Lazing at Lichfield.

We traveled down to the boat at King's Orchard on Saturday to check it out and to get away from all the stuff that always needs doing when you are at home. It is a great thing that you can just go to the boat and all those things that bug you at home, nagging away at you, seem to be forgotten. It is a shame they are still there when you get back though.

The boat was fine and we soon had it warmed through with the stove lit. We really just mooched about in the afternoon. I did my checks and everything seemed okay. The engine started first time with just 5 seconds of preheat and with no smoke. The heating and hot water started up too. The lowest recorded temperature in the boat had been 6.7 degrees so it didn't feel damp at all.

Of course there was the compulsory 'Strictly' viewing but with a bottle of wine too hand it wasn't too bad at all. We both slept very well too, other than Macy cat meowing a little as she has no got back into the routine of being out every night at home, but we have to keep her in at night when on the boat.

On Sunday we were up to hear The Archers that was early as the Remembrance Sunday service on the radio. When ever I was away at sea at this time I always tuned into the World Service to listen to the service from London's Cenotaph. I always find it very moving and it always made me feel close to Helen and the family. We then went out into Lichfield to do some Christmas shopping and to have a look round. The weather wasn't that inspiring but it actually didn't rain, but was quite windy. I was able to suggest a few things for Helen to consider for gifts for others and I thinks she was impressed. I will take brownie points from where ever I can. So much so that I was allowed into the Angel pub for a pint of Joules Pale ale. We also saw that there was another Joules pub in Lichfield, along with two Weatherspoons pubs. Did any of you see that woman whose ambition was to visit every Weatherspoon's outlet in the country. She will be kept busy as they are opening hundreds each year. Mind you it is good to have an ambition in life!

We stopped for a coffee and a sandwich before heading to the Cathedral. The afternoon service was just about to start so we visited the shop and then looked round the Erasmus Darwin House. This was where the grandfather of Charles Darwin lived and worked as a doctor. He had been born in 1731 and moved to Lichfield in 1756. He was a successful doctor, and accomplished scientist, a noted inventor, a celebrated poet and a family man with 14 children that includes 2 daughters with his governess after his first wife had died. He invented a horizontal windmill, a device for steering carriages, a speaking machine, a copying machine, a canal boat lift etc. He didn't take any patents as he felt this would undermine his work as a Doctor. He studies fossils and plants and wrote a poetry book about the reproduction of plants as if they were human that became a best seller. He was very much ahead of the times as he also thought that the world had developed along the lines that his grandson would postulate in the 'Origin of Species'. He deserves to be much better known as he was also a founder member of the Lunar Society that where at the heart of the Industrial Revolution as ideas and inventions were bandied about. The group included Wedgewood, Boulton and Watt and the name came from the fact that they met at the time of the full moon. Not out of anything other than the practicality of being able to see their way home afterwards.

Erasmus invented the silhouette 'machine' that projected the image on a screen that could then be drawn round. Here is Helen in image and silhoutte in the modern design of the apparatus. 

The cathedral has the famous three spires. The front of the nave of the church is adorned with the carvings of bishops and saints and the three spires and towers make it very distinctive as it is the only cathedral with three. They are known as the 'Ladies of the Vale'.

 Lichfield suffered during the Civil War as it was besieged three times. The most easily defend part of the town was the hill and close where the church stood as it had water and a defensive mounds around it. The third seige by the Parliamentarians saw much damage to the church and the loss of the central tower and spire. It wasn't until the Victorian age that the grandeur of the church was restored.

The door to the north transept looks as though it may well have been from the original church. The Cathedral is dedicated to St Chad and St Mary.

We will make a few visits to the town as there are some lovely buildings, with plenty of shops, museums and pubs, so what is not to like. Before we left the boat today, Monday, we popped into the Arthur Price Factory shop to see if there were any Christmas present ideas. It states it is the largest cutlery factory shop in the world. I'm not convinced that there are that many of them vying for the accolade but there was plenty of canteens and stuff. A great place if you have a wedding coming up I would say. Helen managed to find a few bargains that will be gifts in a few weeks and soon we were back to the boat and packing up everything and going through the list of turning off the water, gas, Hurricane and the 12v system. I emptied the rubbish and ash, topped up the compost loo with cocoa shell and we were on our way. We didn't forget Macy cat either. It was 2 hours door to door and there are extensive road works on the M1 at the moment. We are both well rested and ready for another week. I'm not sure when we will both be able to get down  again before Christmas.