A happy meeting on a dreary day

Monday 30^th September; Handsacre to Fradley pumping station

It rained heavily overnight but it was just drizzling this morning when we woke up.  We had expected to be hunkered down for the day, but the forecast had changed from heavy rain to light, so what to do?   Dave walked the dog to assess the situation, and as it was only light drizzle by the time he got back, we moved off.  We caught up with a boat which moored on the landing at Wood End lock, taking ages …. But he wasn’t going down so we did.

Properly raining by now

Wood End lock was going to be blighted by HS2 until the northern section was cancelled.  Someone appears to have been into the site to have a look.

No Jess, not you

Nature is starting to return, those seeds must have been waiting in the piles of bare earth for their moment.

The bottom gate beams are angled – the bridge to the cottage must have been built after the lock.

The footrails are where you’d expect for normal gates, but here they are totally useless.

It was too early to stop for lunch, but if we had gone down Shadehouse Lock and found the next moorings at the start of the Coventry were full, well, I’d have been very cross.  So we made the decision to moor on the Armco above the lock, and there was What a Lark!

The dog needed a walk so Dave took her off straight away and when he returned Lisa and David had emerged from WAL to go out, so we had a lovely chat.  We’ve followed each other’s blogs for years, but apart from a hasty wave at Kidderminster, I think when we were still on Chuffed, we’ve never actually had a conversation!  Unfortunately we needed to move on this afternoon, so couldn’t take up their kind offer of a drink ths evening.  Before we cast off again I had a quick chat with George on Cholet, the boat which had come in behind us - it was the one that had needed to stop above Wood End lock.  He has only just taken ownership and is having various problems, hence needing to stop on the lock landing.  He hopes to be staying put for a week now to get some of the issues sorted.

There was a dryish spell as we left, but the drizzle started again within minutes.  At all the locks someone had tied a little bag with a crocheted ornamental thing to hang in your window.

After Middle Lock, I walked on with Jess to cross the junction at Junction lock.  Unfortunately there were a lot of leaves collected above the top gate and Jess mistook them for solid ground.  At least when she is wearing her harness she is easy to haul out of the canal!  It doesn’t seem to bother her in the slightest.  I opened the swing bridge and Dave took Bonjour through to the water point.

I always have to take a moment to work out which way to push a swing bridge.  I wish they all had such clear instructions!

I kept this crocheted thing.  Now we must do a Random Act of Kindness to pay for it.

The rain was persistent as Dave topped up the water and I took the rubbish and recycling round to the bins.  I wish there was a book swap here, we’ve got several to pass on.  Just as the water tank had filled, a boat pinched the last of the mooring spaces, so we had to go on – we know from experience that it’s too shallow to moor here beyond the end of the Armco.  In the rain, still.

The first Christmas lights of the season?

Fradley village moorings were also full and we had to go on to Fradley pumping station, by which time we were getting cold and a bit fed up.  This used to be a wharf serving the pumping station, with 'No Mooring' signs.  We found out one year when we stopped for lunch, probably back in our sharing days.  We stayed while we ate - we just kept an ear open for approaching boats.  Anyway, once we were tied up we lit the fire straight away.  For tea we had a pie using the leftover chicken from yesterday and the stock I made this morning from the bones.  Yum!  Dave walked Jess later on and realised that the wind had got up – moored in the shelter of the wood we had no idea.  Too late to move on, so we listened to the owls instead.

6 wet miles, 3 wet locks, 1 wet swing bridge and a (dry) crocheted gift, which is now hanging in the port saloon window.