Friday 16th September to Monday 26th September
Sunday 18th September
On Friday morning we took the bus into Lichfield but, having visited
all the shops that sell coats, we weren’t able to find what we wanted. Sheila
is not quite as fussy as me; for a start she doesn’t mind hoods on coats, I
hate them. Even having said that, she wasn’t happy with the coats on offer.
Perhaps it’s too early for the full range of winter warmers to be in stock.
Whatever the case, nothing suitable was found. Not to worry though, we’ll be at
Fazeley Junction on Tuesday and will be able to take the bus to Ventura Park,
where there’s a Black’s clothing store.
Now, yesterday was a pretty fine day and so, after walking to the paper
shop; which has been closed for a while, apparently; Sheila popped next door
and found that the Mini-Market had taken over newspapers. That done, we headed
back to the boat, where, much to my surprise, Sheila volunteered to get down
the engine bay and remove all that spilled oi. I have to confess, I wasn’t looking
forward to that particular task. My back is still aching from my last foray
into that place.
Anyway, since some of this spilled oil had been contaminated with odd
particles of other muck, we decided to remove at least some with old tea towels
and cloths, putting those she collected into an old paint kettle. However,
after a while she thought perhaps the amount of oil there was too much for just
old cloths, so out came the oil remover thingy. This is a bowl, with a thin
tube attached, that can be pressurised and, with the tube shoved down the
dip-stick hole, engine oil can be sucked up under pressure.
That idea became a non-starter almost immediately, because the tube
became clogged up. So, more cloths and more time and, eventually, all the oil
had been removed. We now have a paint kettle full of oil and soggy cloths,
along with more oil soaked rags, all in a black bin bag. In fact, since leaving
Great Haywood we have accumulated three bags full of rubbish, which we’ll
dispose of when we get to Fradley Junction, probably tomorrow.
Anyway, thanks to my thoughtful wife, job done.
This morning we have a clear sky and no wind, so we may be lucky and be
able to spend an hour at the local watering hole.
Monday 19th September
Supposed to be going on to Fradley but, as it’s raining, and very well
may continue to do so for the rest of the day, that may not be the case.
However, it was a great day yesterday and we did manage to enjoy our usual hour
at the pub. So, that’s alright then!
Wednesday 21st September
We finally made it to Fradley Junction yesterday morning and, much to
our surprise, found very few boats moored on the Coventry arm. That soon
changed later in the day though.
Anyway, as normal when we’re at Fradley, we took a walk through the
Wildlife Park and, on the way back, called into the local café for ice creams.
Other than that, we spent a peaceful day.
This morning, bright and early, we made our way to Whittington, where
we enjoyed a cup of coffee and then walked to the shop for a few odds and ends.
We’re now resting our weary bones.
Tomorrow, we’ll go on to Fazeley Junction where, on Friday morning,
we’ll take the bus to Ventura Park, where there’s a Black’s store and where we
hope to buy winter coats.
Thursday 22nd September
It’s the Autumn Equinox today, which means that the daylight hours are
the same as the night time darkness.
We should be going on to Fazeley, and will probably do so, if the rain
stops. Otherwise we could be here for an extra day. Whittington is fine for a
couple of days, so it would be no hardship to stay and we could still get to
Ventura Park on Saturday.
I’ve spent a lot of time recently, searching for my next car. The Alfa
is now 14 years old, so I’m hoping to find something younger. It’s a habit some
of us get into, trading in for a newer model!!
Now, as a hard and fast rule, I
hate diesels, simply because they are so damned dirty. However, for the sake of
economy, I have set aside that hatred and have narrowed my search down to the
Jaguar X Type, Classic, SE, or Sport 2.0 diesel, all of which are pretty
economical on fuel and all of which have only £145 Road Tax.
Then there’s the SAAB 9-5 Vector Sport 1.9 TiD, which has slightly
better fuel consumption, but a higher Road Tax, at £185.
The trouble is, I also like the Mercedes C180 and the Jaguar S Type, so
I’m twixt a rock and a hard place. In years gone by I’ve ignored running costs
and have simply gone for what I like or fancy. However, since this will
probably be the last car I buy, I’m being a bit picky.
Of course, the other consideration, is the age of the car. With the
Mercs and jags, I’ll be lucky to find one with an 04 plate. Whereas, with the
SAAB, it’s not uncommon to find an 07 plate. That’s probably because SAAB are
no longer in business. But, that should not be a worry, since there are quite a
few mechanics out there who specialise in SAABs.
Well, it looks like the rain has stopped, so we might get away this
morning.
Friday 23rd September
Lucky old us, no rain to spoil our trip to Fazeley. In fact, the day
turned out rather good, all bright and sunny.
One unusual happenstance occurred on our way here though. As we were
approaching Hopwas, a fellow boater, who was coming towards us, called out to
be aware that there was a dead body on the towpath ahead, and that the police
were there. Sure enough, as we came out of the other side of the village, there
was a blanket lying there and the shape of a body underneath it. Of course,
there were police everywhere, some of which seemed to be conducting house to
house enquiries.
Today we’ll definitely be taking the bus to Ventura Park to see about
warmer jackets. There’s a definite chill in the air this morning, so Autumn is
approaching. Thankfully, our fire is throwing out the heat, so we should have
no problems on that score. In fact, now that the fire ropes have been replaced;
courtesy of my good wife; the coal is burning much more slowly, or so it seems
and, provided we clean the chimney on a more regular basis, it won’t get
blocked up again.
Later……
Managed to find the ideal winter coat at Black’s. I’m right chuffed
with this coat, for three very good reasons. One, only one zip-catch at the
bottom, where most of these have two, ostensibly to allow for riding a bike!!
Also, no Velcro, instead it has press-studs and, finally, no hood. I hate hoods
on coats. All in all, a bargain at just £42.00p.
From Black’s we went across to Sports Direct, where we found a coat for
Wifey. All the bells and whistles, including fur-lined hood, which she just
loves, although she’ll probably remove the furry bit. At just under £50.00p,
another bargain. Bring it on!!
Tomorrow, Polesworth for the weekend.
Sunday 25th September
Yesterday, thank goodness, dawned bright and calm and so, after topping
up with water and disposing of rubbish, we headed off for Polesworth. This was
a straightforward trip, and was only broken by stopping off at Alvecote for
coal and a 5ltr. container of engine oil. Now, since we’re probably staying
here tomorrow too, perhaps the weather will be kind enough, to allow me to
change the oil again.
Yesterday, after arriving at Polesworth and imbibing the obligatory cup
of coffee, we took a walk into the town for groceries, and then settled in for
a lazy day. We had planned on taking Alex for a walk around the local park, but
the wind blew up quite strong and rain threatened, so we decided against it.
This morning, well, at the moment it’s raining but, when I got up, it
was teeming down. It eased off just long enough to get the pooch out for a pee.
Monday 26th September
Thankfully, the rain did stop yesterday and we had a very pleasant day,
although the wind did spring up quite strong later. Unfortunately, that meant
we had to sit inside the Bull’s Head for our Sunday tipple.
This morning started out dry and cloudy, but it has now progressed to
wet and cloudy. We had intended to move along a few miles and up a couple of
locks today, but we may not be able to. We just hate cruising in the rain, even
though we do have waterproof gear.
Well, I think that will do for this blog. Have a good week folks.
Dave, Sheila and Alex.
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