Stuck boat: BCF to the rescue; and a blogger visits

Jan received a text message from a friend on board Amy Em yesterday which alerted us to the fact that their boat was stuck in a winding hole above Glascote Locks. At the time we couldn't do anything to help as we were in Sheffield, so this morning I cycled along to see what was going on, fully expecting Amy Em to have already been rescued.

When I got there I found that Amy Em was still grounded, and that March Mole was trying to pull it off. March Mole wasn't quite up to the task, though, and Amy Em, in astern in the mud, had just got a builder's bag round the prop.

The winding hole is, in fact, an old wharf used to tranship between narrowboats and trains, and I was able to cycle round to the other side to lend a hand (and take some more photos).

To be fair to Amy Em, Rex and Margaret had gone to visit Alan and Joan who live by the old wharf; they weren't merely trying to wind. I think that's why they had gone in so far.

Contact had been established with another Boaters' Christian Fellowship member (all the boats involved were BCF) who came from half-an-hour away to assist.

John on Ichthus getting in on the action

Rex, meanwhile, was down the weed hatch cutting away the builder's bag.

Then Ichthus tried pulling March Mole which was attached to Amy Em. This didn't work as the boats were pulling in different directions.

When the two rescue boats started pulling together, and with me pushing/trying to rock the bow, Amy Em finally began to move.

As far as I am aware, no other boats were held up during the operation.

This afternoon Brian and Diana on Harnser called in for a cuppa and a chat. Jan had just invited Sandra from Maranatha, so there were five of us for a group photo. Now I just couldn't decide which of the two photos to put in, so here they both are.

l - r: Jan, Halfie, Diana, Sandra, Brian

In the first photo we're all smiling, but Jan and Diana are looking at the camera and the pic is slightly overexposed. In the second one we're all looking a bit serious, but it doesn't look posed. (For what it's worth, I prefer photo 1; Jan prefers photo 2. That's why you've got both of them!)

Andrew introduces us to a Sheffield delicacy: the pork sandwich

After a foggy start the sun soon got going, bringing T-shirt weather. We had a day out in Sheffield, visiting Andrew and Bekka. I had left the car in Fazeley for this purpose; I'll drive home next week and return to the boat by train.

We arrived at lunch time; Andrew suggested going to Crookes for a "pork sandwich". This is, apparently, a local fast food fashion. Crookes is an area of the city which is home to a branch of Béres, the best (according to Andrew) pork sandwich shop. It consists of a "bread cake" (bap) sliced in two, dipped in juices and filled with slices of pork from a freshly roasted joint. Andrew said that it's best to ask for it "with everything", so we did. It comes with apple sauce, stuffing and crackling ("crackles" in their terminology) and is served in its own paper bag.

We ate them at Bole Hill ...

... overlooking the Rivelin valley and Stannington beyond. My pork sandwich was very nice, but I could have done with another one.

As soon as we had finished Andrew led us on a walk, together with Caspar the dog, down to the river and a park café there for an ice cream. Then we walked along the river Rivelin past remains of mills. Two grooves for the mill wheel are visible to the right of the arch.

And look at this paddle gear by the derelict mill leat or goit. Remind you of anything? Yes, it's the same as on some locks on the Calder and Hebble, those operated by a hand spike.

Before I sign off today, here's a daft sign at Tibshelf Services on the M1.

"Do not leave any items in your vehicle".

Why bother with a paddle when you have a perfectly good hand?

Amington to Fazeley. Not many miles and two locks. The two locks were at Glascote, always notoriously slow, but painfully so today as only one top paddle was working at the top lock. We weren't really held up as we took on water at the top lock behind the one boat waiting to go down. Despite the slowish tap, and the fact that we'd used a fair amount of water since our last fill three days before, we were able to slip into the lock immediately a boat exited it.

leaving Glascote bottom lock

At Peel Wharf, Fazeley Junction, Jubilee was reflected in the glass panels lining the canal.

