Market Drayton back to Norbury Junction

So its Monday Stuart and Emma stayed last night after bringing me back from a great Saturday night seeing all my sisters and Mates in Tywyn,started the day with bacon butties and sent Stuart and Emma on their way, we decided to spend the day taking it easy in Market Drayton as I was still a little delicate and my sore eye that was bothering me a little since Friday turned into a nasty red Sty, that’s what you get with drinking, if you are slightly down with anything then it will take a hold whilst the drink has taken down your immunity, so let that be a warning of the demon drink, it’ll get you when you’re down !! we went to the local Boots and the Chemist gave me some cream for it( no he recommended I had to pay for it) which is better now which was better the next day actually, and while we were in the town we also got the final accompaniments for us to light a fire in our lovely little squirrel stove, we already had the coal and wood but I needed a Coal Scuttle and a companion set, “you  know that little thing with a tiny brush and dustpan and a poker and some tongues (every house had one in my young day) so the local Argos provided us with these and we went home and lit a fire and it was as cosy as could be, well actually it was roasting, but although its August it has been raining everyday which is fine for us as we don’t have to be anywhere but it looks so gloomy, and as other boaters had got a fire I thought we should have one.

Tuesday we were going to head up to Nantwich so we set off and guess what it started raining again, so we came to rest further along in Market Drayton and decided to stop, well it’s not worth getting wet for the sake of it, we had all the supplies we needed so stayed here again, on Wednesday we decided that we wouldn’t go to Nantwich as there were loads of locks to go through and we would have had to come straight back as we have  to get to Birmingham for our Niece Nicki’s 25^th birthday party so that

 would mean all those locks again and then those 21 locks that we have to do on the Wolverhampton flight to get to Birmingham, and being novices we are not sure how long it will take. So on Wednesday we started to travel back along the Shroppie to get back to Birmingham for the 27^th August, but

 chatting to people along the way we shouldn’t take that long, but you live and learn, we travelled for about four hours from Market Drayton back to Norbury junction and the batteries were not charging up so we booked in to Norbury Junction marina so we could plug into the shore electricity to charge up the batteries over night, I mean they usually are fine but as we had had five days without really moving and still using lights telly, chargers for the phone and the hairdryer, when I decided to put the washing machine on for the relatively short journey we were taking there was just nothing left of the power and now I know that you cannot expect miracles from our power source, so another lesson learnt.

We had the night in the Marina at Norbury so I sent the sheets for a service wash as they get loads in and did all the whites with them, did the ironing and the hoovering without having to worry about the power, whilst walking in Norbury we discovered that the Micron Theatre are performing on Friday night so we are staying on so we can go and see them, I have always wanted to see them so tonight we will have a meal up the Junction (that’s the pub here ) and then we will watch the performance which will be inside if the weather is bad, if judging by the weather today Friday 22/08/08 it will be inside, Richard and I just decided to go walking to the other village that is nearby and guess what the heavens opened again, just as they did yesterday and the day before and the day before that, what a miserable August this has turned out to be, but like I said, its o.k for us we can stay in cosy up and watch telly, or read or whatever ! But for those poor hire boats on a week’s holiday they have to do their eight hours a day to get where they need to be, but things can only get better and hopefully when we take off tomorrow the sun will shine.

Will write again soon

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Penkridge to Market Drayton

Monday  morning 11.08.08 and we set of from Penkridge to head for the Shroppie.Shropshire Union, at the moment this is still the Staffs and Worcs canal, so after breakfasting and engine checks we set off, the weather was gorgeous which with the way this summer is going, is quite a bonus, saw some gorgeous sights as usual, but no great photo opportunities, well in fact it seems whenever there is one I don’t have the camera by my side !! we went on to coven which is the last little village before you go through Wolverhampton, we arrived here at about 2 o’clock and found a gorgeous open stretch of countryside to moor at, but still not too far away from the village to go and get supplies, had a walk in to the village which was only tiny, but had everything we needed. We were moored up next to nb Westwood a lovely couple Kip and Carol who were headed the same way as us.

