There's A Rainbow....

Well there aint no rainbow in the sky because it's too  HOT, today in Birmingham, 27degrees and forecast to last all next week.

After cruising the country towns for the last couple of months the colour, rainbow,  changes were all in the paddocks, dairy cows of different breeds.

Here they are on the streets of Birmingham, it's certainly a very diverse ethnic mix.

The central city is a lovely clean scene, shoppers dream I'd say. There's not a lot of the old Heritage buildings as the "Krauts" flattened them with bombs..

Here's some buildings the Luftwafer missed...

 

 

 

This is trendy EHH....    The Library, the bombing slow down the build it opens in a couple of months...

 

You gota have "Big Balls" to go to the City Fathers with this design.....

 

 

Old and the New..  Baskerville House....




They missed this one too,   Bullring Plaza....

 

May have suffered some damage... The Cube...   I call it the "Jig Saw" building.....

 

Victoria Square.....

 

Entrance to Gas Street centre of photo...

 

Half way along Gas St, with the Basin on Left,  only 24hr mooring there...

Looking toward end of Gas St, ...... this café is at canal level but on RH side there are pubs, cafe's the whole way on 1st level....

 

 At the end  canal goes to the right and   passes through Edgbaston  where NZ has let England win the odd cricket test.......

 

 Visited the St Martins & Bull Ring markets. Great to hear the "Hawkers" doing the old, "up and down only a pound, fresh and juicy picked today" side by side competitors......

Leonie checking out the strawberries, pound a punnet, Cheap,   never brought one...
not even a " Seasoned" seller can get away with the "Over ripe ones"  on the bottom trick...
( with LJE, EH, COL....)


This morning the British Lions played  Aussie in the  Rugby decider, the Walkabout Pub  is  nearby so it've  been Dumb not to have been there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kick off at 11am arrived at 10.10am and got the nearly last 2 seats.  Told the fella and his missus, dressed in red, at the table the poms  would win by 15, had already decided we were Lions supporters.... They won by 25 and every time they scored the noise was deafening but GOOODDD.....

 

 

Opposite our mooring was the finish for a half marathon, they were come in at intervals like "Browns Cows", bet they hadn't trained in  the heat we had today...

More things to visit tomorrow,  OOHH where's the Ice Pack.......

Parked Up.....

We were on the move by 7.30am, wont happen very often, but had a big day ahead. Got through the outskirts locks no sweat then turned at Salford Junction to approach the Aston flight of 11 locks. The weather was hotting up and so was the body after working  5-6 locks  Leonie going ahead and setting locks had us progressing nicely until the boat grounded leaving a lock. The pound between locks was far to shallow so this required Leonie to go up another 4-5 locks opening a paddle to let water flow from the canal at Aston Junction. About an hour on the trip. We moved on to the Farmers Flight, 13 locks, and after doing 3 locks a volunteer lock helper appeared which was very handy.

The weather had warmed up  by the time we made the top and parked up to take a walk and see what mooring space was available. Nothing in Gas St, basin but in Gas St, there was a couple spaces. We chose a spot about 150 metres away because it wasn't right outside a bar and probably less chance of some drunk hoon running over the roof at 2am..  Maybe...

On the Farmers flight, next locks under the building ahead...

 

Going up 1 lock under the building...

2nd lock and lock keeper helping making things easier....

 

 

Looking back down those 3 locks under the tower.....

Another lock completed and gate shut...

Passing under an old building on an approach to a lock . They used to load working boats out of  buildings but why so many doors?.....  Starboard side....

 

 Port side a lot smaller arches....



On the approach to the city I was surprised how clear of rubbish and tidy the towpaths were. And as for Bandits waiting to pillage and plunder the ship that was a non event....

Big Wheels Keep On - - - - - - -  .......

The forecast is for Summer to last all next week, 24C, ready to party here....

Along side the M6 motorway......

Then left turn under it at  Salford  Junction...

Were "Beached" here and Leonie letting some water trough to deepen the pound....

Tow path on left goes over bricked up entrances were boats would have entered to load/ unload goods in factories....

 

After we moored these 3 came along and were making a movie, presumably about the canal because we could hear  some of their conversation and they did a bit of filming of  FireflyNZ, mildly Famous or What??......

