Steam Train

It must be our stomachs!  We have yet to find a fish & chip outlet we enjoy.  Both of us gave up trying to eat the meal from the Audlem “Chippy”.  The food contained too much fat for our delicate stomachs.  Digesting all that fat saw Jan punching out zzzzzzzz’s by mid evening whilst I flaked in my chair like a lizard in the sun.

This morning I was half woken by a local steam train passing through Audlem.  I knew it had pulled out of the station because I heard the distinct sound of a steam whistle.  My confused and drowsy mind went into overload attempting to recall the location of the Audlem railway station?  It wasn’t until later that the alert partner in this relationship mentioned she had taken several photos of steam boat “President” and butty “Kildare” as they went past.

Jan has been doing a sterling job with her cheap digital Samsung camera, but we’ve decided on an upgrade.  Something with a more powerful zoom lens.

After sleeping on it overnight Jan went back to Audlem Mill and bought the cross stitch pattern she had been fondling caressing the previous day.  We did a quick trip to the Co-op for bread and Jan’s weekly magazines before moving down to the water point outside the “Shroppie Fly”.  Whilst I took off with the camera, Jan went to the pub to looked at the menu.  I returned to find her weeping over our choice of last night’s dinner.  Apparently the Shroppie Fly would have been a much better option!

nb Silver Fern was moored in the pound between locks 14 and 15.  Another kiwi connection?

It was only a short cruise to the excellent SUCS moorings at Coole Pilate.  The big decision for the day was whether to BBQ for lunch or dinner.  In the end we made the correct decision opting for lunch.

There’s now only enough Rugby steak and Braunston sausages in the freezer for one more meal.  

We acquired a lunch companion when someone’s friendly golden laborador arrived volunteering to eat any fat or gristle from the Scottish Highland steak.

In the afternoon Jan got up close and personal with the shower whilst I rubbed down the stern deck and starboard side of the cockpit, before applying another topcoat.  The damned local insects then decided to suicide on my wet paint.  After I’d finished we had a couple of spells of lightly rained.  My wet paint…….. Why me lord?

Oink oink….. Audlem

Forgot to mention we passed nb Sokai as we left Market Drayton.  She was moored at Talbot Wharf where it appears she might be waiting for repainting?

At Audlem top lock Jan stopped to chat with some friendly locals, although it might have been suggested they were relatives of mine. 

We stopped for the day on the 48 hour moorings below lock 2.  Whilst it had been a relatively short day the rationale for the decision was:

• Few trees, therefore more chance of getting a FreeSat TV signal
• Up high, therefore more chance of getting a FreeView TV signal (covering all the bases)
• Carrying on meant completing another 10 locks
• Arriving at Audlem in mid/late afternoon might mean no vacant mooring.

In the evening Jan carried on knitting whilst watching the heads roll on TV and I went for a walk down the flight to check on the mooring situation at Audlem.  It was 7.30pm and the flight was quiet.

Looking back up

Looking down

The earlier decision not to go down the flight proved to be sound as there were no vacant 48 hour moorings.  I particularly noted the boats facing up the flight intending to remember them in the morning.

On the walk back up the flight I came upon a solo boater coming down.  He was doing everything correctly (eg, lowering paddles and shutting all the gates) so I asked him if he had a spare windlass and would he like some assistance.  I then helped him down to lock 12 and mentioned there were some vacant spots on the 5 Day moorings around the corner.

We were the first boat away in the morning around 8.30 arriving at lock 3 just as the second boat of the day coming up the flight exited the lock (good timing).  We then crossed with boats coming up the flight at most of the locks.  There was a sight problem at Lock 8 where two hire boats from below had both managed to arrive in the pound.  Then a third hireboat crew from below turned the lock and also came up.  We managed to jiggle around the “crush” and continue down to Audlem grabbing a mooring near the Shroppie Fly (pub) at 11.30am.  That was our cruising for the day. 