Tuesday 12.08.07  we were going to get up really early and go through Wolverhampton as its always best to do these sort of places very early in the day, but I woke up at 6.00 am and it was pouring down with rain so we had a lie in with breakfast in bed and listened to the weather outside it’s so cosy, however at about 9.30 we had to take the dogs out and the sun had come out so we decided to get on our way, so did Carol + Kip on nb Westwood, we went through Wolverhampton (where I failed to photograph two hawks having a mid air fight) and got to Autherly Junction where all the boats are starting to gather for the IWA boat Show, we are not going to this this year,cos we have a boat now, although we will probably always go to the Crick Boat Show, as its in the same place every year, and it’s just our favourite show. So at Autherly Junction was where we took our turning for the Shropshire Union Canal and its lovely (well they all are I think) we moored just outside Brewood( which I heard a local pronounce as Brood which comes from the Celtic meaning Hill )It originally consisted of a Roman Fort on Beacon Hill to protect Watling Street which I’m sure you all learnt about in History “well I did” as it was gorgeous wide open Countryside we got here quite early  and our friends on the other boat  said it was only a little walk in to the village, so we took the dogs for a walk, as the sun was shining I didn’t put my walking boots on (big mistake) the towpath towards the village was an absolute mud bath, as nearer the village we got the canal runs through deep cuttings that the sun doesn’t really get to, but the dogs enjoyed it, and it wasn’t a little walk it was miles and miles, but it was really pretty with beautiful old houses, the Smithy Cottage was built in 1350 and the old church still maintains its 16^th century front, “ bit of a

history lesson I know but you should see some of these little places, that we would never come to because we don’t know about them, only because we are on the canals do we come across them. We decided to stay here on Wednesday as well as it was so lovely, but I didn’t walk in to the village again I stayed home to do the ironing and cleaning, cos like I said before it’s not all fun and games, I made a curry in the evening and Kip and Carol came round for tea, Carol had made a gorgeous apple & Blackberry crumble, from the berries she had picked, a few beers and a lovely night putting the world to rights.

Thursday 14.08.08 we moved on and sailed on to Gnosall which is in Stafford I think, “this is where we did our RYA (Royal Yachting Assoc) training in boat handling and it was lovely to be here again Gnosall is nothing special, but we stayed here the night and had Fish and Chips for tea from the local chippy.

Friday we moved on to Market Drayton passing Norbury Junction where we stopped off for a bacon butty at the café  there and bought a new map that covers these waters it’s a lovely junction and the sun was shining, and it’s amazing that you bump in to people that you have seen elsewhere on the canal before we even had the boat and they remembered talking to us along the canal last year !!

Whilst walking in Market Drayton on Friday evening we noticed that there was a bus that went to Shrewsbury on Saturday morning, and then it’s only a train ride from there to Tywyn where my sisters and old friends live, so Richard said you go see the girls while he stayed and looked after the boat and the dogs, hence too much to drink with the girls in Tywyn, which left me to shattered to do this update on Sunday evening as I usually do, hope you weren’t to put out by this, but a girls gotta get out now and again !! had Breakfast on Sunday Morning with my sister Jane and then Sunday lunch with Cath and they are just the best Sunday lunches ever, plus she made a wonderful rice pudding and I had the skin, also Stuart and his girlfriend Emma were down visiting his Nanna, so he also came to dinner with Cath and Geraint, so thanks for that Cath it was super.

Stuart brought me back to the boat on Sunday, I’m sure he won’t want to do that again, I am not the best passenger !! so him and Emma stayed the night on the boat, and left for the Safari park today.

Will write again soon

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Hello to all our readers

This is not good I know but I went away at the weekend so I haven't had time to do this weeks entry of our goings on, they have been interesting but as I went away on Saturday, down to Tywyn drank to much on Saturday night and have come back feeling slightly rough,so tommorrow I will catch up with all the latest adventures,so speak to you soon

Love until next time x x x

Fazely Mill Marina to Penkridge

Hello again, well its Saturday Morning, pouring with rain, gloomy and wet, so we can’t really move, well we can but there’s no point getting soaked just for the sake of it so that is why I am writing this today, I must do something we have already had two breakfast’s, one at about ¼ to eight when we had cereal so we could get off early down to the water point so we could fill up take a shower get the washing machine on all whilst filling up with water, so that when you’re done you can set off with the same full tank, so after doing all this and getting off early for the next leg of our journey the heaven’s opened so we pulled in cos that’s what you can do when there’s no particular place to go, so I finished defrosting the fridge and cooked breakfast number two, bacon and eggs at about ¼ to eleven, so best I found something else to do with my hands, and anyway I don’t want to keep doing it just on a Sunday cos it seems like having to get my homework in, and that was never a strong point of mine so hopefully I am going to start writing whenever it takes my fancy, only thing is when the weather is fine and we are moving I don’t want to do anything other than watch this beautiful Britain that is ours “and yours go by”.

