no more erecting and taking down of our aerial each time we arrive and leave a new mooring. I might not even need the pole at Crick!

 We had planned to outstay our welcome here at Polesworth, thinking it was only 48 hour moorings, but it seems that CRT have removed the signs and left this area open for 14 days, so that’s OK then! The nearest pub is just ahead of us at the bridge, so we won’t have far to walk. From what Wifey tells me we actually used that pub when we passed through earlier in the year, but I don’t remember doing so. No doubt I’ll remember it when we get inside.

 Other than that, we’ll walk into the town again this morning, just for the Mail, and then it’s a relaxing morning. Also, as we do on many Sundays, we’ll enjoy a pizza for our evening meal.

 Monday 6^th October

 We’ve had a pretty good weekend here at Polesworth, bit it’s now time to move on to Atherstone. There’s only one problem with this idea, it’s now pouring with rain and doesn’t look to be stopping any time soon. So, we might find it necessary to stay for one more day, or leave later.

 Meanwhile, I can now report that the new aerial has been fitted and works very well considering our location and that it stands on its own short flexible post. Some programmes still break up a bit, but we’re not too worried about that. Once we’re away from this high bank and into open country, I feel sure it will perform much better. If not then I’ll raise it on a short pole, but not so high that I still have to take it down when we’re cruising.

 Tuesday 7^th October

 The weather cleared for a while yesterday and there was quite a bit of traffic along the cut, but we decided to stay put for another day. I’m not sure this was the right decision, because we’ve had a heck of a lot more rain since then, much of it overnight. Hopefully it will calm down before we leave this morning.

 We are hoping to get to Atherstone today, then Springwood Haven marina on Thursday, where we can replace our empty gas bottle and possibly add to our stock of coal. Also, if they have bags of logs we’ll buy one of those; I do like to put a log on the fire first thing in the morning, just to add a little more warmth to the boat. Since we renewed the fire rope around the inside of the fire door, the fire has burned very slow, so our fan spins somewhat slower than before. This is fine overnight and saves on fuel, but the fire does need some livening up in the morning.

 Wednesday 8^th October

 We have a guardian angel! We are both convinced of this! Why else would we constantly miss the rain when we’re cruising? Take yesterday for example, when we travelled four miles, through six locks in 2½ hours, without getting seriously wet. Yes, it rained for part of the way, but it wasn’t until we had moored up at Atherstone, that the rain came down in bucket-loads. All we had to do then was, wait until it stopped before we went shopping.

 Later in the day, after the rain has started and stopped again, along came the coal and diesel barge and we loaded up with coal and bought a new bottle of gas. Then, guess what, yep it rained again. Somebody up there still loves us!! No need to stop at Springwood Haven now.

 So, having disposed of 13 books to the local Hospice shop and completed our shopping, we settled in for the rest of the day. However, by the time we retired for the night the weather had changed to a clear sky, which meant a cold start to this morning. So, even though we don’t need coal and gas now, we’ll probably trot along to Springwood Haven marina and stay there for one night, and then it’s off to the Ashby canal, probably for about 10 days. After that it will be just six stops to Crick.

 Now, this new aerial; which seems to perform very well for most of the time; well it wasn’t too clever yesterday evening, because even though we only watched BBC1, the picture kept breaking up. However, just a short way behind us lies a railway line and the problem seems to coincide with trains passing, so we’re hoping it will be much better when we move along.

 We seem to be doing a lot of hoping lately!!

 Thursday 9^th October

 I’ve been banging on about this new aerial for a few days now but, after cruising the four miles and five locks from Atherstone to Springwood Haven marina yesterday, we still found the picture breaking up. Even after turning it this way and that, still it persisted, so I turned the TV off in frustration. (This is my version of stamping my feet in a paddy.)

 A few minutes later; after I had cooled down somewhat; I then decided not to be defeated by this inanimate object, switched the TV back on again and re-tuned it. This is something I should have done when I first connected the new aerial a few days ago. Now, not only did the picture and sound stay steady, the picture didn’t break up at all, not even at the usual 15 to 20 minute spot that it normally would do. This latter wrinkle is something we’ve had to tolerate since we bought the TV.

