Iced in and nowhere to go

When the boats are fast, In the icy blast,

And the strong Nor'easters roar'

Then we pay the price of the frost and ice,

In laying up and waiting for a thaw

Well I'm sitting looking out of my patio door at a lovely Christmas scene and thinking s**t! Minnow has been iced in up the Cannock Extension now since the end of November and looking at the way the snow is coming down here it does not look likely to be moving her back to Kings Bromley for a while yet. We were hoping to get out on her between Christmas day and New years day but that does not look too hopeful at the moment, but you never know. Our poor old Yellow Labrador (15 1/2 years old) is in a bad way at the moment, when I came home on Thursday he was in a terrible state being unable to stand and completely disorientated. We took him straight up the vets, suspecting that he had had a stroke. The vets prognosis was Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome. This is most common in older dogs and is caused by a swelling of the nerves between the inner ear and the brain, where balance is controlled. She gave him an injection of Steroid I think, and said that about 50% of dogs respond well to this treatment and that we should see a marked improvement in the next 24 hours. I am glad to say we have as over the next two days he seems a lot more settled, he is eating and now able to get up and walk about, albeit it very unsteady as if drunk. We understand that most dogs get over this and go on to have a happy healthy life, although we realise that 15 is already a 'good innings' for most dogs. At the moment he is being given 'special treatment' during his recovery and has the full run of the bungalow being allowed to lie down just where he wants, and needless to say he is taking full advantage of the situation. So for the rest of his time with us we will be taking extra special care of him and will try not to bang 'im about

Blossom

That was another week (end) that was.

The week was soon round again and we were loading up the car and heading off to Minnow. We dropped one car off at Norton Canes and then drove up to the Red Lion at Great Chatwell where we met up with the gang for a bonfire, fireworks and food and the odd drink or two. As Dawn works until late on a Friday we did not get there until after the fireworks but went into the pub to join Dave Ray, Lucy Waldron, Sue Cawson, Mathew Burge and Kaz, Matt Parrott and Sarah, Mike Pinnock and Lawrence Williams and a good time was had by all. Back to Norbury and Minnow fire lit and to bed. A lazy start to the weekend's boating as we collected diesel, oil and water before we setting off. Every time we travel this way we always stop at Norbury and Dawn had said that she would like to stop in Gnosall and try out The Boat, and so the first days boating was only an hour and we tied up and went for a meal at The Boat.

The Sunday morning and we were off for 6.50am and had a good clear run down to cut end where as we approached the stop a boat came round the turn and into the stop lock. It was Rocket Ron and Brenda Withey after an exchange of greetings and words we were both on our way's Ron having warned me of low pounds up the Wton 21. As we made the turn at Aldersley Junction we were met by Horace Foster and Trish and passed them in the bottom pound again greetings, a few words and then farewells.

We hit the bottom lock at 11.59am and did not get to the top lock until 2.55pm thanks to a combination of very low pounds around locks 11 to 8 aggravated by four boats returning from the BCNS bonfire and travelling down the locks in convoy with two boats sharing pounds, the overspills were really running on the pounds below.

We pulled Minnow round into Broad Street basin and made use of the facilities for the night emptying bins, toilet and having a wash in red hot basin full of water. Another early start on the Monday waiting for day break at 6.40am heading off in pouring rain and really high winds. Just as we came out of Broad Street tunnel we picked up a blade full and throwing the Bolinder into reverse to clear it we were caught by the high winds which slewed Minnow across the cut and we ended up well and truly grounded right outside the new posh apartments. It took another twenty minutes with shafts, rocking and the Bolinder ahead/aster at full chatt before we eventually cleared and were off again to make the turn at Horseley fields Junction and head off along the Curly Wyrely. Apart from getting soaking wet and changing into dry clothes half way through the journey was quite dull and un eventfull apart from just after going through Little Bloxwich Bridge when Dawn, who was wearing my High viz work Jacket said she was going into the cabin for a warm. I handed her my empty mug off the cabin top and asked if she would make me a drink while she was down there. Off she trotted along the cabin gunnels with my cup in hand and as she got level with the engine 'ole door she suddenly disappeared into the inky black, freezing cold canal, and of cause I did not laugh (well not then anyway) As Dawn reached the edge of the cut and climbed out she was still gripping tmy favourite mug which she proceeded to smash on the towpath in temper! By just after 1.00pm we were tying up on the Cannock Extension canal at Norton Canes Boatyard, where we have left Minnow for the moment. With the car loaded up we set off home for Dawn to soak in a hot bath and get some warmth back into her bones. The moral of this weekend being, if you have a favourite mug,

