Penkridge and beyond.

Hello Friends and Followers.

Penkridge overnight was very quiet, but it did not stop me waking up at stupid o'clock. I think my body clock is having a melt down at the moment and no idea why. There was I awake and that then meant Keith was also awake, so yes you guessed it, I made us a cuppa. Once I am awake then there is very little chance of me going back to sleep properly, so we got up early and decided we would walk into Penkridge to have a look around the Antiques and Collectors Fair, which opens at 9am. Before heading off for the fair. I walked his lordship Paddy, we all had our breakfast and then i got on with a few boat chores.
We walked down to the fair and although there were a few interesting stalls, there was nothing on them that we wanted. However I did go into one of the charity shops and buy a pair of curtains, which I will use to make a door curtain and some cushion covers for the saloon. This will not be done until we are back home on our mooring though. I bought a pair of 72" x 44" curtains for £4.99 and I absolutely love the material.
Back on the boat, we took the decision to move off, so having had a coffee, lit the back cabin stove and got the boat ready for the off, we headed for Filance Lock and beyond at 10.35am, which is late for us.

Usually you can find yourself in a queue at Penridge Lock, but it was ready for us when we got there.

The Autumn colours are enough to gladden the heart.

Time for a dip and a drink.
There was plenty of boats on the move. We reckon that we saw more boats on the move today, than we saw throughout the Summer cruise. We certainly knew we were getting close to the T&M.

It was fabulous to see Magda on Wea-Ry-Tired. We had not expected to see her and so we only had time for a quick natter.
We left the Staffs and Worcs canal and turned onto the Trent and Mersey canal at 3.30pm.

Hoo Mill Lock done and time to find a mooring.

Moored at Ingestre for the night. As I was about to start writing this posting, there was a call "Hello, is anyone there". It was Snooty Coot. It was lovely to have a catch-up with them, before they set off in the fading light.
See you maybe tomorrow.

Pop back soon xxx

Cross Green to Penkridge.

Hi Friends and followers.

Last night I slept like a log, after having done the Wolverhampton 21. I did however wake up early hours, because Paddy was on the wander. I have no idea what he was doing and I did not get up, because I thought he would end up going back to his bed eventually. The next thing I knew it was 6.30am and time for a brew. The radio went on and the kettle whistled, letting me know it was ready. Sat in bed drinking our cuppa. We listened to BBC WM and all the goings on in radio land. I am not a huge football fan, but I will sit and watch a match occasionally, or the world cup. This past couple of weeks we have been listening to BBC WM sport and the local matches. Last night it was Aston Villa v Preston and it ended in a three all draw, after Villa had been leading 2-0. Anyway on the sports report this morning, the talked about the result and to my annoyance they also announced that someone in the crowd threw a cabbage at Aston Villa's manager Steve Bruce. This was a so called fan. What is this country coming too, when people feel the need to throw missiles at football managers. Ok Aston Villa are not doing so well at the moment and Steve Bruce is coming infor all sorts of stick by the media, which I do not agree with. But to throw something at the man is disgraceful. I had a cooking apple thrown at me, whilst we were on the move and so I know how much it hurt when it hit me in the temple. I am thankful that the cabbage did not hit Mr Bruce. We get to listen to fans ringing in with all their advice and rants and honestly some of them sound like they are baying for blood. Real fans would support their team and manager no matter what and they should always back their side. I find it all very sad.
Up and about, Paddy got his first walk and then his breakfast. We left the overnight mooring at 8.20am, with a fine drizzle beginning to fall. The cloud was very low to begin with.

We had seen no boats on the move until we got to Gailey. I love the roundhouse there.
As we got closer to Penkridge we began to see more boats on the move, which was nice because it meant I could leave the locks ready for the oncoming boats.

Autumn colours are beginning to show themselves. The reds, golds, browns and bronzes are beautiful. We also saw a few squirrels, herons and a kingfisher. There is nothing nicer than watching the wildlife as it goes on with its day and it always puts a smile on my face.

We arrived in Penkridge at 11.40am and moored up near the Cross Keys Pub. After lunch, we walked into the village, as we wanted to go to the market. We came back with a tray of Por, Chilli and Garlic Sausages, a pair of Kays shoes from one of the charity shops and a toy car, which Keith wants the tyres off of for his railways layout.
Back home and a much needed coffee was made. The rest of the day is going to be about putting my feet up until dinner time.

Pop back soon xx

Wolverhampton to Cross Green.

Hi Friends and Followers.

We had a quietish night on the offside mooring until around 4.30am, when we were woken by jack hammers and pile driving going on. We know there is work going ahead at the railway station, so we reckon they were working early doors. We both had then a disturbed snooze, before me getting up to make a cuppa at 6.30am.
We left Wolverhampton at 8.30am and headed for the top of the 21 locks.

For the first 10 locks it was dry and warm.

At locks 6, C&RT were replacing the lock beams to the bottom gates. It did not hold us up, because they were doing one at a time, so boaters could get through without any hassle.