We tied up opposite our friends David and Mary. David came over to deliver something to Jan - by canoe.

No paddle necessary. It was quicker than walking to the bridge.

Easter Day at Polesworth; buzzing bikes and birds; return to Amington

The crews of the nine Boaters' Christian Fellowship boats plus some BCF members who had driven over, went to the excellent 10am service at Polesworth Abbey taken by Father Philip Wells. His enthusiasm was a delightful change from what can sometimes be little more than a read-through of words in a service book. The church is ostensibly high church, but with a low church feel, if that makes sense. I'm sure we all celebrated Christ's resurrection this morning with a new vigour.

This was followed, for the BCF, by a bring-and-share lunch in the abbey's refectory.

And that was it for the Easter Cruise, a first for us. It was good to get to know some of the other BCF members better, and to join with locals from Tamworth, Amington and Polesworth for their Easter events.

We said our goodbyes and headed off to wind at Grendon Bridge, a mile and a half further on. On the way we saw the source of the constant motorbike noise: Polesworth Motocross circuit by the railway bridge. The canal runs close enough to see the riders zig-zagging around the course.

After winding we overshot Polesworth and tied up in Amington so we could go to the Festival Evensong at St. Editha's Church. The church in Tamworth was also St. Editha's, and so is Polesworth Abbey. You can imagine the conversation a few hundred years ago ...

Amington builder: "We're constructing this new church building here in Amington but we don't know who to dedicate it to."
Polesworth resident: "Well, ours is St. Editha's, and so is that new church in Tamworth just down the road."
Amington builder: "Yours is St. Editha's? And so is Tamworth's? Well, it must be OK ... We'll dedicate our church to St. Editha too."

Whatever the history, we received a warm welcome and had a good time.

On the way to Amington I spotted a pair of birds of prey circling over the trees near Pooley Hall.

I think they might be buzzards.

Today's weather has been much more spring-like - even (whisper it) summery! At last!

To Polesworth Abbey for a Service of Light

I seem to have ended up as "official photographer" for this BCF (East Midlands) Easter Cruise; this afternoon I took a group photo of participants and their boats. (I really must get a better camera; on my usual manual setting it was grossly overexposing so I selected "landscapes" mode fixing the focus (theoretically) at infinity. Still a little overexposed here, but not too bad.)

We had all arrived at Polesworth for the culmination of the Easter cruise; a service of light this evening and the Easter Day celebration tomorrow morning, both events taking place at Polesworth Abbey church.

Neither Jan nor I can remember being at service quite like this evening's. First, the vicar got us all outside where he blessed a fire. We all had candles which were supposed to have been lit before we processed into the church but, unfortunately, that bit got left out.

There was a bit of chanting where the vicar would sing something and we would have to sing the response imitating his chant. It was slightly chaotic, but it sort of worked. There were readings and hymns (strangely, mostly sung seated) and then we got to light our candles.

For the Gospel reading we gathered round the Easter Chest at the back.
Vicar: "What shall I do, open the box or take the money?"
Congregation (mostly): "Open the box!"
In the chest were some pieces of artwork the children had made, joined up to make a banner; and some ... can you guess? Yes, Easter eggs! The one youngster in the congregation got one.

After the service there was quite a wine-and-cheese feast laid on in the refectory.

It felt a little odd to be celebrating Easter a day early but, as the vicar said, this was an anticipation of the resurrection. The big day is tomorrow.

Good Friday events ending at the Pretty Pigs

Today our gathering of boats moved on a couple of miles to Amington/Alvecote. Before we did so, however, we took part in a Good Friday procession starting from Tamworth Castle. Here are the boats - all nine of them - above Glascote Locks at the start of the day (which, incidentally, is our 33rd wedding anniversary (we must be OLD!)).

About 200 people followed the cross to the market place, opposite St. Editha's Church ...

... where an open-air service was held.