When we arrived back at The Marina last week after our week away in King’s Lynn it was lovely to get back to the boat, I had imagined if you leave a boat for a week in the hot sunshine it would be stuffy and smelly, but it was none of these things it was fresh and lovely and smelt like new, and the lovely Corrine (Col) who runs the Marina had watered my herbs for me and they were looking a treat, as I said before if I had to stay in a Marina this would be the one, it’s not big, its cosy and country and full of wildlife I have been unable to upload the photo’s of the massive fish that live here, Carp, Pike and they’re just the ones I can name, there are Kingfishers, owls, and it’s just too pretty for word’s wait until you see the pictures, so we stayed here over the weekend, to polish the boat and get those chips repaired that the stones that hit us had caused, we went for Fish and chips in Burton with Joey and Jayne on Friday Night, and on Saturday we stayed in with an Indian !! which I actually cooked and made a cucumber & mint raita using the mint from my very own herb garden, amazing!! On Monday we had a super fellow in that has just set up on his own, he actually repairs car chips, but as we are a spray finish he was able to sort us out and he did, beautifully you would never know unless you knew they were there, so a little mention for Bill Rushton at “Paint Station”,  mailto:paintstation@live.com so for any boaters out there reading this, who may one day need a cosmetic repair, he is the man, shame he doesn’t do another kind of cosmetic repair cos I’m getting pretty desperate for one !!!

So all sorted and shiny we set off on another little adventure on Tuesday, so we left the Marina at about five and just went down to Hopwas, stopped there for the night and next morning, sorry afternoon,(cos I went  to the shops with Jayne and forgot about the time )went down to Fradley Junction again, but this time we turned left and headed for great Haywood, Fradley was as busy as could be, and as we were coming towards the Swan pub I saw a young lad fall from a boat, not wearing a life jacket, so with all the onlookers at the pub and the other boaters about I hope the mother felt very guilty and will never let him travel without a life jacket again, fortunately everyone was available to pull the lad out but, another time he might not be so lucky. We moored a few miles down from Fradley Junction as there were boats moored everywhere and no parking spaces but I love being out in the wilds, where there is no light pollution and you can see all the stars, there is a meteor shower forecast for 12^th August so hopefully we will get a jolly good view of that if it’s in the sky near us. Thursday we Travelled down to Great Heywood which is in Stafford, got here in the early afternoon so we took a look around the little village I cooked again this evening curry again with mint from my herb garden, (“I’m becoming an earth mother domestic goddess type thing”) We were moored right near Shugborough Hall which was the home of Lord Patrick Lichfield, his son has now become the owner of the Title, because when Lord Lichfield’s Grandfather and Father died within a year of each other because of the massive death duties, Lord Patrick Lichfield had to bequeath Shugborough Hall to the National Trust to pay the death duties, but he was still allowed to keep the title and live in a small 38 room apartment upstairs, whilst there is always an heir to take on the title this will always be the case and this weekend the new heir was actually visiting, I did not see him, but we did go around the Hall and in to the farms and gardens, and I must say that as stately homes and castles go, I think this is the best value for money, we spent the whole day almost, just stopping off to take the dogs out for a walk, and then went back in and I don’t think we had seen everything then, so for twelve quid is was the best value for money we have ever had.

Saturday today where I picked you up you know what we were doing so at two thirty we took off for another try at getting to the Shroppie, by the way we are now on the Staffs & Worcs Canal because from the junction at Heywood this is the course we take, so we went on for a couple of hours and the rain kept off, but started again at around five, we were just approaching Stafford Cruising Club which was showing a sign saying visitors welcome so we moored up and Richard went to check we were O.K to stay, we were and we were also invited in to the club where there was a 50^th wedding anniversary which we were invited to join in, we did with the buffet and champers and a wonderful night was had by all, so Jolly Good Wishes to Mr & Mrs Baker and thanks all at the Stafford Cruising Club for making us so welcome.

Sunday a Lovely day the sun a shining, so off we go again, on to Penkridge still in Stafford but nearer Wolverhampton I Think, but found a lovely mooring near the Cross Keys Pub got there just in time for lunch, and a very lovely lunch it was torso we are staying  here tonight cos we have a satellite reception and we can catch up on the Corrie’s that we have missed whilst not receiving a satellite, sad I know but we are still normal folk with needs !!

Anyway must go I know I said I would write more often but we are having too much fun and there’s no time, I will try harder next week, Bethan and Chris have just rung to say they are on their way back from Tywyn and are going to pop in to see  us so I must, will try and make the pictures easier to look at straight from Picasa or something as I have only 2gs of power, last night when I had 3G+ we were out gallivanting.