 I don’t suppose all will remain perfect, but at least, from where we’re sitting right now, everything seems OK. We’ll be off up the Ashby canal later this morning, so it will be interesting to find out how it performs later.

 Saturday 11^th October

 Yesterday morning we took a leisurely cruise along the Ashby to Hinkley Wharf, stopping for water at Lime Kilns on the way. Having supped our usual coffee and crunched our chocolate biscuits, we then headed off to the bus stop and took a ride into Nuneaton.

 The Ashby canal is not renowned for shops within walking distance so, if any shopping other than milk and newspapers is needed it usually necessitates a bus ride to another town. It’s not that we needed very much by way of foodstuffs; just fruit and milk really; but we did need other cleaning materials and such, which we like to buy at the cheaper stores, such as B&M etc.

 I had hoped to be able to leave this new aerial sitting on its own short pole but, alas, it is so sensitive to passing traffic and helicopters that I think I’ll have to replace the brass pole support and attach the aerial to a longer pole. Of course, that won’t prevent helicopters from affecting the signal, but it should save us from the break-up of pictures when traffic passes nearby. So, having bought the wretched thing in order to avoid taking it down every time we move off, we seem to be back to square one. Well, the manufacturers do suggest positioning the thing as high as possible, so I suppose I really shouldn’t complain.

 Back up a few days to Tuesday; which was when we bought our coal and gas off the Gravenor Boating barge; when we spoke to the driver he said he would be going up the Ashby, so I asked him to keep an eye out for us so that we could buy some diesel from him. We like to leave topping up as late as possible, so that we don’t have to do so at the marina, simply because marina fuel prices seem to be so much more expensive than coal and fuel barges.

 Anyway, since we were not sure as to exactly when he would be coming along this canal, I looked him up on his Facebook page and, although it’s still a wee bit early for us, we should see him sometime today. He’ll be on his way back to the Coventry, whilst we’ll still be heading towards Shackerstone. Hopefully he’ll come by after we’ve moored up, otherwise we’ll have to pull in to the towpath and buddy up whilst he tops up our tank. Should be fun!!

 Sunday 12^th October

 Yesterday was a breeze, calm weather and dry, so our five mile trip from Hinkley Wharf to Sutton Wharf was as easy as pie.

 We kept a lookout for our diesel barge and actually passed him as he was coming towards us. Unfortunately we saw him too late and were in no position to pull in and take on fuel, so we’ll have to wait until we’re on the North Oxford canal.

 On our way along the Ashby earlier this year we had lunch at the Sutton Wharf café and we decided to do so again yesterday. This is a well-used café and it can sometimes be difficult to find a seat, but we managed OK and enjoyed a baked spud with mixed, spicy beans and salad. The sign on the door says, “Muddy boots and dogs welcomed”, and customers do take advantage of it. But that’s OK, just so long as the dogs don’t come sniffing around for tit-bits. We’re now looking forward to next year when we’ll have another dog, so we can take him/her with us, not just to this café, but pubs also.

 The Working Men’s Club in Crick also allows dogs, so that will be a nice change. We didn’t tend to take Rusty to pubs or the club, simply because she was far too fidgety. She wasn’t like other dogs that sit or lie down. Even sitting in a pub garden she couldn’t sit still, so we stopped taking her with us. Hopefully our new pet will be a wee bit calmer.

 Today; when the fog lifts; we’ll be heading off to Market Bosworth, where we’ll walk up the hill to the town at lunchtime and give one of the pubs a try. Tomorrow morning we’ll probably take the bus to Leicester, just because we can. After that we’ll probably turn around and make our way back to the Coventry canal.

 A mile or so back from here is a farm shop, which also sells coal and logs, so we’ll call in for logs on our way back.

 Monday 13^th October

 Over the past eight years we have travelled through the Ashby canal every year, sometimes twice, as we have this year. And yet, we have never walked up the hill to the town for a Sunday drink. I have to admit that it’s a daunting task for my weary, 72 year old legs.