don't let Dawn bang 'em about

Blossom

That was the week (end) that was

Oh my god what a week end. It would take me forever to write down all the happenings in such a short space of time. Arrived up at Minnow by about 7.30pm on Friday after stopping at that excellent chippy in Gnosall again and eating fish and chips, this time with clean hands. Dave Ray, manager at Norbury Wharf Limited came over and said that one or two were joining him in his converted river class boat Ant at about nine for a drink or two and for us to come over if we wanted and that was the start of the boozy weekend for at about nine Dawn and I, Sue Cawson, John Blunn and Mavis Waldron and a couple who Dave knew who I can't remember their first names but surname was Ghost (very apt for halloween) The evening went on till quite late and several pints of cider and a bottle of port later, apart from a glass that Sue had, we ambled (staggered) back to Minnow at about four in the morning after listening to hours of David's crap CD collection of boy bands from the eighties going full blast. At about five in the morning Lucy Waldron arrived and went over to Dave's boat where he was fast asleep in the chair still clasping the nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels and the music was still playing full belt! Saturday morning came too soon and after a good full English, courtesy of Dawn we were ready to face the world along with many other's who were all cleaning brasses and cleaning boats down ready.

By early afternoon there was quite a collection of working boats around the basin with Minnow, Thea, Lion, Sickle, Kangaroo and Australia, Empress, Bootes and Battersea. By about 8.00pm the evening had started with the beer tent open with a selection of real ales, Holdens Golden and Enville brewery as well as Stowmill cider and Carling Larger for the girls. On the wharf three cut down oil drums were stocked with logs and a bag of coal each for people to gather round as well as tables and chairs in the marquee. At about nine the crowds were entertained by the band Meet On The Ledge who played for well over two hours followed by a computer full of music for all tastes, except when Dave took over as DJ and played eighties boy bands again. After about twelve pints of cider and well into the early hours, somebody suggested that we start Kangaroo and Minnow's Bolinder's in unison and so Lawrence and I set off back to the boats and put the lamps on and kicked both Bolinder's off to the delight of the crowd. The revelries continued until about four in the morning when sadly it all came to an end. But there was still Sunday left, as earlier on the Saturday it had been planned to go off for a jolly up to the Anchor Inn for a diner time drink, and then come back to Norbury for a communal Sunday Dinner provided by Lucy. At about 9.30 on the Sunday morning Dawn and I made our way over to the Cafe and had ourselves a full English to set us up for the day. At about midday Lawrence fired Kangaroo's Bolinder up and set off with Australia followed by John Blunn on Lion and then us on Minnow followed by Sue on Thea. Unfortunately there were two large fishing matches being held north of Norbury and along with the miles of moored boats, progress was quite slow and with the Anchor Inn shutting at 3.30 we were running out of time.

Lawrence was first there and he ordered twelve pints of beer ready for our arrival. With these consumed and an hour chatting we arrived back at Norbury just as it was getting dark, and just as the Sunday dinner was cooking. By six we were all called round to Lucy's boat and fourteen of us sat down for roast beef, roast pork, roast potatoes, carrots, peas, cauliflower, sweet potato mash and broccoli, it was absolutely superb. When finished we decided to have a drink of wine so I think four bottles of Lucy's wine were opened and consumed, followed by another three from off our boat then another six supplied by Dave and to finish off two bottles of Lucy's port. The evening passed all too quickly but the craick was brilliant with fourteen people sat in the well deck and the 'Dinette' of Lion the jokes, the humour, the sights (monkeys climbing trees at two in the morning and I believe that Lawrence saw an eclipse of the moon through Lucy's telescope! Long hard weekend's bring sore heads and I spent most of Monday morning recovering until Dawn drove us home in the afternoon after saying goodbye to all our friends and all hoping to do it again soon. Can't wait for the do at the Black Country Museum next year and of course for this bash next year. All I would like to finish off with is a massive great big thank you to all concerned for making this weekend one of the best, especially Simon and Dave from Norbury Wharf for making it possible, and don't bang 'em about too loudly

