We have a boat dog - temporarily

On Thursday last week, the day before Tim and the team arrived to provide us with a temporary boat dog, and the day after we'd said goodbye to Ann and Salvi, David and I headed down to Tom o' Woods for the night. We had intended to go to the pub there - which we can only do when the Grangers are NOT with us, as they think it's too expensive. But I looked up the menu and wine list and the only chardonnay had no oak - no point then!

However, we did decide that we should sort out our drop-through toilet (look away or go la la la if you don't want to read this bit). The toilet had started to wobble on its moorings and we were a bit concerned. So we rang the trusty Ed Shiers to ask his advice. As he was heading down towards Bristol area, he said he would call in on his way back with a maintenance kit - purchased, as it turned out, at Alvechurch!

So he arrived in good time and then proceeded to lift the toilet off its moorings and reveal all the icky contents of the tank (thanks, Salvi ...)

We are all fairly sure that the toilet had never been removed in all of its life which is a testament to its installation by John Woods back in the day (probably about 23 years ago). But the screws holding it  on were all rusted through and the maintenance kit doesn't include those; so Ed had to visit Screwfix, either in Redditch or Warwick (not sure where he went). While he was away I valiantly cleaned all the non-moving parts - multiple buckets of water from the tap two boats away, rubber gloves, bleach, and the about to be thrown away scourer ... David was excused toilet duty because of the need to keep him germ-free ...

The toilet is now on very stable footing which is most reassuring! The only thing remaining is replacing the main seal which prevents water in the bowl leaking down into the tank. Apparently when the toilet is disturbed, that seal often fails because the way it's seated changes. So a new mainseal has been ordered at Swallow Cruisers and will be fitted Monday on our way back to Lapworth to collect Karol and his cousin Kzryz. Note to readers: I really like the Lapworth flight, but I am bored with the section between the locks and King's Norton Junction ...

This table and seat are near Swallow Cruisers - perhaps we will sit here while the main seal is being fitted.

And from the other side

And on our way back to Kingswood Junction the following morning, as we came through Shrewley Tunnel, I saw a big white blob in the water coming alongside the boat towards the stern, so into neutral I went - then lots of squawking - a pair of swans had swum through, one each side of the boat! One swam happily, the other got a bit tossed around as I was closer to the portside than starboard ... I could see the silhouettes when I looked back and there were two necks and heads - so that was all right then!

It was Friday last week (six days ago) when Tim, Dana, Olek and Karol brought Kai down to stay with us - they were heading to Portugal for a week, so we were put in charge of her. Well, I think the  intention was that we would be pack leaders ...

It was lovely to have all five of them onboard, even though for 4 of them it was only overnight.

We did get them to help us up the first 6 locks at Lapworth back to where we had moored a few days earlier with Salvi and Ann.

While we would have liked some shade as it was very hot, Tim deemed that the shady part was too close to the road and therefore too noisy. So a shade sail it had to be! Tim, Olek and Dana were the construction team with David finding materials down in the gas locker - all those things David tells me that we shouldn't keep... It provided much needed shade for all of us, and didn't impede passersby or cyclists - well, tall cyclists had to duck a bit, but no-one had to dismount. Job done!

Tim, Karol, Kai and pre-dinner nibbles under the shade sail

Little stretchies were used by Dana to secure the sail to the fenceposts and to the pram-cover. The boathook was used as a pole and a piece of cord was installed as a guy-rope. Excellent skills!

Tim prepared a BBQ, and afterwards I was the first one to bed - Tim and the boys were down at the playground in Lapworth when I sloped off. I am starting to be more like my dad than ever. It was his pattern simply to go to bed as soon as he felt tired, assuring guests that they should stay on. I do the same, and happily fall asleep while the socialising continues.

The team left mid morning on Saturday and had a much faster trip back to Bury than they'd had coming down - 1.6 hours instead of 3.

Since then, we have had Kai with us. She is a lovely dog, but as a staffie, she has a reputation that precedes her and is unfounded in her case. She is supremely uninterested in any wildlife, never barks at dogs or people, likes to have a sniff at them but doesn't growl. She is happy being on the lead whether sitting on the towpath or on the grass or the back of the boat.

