Biding our Time.

 In line with the weather forecast we decided to stick on the mooring at Whittington until after 1pm. I was getting well on with my book about Stephen and Matilda in the 1130's and 40's about who would succeed Henry I. One of Stephen's Generals, William Le Gros was the founder of Hedon, where we live, as a port on the Humber. I was just about to set off when a last heavy shower started so I sat back down and read another chapter before getting dolled up and heading out to cast off.

We didn't see anymore ran and the wind was only any problem at all when at an exposed spot of the canal, but even then not too bad at all. There was blue skies as a sign of better things to come. The sun did pop out for a very short time but it is definitely cooler than previously. When I got up this morning it was showing as 17 C outside!! 

I only saw one moving boat after we had set off, well two as there was one approaching Shade House when we got there too. The wind has definitely blown more leaves in the canal and I needed an occasional period out of gear to shed them after passing through accumulations.

I love the Lichfield Cruising Club's club house, especially the windows. Part of it was the lengthsman cottage and the neighbouring cottage too. The started in 1959 when some members of the Coventry Canal Society with moorings at Fradley moved their boats to the silted up Wyrley and Essington Canal where the lengthsman would keep and eye on them. They were part of the Tamworth Cruising Club until 1978 when they split so as to be able to afford better support for each location. Tamworth at Kettlebrook and Lichfield here at Huddleford. I wonder what they will do when the through route to Ogley Junction gets completed?

This looks an ideal spot for a bench with the well tended hedges and fields and a farmhouse nearby along

side a slightly reedy canal, except that the traffic of the A38 thunders past just to the left of the picture. Not a spot I would really want to linger.

A little after Streethay Wharf, between Bridges 87 and 88, there was this large sheet of plastic submerged under the canal. At first I thought it was a tarpaulin that had blown off a truck or from a farmyard, but the road cones made it look official. I then though there must be a leak in the canal bed, but the surrounding country side did not appear to be sodden, but there was a pump in the field. No real idea of what it was doing, but it is fairly recent and there doesn't seem to be a notice from C&RT yet.

The pumping station at Brookhay opened in the 1890's and very quickly became controversial as it was thought that very quickly the local water table was lowered so much that peoples wells and springs stopped flowing. This was doubly irksome as the locals felt they were being forced to buy water from the water company!

As we approached Fradley the sentinel trees on the towpath always make me think of Lord of the Rings for some reason, especially on a bit of a gloomy day like today. There were no spaces at all on the moorings leading up to the junction, so it was a good job that we weren't hoping to stop there. We went through the swing bridge at about 4 PM, just after the volunteers lock keepers had left, if they had stayed that long, as it was cold and quiet so I expect they had gone home early for a warm.

Instead of more pictures of the Swan pub I thought I would take a picture looking back at the cottages at Junction Lock. No boats and no people. It was very quiet everywhere. Both Middle and Shadehouse locks were our way, although Shadehouse need a bit of water dropping before I could enter. As we came out at the top we could see a boat a distance away heading towards us. We weren't sure if they would moor or continue so we waited to see so we could leave the gate open for them to drive straight in. The sun was directly in our eyes, but when it became obvious that they weren't mooring we set off. They never said a word to us as we passed!

A gate was open at Woodend Lock so we were staright up. Helen did her best to get a cutting of a sedum in the garden, but the HS2 fencing prevented her getting to it. As we have been going around we have been looking in the Charity shops for replacement pots for the niches in Woodend lock. The teapots that had been there got broken and disappeared soon after the cottage was boarded up. 

They look a little lost at the moment so if you see a cheap teapot or other suitable  stoneware please feel free to add to the collection. I'm not sure who placed the originals there and painted the alcoves, but I am assuming it was the lock keeper, or the tenant.

Feel free to add to the collection as pass. We didn't pay anymore than £1 for any item, and there is plenty of room for more. It is nice to keep 'traditions' going if you can.

We moored at the top of the lock, with one other boat. It was quite blustery across the canal as it is open on both sides, which is why we like it I suppose. This gives us a short run back to Kings Bromley and our base so we can get a good time to set off home with another cruise completed. Always a sad time, but one more blog to go too.