Cheers

Blossom

Whining and Dining

In my last post I mentioned a couple of eating houses and said I would post more! As those of you who know me well would agree, I do like the 'odd pint or three' and are not one for 'small portions' I am not that keen on beer that has the bubbles inside it instead of on the top ( like certain soft southerner friends of mine) as a Black Country lad I was raised on Bank's mild and always enjoyed a head on my beer and served my apprenticeship on that brew until about 15 years ago when I took a liking to 'the black stuff'.

It's Guinness' porter that has me this way,

For it's sweeter than buttermilk and stronger than tay'

And when in the morning I feel kinda rough,

Me curse on Lord Iveagh who brews the damn stuff!

Any way one of the things I enjoy when out boating is stopping at different pubs along the cut and eating out and after having a rather poor meal and even worse beer one night last week end I thought I would make a blog entry each time we have either a good/bad meal/drink (as do quite a few) so here's the first.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Clifford Arms

Clifford Arms,Main Rd ,Great Haywood

Trent and Mersey canal. Off the canal at Trent Lane Bridge 73 walk about 100 yards to pub.

Saturday 23^rd October 2010

Cajun Chicken DAWN 1 2 3 4 5 QUALITY XX QUANTITY XX SERVICE XX SURROUNDINGS XX VALUE FOR MONEY XX 14 12 oz horseshoe Gammon BLOSSOM 1 2 3 4 5 QUALITY XX QUANTITY XX SERVICE XX SURROUNDINGS XX VALUE FOR MONEY XX 11 TOTAL SCORE :50% COMMENTS: The prices charged were restaurant prices but the meals did not live up to restaurant quality. Both meals were served with cheap greasy frozen chips, and my horseshoe of gammon had been cooked far too much and as a result was dry and tough (fit for shoeing a horse) and Dawn’s Cajun chicken was nothing like any Cajun chicken she had ever had before. It came in a bowl and consisted of chunks of chicken breast in a very liquid sauce that resembled a Balti sauce. The best part of both meals was the salad dressing on the side of the plates, it was a pity as much effort had not been put into the meal itself. MENU RECOMMENDATIONS: Would not recommend the meals that we had although some of the other meals being eaten looked ok.. TOILETS: Ladies toilets Clean if not a little dated. Gents toilets smelt terribly. BEERS: Looked like a very good selection of six ‘real ales’ including Adnams, Speckled Hen, Bass, Directors however the Guinness was like vinegar and so was the cider so we both ended up drinking Vodka. COST: About £24 in total for both meals which, had they been restaurant quality meals would not have been too bad but the meals were no more than ‘pub grub’ meals. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The Fox and Anchor Brewood Road, Cross Green, Wolverhampton, WV10 7PW Telephone: 0190279 8786 Alongside the Staffs and Worcester canal at Cross Green. With excellent deep moorings directly outside.. Sunday 24th October 2010 Beef Mushroom ale pie followed by Butterscotch & Toffee steamed pudding DAWN 1 2 3 4 5 QUALITY XX QUANTITY XX SERVICE XX SURROUNDINGS XX VALUE FOR MONEY XX 19 Beer battered fish and chips followed by the cheese board. BLOSSOM 1 2 3 4 5 QUALITY XX QUANTITY XX SERVICE XX SURROUNDINGS XX VALUE FOR MONEY XX 21 TOTAL SCORE :60% COMMENTS: This is about the fourth time we have stopped here and eaten and I can not fault the meals/service etc. This friendly canal pub does not try to pretend it is anything more than it is, a pub that does value meals. MENU RECOMMENDATIONS: We would both recommend the meals that we had this time and the times before which were a really succulent lamb shoulder and a gammon. (Every time Dawn has had the Beef Mushroom ale pie. TOILETS: Ladies toilets clean BEERS: A good selection of ‘real ales’ including Bank’s, Bass and Marston’s Pedigree. The Guinness was how it should be, not too cold and creamy. The bar also sports a wide range of wines. COST: £25.65 in total for both main meals and two deserts. which, had they been restaurant quality meals would not have been too bad but the meals were no more than ‘pub grub’ meals.