Chris and Beth and Cary’s arrived a couple of minutes after they rang I gave them the postcode of the pub and they just popped it into their Sat Nav and got here with ease, we had a lovely time Cary’s loves the dogs and the boat, so does Beth, it’s always lovely to see the family so you will get to see the photo’s when I have more G’s !!! Hopefully I will write more in the week and upload the photo’s so keep looking,

Bye for now

Love Chrissie & Richard x x x

Hello to all our avid readers, if we still have any I’m not getting so many comments these days are you all still out there ? Well we went away last Friday an absolutely gorgeous hot day, not exactly what you want when you are travelling in a big old van, we had hired a van from Enterprise and asked for a dinky little one that we could fit both dogs houses in as we were taking the dogs on holiday too, well we couldn’t leave them here could we, so we took them to Eau Brink dogs hotel in King’s Lynn where they used to stay whenever we went away before, looking back I don’t think  they really care where they stay as long as someone feeds and walks them, anyway Enterprise didn’t have the dinky van we had booked so gave us a big thing that had no windows in the back or anything so we had to keep stopping to check they were o.k. they were but in future we will put them in a home wherever we are at the time.

Went to stay at Linda’s as she loves to put us up, or put up with us I’m not sure, no she really is wonderful to us and I can’t thank her enough, went to the Beer festival at the Stuart House in King’s Lynn we won’t be going there again, to hot packed and busy couldn’t hear the music, or get served at the bar, no staff, so I think the only one that benefitted from the festival was the landlord, who said when we mentioned it that we should not bother to go,(what kind of attitude is that ? I ask you!! Sunday we all went to the Chinese for a meal, in the week we had the grandchildren round to play in the paddling pool at Linda’s she is so accommodating Harvey and Ellie loved it. I took some photo’s of Richards lovely old home town for him mainly, but for you lot of reader’s to see what beautiful buildings it has and to remind him of home. As we didn’t get to hear the (Keno Kings) on Friday because of the problems I mentioned earlier, we went to see them perform at the Queen Victoria in Snettisham on Wednesday night, and they were great as usual all of the old blues following crowd were there and it was nice to see them all again, me Sally and Linda had a jolly good time and drink !! and Richard got to catch up with all his old blues mates, see the keno’s website I don’t have it but I will ask Phil to send it to us. so all in all we had a lovely few days away, but I couldn’t wait to get back to our lovely boat and to have some time in this absolutely fabulous Fazeley Mill Marina, there had been rain here whilst we were away so my lovely collection of fresh herbs that I’m growing was thriving, I thought as we had had such lovely dry weather in King’s Lynn they would have perished,cos I’m not the best with plants, I see some lovely flowers on boats so next year I am planning some flowers and maybe some tomatoes, so I will have to ask the lovely Jamie Hem my son in law, if he could make me some of those wooden things to put them in, just a hint for a Christmas pressie !! and over this weekend we have seen some of the most amazing fish swimming round the boat, shoals of massive Carp, and two evil looking Pike, I couldn’t get any photo’s of the pike but see the Carp on the gallery, we are staying here in the marina until we get our new headlight fitted, as the one we have is sort of lost under the cratch so now we will have two, and then we are off either on to the Shroppie where I learnt all I know about boat handling skills, ”obviously I must have been asleep throughout the course cos I don’t seem to have any” good job Richard was paying attention, no I really must try harder with steering the boat, but I am always distracted with something along the way the wildlife is quite wonderful and I can’t get enough of it. Will write again next week I may start writing things down each day so that I remember all that we have done “did I say that last week I can’t remember”

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

ps Not getting the photo's on at the mo, something wrong with my SQL, not a medical condition, don't know what it means, but I will have to get Simon to have a look,

Hopwas To Burton-Upon-Trent My Birthplace

We left Hopwas on Monday Morning, not knowing how long we would travel for, we did stop and tie up at Alrewas, but then thought we would travel some more so that we were nearer to Burton, so we carried and found ourselves on the river, its where the canal and the River Trent sort of cross over, which was interesting for us, then we carried on to Barton Turns, we didn’t moor in the Marina as the Canal bank was so lovely, however we did take a walk to the Marina but I was not keen on it , it seems like a big unfriendly place with some right fancy expensive shops, not at all what one would expect in a marina, it’s usually just the Chandlery, with cheap canalrabelia ( or whatever it’s called, it’s always well advertised in the Canal Mags but, it’s not our cup of tea, just our opinion, and what do we know. So we were moored  across the road from the Barton Turns Pub, which was very very friendly as described in the Nicholson map book, we had Sausage egg and chips some really gorgeous beer (not local however, it was Honey Bowl by Jennings brewery) so we had a lovely night chatting to the locals and too much beer.

