Astwood locks and Jess’s first dunking

Thursday 18^th April; Astwood bottom lock to Stoke Pound

It was very cold overnight, as bloggers have reported, but no frost where we were, sheltered by a hedge.  We were away by 9, well wrapped up and with warm hats and gloves too.  The sun did its best and I gradually shed layers as the work warmed me up.  At the first lock, just as I had opened the top gate, Jess decided to have a drink from the canal, using the convenient ledge below the coping stones to put her feet on.  It was right at the end of the curved wall above the lock, well away from the boat.  But the ledge was slippery and in she went.  She wears a harness when she is off the boat, so it was a simple matter to haul her out.  She wasn’t bothered in the slightest, just shook water over everyone and trotted off up the canal.

Beginning to behave at locks

At the second lock on the flight, a lady from the boat that arrived as we left the bottom lock came up.  Anne is a blog reader and we locked down the Ladywood flight together on the Droitwich Barge Canal when we were still on Chuffed.  They closed up the locks behind us, as with 5 on board there was plenty of crew.

And the gnomes looked on

We moored at Stoke Works for a cup of tea and I went down to the shops.  The Butcheress was open so I went in for the meat for a stroganoff in a day or two.  The delivery van, the sign above the shop and their bags are all bright pink.

We decided to get going again to be sure of a mooring in Stoke Pound, before we tackle Tardebigge tomorrow.  We paused at Stoke Bottom lock so I could nip across to the bins and dispose of a large and soggy sack that had been dumped on the towpath at Stoke Works.  It was a late lunch for us, but we are in pole position for the flight tomorrow.  We had planned to take Jess for her first visit to a pub and have a beer in the sunshine, but the rain started during the afternoon, first stealthy and light, then very steady and prolonged so we lit the fire and stayed in.

2½ miles, 12 locks