 Anyway, having cruised through thick fog to get here yesterday; we couldn’t be bothered waiting for it to lift; we decided to do just that and buy a few bits at the Co-op at the same time. We were undecided as to which of the three pubs to use, but we eventually decided upon Ye Olde Red Lion. What a beautiful and inviting pub that is. Indeed, Wifey’s coffee was so good, she had another. Mind you, the combined coffee, Stella and snacks did cost £7.90, so it’s not the cheapest pub around. Even so, it was pretty busy, even at 12.30, with people already partaking of cooked meals. It’s got to be one of the nicest pubs we’ve been in and we’ll certainly go again.

 We’re staying here today and taking the bus to Leicester, a trip that takes almost an hour. Tomorrow morning we’ll turn around and make our way back to the aforementioned farm shop for logs and meat.

 The nearby Market Bosworth Marina is still being constructed but, as with all new marinas, just as soon as a few pontoons have been put in, so the boats turn up. There’s still a lot of digging and building going on, not to mention the landscaping when the pontoons and car parks are all in place. Hopefully it will all be finished by this time next year.

 Tuesday 14^th October

 The bus ride to Leicester yesterday took just over an hour. The driver had a trainee with him; probably learning the route; who spent a lot of the time talking to the driver. On main roads this is not so bad, but on the narrow lanes the driver is distracted much more than he should be. Still, and despite this flouting of the rules, we arrived safe and sound.

 Leicester is big, in fact it’s far too big to see in one day, especially when that day is spoilt by wind and rain. Sheila has been on a number of occasions, with her ‘friend’ Marian; that’s the one who turned a bit funny whilst we were at Mercia marina; but she couldn’t remember much about it. This came as no surprise to me since, having been there once it’s not a place I would want to return to.

 The rest of yesterday remained wet and windy, so it was a case of battening down the hatches and relaxing for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, whilst it isn’t raining right now, it may still be too windy for cruising, which means we might have to stay another day. We’ll see later.

 Meanwhile I’ll post this blog and wish you all a very pleasant week.

 Dave and Sheila.

Shiralee: Cruise 2014 # 25

Wednesday 24^th September to Saturday 4^th October

 Thursday 25^th September

 We expected rain yesterday morning and were not relishing the seven miles and three locks to Great Haywood but, in the event the rain didn’t materialise and we arrived there 3 hours later.

 When we arrived we reversed up to the water point and, whilst I looked after the boat Wifey trotted off to see if the local boat hire company had any coal. Nope!! No surprise there. It seems that they are always ‘waiting for a delivery’. However, we can pop in there later today to see if their delivery has turned up and, since we’re moored very close to them it won’t be a problem trundling it to the boat in their wheelbarrow.

 Just a short walk from here there lies a very good farm shop, which is one of those places we always visit when we’re here. They have a great range of produce, including meat, fruit and veg, pickles, jams and marmalades etc. We always spoil ourselves at this place and yesterday was no different.

 From the farm shop we took a walk up the hill to the local Spar, but only for the Mail and to check on the bus times. From Great Haywood the 841 runs to Stafford and Uttoxeter and, since we’ve not been to the latter before, that’s where we’ll be going this morning. The coal can wait until this afternoon; if they have any that is.

 Friday 26^th September

 The bus trip to Uttoxeter  is only a half hour but, at the hands of the lunatic driver of B&G Buses, it seemed like hours. The only reason I can give for his high speed through country lanes, is that he was running about five minutes late. On one occasion he rounded a blind bend and came face to face with a large van. Had they met just two seconds earlier, neither of them would have had time to stop safely. Strange to say, all the other passengers seemed quite laid back.

 Uttoxeter has some of the usual range of stores; such as Asda, Co-op and M & Co; along with coffee shops and banks. We called into two coffee shops, hoping for a Latte and cake. The first couldn’t provide us with the Latte, because their coffee maker had broken down. They could offer black coffee or tea though. Presumably they had milk for the tea, but not for the coffee!!

 The second coffee shop could provide the Latte, but no cakes. Eventually though we found a small café that could provide both and we enjoyed a warm scone with the coffee.