A weekend Frolic with frost and food.

Well a good three days boating was had last weekend taking Minnow up to Norbury Junction for the ‘end of season bash’ next week end. It all started on Friday after work when I went to pick up my new car. An hour old with about twenty miles on the clock and I was parking it an the grass verge opposite ‘The Junction’ car park to leave it there for three days for the birds to sh*t on and tractors to scrape down the side (tractors didn’t but by god there’s some big birds round there!)

Originally Dawn was going to work Saturday morning while I fetched Minnow up to the house from the moorings but Dawn decided to let the girls look after the shop so I thought oh good we’ll get an early start! Well first we went shopping then Dawn had a shower then we packed all the food and clothes into plastic boxes and we finally drove down to the moorings about 12.00pm and after loading up Minnow we set off about 12.30.pm. Had a good trip up to Great Haywood and managed to get moored right up by the Junction. After washing the boats down we had a wash and change and headed off into the village for a meal and a drink or two at the Clifford

Arms (more in the next blog) Sunday we were off by 8.30am and were greeted by a heavy frost with all the ropes stiff and everything stuck to the cabin top. Another great day and by about four in the afternoon we were moored up at Cross Green for a meal and a drink or three in the Fox and Anchor (more in the next blog) Monday and another 8.30 start and again greeted by a beautiful heavy frost which as the morning started to warm presented some beautiful scenes of mist off the cut and trees festooned with whitened spiders webs.

An hour saw us failing to make the turn into the Shroppie at Cut End

and then onto a canal I love/ I hate / I love / I hate. I love its depth and width, it’s straightness, its embankments and it’s rocking’s but at the same time I hate the miles and miles of moored boats, so do Bolinders as they like to be working not idling!

By about four we arrived at Norbury. I dropped Minnow into a gap just before the start of the BW moorings and dropped Dawn off to go and see what room was available nearer the junction. Dave Ray, the manager at Norbury Wharf had heard Minnows Bolinder coming along through Shelmore woods and was waiting for us and met Dawn at the junction and said to bring Minnow down and moor in front of The Junction Pub ahead of Kangaroo and Australia.

By 6.30pm we were all packed up and car loaded and we headed back, stopping at the chippy in Gnosall (more in the next blog) and sat in the rear car park eating fish and chips, big bottle of full fat Coke and all with Bolinder hands! Can’t beat it. Talking to Dave and Sue Cawson outside the Junction pub (from which Dave’s barred) it looks like it’s going to be a good weekend with quite a few working boats expected, but will report back after the event, but until then as always

Don’t bang ‘em about

Blossom

A quick update

It's amazing how quickly news travels round the system and talk about Chinese whispers! First of all many thanks for all those friends who have contacted me to hope I am over my ordeal and that my leg is mending - to put the record straight, I have not or did not break my leg/knee when the Bolinder kicked back as was asked of me from a couple of sources, it was just badly bruised as I stated in my blog after a few hours rest I kicked her over and we got back home. We had a little sally out with Minnow last week end, only up to the boat turn at Handsacre and back and enjoyed a couple of hours Bolinder boating in glorious sun shine and good company. One of the things to come from this trip however was an E mail to a British Waterways manager (10th Oct) regarding the illegal infilling of this winding hole. I have copied the e mail here for your perusal, its contents are quite self explanatory:-

Dear Mr Davies,

please forgive me if you are not the right person to whom I should be sending this E mail, but if not I hope you will be able to forward it's contents to the right department.

I am the owner of a historic narrow boat and have been involved in the canals for almost half a century and it really makes me angry when people try and do just what they want to irrespective of the effects on others. At 70 foot in length it is very limited as to the places/winding holes where it is possible to comfortably turn such a craft round. On the Trent and Mersey canal, Just below Handsacre Crown Bridge No 58 there exists one such winding hole and on passing it a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the private property whose rear garden surrounds the winding hole, were building a wooden garden shed/summerhouse right on the point of the winding hole at garden