We went off to the local butcher for more of their delicious sausages (black pudding & apple, pork, leek & stilton) before calling into the Co-op for a fresh baguette. 

By 1.30pm all the moorings on the towpath side were full and there was a steady stream of boats going past in each direction.  How we remember our hiring days frantically looking for a mooring at the end of the day and grumbling sightly about those boaters not working to a schedule!

After lunch I rubbed down the rear deck ready for the first of two topcoats. It’s now received one coat of primer and two of undercoat.  The sun came out which resulted in the decision to apply the first of two top coats.  I was a third of the way applying the topcoat when the boater behind us must have noticed me doing some maintenance and decided to sand the rust patches on his stern paintwork.  No I don’t understand either!  Why would he create airborne particles having seen me painting?  Oh well, another topcoat is required anyway.  My paintwork still has brushstrokes in it so I somehow need to convince Jan she would make a much better painter.

Jan went off to have a look through the handicraft and souvenir shop adjacent to the Shroppie Fly.  She returned empty handed much to the relief of the moths in her purse.  Actually she has bulimic moths in her purse!

The lady in the shop gave Jan a flyer for “The Village Chippy” along with a promising recommendation.  So we know what is for dinner tonight!

Blog reader Pat has left a comment asking about the TV media setup on Waiouru.  I’ll have to take some photos to assist in the explanation.

Market Drayton

Jan was up before the sparrows this morning leaving me to blissfully examine the inside of my eyelids.  Eventually she couldn’t contain her enthusiasm and came bouncing into the bedroom to alert me to the arrival of dawn!

Yesterday we walked to the Morrisons supermarket in Market Drayton taking with us the ubiquitous old lady’s shopping trolley (well we had to get all the beer back to Waiouru).  Jan wandered around the aisles filling the trolley with bored hubby in tow.  In the fruit and veg area she asked “Do you fancy some kiwifruit and chocolate chip muffins?”  It’s a rare day when I’ll turn down food!  I guess the kiwifruit was on special.  What with the beer, large bag of charcoal and canned goods the trolley was looking decidedly bandy legged and had a squeak.  I don’t think she is much longer for this world!

We quietly departed the mooring doing tickover when a lovely lady appeared at her side hatch to tell me she is a blog reader.  Hurrah…..  That’s four confirmed readers!  I was tempted to tell her to “Get a Life!”  But she was too nice for that.  Anyway, thanks for making the effort! 

The plan came together when we reached the water point to find it empty.  Unfortunately the water pressure at Market Drayton suffers the same problem as me and despite us being three quarters full it still took 40 minutes to top up the tanks.  Jan actually managed to get a load of washing done whilst we waited.

The cruise to Adderley Locks was done at tickover.  A combination of long lines of moored boats and a slow boater ahead.  It wasn’t an issue for us as weren’t working to a timetable.  Doing the five locks at Adderley took very little time because there were more boats rising than descending.  We continued on to Audlem Locks doing the first two before stopping on the 48 hour moorings. The Smartgauge was showing the batteries at 100%. 

I needed to spend part of the afternoon working on the rear deck paintwork.  The plastic matting has protected the deck except the “feet” on the underside of the matting have marked the paintwork.  Well the matting wasn’t bought to protect the paint but rather to protect us from slipping on a frost covered deck.

I’ve just finished reading Peter Berry’s most recent blog post about boat maintenance and insurance <link here>.  His observations are a replication of our own.  I certainly would not allow any work to be done on Waiouru without being present throughout.  That’s obviously easier for us to achieve as “live-aboard” boaters.  We have also read the “fine print” on our boat insurance policy and it was quite a revelation to realize what’s excluded

More on Airbnb

Readers you may recall our recent trip to Paris and that we booked the apartment through the airbnb website.  It was all rather painless and the apartment was great.  Where it started to get difficult was the request by airbnb to leave feedback on on our experience.  We were prepared to do this, however airbnb wanted ID verification by providing a copy of a passport, drivers licence or government ID card.  We’re not prepared to provide this information just to give feedback.  Moreover they didn’t want this information to make the booking or take the money!

