STRAWBERRY FIELDS.........

We'd already  decided we weren't moving today so the morning showers didn't matter. When we did rise to the vertical, the rain had passed, a trip along  the tow path to a Farm Shop was the mission. With a  pick your own option Raspberrys were the No1 choice but due to non favourable and inclement growing conditions, shit Weather, they're still 2 weeks from being ready to pick. Strawberries aren't a bad substitude so in we went.

When grown hydroponic it makes easy picking.... A sign at the entry said " Owing to costs involved in production please pay for all you pick", Interperated as " Don't Eat To Many".......




Brought a fresh loaf of bread, 2 sausage rolls and pork  scratchings, paid for  strawberries  then skipped back along tow path to NB.....

Leonie whipped up a batch of merangue's, then made some toffee to coat the strawbs...

The rain had returned  so staying in to eat seemed like the right thing to do...

May as well add some ice cream ..............

Tixall Farm over the water, money wasn't to short when built...

 Dove Cote above the entrance way, nice touch.....


Tomorrow another walk for fresh strawbs, 

Surely this showery weather can't last  FOREVER....

 

 

 

 

 

OOWWLLSS......THAT.......

Another rip roaring start to the day, cast off bout 11am and motored about 1.5 miles  then tied  up and  walked  the mile and half into Stafford. Tidy place with some old left amongst the new, great place for shopping with all the large convenience stores. It was fine when we started our walk but raining steady by the time we returned to the NB..


In the main shopping street was an  open sided tent with a few tethered birds on perches.
I approached the dude in charge and said " Oowwls  it going mate, what you got there"?

Collecting money for the Endangered Animal Society... "Owl that's a good cause"...

This one is a Barn Owl... told him some of my best jokes... Not  even A Smile....

Youv'e heard the saying,   " Eyes As Big As Sauces"......

" Did you hear the one about the Owl who flew into the Barn Door"? .....  Nothing.....

Built in 1594 out of oak  and known as a High house,  this Elizabethan Town house is the largest timber framed one in England....

Tonights mooring on the Tixall Wide, the camera makes it look not to bad but it's pretty " Dull and Wet".....

Plenty of room if turning the NB around is required.....

Then I "Spied" something in the distant Gloom across the "Wide", moving to fast for a log. It came closer and zooming it in saw it was a model  radio controlled boat operated by a fisherman from the tow path. Maybe he uses it to drop "Burly" for the fishes....

Tomorrow no moving as this place looks good....

Fine OL Day.....

Fired the motor up at 10.45am, tee shirt weather today, and headed toward Great Haywood. A lot of boats had passed us going our way before we left but as they stop for lunch or call it a day early we re- pass a few. Eight miles and 10 locks see us moored to the East of Stafford. Quite busy today, at the first lock we were 4th in line going down  plus one coming up.

At Gailey Top Lock this was once a Toll Keeper's watch tower, now a gift and book shop......

There's some nice canal side properties, this couple enjoying the day sitting in the immaculate  garden and lawn setting... Acton Trussell...

Nice Gazebo onto an already nice building...  Acton Trussell..

On this canal the quite and picturesque country side is  interrupted  by the noise of the M6 motorway for a couple of miles..

Upon my return to steer the boat out of a lock I discover the lock gates had a Large leak that had Drenched everything on the rear deck even giving the camera a bit of a Lick......

A couple of tow path  "Beauty's"......

Then they smelt dinner cooking..... YA NOT  sharing My "Tukka" fella's....

Paul, NB The Manly Ferry, new camera Lumix TZ40 zoomed a duck in to photograph. He was in Leighton Buzzard, the duck was minding it's own business on the Serpentine. Well today I was passing by Teddesley Park  and my Lumix FZ200  zoomed this Heron in  just wading around in Fiordland.......

Tonight's mooring spot,  could be Worse.....

Tomorrow a look around Stafford....

 

 

Turned The Corner........

Monday morning got an early start, 11.15am, to reach the junction at  Autherley  and make a LH turn onto the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. After being in the "country" for 5-6 weeks arriving in Wolverhampton  saw the return of graffiti bridges, plastic bottles and rubbish bags in the canal, and sharpened stake security fences etc,. 500metres up the new canal the Smart Phone told us there was a supermarket nearby so with no moorings visible we run aground 2 metres off the canal side, down with the boarding plank and off went Leonie following the instruction of  the phone. Only a 3 minute walk each way we were soon all ciabata'd up...

Half way through a Narrow section, no passing here,  the bridge ahead ending the narrows....

Exiting the Low bridge ending the narrow's.....

We motored on for another 4 miles, Leonie was walking the tow path ahead cos, there was some nasty sharp blind approach bridges, then rounding a bend she yelled, "look there's  AreAndAre, Sandra and Barry from Gisborne. Knocking on the roof soon saw Sandra  and Barry out on the towpath, after the intro's we made a spot and moored for the night. Reading their early blog's on NB Northern Pride was probably one of the single most reasons we decided to do this canal adventure.

Leonie, Sandra, Barry and a fellow NB,er on the towpath having a "Yak"..

Played cards, me not very well, until 1.15am on their boat but I had an excuse. Barry introduced me to his Famous "Home Brew"and it was easy to drink.........Thanks for a great evening...


Yesterday we passed under the  M54 motorway on two separate occasions on different canals and both times the "Shelter" area was being used as a paint booth/ workshop with a NB moored under each one. Thy had generators lights sanders etc, prepareing and painting. I Presume they "Pay Rent"....

 

 

 

 

These two "Mutts" were the rear entrance "Ushers" under the second bridge..



Prepared to move today, started the boat, nice and sunny it was, then Barry and Sandra came and we sat and talked as the motor ran for about an hour then we decided to turn off motor and stay where we are. You can't stuff up a plan if you don't have one....

I got out the sanding stuff and prepared  some paint damage caused by a lift bridge, Leonie walked the 4 mile return where Barry and Sandra took the boat for a water top up.
tomorrow we'll start the engine again.....

Ending the Shroppie....

Heavy showers this morning so spent some time catching up on the " The Block" Aussie, waiting to see what the weather was going to do. Showers eased off by 12.30 pm so hit the Cut, then it rained for about 1.5hrs, Oh well may as well keep going, it wasn't cold. The last 10 - 15 miles have been through a lot of deep cuttings and with the recent rain and water naturally  oozing out of the hill sides the towpaths are an unwalkable bog in places. The rains stopped, now the winds blowing 40mph, and where we've moored tonight only leaves 1,5hrs travel to turn off the Shropshire Union Canal. You could do a lot worse than cruise this canal..

Along Grub Street Cutting is this high bridge with the upper arch mounted  shortened telegraph pole complete with insulators. There's no wires and  not another pole in sight....

FireflyNZ  emerges from the other side...

Norbury Junction where we filled the diesel tank, cheap too, topped up the water tank but still no need for our 3rd pump out of "Turds" yet...

A cross over bridge where the horses pulling the NB,s could go from a RH towpath to a LH towpath with out being unhitched...

A rather Ornate short Aqueduct crossing a road below...

If you " Strike Rock" just turn Hard Left......

Your becoming a " lazy son of a bitch" when you aint done your lawns and garden  for at least  3 weeks.......


Question....  What do you do if you are a pilot in PNG and when you go to take off from a bush airstrip, 8000ft up in the mountains, the starter motor on one engine has failed????

Answer... Our son Tait had the "goods","get the locals to pull start it Bro".... and it worked....


Tomorrow we arrive at  a Junction, OHH  turn Right  or Left.........another sleepless night......