We had declared that we would not be feeding her between meals. Well, how many minutes did that last? Mmmm ...

She sleeps late in the morning, sleeps quite a bit during the day, esp if she's had a big walk, and is a most restful guest. She DOES try to inveigle herself into prime position on our bed, but heads back to her own bed when instructed.

Dog barrier at front doors. Of course, if she wanted to, she could just bunt it out of the way ...

At first I attached her lead to the ring and the t-stud on the boat side. But I realised she is quite steady on her feet and this is the equivalent of having her head out the car window...

Rear view

Front view

Checking the view to the rear in case pesky ducks are following ...

This is called colonisation

As is this ...

At Edgbaston in our private park area beside the boat ...

Our own park ...

I have discovered that she eats: tomato, cucumber, ham (only the very small amount I give her), raw mince, vogel bread with or without Marmite (NZ variety), mangetouts, rich tea biscuits, McVities gingernuts, cheese (cheddar and smoked), crackers, chippies, cashew nuts, coffee cake. She is not keen on avocado and rejects lettuce. Rest assured none of these treats are dished out in large amounts and, apart from the salad vegetables, not at the same time. She does have a can of meaty chunks morning and evening, so she does eat proper dog food. She is NOT allowed grapes, raisins or sultanas - as if we would!

Today we walked along the towpath to find the HSBC so that David could get some in-person assistance with their new internet and mobile banking app (having tried and failed on his own and with Helpdesk assistance yesterday). About a mile in only to find the branch has been closed for 3 months, but is still showing on google maps, dammit. So back we came and Kai never pulls on the lead. Good dog!

The only thing is that she sheds hair so David is on sweeping and vacuuming tomorrow!

Pictures instead of lots of words - more of the Persico period

Ann and I sat in the cratch on the way from Kingswood Junction up the GU towards the Knowle flight.

She is a gem!

It is not a good photo, but it is proof that we saw a kingfisher as we cruised along. He moved too fast and too frequently to get a good shot.

Looking back from the second lock as Salvi brings the boat out of the first - easy to see how big these locks are. Amazing!

David is waiting with his rope hook at the ready. We purchased it at Tewkesbury a couple of years ago, and it is very handy in deep locks when we are not sharing and in river locks when you have to tie up.

The heron managed to stay still long enough for me to take several photos. In most of them though, he appeared to blend in to the lock arm. See what I meant in the last post re no H&S installations? It is not possible to walk around the beam. Not saying it should change though - I rather like that you have to be careful and responsible.

And we think this manoeuvre is when Salvi lost his phone ...

This is the cleanest Elsan emptying point I have ever seen!

Happy chaps

This was my going out hand after my second turn. I am sure I still lost the game, but this hand did inflame the team into quite a lot of cursing ...

On our way up to the winding hole near Catherine de Barnes, we saw this sunken boat: reuse/recycle - it is now serving as a rampart for the local ducks.

Coming back towards the Knowle flight

David was allowed to assist the young Australian woman opening and closing the gates. Ann and I did the paddles and only one set was required. Wonderful countryside around here.

At the bottom of the last lock Salvi reversed back to the water point beside it. The icky looking mud that was churned up was quite smelly and looked very gloopy ... Note to self - wash the ropes at some point when clean water is plentiful.

I do hope Salvi and Ann come back next year to spend more time with us onboard! In the meantime, we plan to go and see them down in Nelson when we are all home in NZ.

In the meantime, this is who they went to see last night in Krakow! Lucky people!!

