OOO LA LA

------- les Francais ayant une aire de pique-nique ----- right outside our back doors!!!    We were having lunch inside and suddenly there was all this noise.   Okay, we were in centre of Birmingham so you can expect more than just birdies tweeting and ducks a-quacking, so we carried on with lunch.    Then climbed the back steps with our cuppas and - voila !! - madness on the towpath.    Several French families had set up a table and chairs and cooker and were having their lunch too - unfortunately I couldn’t spot any vin - rouge ou blanc ou meme rose - (spoil sports) - in a VERY noisy fashion which I think is quite typical for them if I remember correctly from several holidays many years ago in the South of France!     I was also trying to spy if they had tents and sleeping bags but couldn’t see anything that resembled such nice-ities of camping in England in May.


Then Dai dispelled my illusions of such open air antics ---- the world champion BMX cycling event was taking place at the NIA and obviously they were just enjoying a spot of sunshine on the canal towpath instead of eating inside the arena --- but I still have to wonder why they chose to picnic right by our back doors.   Perhaps they thought they could pretend to be boaters for a little while??    Or perhaps their provisions and picnic table/chairs became too heavy to carry on anywhere else.   So, in the spirit of Europeaness, I smiled and didn’t shoo them away and, in any case, before they had departed, a boat moored on the other side of the canal upped anchor so we shunted over as we do prefer to be on the “Sea Life Centre” side as it’s a bit less hectic with cyclists and tourists.


Yes, we toured the Bull Ring Markets and got plenty of fruit, veg and meat bargains - it really is worth the stroll down there as there are lots of stalls and lots of value to be had - especially if you are prepared to barter like we are!


We left there on Friday and moved up (or rather, I guess, “down”) to Alvechurch where we stayed over the weekend in the glorious sunshine with lots of grassy towpath.   Alvechurch village is only a short walk down the dip where there is a smallish Co-op, 2 butchers, bakers, post office, greengrocers.


Had a splendid night out at the pub, and then Sunday dinner on Jandai, with friends Martine and Phillippa of Cool Canals who we hadn’t seen for many months - they are currently moored in the marina there as deadlines loom for their next book.  


So, today we are moored at the top of Tardebigge Flight (well, not strictly accurate, we have gone down the Top Lock as there are lovely moorings between that lock and the next one) and plan is to go down the 30 lock flight tomorrow Thursday (ok, ok, so we have done one so only have 29 more to go!!).   No doubt we will be up early as we are surrounded by bleating lambs, anxious ewes and a VERY noisy cockerel who just doesn’t stop cock-a-doodling-do!


Since last blog we have done … 13 miles and 1 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1781 miles and  1391 locks  

What a Splendid Bull
love his coat to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee

centre of Birmingham on a hot sunny day
with lots of people quenching their thirst!

Phillippa and Martine waving us off

Breakfast please - just pass it out of the side hatch

info board as you go into the Tunnel

going by Birmingham University

yes - hot and sunny enough even for Dai !

How Many Locks??!!

31 this last week!!    Yep, that's right - and 24 of them in one day - so my muscles are toned up again - ha ha!!




Right now we are moored near Gas Street Basin in middle of Birmingham and it’s stifling hot!!!   Typical eh - we wait for some nice weather and when it comes we are in the middle of England’s second city!   


Left KINVER LAST SUNDAY (UMM, DON’T KNOW WHY I AM SUDDENLY TYPING IN LITTLE CAPITAL LETTERS!!   EXCUSE ME BUT I MUST HAVE PRESSED SOME BUTTON BY MISTAKE AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP IT!!) AND WENT UP THE FIRST FOUR LOCKS ON THE STOURBRIDGE CANAL HAVING TURNED AT STEWPONEY.    THEN SET OFF AT 7 AM THE NEXT DAY AS WE HAD THE 16 STOURBRIDGE LOCKS FLIGHT AND THEN THE 8 LOCK FLIGHT AT THE DELPH.   


BEST LAID PLANS ------ AFTER FIRST 4 LOCKS A BRITISH WATERWAYS MAN STOPPED US AS THERE WERE A COUPLE OF EMPTY POUNDS FURTHER UP AND THEY WERE RE-WATERING THEM.    SO, ABOUT 1.5 HOURS LATER, OFF WE WENT AGAIN.    THESE ARE QUITE AWKWARD LOCKS GOING UP AS THERE IS NO ‘RUNNING BOARD’ OVER THE TOP GATE - YOU HAVE TO CLAMOR UP ONTO THE GATE BEAM WHICH WOULD BE OK, BUT THESE LOCKS HAVE GATE PADDLES TO WHICH KIND OF GET IN THE WAY AS YOU ARE (OK, I AM) GINGERLY GETTING ACROSS.     ANYWAY, NO MORE HOLD UPS ON THIS FLIGHT, SO OFF WE WENT TO THE NEXT SET AT THE DELPH WHICH ARE QUITE MAGNIFICENT WITH THEIR BY WASHES AS YOU’LL SEE FROM PIX BELOW.    LUCKILY WHERE WE WERE MOORING WAS ONLY LESS THAN A MILE FURTHER ON - ON THE EMBANKMENT OVERLOOKING THE MERRY HILL SHOPPING CENTRE.     IT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE A NOVELTY STAYING THERE WATCHING ALL THE COMINGS AND GOINGS AT THE CENTRE!


