On A Tiki Tour.....

The plan was to travel from Gas St, West on the Birmingham Main Line  traverse the Soho Loop then back on the Main Line to Smethwick Junction then take the Old Main Line on the right to Bromford Junction where the old and new canals merge. Our route required us to negotiate  six locks.

Another hot sunny day so off we set. The canal to the Soho Loop was mostly clean of visible debris but after turning onto the loop there was crap everywhere  and on one side derelict factories.

 

Soho Loop...  Vacant broken buildings one side, flats and graffiti the other....


After turning onto the Old  Main Line we climbed up three locks and the garbage in the water got worse...    In places the smell in the air from chemicals and extractors wasn't too flash either...

Before you eat your chicken bun for lunch you have to go down the weed hatch and fish around in the sewer to free the prop...

 

Only a thick plastic bag large enough to hold a duvet....  Nearly stalled  the motor...

It appears most NB,s stick to the New Main Line.... No Bloody Wonder....

 
 
On the pounds between the Spon Lane Locks the weed was like artificial turf mat...

Under the M5 Motorway on the Old Line at Spon Lane Locks...

An old very disused bollard for tying working boats awaiting No 2 Spon Lane Lock...




Turning at the Bromford Junction to join the New Line and head back to the city we all but got stuck mid stream, shallow and so much rubbish on the bottom...

Back under the M5 on a different canal..... New Main Line...

 

Under the cast iron Telford Aqueduct, see the water trough, which carries the short Engine Branch Canal...

 

 

 

Who would be a Gardener?......

To summarize the Soho Loop and Old Main Line,    CRAP, same as is in them......

Easy Day.....

Started the day with a "Skype" to our mates, Nat & Bruce, currently in Brisbane Australia  enroute  to the UK. Can't wait till they get here and do a bit of Team  Locking...

Went for a stroll in the city to check out some facts to finalize a Secret plan so there's No Way I can tell anybody about it, Scouts Honour....

23C today but some cloud cover so just right and not as Hot and Sunburning as the last  few days.
Can't believe I wrote that.....

Some photos of Old Birmingham.....

Victoria Square in the foreground...

 

Council House, houses Art Gallery & Museum....

 

Town Hall.....

Town Hall.....







Entry to Art Gallery & Museum....

Same,   Nice colours......

 

Part of the new, New Street rail & bus interchange....   I think it could be work in progress and may yet to be covered in Stainless sheeting....  

May check out another Loop on the local canal tomorrow......

 

 

MayDay....... MayDay....

By the time we cast our moorings, 10.47am, to head for the water point the sun was already causing havoc with these Poms complexion. Must have been close to 30 I reckon today.

After filling up we made a plan to head for Kings Norton junction to give the batteries a charge and the serviced motor a gallop.

Leaving Gas St, the canal soon enters wooded cuttings, in fact most of the way to the junction is visually ok but there are no mooring spots so even if you want to say visit the Edgbaston  Botannical Gardens, 15 acres, it's really not possible from the canal, Bad Bad....

The sun was blazing and we passed some trip boats returning with the punters......

 

 

Turning into Gas Street... Even with the early start see the clear sky....

 

 

 

 

Easy does it along Gas St,.......

 

 

 

 

 

The First Mate decided to ward off Scurvy passing through Edgbaston Tunnel....

Then the Captain passed over steering so he could eat Pork Scratchings,  then the nessesary drink....




The canal passes the Birmingham University......

A couple of NB,s moored on the University  moorings.....   This one.....

 

An experimental project....  the writing tells all.....

On our return and about 2 mile from Gas St, a NB was moored in a bridge hole, Leonie was walking the tow path so approached the skipper, turned out to be a restaurant boat we had passed earlier, and he said a whole tyre had attached  itself to the propeller causing damage and it's a No Go...

Can you give us a tow.....

There was about 50 people aboard and after a little "Grunt" we got moving.
 It towed OK but pushed the stern around when cornering....

 

 

Just like the "Titanic"  the band played on. In this case you can see they're still buying Spirits at the bar....... For Christs Sake I wasn't even Speeding...

Back through the Edgbaston Tunnel....

Into the city,  had a couple of NB keeping well clear....

LH 90 degree turn into Gas St,  took them all the way to their mooring, the punters stepped off, pleased no doubt they didn't have a few extra  hours out in the hot sun....

I'm thinking, Restaurant boat, Bar, Hot As Day, One beer wouldn't be bad.... A Dude approaches whom acted like the Boss and says,  "thanks, bet your glad that's over"......

Yeah Rite Mate....





