Jill's latest work of art.

Alas, alack, back in the marina tomorrow. Jill has to have some checks at the doctors so that she can have the op. on her cataract. There have been problems as we are registered with a doctor in Plymouth but we are in Leicestershire. Seem to have that sorted so fingers crossed.
What a day yesterday, Market Bosworth to the outskirts of Hinckley in a downpour of Noachian proportions. Luckily we have treated ourselves to new Berghaus waterproofs, they passed the test with flying colours. The rain got through my Cat. boots but not through the waterproofs.

Jill's latest masterpiece, now finished, washed and ironed so I won't get an ear bending for putting it on the blog this time. She's now busy on the family Christmas cards. Everybody has at least one talent, or so I am informed, sixty six years I've been looking for mine and still it eludes me.

Watch this space...........

We reach the current end of the Moira Cut.

Been struggling with the computer, blasted thing kept crashing and refused point blank to pass any data over the internet. Eventually worked out that our Norton protection had thrown a serious wobbly so today I stripped it out and replaced it with McAfee, seems to have cured the problems. Except that the blasted machine now doesn't recognise the camera so we now have to use a card reader to download piccies. I really do hate technology.
Since our last post we have continued north up the Ashby, just past Sutton Cheney we once again came across the lads trimming back the offside vegetation.

They're making a good job of it as well.

Two weeks ago this stretch looked a bit like

this. All it needs now is a bit of dredging so the full width is usable.

This morning was the first real frost of the winter, ropes you could do the Indian rope trick with

and some wonderful ice crystals on the life ring.
It turned into a brilliant winter day as we made our way up to the current end of cut via

Snarestone tunnel in all its sinuous glory. For a short tunnel it bends and twists rather well.

The last few yards, the start of the work to reopen through to Measham.

There are a couple of hundred yards reopened in the last couple of years with visitor moorings and a slipway

for smaller boats.

The next stretch to be tackled, difficult to believe that this will soon be canal once again, with the help of numerous volunteers and a large wodge of cash.
Heading back south tomorrow, may have to spend a bit more time at Hinckley, sorting out Jill's op. becoming a bit of a nightmare!

Watch this space.............

Escape to the country.

Hooray, we're out of the marina! These days I get claustrophobic when confined to a marina, much prefer the peripatetic life. Doctors have been visited, still disgustingly healthy apart from a few age related incidences of bits wearing out. Eyes have been tested, mine have only deteriorated just enough so I need a new pair of breathtakingly expensive specs. Unfortunately the eye test showed that Jill has a cataract that needs removing, it explains why she keeps walking into things, I'd just put it down to the drink. We are now negotiating where and when she can have the operation, rather thrown our plans into disarray.
Surprise sighting as we left the marina, by the Triumph factory, a large raptor was being mobbed by a couple of crows, at first we assumed that it was a buzzard but as we got closer it became obvious that it was actually a red kite. I know they are becoming more common but have never seen one this far east before, beautiful creatures.
Now just outside Dadlington, near bridge thirty one, Wooden Top Bridge and not a sign of a spotty dog nor a traffic policeman so I can only assume that at some time in the past it had a wooden deck, now replaced with concrete.

Watch this space.............

Musings on the fate of kings and peasants.

The Bosworth Battlefield visitor centre is still worth a visit. We nipped over there on Saturday, if nothing else it gives you an idea of how medieval armies were organised, let's take Bosworth as an example. At the top you had the king;

Richard the Third and on the other side;

the usurper Henry Tudor.

Then you had the lords and knights, nice set of armour, decent weapons, good sword etc. Below that there were the rank and file,

Just a padded jacket and a pole arm, a bill hook on a long handle. Of course the majority of the armies were made up of the peasantry,

given a tin hat, bring your own pitch-fork/scythe, they didn't even count in the scoring. (See The Blackadder). Poor sods chaps, didn't have a clue what it was all about, just got skewered by the nobs.
Enough of my persiflage, in amongst the collection of finds from the battlefield there is one thing that stands out.

This tiny silver gilt boar was found on the battlefield in the area of the medieval bog which seems likely to have been the site of the Kings death. The picture is bigger than actual size, it is only 29mm long. It is known that only twelve of these were made and all were presented personally to the king's closest followers, eight at his coronation and the other four at his sons investiture as Prince of Wales. It is clear that at least one of Richards close friends was on that spot on the fateful twenty-second of August, 1485. It seems likely that we now know the place that the last English king to die in battle met his fate.

