Autumn colour

When we left the Black Country Boating Festival after helping to pack it up we headed back to Yardley Wood. Then we set off for a BCF social event at Fazeley.

Coming down the Farmers Bridge locks Jan had to steer round an ex-working boat coming up the flight. There wasn't much room.

The small yellow and red berries were out in profusion along the Aston Locks.

Pyracantha, I believe they are.

This was September 13th. (Six weeks later I am still in shorts.)

Black Country Boating Festival 2017

We didn't get to Windmill End as early as we had intended this year for the Black Country Boating Festival. Our delay was on account of all the work we were doing at the Birmingham house, mostly painting. We left Cambrian Wharf in time to arrive at the BCBF at 1100; we immediately got stuck in to helping.

At one point we were asked to move the boat from its original mooring at the junction to just a little further on, opposite the main festival site. There we are, with the bunting up (such as it is).

Galileo was looking very good.

On the Sunday (10th Sep) Jan led a short BCF service in the beer tent. This year, for some reason, the local churches didn't get involved and the congregation was consequently small.

We had a good time at the festival despite the showery conditions, and resolved to do it all again next year. When the rain really fell down on Sunday afternoon that was the signal for the crowds to melt away - if that's the right phrase, dissolve might be more appropriate - and for the traders to pack up.

Here are David and Mary leaving on Kew.

Now I must go on the BCBF website and book 2018 ...

It's been too long!

I somehow got out of the habit of regular blog posts, which I shall try to rectify. On the boat we had run low of data which meant that I couldn't upload photos, then we were very busy at the Birmingham house. When I wrote last we were on the Stratford Canal at Yardley Wood. From there we went to the Black Country Boating Festival, then back to Yardley Wood, then to Fazeley for a BCF event. Jubilee is still there, on a friend's end-of-garden mooring. We are now at home in Norfolk.

I shall try to revisit the last couple of weeks of the summer's boating, with photographs, over the course of the next few days.

Meanwhile here are some photos of the strange sky we had on Monday. The light had exactly the quality of the light either side of a total solar eclipse (which we witnessed in France in 1999). I don't think it fooled the birds, though.

orange sky at 1752

the sun at 1522

eerie daylight at 1719

For a really good shot of a red sun see Erin Mae's blog.