 After purchasing a few bits and bobs from Asda, we settled down to await the arrival of our bus back to Great Haywood, which entailed a wait of almost half an hour, because they only run hourly. Thankfully we had a different driver and a bigger, more modern bus. This driver was very good and took account of the twists and turns of the country lanes, adjusting his speed accordingly. Needless to say, we arrived safe and sound and on time, but without the stress. So much so that I was prompted to tell the driver, “Whatever they are paying you, it’s not enough”, to which I received a chuckle.

 Saturday 27^th September

 Yesterday morning, after Wifey popped off for the paper, we made our way through the three miles and two locks to bridge 59 and the pig farm. This is one of our favourite mooring spots along the T&M, simply because it’s quiet and peaceful; except perhaps for the Border collie that runs along the opposite bank barking like fury every time a boat goes past. If he lived in a town he’s be chasing cars and lorries.

 We always run the engine during the evening, just so we have ample hot water first thing in the morning. However, possibly because the outside temperature is dropping overnight, I’m finding that the water is nowhere near as hot as it should be. So, it may be time to turn the heater on before I get up in the morning, ensuring that the water is hot, rather than just warm. Besides which, it will soon be necessary to do so anyway, because the fire on its own will not throw out enough heat to warm the whole boat, and we can’t have Wifey getting up in the cold, now can we?

 Alan and Chris will be returning to Germany in a couple of weeks’ time and then they’ll be spending 10 weeks in Malta from January some time. And, just to rub our noses in it, I’ve just heard from our friends, Les and Dave in Harlow, that they’ll be off to Ibiza on Monday. It’s alright for some, I suppose!! Meanwhile, in just over a month’s time, we’ll be looking for another dog and getting on with our spring cleaning.

 It’s funny how, even living on a boat, with limited storage space, we still manage to accumulate loads of tat. We have no idea where it all comes from but, had we not removed our pump-out tank, much of what we do have stored away would not be under the bed. Goodness knows where it would be; we would probably have had to make or buy another top-box.

 That’s another thing; I still have our two flower boxes to make, so we’ll certainly have plenty to occupy ourselves with over the winter months.

 Our top priority is finding another Jack Russell.

 Now, having spent a peaceful night opposite the pig farm, we’ll be off to Handsacre for the weekend, with a stop at Rugeley along the way for a spot of shopping at Morrison’s.

 Sunday 28^th September

 The moorings at Rugeley were fairly empty when we arrived yesterday morning. Even the two boat lengths between the first two bridges, was completely free of boats. But this short stretch poses its own special problems, not least of which is passing boats, which have been known to side-swipe boats moored here. So, rather than stop there, Wifey walked ahead and found a spot further on.

 Since the inclusion of a Mc Donald’s café further along the canal, we don’t stop at Rugeley overnight as it’s far too risky, especially at weekends when the drunks and vandals are out in force. So, after shopping at Morrison’s, we went on to Handsacre and are staying here until Monday morning.

 Now, when we arrived at the pig farm on Friday morning, I had thought to moor alongside the coal and diesel barge. However, it was just a wee bit too windy and there was a boat moored directly opposite it. So, we pulled in further up and hoped that, when we finally get to Fradley Junction, we would be able to moor up alongside the shop and buy some coal.

 However, while we were sitting here reading yesterday afternoon, along came a ‘working’ boat and pulled in ahead of us. As it passed by I looked for bags of coal on board, but all I could see were planks of wood covering the hold. Not wishing to assume the barge was empty, I gave the owner a shout and, sure enough he had coal on board. We must have a guardian angel out there for us to be so lucky. Four bags of coal and 35 quid later and we are now set up for a few weeks. We’ll probably have to find some more before we get to Crick, but that depends upon the weather.

 This morning, after breakfast, we’ll take a walk to the shop and then settle down with the paper and a coffee. At lunchtime we’ll be at the nearest watering hole.

 Monday 29^th September

 Well, that’s another weekend out of the way, leaving five more to go before we settle in for another winter at Crick. If we were to head for Crick now we would be there too early, so we’ll be taking a run up the Ashby on the way. This will easily use up another fortnight and then we’ll head for home.