I DID SPEND A COUPLE OF HOURS WANDERING AROUND WINDOW SHOPPING (ANOTHER NOVELTY FOR ME!!) YESTERDAY AND THEN WE WENT OUT FOR A MEAL WITH GLYN AND LINDA THAT EVENING.    NOT A BAD MEAL AT ALL AT THE WHARF CONSIDERING IT WAS “2 MEALS FOR PRICE OF 1”.


SO AFTER A DAY’S REST FOLLOWING MONDAY’S 24 LOCKS, WE SET OUT THIS MORNING THROUGH NETHERTON TUNNEL (A LONG ONE SO I HAD TO KEEP FOXXIE COMPANY INSIDE).   WE HADN’T BEEN LONG IN THE TUNNEL WHEN WE HAD TO PASS A BW WORKING BOAT WITH CHAPS DOING A TUNNEL SURVEY - THANKFULLY NETHERTON IS A TWO-WAY WIDTH OTHERWISE WE WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE BEEN HELD UP GOODNESS KNOWS HOW LONG!


WE’LL PROBABLY STAY HERE TOMORROW AND HEAD OFF FRIDAY - OUR NEXT MAIN DESTINATION IS THE DROITWICH CANAL.


FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS LOVELY SUNSHINE WILL LAST UNTIL OCTOBER - OK THEN, FOR A COUPLE DAYS MORE!



Since last blog we have done … 20 miles and 31 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1768 miles and  1390 locks  

one of the bywashes on the Delph Flight - I think I counted 
7of the 8 locks have this same magnificence!

looking down the Delph locks flight

Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Dudley
taken from our mooring on the embankment above

lots of these info boards on the Dudley No.2 canal

sometimes it is hard to believe you are in the
midst of built up conurbations - this was taken just after
the sign in picture above

nice change from the usual mileage marker board

then you see this - actually we DO care
unfortunately a lot of these interesting boards are defaced

a British Waterways man surveying the roof
in the Netherton Canal.   He is standing on a scaffold
tower on the boat

Canal; then in the middle an aqueduct and then on top the M5 motorway.
On right hand side is a rail track

River YoYo

Aka River Severn!   Whilst we were in Stourport the river was up and down, up and down ---- in the red, amber and green depending which hour you looked!!   So, in the end, we turned around and are now making our way back up the Staffs and Worcs Canal to turn right at Stewponey  ---- then 60 million locks up into Birmingham.


Stourport is a funny sort of place.   The High Street is a bit old-fashioned with a big Co-op and Tesco Metro at the end and then Lidl on other side of the canal.    Then down at the bottom end of the High Street are cafes, sweetie shops and fish ‘n’ chips as you get nearer to the River where the permanent funfair is next to the canal basins.    We have always really liked Stourport but talking to other boaters, some love it, some hate it.   I can understand why - it’s certainly different!


Talking to one single-handed boater who we helped up the 2 x 2-staircases in the basins -
He had left Worcester on the River that morning and what should normally take about 2.5 hours had taken him about 5.5 hrs going against the flood water coming down from Wales.     Before that he’d been on the River Avon at Tewkesbury tied to scaff poles and a tree and couldn’t get off his boat for 5 days unless he wanted to swim!


We are now back at Kinver waiting for the rain to stop and the sun to come out - seems like it’ll be a miracle if it does.    Arh well - last year we didn’t have a Summer, this year we aren’t having a Spring.   We are still having to have a fire in the evenings - madness in the middle of May.    As you’ll see from photo below - even Foxxie is still curled up in her bed with extra covers on.   Poor thing - she has been losing her winter coat like crazy these last couple of weeks and is obviously feeling the cold now!


Since last blog we have done … 10 miles and  9 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1748 miles and  1359 locks

Who told the Cuckoo that Spring is here?

Sitting on the boat on 5 day moorings just before the first Stourport Lock into the basins --- sitting indoors cos - oh yes - it’s raining.   Water level from the canal onto the River Severn was in the green yesterday but wonder what it will be tomorrow??!!    We (or rather the Captain of the Ship) decided not to go out onto the river with all this rain about,  but take the long way round to the Droitwich Canal.    I don’t much like rivers though cos the levels come up in no time and then it can be pretty scary.   Plus the fact that you can’t just moor where you fancy.