Good Deed done for the day....   Found a couple of beers in our fridge....

Outdoor movie tonight was Indianna Jones, Tomorrow,  Breakfast At Tiffany's, Thursday, The Goonies, Friday Leonies  pulling up a chair for..... MAMA MIA....   Saturday Shrek and Marry Poppins, Sunday, Madagascar and The Wizzard Of OZZZZ....

So many choices, more stress.......

 

 

Oink Oink .....

Didn't have a plan so missed the morning really. Went for a stroll to the Bull Ring markets in the mid day Heat and took a look in the meat market. NO, no woman involved, these were inside butcher shops a lot  like the Vic, market in Melbourne.

Tempted to buy a couple of good deals on pork and chicken but the freezer is quite healthy at the moment But....

There they were, loose Pork Scratchings  so a Quids worth became the major purchase of the day.
Temptation meant a hole in the side of the bag and a small feast on the walk back to the boat.
They are super fresh and crunchie,   hhhmmmmm.......

 

The salt in the pork and the heat of the day meant a couple of beers followed then a routine maintenance check of the boat engine etc.....

Lucky we got started by mid day I say....

Nearby, everything is nearby to the boat, they were showing on the big screen "Grease" so Leonie took a chair and joined the crowd.....

 

There's movies on everyday for a week or two..... Hey Watch the screen not that John Travolta look alike....

Then Free Pop corn was handed out in good size bags, fresh and tasty it was....





Into the bag goes the hand..  Its not how many times you go to the bag it's how much you take each time......  

 

There's stars  on the pavement for the famous Birmingham  born and bred. F1 commentator Murray Walker has a star...
 In the second world war he was a Sherman tank commander, spent his working life in advertising with well known clients like "Mars Bars"..
Also well know for his crazy quotes during the racing, maybe a throw back from his job..

A Quote or two...
And now excuse me while I interrupt myself...
He can't decide to leave his visor half open or half closed...
Even in five years time he will still be four years younger than Damon Hill...


Here's a couple of photo's for the " Hurricane" in NZ...

 

Some " Fenders" and not the car type....

 

These would fit the Friday night  Jam......

A move for water tomorrow,    see we can suffer the stress and plan in advance....

Bikes Galore......

 

Another hot AS day. Left Leonie to check out the shops and I, eventually, found my way by bus and foot to the National Motor Cycle Museum 8 odd mile from the city centre.

There's five large show rooms of bikes and all the road bikes are like as new condition. The Factory racing bikes with fairings are mint showing only the odd stone chip from their racing days.

If you are a bike enthusiast it is a must see, allow plenty of time.

 

 

 

 

Morgan Super Sports 3 wheeler, Matchless 990cc engine.....

1912 Wilkinson TMC (touring motor cycle)  848cc...       Same Wilkinson as the razor,  this has to be the nearest thing to "Rideing your Armchair"...

Made of wood and a replica to the 1960 500cc Manx Norton...  The "Dominating " race bike of the 50s & 60s.....

 

The only thing that has leaked since the bike was finished Is  the Oil Can......

 

1929  Chater - Lea     Brooklands Special  "CopperKnob"... 

Built by Ben & Joe Bickell in their garage in Highgate, London and was a successful racer running a 500cc JAP engine and during a series of wins averaged a speed of 112.17mph.

A Factory Norton Race bike with a Twin Rotary motor.......

Norton Nemesis..  1500cc  Quad cam v8,  220mph plus..  Cast aluminium frame... Lack of funds saw it never go into production..


A lot of Narrow Boaters have bikes to race ahead and set locks, Well here's the new  "Lock Sensation"...

 

1921 Autoglider Scooter...  Perfectly balanced and just keep the chain oiled.. Even a headlamp if your "Insane" enough to get early starts.....

Triumph 4 cylinder prototype   1975 1000ccc... Only one ever made....

1969 BSA Rocket 3  750cc.. 

My flat mate rode one of these, awesome sound, smooth 3 cylinder. We  rode to Wellington, I rode my Norton Commando, and we  went to a pub for a beer and Perve in the middle of the afternoon. After a while Dave says" listen that motor bike sounds just like mine" and it was. Never able to be found. Was he "Pissed Off"?, YES...

Had to show a bit more Birmingham Architecture .......

There's several loops in the canals and the party boats go around pretty regulary, usually noisier on the return passing...

While I was MC ing and after a shopping trip Leonie took the deck chair to an open air big screen, only 200 metres from our mooring, and watched Murray win Wimbledon.  I arrived back as he served the winner, large crowd....

Tomorrow UUMMMM, sort it in the morning...