To compound the problem the airbnb website doesn’t have a ‘contact us’ or a ‘help’ link on the main page as the website automatically defaults to the verification page demanding ID.

After several automatic reminders we received a “Final Reminder” to complete the process and earn $20 voucher.  We ignored the final email.  A week later we received an email from a human (I think) asking whether were were having problems with our account.

Hello Tom,

My name is ********* and I'm a member of the Airbnb Trust and Safety team. For security reasons, we are proactively requiring additional verification information. This precautionary measure is necessary to keep your account active. In order to ensure that your future experiences with Airbnb go as smoothly as possible, kindly ask that you use the following link to complete verification, and then send a reply to this email to confirm you have done so:

So I replied

Dear ********,
I would like to leave positive feedback regarding our recent holiday.  However I am not prepared to provide airbnb with copies of the requested documents just to leave feedback.  I note it was quite acceptable to book and pay for our accommodation without this information.

And ******** wrote back

Dear Tom,

Thanks for your reply! I apologize for confusion or concern this process may have caused.

We believe that providing the right environment allows you to make safe, informed decisions so we have instituted a number of tools for users to build their reputation and verify the information on their profile. Profiles can include up to twenty photos (and even a video profile), verified phone numbers and email addresses, and authentic reviews from other users.
By also connecting your Facebook and/or Linkedin account, we are able to reference indicators that will allow us to verify your identity. This is used solely for verification purposes and we will never post to your timeline without your approval or share this information with anyone.
Please note that our verification process is a mandatory step in order to utilize your Airbnb account. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any additional questions. 

I bet they would like this information.  I’ve made many internet hotel bookings in my time and never had to provide this type of information.  How many companies can I think of who have stated they will protect your personal data and then have to subsequently apologise because their security was breached and the data stolen.  I don’t want my identity stolen and frankly I’m getting tired of receiving emails from Nigerian princes!

So I wrote to **********

Dear *********
When I attempt to access my account it defaults to the verification page where my options are
"Take a photo or use your computer's webcam to upload a picture of your official ID, such as a driver's license or passport."
I don't see any other options?

And today I received the following reply

Dear Tom,

Thanks for your reply! Completing offline verification by uploading a photo of a current government issued ID is required, which is why your account automatically takes you to this page.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please let us know!

So we’re back to requiring a photo and current government issued ID documentation.

I don’t have any further questions or concerns, our mutual positions are clear.  This is where airbnb and I part company!

Having a father with a masters degree in computer science and a son in internet marketing has made me very aware how your personal data is collected and used.  There’s no such think as a free lunch.  Google, Facebook, etc, etc don’t give you a free program.  They harvest and sell your data to make money.  Despite Facebook’s persistent efforts I refuse to give them anything but the bare minimum of personal data, and some of that is inaccurate.  For example my marital status is unknown and I was born “somewhere” in 1901.  Probably why my Facebook page shows Ad’s to buy viagra, hearing loss products, incontinent pads and meet nubile young women. 

That Porthole

Readers this post is about my effort to rectify a problem with the galley porthole.  It all started with our first boat builder (if you can call him a builder).  He managed to locate the port galley porthole in the wrong place.  As a consequence we ended with a hole on the partition between the galley and the back bedroom.  His solution was to make the cabin bed 5ft 6ins long.  Obviously this was going to seriously restrict the height of any would-be guests. The hole had to be relocated.  Well that’s not quite correct.  We had to have a new hole cut in the side and the disc then welded into the old hole.  In doing this a slight distortion was created in the cabin wall.  As a consequence of this the new porthole required additional weatherproof foam tape to make a water tight seal.  After doing this there was a significant amount of tape protruding from around the aluminium porthole frame.  You can see it in the following photo.
Jan here… Plus his knobbly knees

The window has been like this for two winters and one summer.  I deliberately haven’t touched it because I wanted to see if there would be any movement (expansion/contraction) in the foam tape.  You can also see in the above photo that I have already removed the pvc beading tape which covers the screw heads.  I was actually rather surprised at the amount of water retained behind the tape.  It was immediately apparent that the screw holes need to be water tight to prevent water from getting behind the porthole frame.
After carefully removing all the stainless steel wood screws the porthole was prised from the cabin wall and laid flat.  A razor knife was then used to carefully cut the excess window tape from around the external circumference of the frame.

