Imparting information

Ah ha... there was a slight discrepancy on the name of that helicopter shown on my post yesterday. Had two comments, one from Carol and George, Still Rocking and one from Bruce and Sheila, Sanity Again. It's either an Apache (George) or a Kiowa Warrior.(Bruce). Funnily enough, Ian thought it was an Apache as well. Anyway, Apache or Kiowa Warrior, they were still a pretty impressive pair.

Only locks today were Glascote. For once no queue and I had almost placed the windlass on the winding gear when I realised a boat was about to enter the bottom lock. I suppose I could have filled the top lock for us to enter but to conserve water had been drummed into us from the very start of our cruising life and we had always been told if the lock is in the other boats favour than we must wait. But I had forgotten the Tale of the leaky lock and that boat took forever to come up. Oh well, it meant I had time to get my cake out of the oven before it burnt.

At Fazeley Junction, it was a right turn onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, sailed past the facilities which I'm lead to believe will be closing soon (the marina towards Birmingham is to be used instead) and onwards towards Hopwas.

Facilities

You may remember us purchasing another chimney from the Little Chimney Company after we lost our original over the side, well we found Kym and Tracey moored beyond Hopwas and decided to see if they had a cowl to fit the new chimney. Of course they did seeing as we had purchased it from them. The cowl fitted inside the top and works much better than those fitted on the outside. Also, because of the design of their chimneys, we have had no tar running down the side of the boat. As we were so impressed with the short chimney we also purchased a tall 18" chimney for when we are back at Langley Mill. Lovely and shiny stainless steel and a new added addition of a laser cut name on the handle.

 Standing there chatting (as you do) some information was given to us by Kym about those private moorings at Pooley Country Park. HS2 will be following the line of the M42 and those moorings are in the way of the development so they have to go. Also, a huge housing estate is being built at the back of the cafe in Fradley, and.....(worst of all) Glascote locks may be closed from 6.30pm every evening because those living in the new flats overlooking the locks are complaining of noise!!!!!!! If C&RT give in to that well shame on them. Those locks were there long before the new flats were built.

We didn't travel much further as time was by now 13.30 and having already done 4 hours, quite long enough. A length of piled edge moorings in the open and around the next bend seemed the ideal place to stop. Slightly nearer to the railway than we would have liked but lovely and rural nonetheless.

And wildlife, it's all about squirrels.