Tuesday we Travelled to Burton and got there early, we did moor in the Shobnall Marina, sometimes it’s good to have electricity on tap so that you can put everything on together, get the hoovering done, do the ironing and all that mundane stuff, we walked the dogs miles so that we could leave them to sleep whilst we then walk miles again, honest I’ll be done in, we walked in to town and whilst Richard went to the bank I thought I would just check out the cakes in Birds the cake shop, which I was amazed to see still does the same cakes and puts them in the same bags that they used when I was a slip of a gal, so I got a trifle and ate it before Richard was back, and then we found the Bird’s tea shop and had tea and a lovely strawberry and cream tart, so you see all the walking is doing me no good, as I still fit in plenty of eating which undoes all the hard work(walk).We then went to see My uncle and aunt who live in Burton, it was lovely to see them after many years, and even though they are no spring chicks they manage to run two wonderfully stocked allotments, so again we had fresh home grown supplies, it just means I have to cook though, again in the evening we went a walk in to the village that I grew up, spent another evening in the pub chatting to locals, “no one that I knew” and drinking beer, this time is was local Marston’s Pedigree so we did our bit for Burton, we must stop this drinking mullarchy, we met the Chiltern boys, old family friends and a lovely bunch of lads, and then took a lovely walk back along the towpath, as the weather is still super. It seemed like we were in Burton for ages and it was only a day and night, the Shobnall Marina was lovely and we will stay there again someday, but we had to get back to Tamworth so on Wednesday we sailed back to Fradley Junction a Lovely journey back the way we came, stoppin off back at the Barton Turn pub to collect Richard's sun hat that we hoped we had left in there two nights previous, sure enough we had, obviously having to good a time again, any way thanks to the Landlord Mr Lees for letting us into the pub before opening time to collect the hat, then went on for Fradley, stayed in Fradley Junction for the night which is very lovely but oh so noisy, the Swan pub is a favourite haunt of all the bikers which is lovely to see, but ooh the racket.

Thursday morning Joey jayne Kimberley and David came over for an early morning cuppa, and Kimberley and David stayed for the ride back to Tamworth, we sailed on to Fazeley Mill Junction,absolutley gorgeous place where I cooked a wonderful dinner and pudding 2for Joe and Jayne, with aunty Hilda's and uncle Gwilym's fruit and veg, my rasberry & Apple crumble was to die for eat your heart out Nigella !!" where we will be putting the boat to rest whilst we go back to King’s Lynn for Richard to get back to his old home town and the Beer festival !! as I said before we are not too keen on Marina’s but if we did stay in one this would be it, it is absolutely gorgeous loads of wild life countrified, and really really friendly, where the boat is safely tucked away in here until we get from our little holiday back home in Lynn, I will put up the pictures when I get a better reception or more G’s putting photo’s on is really only any good when I’m pushing 3G+ on my dongle,  whatever that means, but the pictures do appear more quickly so bare with us taking a week’s holiday, please feel free to send messages but I’ll tell you about our little hol when we get back.

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

The Weekend in Hopwas

After reading the last entry I realize I have missed somethings out so I thought I would just add them for you as a little bonus read for midweek, I am trying to write more often in the week so I can remember what has happened, but so far I am only just writing this which is what I forgot from last week.

We actually arrived at Hopwas on the Friday and  Jayne, Kimberley and me went to the pictures on Friday night to see Mama Mia, it was the best feel good film that I have seen since Sex and the city, it really was a great girly film, and the cinema was so big that I don’t think anyone heard me singing,but it was so good I think lots of people were singing, Jayne and I certainly were, I’m not sure if Kimberly wasn’t a little bit embarrassed by us, but she never said, Sunday we left Giggsy and Rio playing with there Cousin Ash ( the border Terrier) whilst we went to get us some plants for the boat,so that it looks like a real lived on boat, well I already have some Geranium plants, so I got some Herbs so that I always have some when I am cooking !!! well I do sometimes.

From Wooton Wawen to Lowsenford Sunday 13^th July

Well I Can’t believe another week has gone by, how time flies when you’re having fun !! we left Wootton Wawen on Sunday 13^th July didn’t go too far as I

 had cooked two proper meals last week and I couldn’t possibly cook Sunday lunch as well so we decided we would stop at the first pub along the canal serving Sunday Lunch, so a couple of hours and 8 Locks later we came to the Fleur De Lys pub at Lowsenford, it was a gorgeous lunch if not a little pricey, but from Stratford all along the way to the outskirts of Birmingham everywhere was pricey as all of the places that we passed along the way were exclusive quaint old villages, very beautiful but also pricey I wouldn’t dare to have looked at the house prices, well we did actually they were just very expensive but gorgeous. We learned from some passersby who came to look at our boat, (“they’re always doing that, but we are more than happy to show off the boat”) any way they were telling us that they used to go courting to this pub 50 years ago and it was the original place where the Fleur de lys pies were made and they used to go and buy take away pies, well over the years as they grew they obviously sold out to some big company that now rolls out the pies in massive numbers, but hey you learn something new every day.