Examining the hole revealed there was a gap between the timber porthole liner, the aluminium porthole frame and the timber framing around the hole.  I knew there was a water tight seal between the porthole frame and the cabin side so any sign of dampness in this area is due to condensation.  It forms on the cold internal side of the porthole frame and then migrates down between the aluminium frame and the timber porthole liner.  This is what’s staining the timber liner.
We can’t eliminate the condensation because it’s coming from us, the calor gas and the cooking.

You can see the gap (bottom arrow) and the face of the timber porthole liner (top arrow).  I don’t know how others have attempted to eliminate this problem but my solution was to mask the outer edge of the timber porthole liner (blue tape) and then apply a heavy bead of silicone to fill the gaps and create a waterproof membrane on the face of all the exposed timber.

Once I had plenty of silicon around the frame I used my index finger to spread it evenly, remembering not to pick my nose afterwards!  Too much silicone wasn’t a concern because any surplus would either be squeezed out internally onto the blue tape and create a seal or it would be squeezed out behind the face of the aluminium porthole frame.  Just to make sure there was a good external seal I applied another bead of silicone onto the inside of the aluminium frame before reinserting the frame into the hole.

This is where the problem occurred.  I had very carefully placed the 10 stainless steel wood screws in my trouser pocket.  It was when I went to retrieve them that I discovered the “plop..plop” sound I had been hearing was the screws falling through the hole in my pocket and into the canal.  Readers, harsh words were said!  Did you know a magnet can’t retrieve stainless steel.  Fortunately I had a few spare screws.  The screws were reinserted in sequence diagonally opposite each other to ensure the porthole went in evenly.  However the screws weren’t tightened.  Actually I loosened each one in turn and applied a dollop of silicone to the screw shaft. The screws were then fully tightened.  Hopefully the silicone will seal between the head of the screw and the hole.

Finally the pvc beading tape was fitted back into the groove to cover the screw heads.

I then wiped of any excess silicone from around the outside of the porthole with a cloth soaked in white spirits.  The blue masking tape will remain in place until tomorrow to allow the silicone on the inside of the frame to set.  I should then be able to remove the tape and any surplus silicone using a razor knife.
Now I must decide whether to give the remaining portholes the same treatment.

The quackers!

We were attempting to finish breakfast around 7.15 when Jan’s friends from the previous evening started tapping on the side of the boat.  Her big mistake was in opening the side hatch.  This seemed to be the signal for every quacker in the village to race for the open hatch.

I don’t mind her talking to the ducks.  I’m prepared to clean the subsequent “droppings” off the cabin roof.  But readers, why does she have to feed them my cream crackers.  I like my crackers with a slice of camembert cheese and some of that delicious Wildside Tomato and Ginger Chutney from Wandering Bark.  By all means discuss promiscuity with that brown duck that has four brown ducklings and one white (you did see it in the top left of the photo) but don’t give them my crackers!

It was good to finally get a good internet signal at Gosnall Heath.  I’ve been writing the last few posts and then leaving the system running until we hit a spot where they can automatically depart.  This morning we managed a Skype call back to Sydney.

It was a short cruise to Norbury Wharf.  I wandered over to the chandlery with a list of three items whilst the water tank filled.  The moths in the wallet breathed a sigh of relief as I wandered back with it still in my back pocket.  I required the following:

• 4.5 metres of 4mm twin cable (red & black)
• a small (very) pot of Universal gloss varnish
• two catches/latches for the stern cockpit doors.

Jan, being more determined, then went to the wharf shop and managed to buy a painted miniature boaters teapot.