height about four foot above canal level, also that in front of it they have built a wooden decking platform that actually extended right over the point of the winding hole the supporting legs for the decking being driven into the edge of the canal making turning of a seventy foot boat very dangerous and at risk of the bows hitting the legs of the decking causing it to collapse and in danger of injury to both the boat turning and anybody on or in the said building. That was bad enough, but today (Sunday 10 th Oct) we went up to this winding hole with our boat and they are now in the process of infilling the corner of the winding hole, as can be seen in the attached photo's, using a small 'JCB' type digger with loose rubble/dirt. The effect of this is that now with a 70 foot boat you have to position your bows 20 foot either side of what was the centre of the

winding hole and this makes the process of turning very difficult. As well as the health and safety considerations, and the inconvenience to boat users, I always understood that local canal by

laws stated 'the throwing of refuse, dead or alive, into the navigation is strictly forbidden and offenders will be prosecuted.' as well as the fact that I understood that British Waterways actually owned about a yard of the land surrounding any of their canals, including private gardens. If these people are allowed to get away with this, then I feel it will only be a matter of time before all canal sided property owners will start extending their gardens by infilling of the canals at will. As this winding hole is only a short distance from British Waterways depot at Fradley Junction it would be easy to despatch someone quite quickly to stop further infilling taking place I look forward to you response/reply.

Yours sincerely

Mr M J Edge

I received an E mail back the next day stating :-

Hi Mr Edge,

Thank you for highlighting this problem. Unfortunately the Trent and Mersey Canal no longer lies within West Midlands waterway. Following a restructure last year the Trent & Mersey at Handsacre comes under the jurisdiction of Central Shires waterway, under the management of my colleague Darren Green. I have therefore passed your email on to Darren, and I am sure he will be in touch in due course.

Regards - Dean

As to date I have not heard anything else so I will see. Below are a couple of the photo's I sent, taken on mobile phone so quite poor quality but good enough to see what's been done.

On the left f this photo can bee seen the steel piles which then disappear underneath the unfilled rubble

Anyway that my update so until next time, unless your the legs to a summer house then :

I'll bang 'em about

Blossom.

Things that became apparent part 2

Old fools and Bolinders.

Something that those of you who know me really well will have heard me say before is that a Bolinder’s engines are great, in someone else’s boat! It is certainly a love hate relationship. Sunday we had a great day with the Bolinder skipping along all day and with Minnow flying through the deep water of the BCN and down the twenty one then along the twelve mile pound. Day two, again we were flying until we hit the problems I’ve already blogged about with low pounds. Hovering about mid channel at Shutt Hill lock for ages while other boats were fannying about and the Bolinder went out. Jumping down into the engine ‘ole to re-start it and it finally had its revenge and kicked back and copped me good and proper. This is the first time it has copped me properly in the whole of the four years we have had Minnow. As I have had a full knee replacement about five years ago, this was very painful and I was really struggling to bend my knee to lift my foot onto the flywheel pin to kick it off. Dawn tried but to no avail. She has made several attempts over the last three years to kick start the Bolinder and she just can’t start it. For one she is quite short and struggles to get her leg up high enough to get her foot on the pin and also she is frightened of it and one thing you can not afford to be is scared of a Bolinder or they will kick back and have you every time. (This time it kicked back on me because I think it was very hot and I probably should not have primed it before kicking it over again) we spent the next two hours below Shutt Hill lock after me bow hauling Minnow through and waiting for the pain to subside in my right knee. Dawn’s topic of conversation (and for the next couple of days was all about Minnow. The result of these long and drawn out conversations are that certain things have now been agreed about Minnow’s future and some of the salient points to come from these discussions were:

1. Dawn can’t master the change of direction of the Bolinder and get it to come over in reverse.

2. Dawn can’t work boat through locks etc because of above

3. Having a titanium replacement knee it’s getting too painful to just kick it over.

4. Silly old farts like me should realise I’m too old for all this palaver.

5. Dawn wants something that starts with a key/button!

And so this brought Dawn and I to an agreed decision on Tuesday night as to the future of Minnow.