Watch this space.........

Nuneaton. Not much to say about the place.

Hinckley is ok but not a place to hold one's interest so, having a car for a while, we set off for Nuneaton. We've often passed through on the Coventry Canal but, to be honest, it's not a place that cries out for a stop, but, being at a loose end, off we went.
Having battled the traffic on the ring road we found a car park opposite the quaintly named Justice Centre, looked like the local court house to me.

The first thing we came across was a statue of George Eliot, the well known author. She looked to be a rather forbidding lady but I suppose any woman called George is likely to be somewhat intimidating. I've read two of her works, Middlemarch and Mill on the Floss, worthy tomes both of them but, to be honest, I rather prefer Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brien.

The actual centre is a bit run down, usual fare of charity shops and fast food outlets although Jill discovered a rather nice jewellers. She has always wanted an eternity ring and found one described as a "Half eternity ring", she worried it meant she would have to stick with me for the same length of time again, a chilling thought. The nice lady in the shop assured her that would be optional so she graciously allowed me to treat her. She's worth every penny, bless her.

We were intrigued by this clock tower, perched atop a rather ordinary building (Now a 3 mobile 'phone shop). No idea why such an edifice is perched on such an insignificant base.

Just below the clock tower, in the old market place, there is a rather nice fountain,

much appreciated by the local avian population for their ablutions.
There was also the old jail, with a classic Roller parked alongside.

A rather imposing town hall

and a couple of 19th C. buildings.
All in all not the most stimulating of places. I don't think we'll bother again. I usually try not to be negative about the places we visit but I just could not get excited about Nuneaton.

Watch this space...........

Remember, remember etc.

Bonfire night, the night we remember the 1605 Catesby plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the king and all the M.P.'s. It would probably have worked only all the hot air coming out of the House of Commons kept blowing Guy Fawkes' matches out.

Poor old Guy or Guido Fawkes gets all the opprobrium but he was only dragged into the plot because none of the other twelve plotters had the knowledge of gun powder. It seems likely that, although Fawkes had fought as a mercenary in the low countries, he had bought old gunpowder that was past its sell by date and wouldn't have exploded anyway.

Of course he was the poor sap who actually got caught sitting on thirty six barrels of powder in the cellar and was promptly arrested, tortured and subsequently hung, drawn and quartered.

It wasn't long before the other conspirators were captured or killed. All those taken prisoner soon met a similar fate to Guy.

So last night we had a celebration to show what we think of rotters who try to blow up parliament.
If you really want to see real celebrations you should go to Bridgewater in Somerset where they have the biggest illuminated carnival in the world, or to Lewes in Sussex where they trundle burning tar barrels through the streets, here at Hinckley we made do with some rousing fireworks.

Everybody in the marina agreed it was a splendid show.

Watch this space...........

Monkeys, steam and family.

The family have been and have now departed and we are at Hinckley for another week or so, eye tests, appointments at the quacks, all the things that house dwellers spread along the year, we cram them in when we get the chance.
They arrived p.m. Thursday and Friday we were off to Twycross Zoo.

It was a cold and breezy day so most of the primates were huddled indoors watching the humans do funny things, sometimes you could almost believe they have intelligence.

Aren't they big!
It was on the 1st of December 2009 that we saw the emu on the Coventry towpath,

this is a rhea, not an emu, but it's the closest I can get this year.

These fellers look fed up because I wouldn't buy car insurance, well there are limits.
Yesterday the Battlefield Line had the pleasure of hosting us, I was hoping for some exotic locomotive and what did they serve up?

A G.W.R. 2884 class 2-8-0. Oh well, any steam is better than no steam and 3803 is certainly an impressive engine.

Unusually for two small children they were more excited with the steam engine than with the previous day's monkeys.
At Shenton we walked up to the battlefield centre, the one where the Battle of Bosworth, "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse", wasn't fought.

The grandsprogs insisted that I take a photo' of Richard III's banner, they didn't know anything about it but they liked the pig on it.

I've just raked through my archives and for those who missed it first time round here is the famous emu.
Boat seems very quiet now the family have gone.

Watch this space..............