 Tuesday 30^th September

 We managed to leave Handsacre just after 8 am and, with three locks and four miles to go, we arrived at Fradley Junction just two hours later. It seems that CRT are still finding it necessary to keep the volunteer lock keepers on station here, so there must still be a few holiday boaters about.

 We’re moored on the Coventry canal now, which runs at right angles to the T&M and we’ve come through our third lock to get here. Immediately prior to turning right onto the Coventry, there’s another lock just by the junction. When this junction is really busy there can be utter mayhem, with boats approaching from all three directions, so the volunteers are very useful, especially when untangling the inevitable snarl-ups.

 This mild weather is all very well, but it does mean more creepy crawlies, especially flies and daddy-long-legs, which do love to flit about the lights at night. With the fire alight to keep the boat warm overnight, we need to keep all the windows open during the daytime and evening, so the pests easily find their way in, even with the curtains drawn. The flies I’m happy to destroy, although they can take a few attempts, but the daddy-long-legs I try to catch and throw out of the hatch. So, even though we enjoy the warm weather, there’s something to be said for the cold and lack of pests.

 Now, our plan when we get to Fazely junction was to take the bus to Ventura Park and/or Birmingham, where we would call in to the local Maplin’s and where we’re hoping to buy an All-for-One TV Aerial. This is a small, odd shaped box of tricks that, according to other boaters we’ve spoken to, is far superior to the normal spikey things that you see on chimney stacks. However, after checking both these stores online, and finding that they don’t have them in stock, we’ll probably have to wait until we return to Crick, when I’ll be able to order one on eBay, where they are far cheaper than Maplin’s.

 This is not just for whilst we are travelling, we also want this type of aerial for our stay at Crick, where the TV signal is not very strong. Come to that, the mobile and Internet signals aren’t too clever either, but I can at least use the site’s own WiFi for the Internet. Where the mobile is concerned we usually find we have to stand outside the boat when we want to speak to somebody. Strange to say, sending texts is no problem.

 Wednesday 1^st October

 We moved along to Whittington yesterday morning, on yet another dry and calm day. However, the forecast is for this to change over the next few days. But, not before we get to Fazeley this morning, where we’re hoping to catch the bus into Tamworth today, then Birmingham tomorrow.

 We arrived here at about 10 o/clock and, even before we had our coffee, we took the long and arduous walk into the village, where we bought The Mail and a sticky bun to go with our evening cuppa.

 After that it was just a normal day on the good ship Shiralee.

 Thursday 2^nd October

 We Left Whittington at about 8 am yesterday and arrived at Fazeley Junction at 10 am and caught the bus to Ventura Park soon afterwards. My main reason for this trip was to see if we could find Maplin’s and buy a One for All Outdoor Aerial. However, it’s just as well we didn’t find them because, after carrying out further checks on this aerial, I discovered that it only comes with a 240 volt adaptor.

So, I then checked for the spec on the DTV 1000; which is also available at Maplin’s; and found that this one has a 12 volt DC lead for plugging into a lighter socket. But this can be removed and attached to a 12 volt plug and plugged direct to our 12 volt supply.

 We’re off to Birmingham this morning, so we’ll see if Maplin’s there stock this particular aerial. Other stores might stock this too; places such as Tesco and Argos, and Amazon and eBay also sell them online, so I need to check them out too.

 Saturday 4^th October

 Hallelujah, we found Maplin’s and we found the DTV 1000 Aerial. Now all I have to do is erect it and test it out, but that will be while we’re here at Polesworth.

 We were going to stay an extra day at Fazeley but, with the forecasters telling us to expect wind and rain this morning, we left there yesterday instead. So, we’re now at Polesworth, we’ve done some shopping and we’re all set to test this new aerial.

 Polesworth is one of those places where, due to a high bank opposite the towpath, we have to use two poles for our aerial. So, this is an ideal place at which to test the new one. But that’s for later today and you won’t know how successful we’ve been until the next blog, because I’m posting this one now.

 Have a great weekend and following week.

 Dave and Sheila.