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.