Yes, Dai can still steer the boat!! After far too long static in Birmingham, we cast off today (because it wasn’t raining) and moved ! Nine miles down the Worcestershire/Birmingham Canal to Hopwood. It is sooooo nice to see green instead of bricks and mortar. In fact, when we moored, Foxxie was dashing about like a deranged demon (rather like all the folks in the Bull Ring both pre and post Christmas!!), relishing soft grass (or should that be mud?) under her pads instead of concrete.
Dai did his usual thing of racing through tunnels at full bore as we went through Wast Hill Tunnel. I was inside with Foxxie (you only have to say “tunnel” to her and she’s inside the boat like a flash of lightening and then sits at the bottom of the steps slavering and drooling) and thought we must be passing a flotilla in full battle formation as suddenly I was rudely awakened from pondering a particularly nasty clue in the crossword I was doing attempting. There is hardly any boat movement right now so guess what happened in the Tunnel? Yes, another boat coming in the opposite direction. Dai had spied lights ahead and so slowed down but the other boat didn’t resulting in a big “coming together” as the boats bounced off one another and then into the wall. Oh well, these things happen and no real harm done.
Talking of tunnels/Foxxie panic - we also had to come through Edgbaston Tunnel which is, I think, the only tunnel we have done which has lighting down the centre. Not nice lighting - quite horrible orangey neon - but lighting nonetheless. That really did confuse Foxxie ! She didn’t know what to do - a tunnel but lit. In the end, she stayed uptop with Dai still slavering and drooling but safe in the knowledge that she could see her Master!! (Of course, I was inside doing my Domestic Goddess thing - someone has to wash up pots eventually.)
We are on our way to see friends who are moored in Alvechurch; then the plan is to turn around and go back up into Birmingham by which time we are hoping other friends have arrived there after being stuck for ages near Burton on Trent waiting for the River Trent levels to subside (and in any case, we will have run out of meat by then so can stock up again in the Bullring Meat Market which is Dai’s most favourite place in all the world).
Since last blog we have done … 9 miles and 0 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 2078 miles and 1701 locks
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| HAPPY NEW YEAR |
Happy New Year to you both. Hope to see you sometime later in the year.( Thats if the NHS lets Ian go!)
ReplyDeleteXxxx
Hi Jan, Dai....
ReplyDeleteWe have returned from our month long stay in Egypt and the time is getting nearer for us (March)
Anyways.....would just like to wish you both a very happy new year and we'll "bump" into you both some time soon ;-) xx
Rob and Suzie
It's a pity you've moved from Brum... I have a meeting at The Mailbox on Tuesday and was going to come & find you on the towpath! However I can understand your need for countryside. Sorry to hear about the tunnel incident - hope your paintwork didn't get damaged.
ReplyDeleteAlistair
Alistair - we came down to Alvechurch to meet up with friends but tomorrow (Monday) are going back to Brum as other friends arrived there yesterday and will be there for a few days so yes, come and say hello!
DeleteI found Jandai and knocked, but the only answer I received was a Foxxie 'woof'. We had a brief chat through the door, but I think Foxxie gave up on me! So sorry to miss you. Maybe next time?
ReplyDeleteAlistair
ha ha ---- Foxxie told us someone had been!!
ReplyDeletesorry to have missed you --- you must have come when we were down the market. We plan on being here for a few more days then down to Alvechurch and then back up to brum for Fri 18th as we are boat sitting for a night while our friends go off to see family in bournemouth and then when they come back we are off up to the shroppie.
anytime you are close by, please do try us!
cheers, dai and janice and foxxie