Monday 27th May
Boats were on the move early today, one went past us at 5-30 am! This may be due to the fact that tomorrow is going to be a washout in this part of the world and they were trying to get ahead of the game or that they are just as mad as a box of frogs! Anyway, we left quite a bit later, after 9 am and it was already quite windy. In fact, two of the boats moored in front of us left one after the other, just before we did and both had trouble – a) getting off the bank and – b) avoiding each other and us.
With those two boats gone we had a clear run at getting away without hitting anything! We have travelled only 3.5 miles today from Tamhorn Park to Fazeley, during which time, as I have seen the scenery a few times already this year, I did the hoovering and mopping inside.
We are moored on the 7 day moorings opposite the flats at Peel’s Wharf. It has been a bright and breezy day and after we moored up we decided that as we have had a singular lack of exercise lately we would walk to The Gate at Bridge 69. This turned out to be just over 2 miles each way. It is a very pleasant semi-urban, semi-rural walk along the canal going over the River Anker, passing the two Glascote Locks and some very attractive back gardens.
During the walk there we were passed by a coloured couple cycling along the tow path and as we stepped back to let them go by the woman looked at Ken and remarked in a strong Brummie accent, ‘He’s nearly as brown as I am!’ We just cracked up laughing, what a strange thing to say. A little while later we passed them because they had stopped to chat to someone and then when they came past us again the woman said about Ken, ‘There’s my brother!’ Hilarious, we don’t think he even looks that brown.
We had another laugh at the pub. The Gate is a large Marston’s pub with a canalside garden and moorings. In spite of the unruly kids in the garden it was pleasant sitting out in the sun. A small narrow boat, about 35 ft, went past and they were eyeing up the moorings. They went to the winding hole, turned round then came back and moored up to come in for lunch. There was a chap driving the boat, who looked like Sylvester Stallone’s dad and 6 women aboard. When he pulled in to the moorings he left one of the women on the back of the boat, another one got off with the back rope and he and a couple of the other women got off.
Unfortunately neither he or any of these other women had a rope with them. There was no centre rope and the front rope was still on the front of the boat, which by this time had been caught by the wind and was across the other side of the canal! He had to get on the back of the boat, walk along the gunwale to the front, get the rope, walk back along the gunwale to the middle of the boat to throw the rope to one of the women on the bank. But it wasn’t long enough so he left the rope on the roof, walked back, got off, pulled the boat backwards along the mooring to get the front to come in a bit nearer then got back on and threw the rope. Everyone was enthralled by this time. Good job it was only a small boat.
On the way back from the pub Ken had to push a boat off the bank which had pulled in to let some crew off with a couple of dogs then couldn’t get off due to the wind. So, as the weather tomorrow is set to be appalling we are going to Tamworth on the bus.