Monday 16^th- We knew we were not

staying at Lowsenford for long just over night and then we set on our way heading for the Grand Union Canal to go through Birmingham, we carried on, on the Stratford until we came to Kingswood Junction that led on to the Grand Union, it’s kind of strange going on to a new canal, you feel like you have achieved something new, and that’s always a good feeling, and we are going to get that feeling every time we get on to a different canal, we carried on down this Grand union until we reached Knowle as we were absolutely done in it was a full day’s travel with plenty of locks, I’ll just count them on the map.........11 well that’s enough for anyone in a day. Knowle was a really pretty little village with everything we needed, we got there about three and moored up at the BW moorings which were next to the long stay resident moorings which were beautifully kept, if I had to permanently moor I would rather be on one of these canal side moorings than in a marina. We spent the night here and the next day as we had jobs to do and shopping to get, and also we have never spent a day relaxing in the sun, we did and thoroughly enjoyed it, we really have never spent any time relaxing, why are we still rushing around, I think we have to learn to relax, I am sure it will come with time.

Wednesday 16^th July  we set off bright

and early as we had a long way to go and a lot of locks, we have been quite calm through the locks lately we must be getting used to them, well we started to go through Knowle locks five huge ones the last wide locks on this canal well, I thought I would take to the helm as these locks were huge and what with my toe still not right, Richard could do the donkey work Well the lock monster appeared for the first time in a week, I thought I would wait in the pound in the first lock whilst Richard opened the second lock, but it wasn’t a pound, you should stay in the first lock and open the second lock and go straight in,(Just like Richard had said) I made a right pigs ear of it, it could have turned nasty but some people came along and joined us which made it a whole lot easier, and the lock monster calmed down, so we got through the rest of the five without a hitch the countryside disappeared and we went through the industrial parts of Birmingham that the canals were built for, some of the old buildings were old and run down but still very lovely, but there were the horrid concrete buildings.  Going through Yardley Woods was pretty terrifying as some of the local yobs chose to throw great stones at the boat from the high wooded cutting’s, we survived but we had a few chips in the paint work of the boat (wrong place wrong time we did inform the police and other boaters we passed, and apparently it happens all the time BW are on to it !! that episode over and we decided to stay the night at Star City, a Gambling heaven if you are in to that kind of thing, we are not, we would not have moored here if there had not been another boat there which was a nb/Almyne and the owner Chris was a lovely Guy who is also writing a blog which is very interesting www.almyne.giles.me.uk   Take a look he writes in great detail about his travels which he is doing alone,(apart from his dog Dfer) as his wife sadly died some months ago and they were going to travel together, but now he is alone but he was spreading her ashes in her favourite places, we meet some lovely people anyway he came for tea, as I had made a wonderful homemade soup from the last of the wonderful fresh courgettes, from Maggie and Pete’s garden the week before, I added some watercress and onion and some of the new potatoes we had had, it was wonderful  with some oven baked rolls, not by me , you know the ones you get in a pack and put them in the oven for 10 mins, I may have got away with it but the dog pulled the packet out of the bin, dogs hey !!

We weren’t hanging around so we set off early next morning on our way to the Birmingham Fazely canal which would take us to Hopwas, it was amazing countryside still with the old buildings but wonderful wildlife, which you might have guessed I didn’t have the camera ready, we travelled under spaghetti junction which is strange going under it, I’m sure we have all been on it but this is a novel way to see it (see the gallery) more locks and more travel took us to the canal we sought and the countryside was beautiful, the wildlife was incredible we got to a lock outside of Hopwas and as I was doing the lock an American black Mink (it looked brown to me but the description in my book said black)came walking across the lock with lunch in its mouth, another little furry thing that I could not identify,but it passed me as if I wasn’t there I was so stunned that I didn;t grab the camera, another photo opportunity missed, its always the same I have plenty of rubbish pictures and miss the best, then Herons, squirrels, and loads more, one day I’ll have some for you.Joey and Jayne came over to the dog and doublet pub and we had a meal there,it was twenty minutes away from them in Tamworth but another couple of hours for us, got to Hopwas on Saturday and got the best parking space right beside the Tame Otter (pub) not the creature itself, and we have been here since, going on for Burton-Upon- Trent Tommorrow ( Monday) my place of Birth we will have a few days there.

Speak to you soon with more Tales of the Canal side

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

I know it’s only Friday but I thought I would write before I forgot everything that has happened since Monday, When I had to go to Warwick hospital, Well I caught a bus to Warwick went to the hospital, and the bone expert trimmed the bit of gauze that was sticking out from the sticking plaster which is holding my toes together, and said I ought to keep it on for six weeks, so I was ok until the sticky plaster came off in the shower, and although I have brought some of the said sticking plaster I just can’t seem to get it to feel the same as the nurse in Stratford did, and it just keeps coming off, the nurse’s stayed on for several days, wish we had our nursey friend Polly here she would fix it, she worked with seriously broken bones for many years she would stick them back together well, if you’re reading this Polly Help!!