After our 27 lock day what more could I do than offer to cook dinner,  this is Leonie's, tomato paste OHH nearly forgot and cheese...  Good EHHH.......
PS,  look at the arrangement......

Tomorrow we do a bit of exploring Birmingham.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

Were Going In.....

The more people you talk to the more theories you hear on the best  way to get to the  centre, Gas Street Basin, of Birmingham  without  any malicious damage. One thing that is unaminous, don't Moor In The Suburbs while  in transit.

So having taken in all the right advice our  master plan has us moored  some 9 miles out, cammo"d  and blending in with a field of potatoes, even been sprayed for White Butterfly, staying low until dawn.

At Sparrow Fart we"ll   advance, wearing the mandatory Flak Jackets, and not stop, working 20 locks until behind enemy lines in the city centre.

Today was a pleasant cruise passing through Hopwas Hays  Wood, above left,  but you don't enter as its a Military firing range...

 

 

Leaving the wood behind.....


At the Fazeley Junction turned on to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal......

Through the bridge  a new canal...

First  building   passed  is an old mill building....

Then near Drayton Bassett an unusual Gothic style foot bridge....  approaching...

 

Leaving behind.....

 

Not a common sight in NZ, bright yellow crop of Rape or Canola seed for oil....

Saw a couple of Speedway race cars in a yard. Stopped the boat and went along the road to the yard to see the owner but security gates were locked although people were there....

 

No motors and don't know if they were equivalent to our Super Stock class...

 

Tomorrow,    " Hey Mate pour me a Beer"......

 

 

 

 

Stack,n ZZZZZZZ.....zzzzz..ds...

A late start today even by our standards. Had to rush my Iron Man supplements a bit to move off about 11.58.5am. Fine day with  a, standard of late, wind chill but we soon goobled up a few miles.

The Trent & Mersey from Great Haywood to Fradley Junction is a nice rural meander. As is the Coventry down to Whittington. Not overly busy but then  we  miss a lot of the early rush....

Colwich Lock  has a nice Lock Keepers cottage and gardens....

 

 

 There's a "Small Fortune" to be made using  large  Gunnera  leaves  like  above for "Upper Class" umbrella's. The normal smaller leaf  Gunnera  would make umbrella's for Pygmy"s..
Just working  on a way of attaching the handle...


Pulled up at Fradley Junction for water and got talking to a couple doing a couple of weeks on a hire boat. They had two dogs on board and unlike a lot of "Tow Path Mutts" these were  Obedient and controllable...

Two Spaniels, Mum on right, with Daughter.....

 

Sit and Stay was a formality......

Lie Down wasn't a problem  either...

 

Sit and Wait until master returns, Not a Problem.....

Our Son Tait, working in PNG, sent his mother a Birthday Wish on Monday,  Hope they're NOT our bloody Relations.....

Moving closer to Birmingham.....

 

 

 

Rockin An Rollin.......

It blew a fair wind most all of Sunday probably touched 30 - 40 mph in the open  of the canal where we were moored, the NB did rock  a touch  but not as much as Saturday night when the BBC showed from Glastonbury, " Now Read My Lipps",   THE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND EVER,  THE ROLLING STONES..  What an Awesome set they played........

Mick sings the classics, doesn't look a day over 45, with Keith showing composure....

Still able to  Rule the Stage,   He points..  That's Where I'm going... To Heaven.....

Ronnies's Cool As, Keith shows a  Lack of Composure....

Charlie's Peruving the Audience for.... Chicks......

 

 

 

On Sunday these two fishermen fished nearby, now  Iv'e watched a lot of canal " Fishers" and I aint seen any catch anything worthwhile but these fellas are Serious, Seriously Good fishermen. They had Excellent gear, tried different Techniques soon as fish stopped biting and I watched them catch 12--15 Bream...

A lot like this one were around the 5 pound weight...

The Cart Trolley even had an electric drive front wheel to make the trek along the tow path easier...

A Rig set Up with a dissolving Burly Bag, float on the hook and a piece of corn for bait....

It was great to talk to these guys and get some good idea's that will help in salt water fishing in NZ...

The strong winds meant that the thawing Chicken on the roof of the boat  should  be used  as "Ballast" to steady the satellite antenna,  I know Waiouru 's chicken would have been Rotisseried.....

Moved today toward Birmingham, catch up tomorrow....