A Contented Man.

This morning dawned clear and crisp with a heavy frost, everything had a white coating and as the sun came up red from behind Cannock Chase the whole world caught fire, sparkling red and gold with the promise of a fair day. Even the old dog seemed to be glad to be out and about. Right I thought, a perfect chance to test out my pike tackle; so after breakfast I delved into my fishing locker, raided the fridge for some sprats that somehow had survived from our last fish tea and set up for a day on the bank.
What a perfect day, no wind, virtually no boat traffic, just me and the local wildlife. A buzzard wheeled overhead, mewing to his mate while two pairs of coots vociferously discussed the ownership of a stretch of reed bed. The copse opposite was filled with birdsong as from the fields beyond came the bleating of the young lambs, the only intrusive sound was the occasional rumble of a train from across the valley.
When I finally put the rod away my soul mate had prepared pork steaks in lemon juice, brown sugar, soy sauce and ginger, a perfect precursor to some delightful pancakes, today being Shrove Tuesday.
I am now sitting with a cup of tea and chocolate wholemeals, a contented man.
Ah I hear you ask, did you have any luck with the fish? I always point out it is not a matter of luck but of skill and I must admit I appeared to be singularly lacking in both, not a bite, but you can't have everything.

Great Heywood Junction and don't forget the coming census.

A move up to Tixall,

as you approach Great Haywood you get some good views of Shugborough Hall.
Haywood Lock has the leakiest bottom gates we've come across for a while, so much water was leaking out that a passer by asked if we had left a paddle up, but it was just pouring through and round the gates, seems the lock was closed over winter for repairs, obviously they didn't work.
As you turn onto the Staffs.&Worcs. it is compulsory to take a picture

of the junction bridge. You must admit it is an extremely elegant structure, somehow it wouldn't look the same in poured concrete.
Then you have the aquaduct, I do love the label that they have on it,

let's see, bridge with water on it going over the river, yep, I reckon that's right, it's an aquaduct.
After mooring just beyond the Wide I decided I ought to sort out how we could get on the census so I rang the Census Helpline, got hold of a splendid chap who immediately became highly confused as we had no address, static boats, circus performers, no problem but a continuous cruiser? After several consultations with various supervisors we worked out a compromise, they will send the form to our daughter who can then let me know the reference number on the form and then I can fill it in online. I hope this time the form will allow me to be English, I am not a white European, that's them foreigners over the channel. Last census I ticked "Other" and then put English in the little box. Sorry, what does xenophobic mean?

A Walk in the Sun.

View from current mooring, the Trent Valley with Cannock Chase in the distance.
Midday today and the sun was shining so it was on boots and, turning our backs on

Rugeley, we took a walk down to Wolseley Bridge. The view up the flood plain is stunning,

the river is on the left and the canal is on the right, the line of trees is the towpath. Blue sky above

and these at ground level.
Believe it or not is was also warm, best day so far this year.

Wood End Lock and is Armitage going down the pan?

Had a great night down the Mucky Duck on Thursday, three guitars, two fiddles and a mandolin plus some decent ale.
As it was time for a major shop we aimed for Rugeley yesterday, passing through Wood End Lock.

I had never noticed these recesses in the bridge parapet before, I can only speculate that in the past the gates were fitted with shorter, bulkier beams that slotted into them when the gates were open, must have been even more awkward than the present right angled ones.

I think these bars were used to slow unpowered boats as they entered the lock, the steerer latching onto them with a hook on a line and presumably snubbing it on a stud, must have been pretty hairy. This may be a Wikipedia moment and be totally inaccurate so you can take it as true or false as you think fit.

The top gate has one ground paddle and a gate paddle and it fills a lot quicker than the Coventry Canal locks, and that is Wood End Lock.
At Armitage you pass the well known pottery

As they are wrapped in poly it's a bit difficult to pick out what's on the pallets but anyone who has been past there will know.
We're now topped up with victuals and have moved up to near bridge 69 overlooking the Trent Valley and being stared at by some very nosey sheep, through the mist and rain.

We join the Trent and Mersey.

The Coventry is not a canal you can fall in love with despite it being a vital link in the system, it never gets far from the large conurbations and to be honest it is mostly shallow and grubby. I'll be kind, it has lots of heritage.

This is Huddlesford Junction where the Wyrley and Essington came down from the B.C.N. Another long term restoration, I doubt if I'll live long enough to traverse it.

But all things must end and the Coventry ends at Fradley Junction, a bit of canal that throws everything at you, swing bridge, junction, locks

and the Mucky Duck.

Not forgetting my lovely lock worker.

Yesterday we had lunch in the Swan, hence no blog.

Before that we had strolled round the nature reserve, it looked a bit bleak in the overcast weather we have been enjoying.

Here's one for the ornithologists.

What's this? I only recognise a duck if it is accompanied by a few roasties and a drop of gravy.

We had just got back to the boat and who should turn up?

Mal, an old acquaintance from Olive's on the Shroppie. As he 's taking his guitar down the pub tonight we have decided to stay put another day. If anyone is wondering, yes, that is Thursdays Child in the background.

Heading North up the Coventry.

Long day today, left the bottom of Atherstone at 0900 and arrived here, just north of Hopwas Wood, at 1430, cold, wet and fed up.

After watering at Bradley Green we passed Grendon Dock

with this wooden motor obviously under restoration.

Just past Polesworth Pooley Hall looms over the cut

and a brightly painted pit head winding gear wheel marks the site of the nearby colliery.

Landscaped spoil tips are a reminder of the vast tonnage of coal dug from this area

and the array of working boats at Alvecote remind us how it was transported.

By the time we reached Glascote Locks the rain had set in, Jill waits for the infamously slow top lock to fill. On lock flights we now use walkie talkies, it saves the stentorian bellowing to each other and the misunderstandings that so easily arise.

Fazeley Junction(It started hailing on us here) and the Birmingham and Fazeley heads off towards the mysterious environs of the B.C.N. In fact the we are now on the B.C.N. as can be seen by the typical Birmingham practice of naming,

not numbering the bridges. The Birmingham actually constructed this stretch of the Coventry as that company had run out of money and seemed to have lost interest in heading north whilst the B & F was desperate to hook up with the Trent and Mersey, so they got stuck in and made the connection and so it remains, an eighteenth century anomaly.

Whoopee!!!

England beat the cockerels, time to break out the plonk!