Hireboaters get a helping hand

I lit the fire this morning to keep us toasty while we engaged in Zoom church; before the service started, though, we boated another couple of miles. We got under way again at about midday, eating lunch in shifts. The canal goes through a lot of trees round here, making it often rather gloomy. Today, however, the sun shone through.

Once I had spotted one tar drip diverter I was bound to see more. This is example number two on this trip.

I could hear the appeals of "Howzat?" as we approached Lapworth Cricket Club right by Lock 4.

Here we caught up with a novice crew on a hire boat; fortunately, a couple of slow locks later, a volunteer lockie appeared and helped them down the rest of the flight. I think it's between Lock 7 and Lock 8 that there's a tricky bend, made more interesting when boats going in different directions need to pass. Here the lockie directed the hire boat to the right of the lock.

In the end we made good time down the flight. We went straight on into Lock 21 so we could dispose of rubbish, then made the 90 degree left turn into the Lapworth Link where we tied up. We had invited my former colleague Ian Winter for tea and the F1 race highlights. The tea worked but the TV signal was not stable enough to watch, so we abandoned that side of things (I caught up later on the laptop). It was good to see you, Ian.

Don't call me Shirley

We had some things to attend to in the Yardley Wood area this morning so it wasn't until almost 1730 that we left Bridge 5 to continue down the Stratford Canal. Before leaving Ann from Bramble came on board for a cup of tea. She is a fellow BCF member whom we hadn't met before. Ann and her husband are taking their four-year-old Aqualine boat to Worcester for a full repaint - under warranty - to rectify what seems to have been a poor batch of paint which affected 17 Aqualine boats. 

We picked a good time to arrive at Shirley Drawbridge with no vehicles in sight when I pressed the Open button to start the procedure of red lights, barriers dropping and bridge lifting. When the barriers raised again I was surprised to see a stream of perhaps ten cars cross the bridge from the right before I could rejoin Jubilee.

A few minutes later we tied up just beyond the railway bridge, had tea and watched the F1 Sprint race highlights (John).

A strong cross wind in Selly Oak

I took only two photos today, so I'd better share them. We walked the short distance from Cambrian Wharf into Birmingham's main shopping area looking - unsuccessfully - for trousers for me. After coffee back on board, I went back to sort out some business at a building society and returned to find Jan had got a fry-up under way. Yum! 

After this early lunch we battled the wind as we left the basin, turned and headed for the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. People on the bank seemed to be in a jolly mood: we got smiles and waves all the way today. 

At the Bournbrook Aqueduct at Selly Oak the wind blew strongly broadside; a couple of hundred yards further on, with Sainsbury's on our right and Selly Oak Station on our left, the wind was stronger still. Our chimney hat blew off; fortunately the safety wire attaching it held. Here we met up with Chris and Sally on Kairos and had a nice cup of tea and a chat on their boat.

In Sainsbury's my trousers quest was accomplished. Even better, we walked along the eastern end of the proposed new route of the Dudley (Lapal) Canal. We didn't have time to explore beyond Sainsbury's - perhaps next time we pass.

Around the Bournville area this man took a break from serenading his dog to talk to a towpath walker. The sun was in his eyes.

We made the sharp left turn onto the Stratford Canal and stopped at Bridge 5. This evening we had another fabulous curry at The Sweet Chillies in Yardley Wood Road.

How often does a canal flood?

Ah - that's better. Photos have uploaded, so now I can write about yesterday and today.

The newish flats at Dickens Heath have been furnished with flood boards, which would seem to me to be an unnecessary and expensive precaution.  Canals rarely flood as they have overspill weirs to deal with excess water.
 

I suppose in an extreme case of a huge downpour the overspill weirs might not cope immediately, but would the canal really rise above the edge?  Perhaps there's another watercourse nearby which I haven't considered ...

Well, summer seemed to arrive suddenly yesterday. I did quite a bit of cycling around King's Heath, Stirchley and Yardley Wood and got quite warm. Back on the boat we enjoyed the rural Stratford Canal away from the Birmingham connurbation.

We stopped at Hockley Heath where we joined fellow BCFers Ingrid and Kit for drinks in the Wharf Tavern.

Today we continued down the Stratford Canal. We met up with my former colleague Ian, who has recently joined the ranks of the retired. We gave him a lift from Hockley Heath down to Lapworth Top Lock and enjoyed a chat in his garden.

This is the only photo I took on the Lapworth Flight.

At Bridge 35, two locks above the Lapworth Link, the fierce bywash pushed the boat into the brick arch. Some paint was removed from the top left corner. A boat was following us down the locks; I reckon the extra water coming down with it was what caused the problem.

We turned right onto the Grand Union and passed this pair of gently rotting hulks. 
 

I think I photograph them every time we pass - it would be interesting to juxtapose the images to see the decline.

One more photo for you: Shrewley Tunnel north west portal with horse tunnel.

We tied up half a mile before Hatton Locks: we have that joy tomorrow. In dry conditions! (We had some light rain on the GU.)

Box on top keeps my tea hot

We had an uneventful journey from Birmingham to, er, Birmingham today (all right, it was from Cambrian Wharf in the city centre to Bridge 5 on the Stratford Canal at Yardley Wood) so I'll write about something else.

Two years ago I found some bits of scrap MDF by the bins at the bottom of the Napton Locks.  Using panel pins and PVA I knocked up a rough and ready box to take useful things and keep them out of the rain.  It sits on the cabin slide and works a treat.
 

In the box are the device on which I display Waterway Routes; a clock; a pair of clip-on sunglasses. There is space for a mug: the wind protection helps to keep my tea/coffee hot. Despite the MDF sitting on a sometimes wet surface it has lasted remarkably well.