By the time we got to lock 10, the drizzle began to fall. It then turned into rain, which was doing its best to get me soaked. But once wet, what does it matter. We did not see another boat until we were in lock 17. Then two boats were coming up. I was thankful we were almost at the bottom.

We exited the last lock and turned onto the junction at 12.10pm.

We arrived at The Anchor Inn at 1.25pm and moored up, with the rain gone and a touch of blue sky appear overhead. I will now be drying out in front of the back cabin stove and resting my aching back. The locks are not difficult to do, but my sciatica decided it would put in an appearance towards the end. I know it will settle down again. Despite the weather, we have had a good run.

Pop back soon xx

Visit over for another year.

Hi Friends and Followers.

That is it for another year. We spent our last day enjoying the BCLM and will not be back until next year all being well. Sunday was not as bright and sunny as Saturday, and there was a definite Autumn chill in the air, but we still had a wonderful day catching up with folk.

The steam hammer was working again and it again drew a good crowd. When the hooter sounded it was time to gather to see it working and when the hooter sounded again, everyone went on with their day until the hooter sounded again. It was bloomin hot near the furnace and I can only imagine how dangerous it must have been to work with all those years ago. There must have been numerous injuries and even deaths, because there was no health and safety in those days.

An early morning again, blimey my body clock is all over the place. Another early cuppa, before getting to grips with the days chores. By 8 am we were already to move over the the facilities, but we then got something around the prop, which turned out to be plastic bags and weeds. Prop cleared and on the sanitary station mooring, we topped up with water and emptied the cassette.

We then said "Cheerio" to the BCLM for this year. Hopefully we will be back again next year. After a pleasant but chilly run we arrived in Wolverhampton at 10.30 am, where we moored up.

After lunch we took a walk into the town for a nosey around. Like so many towns and cities it is suffering from the empty shop syndrome. Towns and cities need to re-invent themselves in order to survive. Most of this is due to the internet or so they say, but I also think many businesses go under due to the high retail costs landlords put on them. If a shop is empty it is not earning any money is it?

Anyway we had a nice wander. I managed to get some camisole tops from Primark for £1.80 each. They will do me nicely. Back at the boat, we moved the boat to the opposite side where there are 24 hour moorings, but they go no where, so once on them you cannot go for a wander, but many people say they are safer and it must be so because we were joined by two other boats and no one moored on the towpath side. Paddy did not mind having a restricted mooring, he was happy to just walk the length of the mooring and do what he had to do. We had a nice quiet evening in.

Pop back soon xx

Happy Days and Gripes.

Hello friends and followers.

Here we are on a nippy Sunday morning. The back stove is lit, cuppa drunk and dog walked and already I feel myself wanting to rant. This is not a good start to a Sunday, but I will save my rant for later on in this posting, because I would hate to get your day off to a poor start.

We really enjoy our time at the Black Country Living Museum. There is something that draws us back each time and of course it is always lovely to catch-up with the people we know and to find out how life has been with them, since the last time we met. Each time we come here, we meet new and wonderful people, who work or volunteer at the museum and are the lifeblood of the place. I can seriously say, if we lived closer to the museum, we would definitely volunteer on a daily basis, because it is such an amazing place. I spent a lot of time talking to the public about the place and answering any question they had. It is a place of joy.

Yesterday they had the steam hammer running, which drew a large crowd. It will be running again today, so more photographs will no doubt follow. Today will be our last day at the museum for this year, as we will be heading off for Stone, Staffordshire. We finished our day off in the museum with a pint in the pub, after all it would have been rude not too.

Ok so here comes my rant for the morning. Most of you will know I get very annoyed at the amount of rubbish littering our canals and towpaths, well this morning whilst walking the dog, I spotted something which is the lowest of the low in littering. Some disgusting person, had obviously had an accident of the bowel and so just left their soiled underpants on the towpath. Not only is it something no one wants to see first thing in the morning, it could be a health hazard I am presuming. I would like to think that person would be ashamed of their actions, but I know that will never be the case, because they would never have done it in the first place. I am seriously finding people disgusting these days and no I am not tarring everyone with the same brush.
Rant over.

Pop back soon xx

Moved on.

Hello Friends and Followers.

Yesterday (Thursday), began with a beautiful start. I opened the back cabin doors to the sunshine pouring in. Birmingham looked beautiful. At the moment Birmingham is preparing for the Conservative Conference, so it has been busy with security and fences have been going up, so if you are going into Birmingham and around the ICC you will find lots of security on.

It was time for us to move on yesterday, so at 9am we untied and headed off into the wide blue yonder.

We enjoyed Heron flying in front of us, Cormorants above us and a Buzzard alongside us, with fish and Pike beneath us. It goes to show that urban wildlife is thriving even though people still see fit to dump their rubbish.

