Westport Lake.

The morning of Tuesday the16th Aug saw us leave Stone heading for the Couldon Canal. Climbing the Meaford flight of locks (32ft 5ins) we reached Barlaston where we stopped to have a look round and visit the shop. We were surprised to see that the local train station was closed and in it's place a replacement bus service. Mooring just out of the village for the night we relaxed and watched the geese fly in and out of the fields opposite. Wednesday arrived warm and sunny so we stayed where we were and painted some more of the roof.
We left the peace and quiet on Thursday morning up the 11ft 11 ins Trentham lock heading for Stoke on Trent. This is not the most picturesque stretch of canal but we finally arrived at the bottom of the Stoke locks. On arrival we were behind two more boats, it appeared the elderly chap in the first boat was on his own and needed help through the locks, so he waited for another boat to come along. So for the five Stoke locks we helped him through between us. After two of the five we were caught up by another boat, the man on this boat was not amused and said he should not be on the canal if he couldn't do the locks on his own. As the old chap had lost his wife and still needed to live on his boat, a little tolerance is not a lot to ask surely, after all none of us are in a hurry, are we?
Right having got that off my chest let's carry on. At the top of the Stoke flight the Couldon Canal goes off to the right, however we decided to go past the junction and on to Westport lake a small oasis in the urban sproal that is Stoke. Going up to the Harecastle Tunnel on Friday we watered up the turned the boat (i must admit I made a mess of it the first atempt) and returned to the lake for a second night.
Today we are heading back to the Coulden Canal, we are told that phone signals are hard to come bye down the Coulded so it may be some time before my next posting.

A mini cruise for Stephen.and the boys.

Well the weekend in Ripon lasted till Thursday, then Richard drove us back to the boat. On arrival he then went up to Stone to collect Stephen and his three boys, they were coming till Sunday evening. While we were at Richards,Gill got stung by a wasp and her arm swelled up and was quite painful. Then low add behold on our way up to Weston upon Trent Marlene was stung on her hand, that was on Friday.
On Saturday we went on to Stone where we moored above the lock by the Star Inn. I think everybody must have decided to visit Stone. As I have never seen it so busy. Sunday we stayed in where we were and the boys played cricket until it was time to go to the Star for lunch,Stephen very kindly treated us all. After lunch we went up three locks so we were moored near the railway station. The weekend was over far too soon, they left on the 20-06 from Stone, it would be very late before they got home.
Today I had to take Marlene to the doctors as her hand was badly swollen, the cream we bought at the chemist didn't seem to be working. So Marlene is on antibiotics just like Gill was. These wasps have a lot to answer for.

Towpath Biirthday Tea.

While on the mooring at Alrewas we were joined by Maid of Oak the narrowboat belonging to Julie and Peter from the Taft(although peter wasn't there, Arthur was crewing for Julie) Peter came later to take Julie and Arthur for a meal.Julie was a founder member of the Boaters Christian Fellowship, which Marlene and me are members of. As I sat reading, Julie came and invited us to tea and cake on the towpath. We took our chairs and joined Julie and Arthur and two other members of the BCF at the appointed time. When Julie brought out the cake it had candles on and she announced it was her birthday. It was a pleasant two hours chatting and celebrating Julie's birthday.
Next morning we left Alrewas and went up to Fradley junction. It was the usual chaos at Fradley so we watered up and carried on to Woodend lock where we spent a peaceful night in the country. That was Tuesday on Wednesday we moved on to Rugeley did some shopping and moored for the night. On the way up we had trouble with the bolts we had had replaced,once again they had sheared off.Next morning we moved before breakfast as rain was threatened, a brief stop for breakfast at Taft bridge then on to Great Haywood and Shugborough Hall. Just as we were mooring up the rain finally arrived.
Brighter weather on Friday was very welcome as we were meeting Pamela,Nathan and Archie for a Picnic at Shugborough Hall and farm. It was a lovely day out and the weather held warm and sunny all day. Saturday morning Richard, Gill and Duncan came and picked us up for a weekend at there home in Ripon North Yorkshire.

Another two week gone.

Since my last post on the 17th(or was that the 16th)we have been down to Shobnal Marina to have the bracket fixed. It took Andy an hour to remove the old bolts and raplace them with new ones.
This stretch of the Trent and Mersy was starting to get busy with boats gathering for the IWA Festival at Burton on Trent. We left the Marina and headed back to one of our favourite moorings at Branston. While there we took a walk round the water park and watched the birds.
Moving on we moored at Barton Turns while we visited Pamela's for a birthday party for Nathan and Arcchie who's birthdays are close together. Returning to the boat we have been relaxing and going nowhere much. We are now moored at Alrewas on a 14 day mooring waiting for the festival traffic to calm down. Over the weekend we were talking to one of our readers who were walking along the towpath. It is always nice to meet people who read the blog, so thanks for stopping for a chat. Still can't upload pictures, sorry.

