Tuesday 13th August
Today we stayed in Stourport and loafed about mostly. We got up late (hoorah) and after breakfast I did a bit of washing while Ken nurtured his last few maggots. Then we went in to town via the basin, to get rid of a bag of rubbish. Then we went to have a look at the York Street lock which goes up on to the Staffs and Worcester canal. It is 12 ft deep and looks so thin compared to the huge locks we have been used to lately!
There are some 5 day moorings along the canal which are handily placed for the town centre proper. If we can get on one tomorrow we may stay another day so I can go to the launderette and the hairderssers but we’re not that bothered, I can just put a bag on my head again!
In the fishing tackle shop, apart from the maggots, we gained information about the best of the 4 butchers in the town to purchase sausages from. We were told this was Gough’s so we went there and got some Gloucester Old Spot sausages which were HUGE! We bought 6 but only ate 4 for our dinner and they were delicious.
I got some cooking apples and have done my apple and blackberry, resisting the temptation to surround them with pastry, cover them with crumble or smother them with custard! We will be good and have them as a supplement to our morning fruit.
After a visit to the Coop for a few perishable supplies we walked down to the river and discovered The Crown (Wetherspoons) right near the river and the fairground. This fairground is actually a permanent one and open all year apparently. We sat out the back watching the comings and goings at the fair ground and enjoying a pint of Abbott when all Hell broke loose.
The light rain, which had been falling on and off for a little while, turned into very hard rain. Suddenly the fairground emptied and the pub filled up! It was bedlam with all the families deciding it was an opportune time to have lunch. Soon there wasn’t an empty table in the entire place, the decibel levels went up 10 fold and the chav rating hit the roof. We would have moved elsewhere but it was raining and we had a lot of shopping with us so we couldn’t be bothered.
There was a rather aged party of 3 on the table next to ours and they looked around totally alarmed when the boy on the next table suddenly let out a blood curdling scream. His mother and her friend seemed not to notice this so it must be a normal occurrence which they have become inured to! The next minute the ageds had either moved to another table or left, bless.
By the time we left the pub it had stopped raining and we walked back along the river and over the lock. This evening Ken has been, unsuccessfully, fishing. Just now a chap came down the pontoon and asked if he could bring his hireboat and breast up to us. Apparently he is moored somewhere down the river because they didn’t realise the lock shut at 7 pm and his wife isn’t happy with the location, she thinks she may be raped and murdered if they stay there!
So, the hireboat has arrived and duly breasted up to us. They are a nice family of mum, dad, teenage daughter and her boyfriend, teenage son and his mate. Apparently they are doing the Stourport Ring in a week which seems like a lot to do to us! They have been doing 6-30 am starts so I said if they crash about at 6-30 am tomorrow I will come out in my pyjamas and they wouldn’t want that!