This lot made my blood boil. It is clearly a business dumping this rubbish long the bank. They are throwing it over a wall above this photograph and yes I have reported it. We headed up through Factory Locks and made our way to the BCLM (Black Country Living Museum).

We moored up and had homemade soup for lunch, we made our way into the museum, to catch-up with folk we know. The place was busy with school groups and my dander was up with one such group. They were standing on the steps by the sweet and bakery shops and also by the canal. I saw a paper bag from one of the shops floating in the canal, so I fished it out and as I did so, someone through down a screwed up paper bag. My immediate reaction was to shout. "Who threw that bag down". All the kids gathered looked at each other and then a small voice from the huddle said "He did". A young lad standing on the steps, went very red in the face. I told him to come and pick his litter up and put it in one of the many bins provided on site. I explained to him he should never drop litter. He said absolutely nothing, but who knows he may have learned a lesson. I do however think that those in charge of the school groups should keep an eye on what their charges are doing. I had no issue with telling him off.
A good day was had and a quiet evening on board was enjoyed.

I will post more later, so pop back soon xxx

Having a fine old time.

Hi Friends and Followers.

Brrrr of an evening or first thing in the morning. It has been a tad nippy around the edges and I have lit the back cabin stove to take the chill off the cabin. We have spent the past couple of days mooching around Birmingham and of course a bit of retail therapy has taken place. On Tuesday we walked into the city to the market, because I wanted some extremely strong cheddar off of the outdoor market and I was not disappointed. They had a new extremely strong cheddar and a smoked cheddar cheese from the Mull of Kintyre. I bought both of them, because they are both amazing. I know of no where else I can get cheese that strong. I wanted to get some vest tops from Primark, but I lucked out, because they only had a couple of colours and none of them were in my size, so I will have to wait until I can get them from somewhere else.

Last night we went to our friends for a fabulous meal. There was a lot of chatter and laughter. In fact we had so much fun, it was gone 10.30 pm before we realised the time. They say time flies when you are having fun and it certainly did last night.

After a relaxing start to the day, we walked into the city to have some lunch at Tamatanga . The Indian restaurant had been recommended to us by our friends, who we met up with last night, so we thought we would give it a try. If you ever come into Birmingham, or you actually are reading this whilst in Birmingham, go and have a meal there, it is brilliant and we will definitely be going back again, when we are in the city. Fabulous food, friendly staff and a really pleasant place.

After a fabulous lunch, we walked into the city, to enjoy the vibrancy of the place. Yes there is a huge amount of building work going on, but it does not take away the fact that Birmingham is a beautiful city and it is in my blood, because of family connections. I have the Black Country and Birmingham in my blood. It is a city which makes me smile, but you also cannot ignore the fact that there is poverty on the streets. Everywhere you look you will see someone sitting with a cap or a cup out in front of them asking for loose change. There are people sleeping on the streets, which is incredibly sad and in this day and age so wrong. No matter what these people have been through in their lives, living on the streets is no way to live or survive. I am of course aware that some have chosen to live that life style and they would probably not want to be anywhere else. I just feel sad that they seem to have little choice.

Tomorrow we will be leaving Birmingham and heading off.

Pop back soon xx

Weekend over.

Hello friends and followers.

Well that is the weekend at Tipton done and dusted. We woke this morning to a cold cabin and it was still rather dark out, which meant it was too early to be awake. I checked the clock and it said 6.30am. No point trying to go back to sleep, so I got up and made a cuppa. I also re-lit the back cabin stove, because it was a little nippy around the edges. Keith feels the cold more than I do, so I know he was happy that the stove was lit early doors. By the time we got up sunshine was pouring through the pigeon box portholes, which bode well for the day. Yesterday evening some of the boats left the gathering and this morning it was time for us to set off, but not before Paddy got his walk and was fed. We also had to move the boat moored on the outside of us and moor it back up, because its owner was not coming back to it for a few more days. I still find it rather odd, that you would moor up at a festival and then not be there, but hey ho that is just me.
9am and having sorted the other boat out, we waved everyone left at Tipton goodbye and headed for Factory Locks. They were set against us, so I set the locks and we worked out way down the three locks in lovely warm sunshine.

It was onward.

There were a lot of boats about today and many of them were hire boats out for a last fling, before everything shuts down for the Winter I suspect.

A bot more of the local artwork.

We were once again back in Birmingham.

We went round to Cambrian Wharf first to take on water, get rid of rubbish and empty the cassette. Whilst there, I spotted narrowboat Tawny Pipit II, so went and had a natter with them. We usually see each other but only in passing, so it was nice to have a proper chat for a few minutes, whilst our water tank filled. Also whilst we were there, we met up with Richard Parry the CEO of the Canal and River Trust and had a quick chat with him as he made his way into Birmingham. He always amazes me how he remembers peoples names and he is such a lovely gentleman.

After everything was done, we winded at The Flapper and headed back out to Sheepcote Lane Bridge.

We will be here for a day or two, whilst we visit friends and do some shopping.

Pop back soon xx