The edge of Birmingham

'To bend with apples the moss'd cottage trees, and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;'

Having left behind the rubbish filled waters of of the Birmingham canals we are moored this evening, in beautiful countryside, where our 'view from the kitchen' is just an expanse of harvested fields! We are near Curdworth on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Our journey today has proved fairly uneventful and we have encountered  just three boats! The single locks of Camp Hill and The Garrison are such a relief after those  big locks and heavy gates on the Grand Union. The first couple of hours from Catherine de Barnes was rather cold but the sun broke through in the late morning and we were soon enjoying a beautuful, sunny, Sunday afternoon.

The canals that pass through big cities seem to attract so much rubbish but we have never seen an armchair floating mid channel before! Quite a hazard!  And, much like railway cuttings and bridges the Canals seem to attract so much graffiti, some of it quite artistic and some just a mess. We encountered lots of it today especially through the Garrison Locks. These take us out of the centre of Birmingham to Salford Junction where the Grand Union meets  the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal right under Spaghetti Junction. An amazing piece of engineering and as cars and lorries speed overhead on the M6 this sleepy canal weaves it's  way,  hidden from the motorists beneath tons of concrete road and pillars.

M6 over the Grand Union over the River Tame

Which lane shall get in?

Rather soggy armchair!

Season of mist

'Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness' ( John Keats)

September was always one of Jenny's mum's favourite months and the 'Ode to Autumn' one of her favourite poems.

Waking to a very misty morning we were rather slow to get going!  However,  we were in need of disposing of a growing amount of rubbish on board, having enjoyed bbqs for the past few evenings, ( why is everything in such large packaging?), whilst we relaxed on the towpath, with a glass or two, watching the sun go down! Which is sadly happening earlier and earlier each day so we have been determined to make the most of it. It does get to feel quite damp just after the sun sets however!
We also needed to take on water and empty the toilet cassette so we had to move.

Much to our delight, as we approached the water point a boat was just departing and said they would wait for us at the Bascote staircase lock. Hooray, some company at last!
It was so good to share the locks with Richard and Sue on nb.'Beatrice'. A lovely name for a boat and one that brought back fond memories of our Nimbus days with good friends David and Janet.

We gradually descended the ten locks together, some of which looked amazing with the wonderful spider's webs festooned all around and doarkling with the morning dew, to Leamington Spa where we parted company, for us to visit Morrisons for a much needed top up of provisions and then a little further along to Lidl to top Sid up with some beers! Those long, languid evenings sitting on the bank had made a big hole in the reserves!

The sun didn't break through the mist until well after 12 o'clock and when it did it was very, very warm and rather humid.
Shopping done we decided to continue through Leamington Spa towards Warwick and hopefully find a mooring on the Saltisford Arm, where we have moored on previous ocassions.  Which we did, although a little unauthodox,  but were told it would be okay to moor in the winding hole!

Another pleasant bbq in the lovely surroundings in this little arm run by the Saltisford Canal Trust. And, another lovely sunset!

Hot, hot, hot!

We woke to a lovely misty, moisty, September morning with the sun breaking through the hazy cloud. By the time we left our mooring the sun was getting hot and as we travelled from the Oxford Canal onto the Grand Union the temperature was beginning to rise.

We were joined in the three Calcutt locks by a chap who used to moor in Fenny Marina, in the time of Pat! He now moors in Calcutt Marina so we soon parted company. Then we became 'Billy no mates'. Hoping to have some company through the Stockton Locks proved futile! We didn't see another boat until the last lock! Where had everyone gone from the past couple of days.?!

However, we got to the bottom lock in good time considering the heat and are now rewarding ourselves with a much deserved beer in the Two Boats at Long Itchington.  A beautiful glass of Youngs!

Calcutt Locks

Autumn cruise

Back on board

September finds us back on board for an autumn cruise although having just heard the weather forecast it looks like we might be heading back into summer for a few days.

Since our last post which found us back in Fenny Marina in July amid some lovely summer warmth and sunshine we have spent an emotional August and early September at home where the summer continued hot and dry, as I predicted having seen all the signs in nature during the spring!