A long line of linear moorings on the other side of Norbury and at the end we couldn’t help noticing this unusual craft. Almost a floating shoebox!

Of course we managed to take the obligatory photo.  Much like you are required to take a photo when passing Armitage Shanks.

Last time we passed this way there was a distance piece of high ground on the skyline.  Today we managed to take a photo.

At this point I’ve stopped writing this post to do some research by examining the electronic UK OSM Topo map.  I think the high feature is ‘The Werkin’.  At 407 metres it’s not very high, but on the Shropshire plain it stands out as the only significant feature.  Apparently it’s very popular with walkers and has a beacon on the summit.  The original beacon was erected during WW2 before falling into disrepair.  The current tower is The Wrekin transmitting station.  The tower had a new beacon fitted in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebrations.

I then unsuccessfully tried getting “artistic” with one of the stone bridges.

With our luck we meet three oncoming boats in the narrow Woodseaves Cutting and were too busy taking evasive action for a photo.  It was in this cutting last year that we saw a male in pink undies running the very muddy towpath.

Our luck changed when we reached the top of Tyrley Locks.  All but one was in our favour.  Actually they were all in our favour except the crew waiting below the bottom lock turned it in our face.

Tyrley Top Lock Cottages.  There’s a plaque on the wall.

Working in cooperation with the boat crews coming up meant we almost flew down the flight of five locks.  The antics of the crew coming up at the bottom lock had us puzzled.  They turned it against us wasting a lock full of water to come up.  Then Jan discovered they didn’t want to come up the flight but intended to wind (turn) in the pound between the bottom and second locks.

Why come up through the first lock when there is a winding point before the bottom lock? 

We’re now moored for the weekend with the ‘dot in the sky’.  A couple of days being static might enable us to catch up with some of the increasing list of outstanding preventative maintenance and housekeeping tasks.

Staffordshire

Thank you to Adam who pointed out we are in Staffordshire rather than Shropshire.  It’s nice to know where you are!

We left Brewood at 9.00am cruising north towards Wheaton Ashton.  There is a long line of linear moorings on the offside leaving Brewood which culminates in a static caravan park by bridge 15 (Eskew Bridge).

Whilst it appeared to be well laid out I just can’t see myself trading a small ‘box’ in the city for a ‘box’ in the country!  But then it must appeal to a percentage of the population.  I actually walked passed the park yesterday evening and noticed they sell Calor Gas.  However you’d probably need a sack trolley because the depot is on the far side of the park. 

The following interesting looking cottage was on the far side.

It’s almost as if the vegetation is claiming it back.  Some TLC is also required! 

We passed very slowly over Streton Aqueduct to take photos of the busy A5 which passes underneath the canal.

There are some very shaded areas along this part of the canal which were a welcome relief from the heat. <suffer those of you in Oz or NZ>.  The biggest problem was attempting to take a good photo whilst on the move.

The sole lock of the day was immediately prior to Wheaton Ashton.  Jan went forward to assist the boat ahead and the lady on board reciprocated by raising a top gate paddle as she left to re-join her husband.

A hireboat then arrived behind us and the lady came forward to check the lock.  To Jan’s amusement she didn’t bring a windlass.  Eventually the penny dropped and she returned with a windlass helping Jan with the bottom gates.  We moored on the water point just beyond the lock to fill the tank and whilst it was filling I went back to help the hireboat through the lock.  Tank filled and we moved a short distance to Turners Garage (as you do) to take advantage of the cheap diesel.  We topped up all three tanks and Jan went off to pay.  The attendant wanted an address.  We don’t have an address except for Waiouru.  Officialdom requires an address…….  Jan did think of 10 Downing Street but in the end used our winter mooring address.  It turned out we were rather fortunate with our timing as four other boats arrived seeking fuel whilst we were controlling the bowser nozzle.  Must be time for a lotto ticket purchase!  Three boats passed us going in the opposite direction immediately after we moved off the fuel point.  Each of the steerers told us there was a boat loose at the end just beyond the next bridge. Why hadn’t one of them stopped to secure it? By the time we reached the boat it was right across the canal. We resecured the boat with the assistance of a hireboat crew coming in the opposite direction.