We have had the boat for 4 years. It took me the first year to get the Bolinder running something like (with a little help from Joe Hollinshead of cause) but in the last three years we have thoroughly enjoyed four to six weeks boating every year covering well over 500 miles and 400 locks each but now the time has come to pass her on to her next custodian. I have already said that I will never be without a boat again and so we are on the lookout for something suitable and we are going to be putting Minnow up for sale. Dawn thinks something suitable will have cookers, shower, flush toilet etc. etc. when in reality it will most likely be a Grand Union, as I have always wanted a pair of Little Northwich boats, but I also like Woolwiches as well Big and Little!

Blossom

Things that became apparent part 1

British Waterways.

As I mentioned in my last blog we had quite a struggle from Gailey lock down to Tixall lock with some low and some very low pounds and when you are grinding your bottoms away as you plough a channel along the whole length of a pound then it does get a little annoying to say the least and, I might add not for the first time for at least the last four times we have gone this way we have had to plough our way through. The problem is not ‘ as suggested on two occasions by BW staff’ “someone left a paddle up last night” but in fact a complete lack of maintenance. The gates at both ends of Tixall lock are leaking like a sieve and it takes two locks of water to fill the chamber and you don’t have to draw a paddle to empty it. The top gate is leaking all round and water is even pouring from underneath the ‘babby’. This is bad enough but to infuriate even more BW have got a tug, hopper and dredger spot dredging all along this whole stretch instead of fixing the leaking gates, and to infuriate even, even more the dredgings are being placed on the offside edge of the canal only to immediately start to wash/slip/slide back into the canal and within a few months will be back into the channel again. Early Monday morning we saw a BW employee with a black bag and an litter picker walking the pound at Boggs lock. While I accept that stretches of canal through towns/cities will suffer from litter louts but this is a stretch of canal miles from anywhere, in the middle of the country and not suffering with litter. The second irritating BW staff usage was just along the Staffs & Worcester from Hayward Junction where an employee was observed cutting waters edge reeds down with a petrol strimmer on a little used stretch of towpath and which were not causing any inconvenience anyway. I am sure that the working hours of these five members of staff along with the dredger,tug, hopper, fuel, wages etc. etc. could have been put to much better use. My final moan is regarding overhanging vegetation. When oh when are British Waterways going to start serving notices on home owners who allow their trees to block the canal navigation. On the stretch of the Trent and Mersey just between kings Bromley and Brindley bank are several examples where huge weeping willows hang right down to the water and block over half the width of the canal, the problem being for deep drafted historical craft you have a choice either go through the green curtains not being able to see through or past them or go round them with the risk of grounding. In this instance I have noted the exact positions of these offending trees (houses in Leyland Drive, Poplars Road, Little Brickyard Gardens and 153 Armitage Road which only took ten minutes on 'Google earth' and 'street map') and am sending a letter to BW’s area manager warning him that now that I have brought these risks to his notice and that he is aware of them, then any accident or injury resulting from these overhanging trees will be his responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Ok so whinge and moan over until the next blog!

Blossom.

Good food and shallow pounds

Another wonderful weekends boating. NOT! Started off great and ended great but the middle bit – We had booked a couple of extra days off work to bring Minnow back from the Black Country Museum. Left the museum at just after 8.00am and ‘bonked’ round to the top of the 21 by half ten. 1.0pm saw us pulling round the turn at Aldersley after having a bad road all the way down the flight as we were following another boat and did not pass anyone coming up the flight . By half two we were mooring up outside the Fox & Anchor where we spent an enjoyable evening, me with a beautiful tender shoulder of lamb and Dawn with her usual Beef and Guinness pie, little did we know what sort of day lay ahead of us. With the lamp on at 8.00am we were away by quarter past and were making the turn at Hatherton by nine. All went well until we came down Gailey lock wnen we were greeted with the pound running about 4inches low, but that was nothing for every pound from here to Tixall lock were all running at least this low with a couple at least nine inches down and the pound running down to Otherton lock about 12” down. It was such a relief when we eventually got through Tixall lock and back to a reasonable depth. The second night we tied up at The Radford Bank for one of our regular ‘value for money’ carvery. We were away by 7.50 the next morning and were making the turn at Great Hayward Junction by 9.50am. By just after 1.00pm we were back at our mooring and tying up. Loaded the car and headed home after collecting my car from the Black Country Museum. Apart from a trip up to Norbury at the end of October this brings our 2010 boating season to an end and once again we have enjoyed ourselves but a couple of things have become very apparent to us which I will blog about over the next couple of days. One is to do with the inefficient use of moneys/labour by British Waterways, and then second to do with old fools and Bolinders, so till next time as always