Had a good day last Saturday when Glyn and Linda came to tea and then up to one of the pubs in Kinver - The Plough and Harrow, a Bathams own pub where two pints was less than £5 ---- usually we have to pay at least £6+ for two pints !     Glyn and Linda also bought us some of their homegrown rhubarb so guess what was for pudding with Sunday dinner??    You got it - rhubarb crumble, to go with a superb leg of lamb I picked up in the Bullring meat market on my travels back from Nottingham late last week.


Heard the first cuckoo on Monday - mmmm, who told him that Spring was here?    


Foxxie went swimming in the canal just as I was about to open the sluices at Kidderminster Lock - thank goodness she fell in before I started on the paddles and not afterwards as she was right by the gate ---- and thank goodness she fell before the gate and not down into the lock!    Silly moo.


Since last blog we have done … 10 miles and  7 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1738 miles and  1350 locks  

going into Cookley Tunnel
Hope they not banging about too much
in the houses above!

At Debdale Lock.  
There is a "shelter" dug out of the sandstone by
this lock.    Some say it was a stable for the canal
horses (but how do they get down those steps and
over the balance beam?).   Others say it was a
shelter for the navvies when they were building
the canal.   I say its a den for magic making

Don't care much for the new footpath bridge
built over Debdale Lock

Filling the lock.   It has been rather noticeable
that all the locks since about The Bratch on the
Staffs and Worcs Canal going south are
leaking like crazy - they empty minutes
after you leave the lock going up

Another Sandstone Cutting on the Staffs and Worcs Canal.
I think it's a really pretty canal going down into Strouport
(if you forget about Kidderminster!)

Who's Supervising??

just love this name as you go into Stourport !

Lovely new canalside apartments in the Stourport Basins

But they obviously don't want to clutter it with boats
Just put the jetties in to complete the waterside setting

Turning off the River Severn onto the Staffs and Worcs
Canal at Stourport.    There are 2 sets of 2-staircase locks, then
one more single lock onto the canal from the Basins

One of the Stourport Basins.
There is only overnight mooring for 2 boats visiting
(well, we couldn't see anymore)

How many canal basins have a helter-skelter
and other funfair rides??

Glyn to the rescue

You’ve heard of Postman Pat ---- well, what about Coalman Glyn?    Last time we bought some coal we thought “plenty now to see us through”.    Oh no!!   We are down to one spare bag and nowhere to get some until next Tuesday and they’ve forecast overnight frosts for the weekend!    We are moored at Kinver and Dai’s brother is planning to visit us over the weekend so we’ve begged him to get a couple of bags of coal for us on his way.    Surely, oh surely, that will now last us until Spring decides to arrive?


Sorry blog is 2 days late ---- I travelled (via bus, 3 trains and a tram and then the same in reverse) back to Hucknall - my home town - on Tuesday and didn’t get back until last night.   No, the journey didn’t take that long, it’s so I could see my daughter who has returned from 6 months in Thailand !    It was SO good to see her and get big hugs in the flesh- Skype is good but its not flesh!!    Amy is planning to return to Thailand in September to carry on teaching English out there.    This time her boyfriend Andy is going with her who will also be teaching English.   At same time of course, it was lovely to see my mum, brother and his family who all live in Hucknall.


Since seeing our first ducklings last week, we haven’t seen any since.    Is anyone else noticing this - a real shortage this year ----- or maybe its just on the Staffs & Worcs canal.   Thinking of that, we haven’t seen hardly any kingfishers this year either although did spy one last week - see if you can also see it in the photo below!!     However, we do see loads of buzzards everywhere and the other day we saw the third type of woodpecker so have now clocked up all three in the last couple of months.


Here at Kinver the Vine pub by Kinver lock has been closed apparently since Christmas.   We have now heard 2 different tales of why it is closed ---- probably the truth is a third tale!    Surprised someone hasn’t picked it up quick as it must be a goldmine during the summer months - it has been packed every time we have passed by before.


Our plan is now to go down to Stourport in the hope that the river lock onto the Severn will be open ---- not looking that likely for a while yet as, although it hasn’t yet today, its rained either all day or off/on each day for the past week still.    If not, then we’ll just turn around and rethink the Plan!!


Since last blog we have done … 6 miles and  4 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1728 miles and  1343 locks  

Now all together "we are the Ovaltinees ....."

Rocky Lock - so named, we assumed, by the rocky steps
or --- because it is in a cutting through sandstone?
Probably both!

beauty, surprisingly not too deep
into the foliage for a change!