More shady canal followed.  It was a glorious day!

Jan remembered this lovely canal-side property from our last trip down the shroppie.  Unfortunately it’s outside our price range….. unless that lotto ticket proves to be a winner!

We found a vacant mooring in Gosnall Heath just beyond the Bridge Inn pub.  Actually it’s a good mooring with a gap in the trees allowing both sunlight and a TV signal to reach the boat.

The Bridge Inn

In the afternoon I did my Harry Houdini trick and went down the weed hatch to rescue Mr Tesco’s plastic bags which would otherwise have drowned.  We also acquired some light cordage and fishing line.  When Waiouru makes a light ticking sound it’s a sign that Waiouru has accumulated some additional items at the stern.

As all the diesel tanks were full it seemed an opportune time to recalibrate the tank gauges.  This normally has to be done once or twice every year.  Jan is one the lookout for some fresh farm eggs.  Preferably still warm and clucking!  She also cooked the sausages from the butcher at Brewood.  Very tasty!

Brewood

We think we’re back in Shropshire.  This morning Jan put on a load of laundry whilst I walked to the nearby Morrisons supermarket for her magazines.  Readers she may not get breakfast in bed, (neither do I) but when necessary, I will walk to the shops for her weekly magazines. We were moored at Autherley Junction and the location of the supermarket can be seen on the following map.

Supermarket at the top and junction at the bottom

Jan prepared Waiouru whilst I disposed of the rubbish in the CRT facilities at the junction.  We then moved off turning into the stop lock where Jan worked Waiouru through the 6” fall in water levels.  A boat was just moving off the water point beyond the stop lock which was a good start to the day.  Although the tank was three quarters full it still took over 30 minutes to fill.  During that time a hire boat arrived behind us with the crew looking for water.  Then another boat appeared from the opposite direction also looking for the water point.  It was starting to get busy.  Jan was having a good old chat to the lady from the second boat (as you do) and then the tank was full and it was time to go.  That’s when the lady recognized our boat name and as we pulled away mentioned she reads this blog.  Damned amazing that anyone would spend their valuable time reading this rubbish!

Anyway, nice to meet you June and Ray on nb Jura Reve.

We headed north passing under the M54 watching the traffic rumble overhead.  Suddenly I was inspired to take a photo of the comparison in transport modes.  Jan then compounded the situation by suggesting I take the photo with a truck lorry on the bridge.  Bloody hell!  Steer the boat with my bum whilst using both hands and my one eye waiting for a lorry to appear. 

Thank god the canal is wide otherwise I’d have been a nervous wreck!

Halfway to Brewood (pronounced Brood….. I read other people’s blogs!) we dropped down to ‘tick over’ to pass a moored boat.  Jan called out “Good morning” to the man on the stern who looked at us and said gruffly “In a hurry then!”  I was tempted to ask if he’d like me to pass in reverse but life is too short to bother with these trivial matters.

We found a vacant mooring in the cutting at Brewood and with the sun putting in an appearance through the trees I decided to get a second coat of red paint onto the cockpit handrails whilst Jan hung the clean laundry in the cratch.  I’m trialling a new painting technique in an effort to avoid brush marks.  It’s call applying the paint thicker!

No surprisingly there is no satellite reception but the roof aerial is managing to get us a mobile phone/internet signal.

Jan had been reading that Camillia’s son (the wife of that well known fellow with the jug ears) had mentioned there was a very good butcher in Brewood.  We’ve been here on three previous occasions and not seen a butcher in the village.  Time to go exploring! 

As we walked up the towpath towards the village I couldn’t help it notice the steel reinforcing rods and plates that have been fitted to the bridge over the canal.