Don’t bang ‘em about

Blossom

Homeward bound

Oh well, here we go again. At present Minnow is at the Black Country Museum and over the next couple of days we are bringing her back to her moorings at Kings Bromley where she will be prepared for the winter season. I have taken her top cloths across to Tarpaulin Supply and Repair Co Ltd in Birmingham to have them altered as they were too wide and overhung the gunnels and have arranged to pick them back up next week, so next weekend I shall be clothing her up to keep out the Winter weather. After that the only other action we have planned is to Take her up to Norbury Junction for the end of season open day at Norbury Wharf Limited on the 30th October where there will be opportunity to see all the facilities they have on offer for docking,blacking, painting, maintenance etc. and a beer tent. There are a few other folks we know that will be attending as well so a good day/night should be on the cards. (Did I mention there was a beer tent.)

It will be an ideal time for us to catch up with old friends and have a good old chin wag probably in the beer tent. After this little 'jolly' it will be back to her moorings for some serious Winter maintenance. So if any of you see me over the next couple of days give me a shout/wave/nod but whatever you do

Don't bang me about

Blossom

More beer an bostin company

Oh what a wonderful weekend we’ve had, two whole days with people ‘spakin proppa’

It was Tipton Community and Canal Festival a lovely event based around the canal either side of Owen Street bridge at Coronation Gardens and what used to be Mitchards coal yard. It is only a very small event in canal terms but quite a big event in Tipton’s calendar. Working boats in attendance were Atlas and Leo, Ex Cowpar Swallow, NBT pair Nuneaton and Brighton, (which I must say were looking quite respectable), DCT’s display boat Saggita, Alan Stevens tug Caggy, BW’s heritage tug Nansen and Minnow, as well as The Cheese Boat, two trip boats and many other private modern boats.

Minnow was at the museum so we went over on the Friday night, had a lovely fish and chips from the Britania chippy on Tipton cross roads and spent the night on the Tunnel approach moorings. As there were several other boats on the moorings I thought it best not to start the Bolinder up too early, so I put the lamp on at about 8.00am, kicked her off and tootled around to the rally site. Passing through Coronation Gardens one of the guys off a moored boat shouted across “are you stopping or passing through” I told him I was stopping so he stated to moor alongside Leo and Nansen so I went down to Factory Junction, winded and came back alongside Nansen, moored up and stopped the Bolinder. All weekend we were in good company with Joe Hollinshead keeping me well amused with his anecdotes and humour while he entertained the locals with his fender making. On Saturday afternoon we were visited by a group of friends and, while we were chatting the heavens opened up so I said quick come in our back cabin out of the rain. And so we tried to break the world record for ‘number of bodies in a Josher back cabin and managed to squeeze six of us in. Unfortunately for Trish, Dawn was cooking butchers home made faggotts and so had banked the fire up and she ended up sitting opposite the Goodwife and ended up with a nice rosy red face.

Saturday evening we had arranged to meet up with old friends and retired boaters Henry and Phyllis Johnstone, Horace Foster and Trish and Steve.The evening was spent with this motley crew in the ‘Fountain Inn’ home of the Tipton Slasher and at 11.30 we all made our way back to our boats. Unfortunately for Dawn and I, for security reasons, the access gates to our part of the site had been locked and this called for me to scale the iron railings. Unfortunately Dawn could not make it over the fence and so I had to go down onto the boat and shaft her over to the towpath side for Dawn to get on. The next morning she collared hold of the security man and had a word in his ear! As the day wore on the crouds started to drift off and we decided to make our way back to the museum and so the lamp was lit, Bolinder kicked into life and we made our way back to the museum where our car was parked and then home for hot shower oan food. The week end had lots available to keep people interested for as well as the many trade and charity stands there was Beacon radio intermixed with live bands, gospel Choir, Bangrah dancing, a brass band, as well as burger stand, Afro Caribbean curry & chicken, and much, much more.

On the whole there was something for all the family and a bostin day out, certainly a venue we will go to again but till then

Dow bang 'em abaht

Blossom