What a difference a week makes.

It is a week since my last post and the weather is a lot different. Last Sunday I was painting the roof of the boat in sunshine. Today I am watching the rain come down in buckets. We stayed at Penkridge till Monday morning, then we moved on to Acton Trussel. On the way there we called into a boatyard for then to look at a bracket that had come loose, infact the bolts had sheared off. The rest of the brackets were still holding it but I thought I should let someone look at it. As it was they couldn't fix it and recommended that I take it to Shobnal Marina in Burton on Trent. On Tuesday we moved to Rockford Bank the nearest mooring to Stafford where we had an appointment at the bank on Wednesday. It was nice and sunny Wednesday morning so we walked the mile and a half into Stafford,after doing some shopping we presented ourselves at the bank at the appropriate time. It took two hours to get everything sorted out,we were gagging for a warm drink. While in Stafford we visited Vodaphone and up graded the dongle to an iPad this has made it a lot better to get on the Internet . Returning to the boat (by bus) we moved on to Tixel wide where we moored for the night. Tixel wide is a place where I assume the canal at one time broke it's bank and flooded, it is now a very pleasant place to moor. Passing. Through Great Hayward Junction on Thursday we carried on passed Shugborough Hall until finally mooring at Rugeley for the night. Friday we carried on heading for Fradley Junction where we were going to stop for the night, however when we got.there all the moorings were full so we carried on to Alrewas. Today we are hoping to go to the Alrewas Show if this rain ever stops, or even slows down. There are no pictures today as I am not sure how to upload photo's from the iPad.

Very Heavy Rain.

Before I start this post I must tell you about something I forgot in my last posting. Coming up the Staffs and Worcester we kept seeing faces on trees and posts. Some body had been very busy.Slipping our mooring early we moved back down to Autherley Junction and watered up while we had breakfast, well that was the plan. In the end we had had breakfast and both of us showered and still the water tank wasn't full. After an hour and a half it finally filled to the top.It was quite a nice morning so we passed through the stop lock and turned left onto the Staffs and Worcester canal. At about 12-o-clock the heavens opened and we moored where we were, even so we both got very wet. The weather never really got much better so we stayed where we were for the night.
Next morning the rain had passed, leaving our mooring just north of Coven Heath. After four and a half hours we moored at Penkridge a lovely little town not far from Stafford. Walking down town to do some shopping we once again got caught in heavy rain but it was short lived. Today I replaced some tiles that had dropped of round the wood burner.Later we took the bus into Stafford and made an appointment at the bank for Wednesday to review our accounts.At lunch time we had a meal and a pint(or two) at Weatherspoons. The pub used to be a cinema and still has the tiered seating areas and the bar is where the screen used to be.Today's pictures are some tree and post faces and Autherley Junction.

Another National Trust House.

Leaving Kinver on Thursday morning we did 10 locks plus a 2 lock staircase. This brought us to Wombourne, we moored at the visitor mooring for the night. On Friday morning we arrived at Bratch locks, Not a staircase but very similar. I emptied the first of the 3 locks, that was my big mistake the lock keeper was not impressed as there were two boats on thier way down. I went back to Marlene and moored the boat to wait. When the two boats cleared the bottom lock it was our turn to go up.
I will try and explain the way these locks work,if I can. Each lock has a top and bottom gate but between the top of one and the bottom of the next is just enough space to open the gates. You then have blue paddles which allow the water to go sideways into a side pound when you empty the lock above with the red paddles. Then when you need the water to refill the lock the water is retrieved from the side pound. when you get to the top lock it is just the same as a normal lock. That may seem very complicated but when the lock keeper shows you how it works it is simple. We moored at Wightwick where we were meeting Pamela and Archie who were coming for the weekend.
On Saturday we all visited Wightwick Manor(National Trust)which has some lovely gardens. In the evening we went to the Mermaid Inn for a meal which was great. After a quiet morning we walked to the nearby locks so Archie could see the boats come through and help with the gates,then Pamela and Archie went home.
Moving a short distance to Compton we moored so we could find a doctors, our three month prescriptions were running out. While Marlene did some washing I found a surgery and made an appointment for 8-45am Tuesday for us both to see a doctor for a new prescription.
Up early Tuesday we kept our appointments then Marlene went for her hair cutting while I took the new prescriptions to the chemist to be filled. Today we left Compton after queueing at the lock,Then in very heavy rain made our way to Autherley Junction where we turned left through the stop lock onto the Shropshire Union canal. We only travelled to bridge five then we turned round and moored for the night.