They are around the arch along with several in the western abutment.  It’s a busy road and I assume the walls of the bridge were starting to bow under the load.  The engineers have fitted the rods through the bridge to pin it together.

We did find the butcher, W Maiden & Son.  The location is on the following map.

Three previous visits to Brewood and we hadn’t noticed it <sigh>.

The business was established in 1946 which means it’s not all that old when you’re our age.

After looking in the front window we had already decided on a shop made large pork pie and a large steak & kidney pie (dinner).  Inside, Jan started to browse around.

The proprietor realised Jan had a strange accent (she’s from Bournemouth) and asked where she was from, “Bournemouth!”  “But you’ve been somewhere since?”  He said.  When Jan told him she had lived in New Zealand he mentioned the female shop assistant had lived in NZ.  The lady appeared from the rear of the shop and told us she had been born and raised in Brewood but had lived in Auckland, NZ for 17 years returning to Brewood in the mid 80’s. Her three children still live in that part of the world.

Jan then decided to buy some of the butcher’s dry cured bacon and six honey and mustard sausages.  She still has some ‘Braunston Bangers’ in the freezer and it will be interesting to find out whether these sausages are as nice.

We were wandering back to the boat with our purchases when Jan noticed the following worn front door steps.

Years of use?  It also reminded her of stories about women scrubbing their front doorsteps every day.  I’m a kiwi, all our front steps were timber, and they got replaced when badly worn!  Of course NZ is prone to earthquakes, which is a good reason for building in timber rather than brick or stone.  

We had the steak & kidney pie for dinner and I can confirm it was tasty!  Unlike some of the other pies we have eaten it contained chunks of steak and kidney rather than a gravy porridge!

Mollie and the Amazons

Well readers this is a small adventure story but Tin Tin doesn’t have a cameo appearance.

The sky was overcast this morning and the opportunity to apply a second coat of red paint to the cockpit handrail probably wasn’t going to happen.  Instead we decided to cruise to Autherley Junction.

It didn’t take long to reach Bratch Locks which we remembered from our frenetic two week hire boat cruise of the combined Stourport and Black Country rings in 2009.

Whilst the three locks initially give the appearance of being a staircase they are actually three separate locks with a very short pound between each of the lock chambers.  The pounds extend to the NW of the flight.

Middle lock with the lock keepers “Tower” to the right.  Various souvenirs can be purchased from the lock keepers. Jan assisted the two CRT volunteer lockies work Waiouru up the flight. One mentioned he has a narrowboat moored in Holland and had just returned from a two week holiday in Spain.  The other was planning a bus tour of NZ early next year.

There are very well maintained moorings above the locks.

Looking back

The sky darkened then decided to give us some liquid sunshine.  Initially it was only a light scattering of rain.  We passed working boat Roach which was being loaded with coal and then the heavens really opened.

There seemed little point in both of us getting wet so Jan went below and made hot drinks.  As we rounded the bend on the approach to Wightwick Mill Lock the first thing we noticed was nb Mollie moored smack in the middle of the lock landing moorings below the lock.  Why on the lock mooring and why in the middle???

Jan was able to work Waiouru up through the lock and we thought our luck had changed when a boat appeared from the opposite direction.  No need to close the top gate….. Except they weren’t going down!  Jan asked the crew how far it was to the next lock and was informed it was just around the bend.  She decided to walk to the next lock.  Wrong decision!  The towpath was flooded and she got soaked.  Apparently Amazonian natives could only count to three (1, 2, many).  The advice that the next lock was around the bend proved to be Amazonian.  Poor Jan struggled on…. and on! 

By the time we reached Autherley Junction both of us were looking forward to a very late lunch and a hot shower.  It’s surprising how a hot shower can raise one’s morale!

We’re now tucked up inside Waiouru listening to the rain beating on the roof.

Lazy Day… well not quite!