On Monday Afternoon our friend Sally came to see us she was staying with friends in Tiddington which is a couple of Miles up the river so on Monday evening we went to the Ripple Restaurant for one of those eat all you can Chinese buffet’s, so we did and got to meet Peter and Maggie Sally’s friends, on Tuesday night we navigated up the river to the mooring outside Peter & Maggie’s house, and Maggie made us all a wonderful meal with fresh veg and fruit for the pud from her vast allotment plus drink, again ! but it was super they have a lovely home in an idyllic setting,  we hope to call on them again when we come down this way as they are now our friends we had to leave on Wednesday morning as the river was rising fast and if we had not got off then we might not have gotten under the bridge as we needed to get on to the Stratford Canal, so we got to the basin in Stratford ready to climb the locks to the canal, Sally came down to us at the basin and me and her went to see the Merchant of Venice at the Courtyard theatre, “Well you have to go and see Shakespeare when you’re in Stratford his birthplace” and I must say I understood some of it, “no most of it really” I knew the story I had just read it on the back of a DVD in the gift shop whilst we were buying the tickets, and it was performed beautifully. Thursday we took off from the River Avon on our new adventures up the narrow canals, and guess what only 16 lock monster episodes ahead of us. We left the basin about half past ten maybe we should have left the basin earlier as there were already five boats waiting to go up the first lock, so I went back to the basin to tell the two boats that were coming through the lock in to the basin that they should stay where they were for a while as the boats were already moored two abreast, anyway when we should have been able to untie and move along to the lock with the ones ahead of us one of the back boats that Had been asked to wait to go through because of the backup, shot past us all and said “He aint waitin for five boats, I suppose you get that type of people in all walks of life (gits) even though we have nowhere to go in a hurry nobody wants a Git taking advantage, and the boats that do have to get along quickly were non too pleased, I thought we were away from road rage, and now we find it on the tranquil canals. So 16 Locks later and totally and absolutely knackered, me doing all the donkey work again, Gosh I don’t know how some of these really old gals do it, I mean I’m only young ( stop laughing, I really am compared to some of the ladies on the cut) but they do them so I’m not moaning, well not anymore today. When we came to the last lock before getting to Wilmcote I asked a couple of moored boats if they were waiting for the locks, which I thought was being rather pleasant, but I didn’t realize until setting of for Wooton Wawem that we met a boat on the cut that knew us because they were laughing at me for asking boats that were moored facing the wrong way to go up the lock if they wanted to go before us, well I am new and I was very very tired, but we did have a laugh about it,( me and the lady off N/b Eden Gill). Being on these narrow canals is such a difference to the big wide river, it’s just so difficult to squeeze through some of these bridges honest they really are narrow, so if we were worrying about the scuffs and scratches we were getting in those big river locks, we aint seen nothing yet, but boats are meant to be scratched and we don’t look nearly as scuffed as those holiday boats, well nobody worries about scuffing a holiday boat, I remember our trip on the Norfolk broads (gosh almost thirty years ago how time flies when you’re having fun) any way this canal is really pretty and tranquil and we have done our first two aquaducts which were a little odd for first timers really disconcerting being above the road with not much holding you on, we are just loving wootton wawem, there is a lovely craft centre with lots of little shops selling loads and walking further in to the village we discovered there is a free music and fireworks display on at the Wootton Hall, so that’s what we are doing tonight, hope it stops raining because it is a free do for charity and they are just asking for donations so hope it is well attended even with bad weather. Will write again soon, I don’t just do Sunday’s you know !! check the gallery for the latest pictures. Well I was going to add this blog today, but I thought I would wait and see how the concert went, but before that I must tell you about the very nasty swan on this canal, we arrived here its a basin for the Anglo Welsh boat hire company, so the swans must get fed by all the new boaters coming for holidays, so I walked past our side doors on the boat, and this Swan just put his head thru and bit my boob, then later when Richard and I were bringing the dogs houses in again because of the rain Richard’s arms up in the air the Swan bit him too, well we didn’t feed them so as not to encourage the Evil B**##**s, and I thought they were cute last week,then this morning 7am I opened the doors again to be frightened half to death again when the swan pushed his head through and tried to bite me again, it really is a hard life, the show was absolutely brilliant the rain held off, the members of the Swing Jazz group then wished my neice Abbi a happy birthday and got all of the crowd to do it to,all on her voicemail, hope she got the message.