We are heading towards Birmingham this time but really are just so happy to be on the water so won't be hurrying anywhere.
We had a day cruise yesterday in the sunshine with Rachel and Lee and were able to enjoy a rather long and lazy bbq lunch on the towpath. The day ended up in the Wharf Inn, Fenny Compton, where Rachel and Lee tried to tackle a 'Cookie Monster' for dessert. It beat them even with a bit of help from us. This was their first, brief introduction to life on board a narrowboat and we think they enjoyed it. We certainly enjoyed having them on board as we do when anyone comes to find us on our travels.

Lee lock wheeling

Rachel enjoying the sunshine 

Lee and Rachel relaxing with some bubbly

Sunny Tuesday.

The forecast was right and we woke to a brilliant, sunny, hot morning. Most unusual for this time of year. Ahead of us was the Napton flight, a pleasant breeze was blowing keeping the temperature just right. No queue at Top Lock which was surprising because the Oxford Canal is extremely busy, especially with hire boats at the moment. Our usually quiet mooring on Monday night was full up by the time evening drew in.

Having thought we would be down the 9 locks in good time for a lunch stop it was with dismay that we were caught behind a hire bought with four ladies on board, all pensioners, as I was to find out, and all with 'ailments', I was too polite to ask what kind of ailments. The problem was they were very, very slow going into locks, working the locks and departing the lock. No great problem,  we were not in a hurry BUT they left gates open and  left paddles up and after a while this can get wearisome. At one lock we caught up with them and Jenny had a chat with the helmswoman, which is how we found out about the 'ailments'! She also discovered that they were not really enjoying their experience and we're heading home early. They had not realised what hard work it was going to be, they thought 66ft was too big for them, they got soaked last Saturday. What a tale of woe?!
I didn't like to say that we too were pensioners and manage all the locks with just the two of us! Well, horses for courses and thank goodness we don't all like the same things!

Sheep on the towpath! 

Anyway, it took us two and a half hours to get through the locks which normally take  about an hour less! Heigh ho, that's boating for you.

We are now moored at yet another of our favourite places along this stretch of water, where once again it is very busy.

Another hot day forecast for tomorrow and the large Grand Union Locks await us! Let's hope we have some company to share the work.

Wildlife and animals along the way

Grey squirrel 

Baby rabbit

Alpaca

Sleeping sheep

Hillside horses

How did he get there?!

Home Again

We seem to be coming home rather a lot thus year! However,  we had a good last few days on board with the sun coming through and warming things up a bit although the persistent wind was still a nuisance.

All Saints Church in the sunshine

We arrived just outside Braunston on Saturday and we're therefore able to go to All Saints on Sunday morning and received the normal warm welcome.  Our good friends Sue and Pete were going to meet us for lunch in The Old Plough, which is just along the road from the church.  It was so good to catch uo with them and we enjoyed an excellent roast lunch followed by a stroll in the warm sunshine back to Hunters Moon.

Sue and Pete feeding the ducks from Hunters Moon

It was so lovely that we decided to move the boat into Braunston together with Sue and Pete so they only had a short walk back to their car. A pleasant little journey .

After saying cheerio to our friends we then had a beautiful evening cruise to another of our favourite moorings where we watched a stunning sunset on a warm, still evening. Summer at last??!!

We moved into Wigwams Turn Marina on Monday morning where we had arranged to moor Hunters Moon for a couple of weeks whilst we settle Jenny's mum into her nursing home, sort out her house and get it fit for putting on the market and also for Sid to get to the dentist, having lost part of a tooth, and investigate further treatment to sort his heart out.

We are not sure  how the rest of our summer will pan out yet so thus may be our last post for a while but we will resume when our travels resume.

Moving into 'high summer'!

Well, as June moves into July we are still wearing our fleeces, the skies are full of rain threatening clouds, the wind is chilly and gusty and for a couple of evenings recently we have had the stove fired up to dry us out and warm us up. I suppose we are past the longest day and soon we will notice the nights drawing in!

Wild Orchids at Hilmorton Locks 

The fields of yellow during May have turned green and some are sprinkled with bright red poppies. Some fields have been taken over by poppies and create a breathtaking  and moving sight.
The blossom, so beautiful and abundant last month, has almost disappeared from the hedgerows now with the exception of the blackberries. elderflowers and wild roses. We should be in for a bumper crop of berries and hips this year.  The green canal side look as though they are waiting to be brushed with summer colour.

                        
                               Double Rainbow over the Oxford Canal

After all the recent heavy rain the towpaths are very, very muddy especially where they are shaded from the small glimpses of sunshine on offer.