Because we moved yesterday (Sunday) we decided to remain moored today.  Jan went off to the nearby Sainsbury’s and was gone for so long it was starting to seem like it was permanent.  A quick check to ensure all the credit cards were on the boat indicated it was probably temporary and she later admitted it was far more interesting browsing the aisles without me hovering over her shoulder and nudging with the trolley to keep moving.

Meanwhile, back at the boat I masked up around the red paint in the cockpit before lightly sanding in preparation for a new topcoat of Craftmaster red.  I must have twisted the wrong way because my back went (yet again) and I suddenly found myself hunched over and waddling like an old man.  Despite this I managed to get a first replacement coat of red onto the boat successfully finishing it to my usual poor standard.  After two years of attempting to paint and trying several methods I’ve come to the conclusion that I have no talent for painting.  Jan subsequently went around with a rag removing all the red spots off the grey paint. 

Whilst I went off to straighten out my back on the bed and examine the inside of my eyelids Jan chatted with other moored boaters and the locals then did some spring cleaning of the cupboards.  Later she went back to keeping those idle hands busy by doing more of her knitting.  She’s onto the last piece of the cardigan.

The bed removed some of the kinks.  By late afternoon the back was feeling slightly better.  This enabled me to sit at the laptop and work at correcting the gps database of UK supermarkets I’ve been compiling.  I managed to find a database to download but it was in TomTom format.  Unfortunately the data became inaccurate when the software program (GPSBabel) converted it to Garmin format.  I now have to manually correct the locations of all the UK supermarkets on the electronic map.  I can see this is going to keep me amused for several weeks.

Now it has started to lightly rain.  Will the new paint ‘bloom’?  The boaters behind are still sitting in their folding chairs on the towpath.  What is it that the Goons said about the English “The rain is lovely and warm for this time of year!”

Waggon & Horses

It seemed rather pointless to moor in an area with a poor mobile phone coverage and we therefore decided to move up four locks to higher ground (slightly) and be closer to a built-up area.  In this case we’re now on the 5 Day mooring near Womborne.  For some subconscious reason it makes me think of Wombles!

Jan had gone forward to prepare Swindon Lock and I finished untying the bow line.  I was about to release the stern line when a boat came around the corner behind us.  Oh well, we’re not in a hurry and I wasn’t going to frantically pull out in front.  Bad decision!  Mr Grumpy wasn’t in the mood to help anyone, including the single hander ahead.  Locks can be slow going when everyone decides not to help each other.  Never mind, we’re not in a hurry….

The journey took us through two single locks and the staircase (2) at Botterham Locks.  There was a long wait at the bottom of the lock whilst Mr Grumpy Mk I didn’t cooperate with Mr Grumpy Mk II who was coning down.  Mr Grumpy Mk II claimed Mk I had turned the lock in his face, hence the non cooperation.  Life’s too short to be bothered by all of this.  We had our own problem in the lock when the middle gates wouldn’t open.  The top gates were leaking so badly that the top lock wouldn’t empty.  The problem was compounded by one of the middle gate paddles being unserviceable.  We eventually raised and lowered the leaking top paddle which appeared to clear the obstruction that was preventing it from fully closing. 

Botterham Staircase Locks

Our Pearsons Guide doesn’t show it but there is a Sainsbury’s beside the canal adjacent to Wombourne Bridge.  On the opposite side of the canal is the Waggon & Horses pub.

The lines in the brickwork are too vertical and horizontal for it to be an old pub.  Probably one of a chain.  We wandered over for the Sunday roast lunch.  Jan chose the beef and I had the roast pork.  She chose wisely!

We have a record of all the supermarkets near the canals.  Much of the information was in the public domain but in TomTom format.  I managed to convert the data to Garmin but in doing so some of the accuracy was lost.  Actually the locations can be inaccurate by half a kilometre.  As we cruise along I’m correcting and updating the data.

Our niece has delivered the msata SSD so I can feel a computer “nerdy” post coming on about how to modify the laptop.

Meanwhile, we’ll go back to Sainsbury’s tomorrow morning for a food shop before continuing up the Staffs & Worcs towards Autherley Junction.