After this some of us enjoyed a very welcome coffee and hot cross bun (toasted) in the nearby Methodist Church café. Then it was into the three hour service in St. Editha's. People were free to come and go - no compulsion to stay for the whole lot - but Jan and I and several others from the BCF ended up lasting the distance as it was so good. The service took the form of a short talk followed by a few minutes' silence in which to ponder what had just been said. Then a hymn leading into the next talk, and so on. There were eight of these sections in all, each focusing on a character connected with the events of Jesus's crucifixion.

My tummy rumbled only at the end of this! Fortunately we had prepared for such an eventuality and we ate a sandwich or two before returning to the boat. At about 1700 we cruised to Bridge 64 and walked to the Pretty Pigs pub for a Crown Carvery meal. Here are four of our number getting stuck in: John, Jane, Pat and Tony.

Tomorrow looks like being a quieter day; the only things on the schedule are an hour's cruise to Polesworth for a Service of Light at 8pm at Polesworth Abbey. Must remember to get a paper before we leave Amington ...

Calm after the storm; boats gather for BCF Easter Cruise

We did the last little bit of our journey to Glascote Top Lock today, cruising the four miles from Polesworth. And there was no wind! I could see reflections in the water, unlike the previous three days or so, when sometimes it's looked more like conditions at sea with white horses on the waves.

We winded in the entrance to Glascote Basin and joined the end of the line of Boaters' Christian Fellowship boats gathering for an Easter Cruise. There are nine boats in all. It won't be a very long cruise; just the four miles back to Polesworth! But it takes in Passiontide and Easter events at this most important time of year for Christians. These kicked off this evening with a "last supper"-type meal with members of St. George's Church ...

... and a communion service in the church hall. This incorporated a bit of foot washing to bring to mind Jesus's washing of Peter's feet. When the speaker called for eight volunteers among the first people to stand up were at least four BCF members, including myself. I was on the receiving end of Rex's ministrations - thanks Rex.

After the service we walked across the road to the church for silent prayer before walking back to our boats.

Jobsworth at Polesworth; the Tardis lands in Atherstone

There we were, gongoozling at some road workers resurfacing Polesworth's high street, when a jobsworth foreman suddenly came from nowhere and started haranguing me for looking at "his" men. "Stop interfering. The government is paying for them and they don't like being watched" is what he said, in a very unpleasant manner. We were flabbergasted. I tried explaining that we were not "interfering" but it made no difference. He merely repeated his diatribe. Of course, afterwards I thought of a few things I could have said - not that they would have made any difference - but, at the time, we were speechless. As we walked away we bumped into an Ocado man sympathising, and saying that in a few moments he would have to wheel his trolley across their precious tarmac to make some deliveries.

The day started much better, passing Clemency waiting for the crane that would come today ending six weeks of living in the air. This was followed by a reasonably uneventful cruise to Atherstone, where Doctor Who has touched down.

Close inspection reveals a St. John Ambulance poster on the Tardis. Perhaps the Doctor has taken up some voluntary work ...

At the top lock we emptied what needed emptying and filled what needed filling before setting off down the flight in the wind and rain (what a surprise). Actually the sun came out for a time, but the rain reappeared before the bottom. There was plenty of traffic coming towards us, and every lock was in our favour or had a boat just coming up. I made sure to use the side pond at the middle lock, naturally.

Here is Jan steering Jubilee towards Lock 10.

A little further on we passed a Black Prince hire boat pinned to the bank by the wind. When I'd got past the next bend - and therefore heading into the wind - I tied up and was just about to go back to help them when I saw that they'd got away.

At Polesworth we pulled in to the visitor moorings by the Bull's Head, walked round the town (village?) and ate on board. Average pint of Doom Bar in the Bull's Head. We'll be back on Saturday as this is where the Boaters' Christian Fellowship Easter Cruise will end up (we're on our way to join the cruise which starts from Glascote tomorrow).