As we approached Birmingham yesterday I saw a seagull walking along the towpath with a dead-looking gosling in its beak.
 

On the opposite towpath, having given up any fight, were Mr and Mrs Goose and one remaining gosling.

It seems a shame, but I suppose it's the way of the natural world.

Back to today ... and we enjoyed the second dry day in a row.  It was still cold, though - the stove is on as I write.  This was a peaceful part of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
 

From a distance the guillotine lock at King's Norton looked pleasingly free of graffiti.

Some became visible as we got closer, and the other side was sadly marred by the vandal's spray can.

So, as I say, we are at Bridge 5 (Yardley Wood Road).  We had a fabulous curry at our favourite Sweet Chillies restaurant.

A tunnel that wasn't, and one that was (although currently unnavigable)

It was good to see the toll house at King's Norton Junction being renovated after the fire a year or so ago.

On the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and heading into Birmingham there was a new building awaiting us. It looked as though it was built right over the canal with a tunnel for boats...

… but when we got there we found the building - part of the University of Birmingham and seemingly called Unite Students - was just to the west of the canal.

The only tunnel was that built to accommodate the proposed restoration (and re-routing) of the Dudley No. 2 Canal. This used to run from very near here at Selly Oak to Hawne Basin via the (now collapsed) Lapal Tunnel. If the restoration succeeds it is likely that the new canal will be known as the Lapal Canal.

The (short) tunnel is directly behind the slender tree in the photo above.

We stopped just round the corner from Holliday Wharf and walked to the Apple store. Here my phone was looked at but they couldn't do anything to make it work again. Grr. I discovered there that none of my contacts has been backed up in something called iCloud. Double grr. I am therefore now having to use my old Nokia PAYG, with no e-mail or WhatsApp. Even text messages cost money.

After lunch we continued our journey to Windmill End for the Black Country Boating Festival this weekend. At the toll island on the Birmingham Canal New Main Line, just before the Engine Arm Aqueduct, we found that it has been taken over by a nascent beech forest. It gave the side of the boat a good rubbing.

A little later, on a bridge high over the canal, a heron perched.

Who can identify the bridge for me?

We turned left at Dudley Port Junction and took about 35 minutes to get through Netherton Tunnel. The sign at the entrance suggests that passage should take approximately 56 minutes (sic). Really? Perhaps I misread the sign. We are now at the site of the BCBF and will get stuck in - helping with the setup - tomorrow.

Temporary bridge which few people use

It took not much more than half-an-hour to reach Kingswood Junction this morning. On the way we saw a pair of kingfishers. Jan spotted them having a bit of an argy-bargy on the towpath; I saw them only as they flew in front of us a couple of time before disappearing into the bushes.

The footbridge over the tail of Lock 19 on the Stratford Canal is in the process of being rebuilt, seemingly with a stainless steel deck.

While the bridge is closed a temporary scaffold-based bridge has been erected over the lock.

According to a local the only people who use it are children.

I imagine most people, like the person I spoke to, use the lock gates to get across.

It was good to get a visit from a former colleague of mine at Lapworth. This is in Lapworth Top Lock.

Ian had been the sports supremo at BBC Look East; he moved to BBC Midlands Today some years ago and lives lives by the canal. Every time we pass we message him in case he's around; today we coincided.

This evening we went to our favourite Indian restaurant, the Sweet Chillies in Yardley Wood Road, Birmingham. It was a cracking meal as always.

Tomorrow I'll go to the Apple store in Brum to see if I can get my phone sorted.

Well-known canal junction cottage burnt out

We moored at Kings Norton Junction for two nights and moved on today to central Birmingham. It was sad to see that the cottage on the junction has suffered a devastating fire. The roof has gone and, I imagine, much of the interior. Fortunately it seems that the table of tolls on the first floor wall has been spared. I was told it happened a couple of months ago.

There's still no space in Brindleyplace ...

We tied up in Cambrian Wharf alongside the stone bank with its metal rail at water level. Bonglers were deployed.

The adjacent top lock of the Farmers Bridge flight had evidently just had the bottom gate replaced.

The rather flimsy-looking Portagantry was still in place, straddling the lock.

We went to the Wetherspoon in Broad Street for tea and walked back past Gas Street Basin.

Changing the bed

I don't know how often one is supposed to replace one's mattress, but we thought it was probably about time. The old one was getting slightly saggy in the middle, and there was at least one slightly sharp bit which I could occasionally feel prodding me.

I mentioned that we'd ordered and paid for a new mattress; yesterday it came. First we had to get the old one out ...

... and wait for the new one to arrive.

Getting it in through the bow doors was the best way ...

... but it was a bit of a struggle.

We pushed ...

... and twisted ...

... and HEAVED ...

... until, finally ...

... it was IN.

That, as I say, was yesterday. I expressed a small doubt about the wisdom of buying a cheapo mattress but, having slept on it, I can report that it seems absolutely fine. Comfortable, not too bouncy - and no sharp bits. It doesn't sag - if anything, it tends to roll us to the edges, so does it have an in-built anti-sag bias? No, I don't think so either.

All photos were taken by Ben; he, Ally, Josiah and Micah came to visit us for the afternoon.

After tea they drove home and we moved on to King's Norton Junction.

Nomad Rush; too cheap a mattress?

We passed this boat at Shirley Drawbridge a few days ago; yesterday it passed us..I was in no mad rush to photograph it.

What would make the pun really clever is if the surname of the owner is Rush.

We're still here at Bridge 5 on the north Stratford Canal - we've bought a new mattress which will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. I hope we've done the right thing. £100 doesn't sound a lot for something we spend a sixth of our lives on. (1/3 of every day but only 1/2 of every year.) And there's no going back: the old mattress will be taken away.