Fazeley in the sun.

Despite the proximity of the motorway I slept pretty well. It was very chilly this morning and the heating came on for the first time this year otherwise I would never have got the other two up! Whilst they were  doing the morning ablutions I walked into Curdworth for the Sunday papers. Unfortunately they had not delivered the inserts for the Sunday papers so it was a blank. The guy that passed us yesterday evening was still moored by the village. I was a bit annoyed with him playing his radio really loudly when he passed but he was actually watching the TV as he was going along. I wonder why you would want to be steaming along and watching the television. Why not just stop! This morning his two large dogs  were out leaving their presents unattended too.

We just got to the top lock from our overnight berth when a boat came under the bridge. I bet they were hacked off to see us. It must of done as I think after doing the first one they must have stopped for breakfast as we never saw them again. I was going to lift a paddle for them to soften the blow but I  was glad I didn't as on the eleven lock flight we crossed with several heading upwards so they would have had a better run.

Still smiling after the first lock down. The sun is nice but it is  still cold. The top of this flight must a b****r in windy weather as there is no protection from it.

Made it to No4. and Helen is feeling the cold on the back deck as another jacket is on.

Down a few more and at Double Bridge. I think it is so called as it is wider than the normal accommodation bridge. I wonder why that was so? Helen is off to the next lock but little does she know that this next one is a fair walk away. By the time she gets there she has unzipped three jackets so is definitely warming up. 

We are now at the bottom lock and a swivel bridge before the lock. There  was a young lad playing football with his Granddad on the far side of the lock and I gave them a football that I had fished out of the cut in Birmingham.

Helen was helping with the locks but found a non physical way of  doing it. It is nice to chat with the locals. This lady feeds the ducks every day. She said that in the height of the summer she is down to two and in winter she has over twenty.

After you pass the water park the banks get more over grown and look as though we are back in the depths of the countryside here. C&RT  have a failed experiment here as they had those floating socks full off coir that they plant up to get the back growing. These were anchored on the tow path side though. It didn't look like any had taken and most were missing. I'm sure there would be plenty of comments if they made the bank so that you were unable to moor.

I have never been able to take a very good  photo of the Drayton FootBridge and I didn't manage it  again today. I cut the top off and it now looks like a roll of quilted kitchen roll!

We took water just by Fazeley Mill Marina and then moved past the junction. The junction house seems to have a little bit more done to it every time we pass. Somebody will have got a really good deal there as it was in a poor condition when they bought it. We moored near Peel's Wharf facilities for lunch but were soon off to get a spot in Hopwas.

I have never noticed these before so I thought I would take a picture.

We got to Hopwas and found a mooring just by Dixon's Bridge. We have never moored in the village before, preferring to be out in the peace and quiet of the wood but we are eating out tonight and needed somewhere close. Once stopped I managed to finish shelling all the cob nuts I had picked and they weighed in at 12oz. I should be able to do something with those, and may even collect some more first. I then managed to get another coat of paint on the paint working I had done yesterday. Now to get changed to look like something almost human as we are off to the Tame Otter for tea.