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x

Bidford to Stratford-Upon-Avon  5hrs 6 Locks

Hello again another week gone by and so much has been going on, as we were about to leave bidford giggsy fell in the river again, “will he ever learn” I don’t know if he is just attention seeking or what but after scooping him out again he went on to rub himself dry in the mud on the bank, which was quite dry so he looked quite ok after I had brushed him and didn’t smell too bad either. So we set off for Stratford 1^st July 2008 my

sister Jane’s birthday, happy birthday Jane, it was boiling hot and very very tiring so I had to give up my arm toning lock work and give some to Richard as some of them big locks were too heavy for me, so Richard shouts at me and I shout at Richard as we both do the other job better than the other, “as you do” so we become lock monsters to each other, but its fine as soon as we are away from them and there was only six of them, but we have decided to not be this way in the locks anymore we are both as good as each other whatever we do, cos I say so !! nah only joking we are fine all the rest of the time.

It was a gorgeous trip apart from the LM’s, so pretty all the usual wildlife Kingfishers, Heron, and more, we even saw a boat half sunk in the river that we had to skirt around, a bit worrying when you are new to boating to see such a catastrophic sight, and then we got to Stratford, which is the most gorgeous place, “did I already say that about the last two places we visited” well sorry if I did but it seems that the whole of this area upper and lower Avon are really really pretty with so many lovely sights, we have been around all of the shops which are very good, I bought some shoes, Richard does not understand the need for shoes, you ladies out there will” and they don’t take up any room there was a space for them that hadn’t been used, we then booked for a ghost walking trip around the Falstaff Museum for the Thursday night, any way back to tonight Tuesday and we had the neighbours round for a drink as you do and another night was spent boozing, honestly Simon and Pauline on nb.Empire Queen  you are a bad influence, but we had a great night as we always seem to be doing lately. Spent the rest of the week looking at all of the sights and catching up with all of my Shakespeare knowledge, ”oops I don’t have any”, “well I have some now...” Shakespeare made most of the rods that I have seen them fishermen all along the river using, and I have seen his birthplace, his burial place, and the garden where he used to take his fancy women !! The RSC Theatre is closed for renovation, but there is the courtyard theatre that I may catch one of his plays at, but I’m not promising anything I’ll let you know.

We went for the ghost walk on Thursday night round the Falstaff Museum, didn’t see any, but my legs did go a bit tingly in one part of the building when the guy doing the tour said there was the ghost of a little girl there, Richard didn’t feel a thing only me clinging to him for dear life, but it was interesting and we don’t do that sort of thing often so it made a nice change.

On Friday we were expecting Stuart and Emma for the weekend so we were having a clear up and then I stubbed my toe and it was really really bad, honest, after I got up from the bed after effing and blinding abit I looked at my toe to find it sticking out sideways on the side of my foot, ( I can feel you all cringing now, tummy’s going funny) well so they should it was awful, when I started hugging my foot and toe I heard it crack back in to place, eeeeuuwww,I know it was terrible, well I thought whatever had happened nobody does anything for toes, so I cut up a sponge curler and stuck it between my little piggy and the next little piggy wrapped some masking tape around it and got on with it, (brave heh!!) well I got on with it for a couple of hours and it was really really painful so Richard said I ought to get it looked at, so I took off my  toe nail varnish put some fresh on and went promptly to the Stratford Minor Injuries unit, (minor injuries my A**# ) where they  X-rayed it and discovered I had broken it very badly in two places, see I wasn’t whingeing for nothing as I’m sure some of you might have been thinking !! I had broken it  very badly in two places, so they put some gauze on it wrapped it back up in tape and sent me home, “I did that, except they didn’t use the cut up curler” . No I must say they were very quick and very efficient and thanks very much to the wonderful staff at the Stratford Minor Injuries unit.( “had a ghost followed me from that Falstaff museum ? We’ll never know...”) well I’m managing to walk on it and I have to go to the Warwick Fracture Clinic on Monday, I don’t know why but we we’ll see.

Stuart and Emma came on Friday night, we had a lovely homemade  bolognaise that I managed even with a broken toe, god I’m brave, did the shops on Saturday which was a gorgeous sunny day after the rain stopped, Sunday Rain Rain Rain so Stuart and Emma went earlier than planned, saw them off, and was walking back to the boat when my sister  Sharon & hubby Gerald rang to say she was on her way back from a party in London and had been diverted our way due to closure’s on the M40 so she took a detour and came to see us which was a very pleasant surprise, Joey didn’t come as the weather was too bad, however the sun did get out in the afternoon, see you could have come. So we were going to leave Stratford tomorrow but I have that hospital appointment. Check out the pictures in the Gallery I did not put the picture of my poor toe on as it may upset some of our viewers, hope our new reader Neil Dudman likes the new size of the script this week as he said he finds it difficult to read it when it’s too large, tell me what you think ? mind he did say he moans alot, but he caught it from his wife... Men Eh !!

Love

Chrissie & Richard x x