Indecision unlimited

On Monday and Tuesday last week David and I discussed the most appropriate route for us to take once we got to the bottom of the Lapworth flight to Kingswood Junction. There were three options to take account of having the grandsons come to stay separately on 22 and 29 July:

• down to Stratford - dismissed because there is a river festival on there that weekend and the place would be heaving
• down to Warwick and points south so we can get on to the Oxford and do the Grand Circle, and the first part with the grandsons,
• up to Birmingham and out to Fazeley and Fradley and Haywood and Kidsgrove so we can get on to the Maccie and the Caldon with grandsons (the former for the younger, the latter for the elder)

David was very very keen on the Maccie and Caldon for the grandsons, so, even though my preferred option is to do the Grand Circle, I agreed to the former. But please note that this was only after much discussion of the options, to-ing and fro-ing in our minds and changing them about six times in 24 hours … SNAOTP**, as usual! **(Situation Normal, all over the place, or SNCMADIYPU ..couldn't make a decision if you paid us, or any other appropriate and apt acronym)

So on Tuesday, after we’d come down the last 6 locks of the Lapworth flight out to Kingswood Junction and stopped for breakfast (see previous post with photo of artistically covered bagel),  Salvi made a left turn to head up the Grand Union to the Knowle flight through some of the most peaceful canal I’ve ever been on. And after the Knowle flight it’s points north into Birmingham.

The Knowle flight is magnificent. Hard work, but magnificent.

And the countryside around it is beautiful. We moored up that night in such a peaceful place that we all slept extremely well. Of course that may have been something to do with physical tiredness for 3 of the four of us ...

Sunset - I'm amazed I was awake for this ...

But the next morning, I woke thinking about what lay ahead of the Knowle locks - about 7 hours of boating including about 13 locks and Salvi and Ann only with us till 2pm that day. Mmmm, that wasn't going to work, given David was not allowed on lock duty till at least Sunday. And the moorings on that part of the Birmingham Navigations are few and far between and not the most salubrious.

So yet another plan change - we are getting good at these ... Well, actually, we are not. We do them often, but they are stressful.

The change of plan involved going back down the Knowle locks and then back up the Lapworth flight and back in to Edgbaston so we can be there for David’s Friday 12 July appointment (instead of catching a train from somewhere outside Birmingham to get there).

So decision made and imparted to the Persicos, who were very amenable, then a one hour trip to the nearest winding hole, meeting a hireboat crew not far from the winding hole (where apparently I nearly took off the new headlight in the trees…) and asking them to wait for us at the locks (yes, happily as these would be their first locks and they are a bit intimidating). Then the one hour trip back. Ann served brekkie to the guys as they chatted in the cratch - we knew they would not cope with low blood sugar and a daunting descent ...

And Yay! There were the hirers, waiting patiently in the top lock.

There were volunteer lock-keepers on duty, and I do like that they are there to help. I do NOT like when they tell me what to do, or contradict what I have told the person steering our boat to do … GGGRRR!!! In order to get the guy to stop, I did have to pull out the 29 years of narrowboating experience.

Ann and I used two windlasses on one spindle and found it cut the effort by more than half – saved both backs and 4 arms. 

I suggested to Salvi and the Aussie hire skipper that they may like to try coming out of the lock and into the next one side by side rather than sequentially. They were both on for that, and very pleased with themselves re how they made it work all the way down through the locks. A couple of little bumps, but nothing out of the ordinary. I did video them doing the job in the most professional way, but as the video was going to take 50 minutes to upload to YouTube, I thought it would kill this post!

Coming in to the lock together

 

And exiting together - isn't that a splendid view across the fields? And Birmingham is not so far away, but you wouldn't know it!

We went for lunch at the King’s Arms which was OK but nothing to write home about, so I won’t. 

Instead of sitting in the pub being bored, it was back to the boat for a last game of 5 Crowns. And guess what? I cannot remember who won! 

Then they were off in a cab to Dorridge station, then to Stansted overnight and off to Sorrento in the morning. We begged them to stay but they wouldn’t …

That evening we had a What’s App exchange with Tim – Karol is coming on 15th July, not the 22^nd. So all that planning and trying to find where would be the best place to have the boys was moot. And amazingly, the stress just lifted off my shoulders and out of my mind. Yay!!!

Then we had a call from Mick to say they were keen to meet up with us at Edgbaston which means we can do mid summer kiwi xmas – excellent!

One of the things that paralyses us is the indecision around trying to work out the best places to be for the boys or other guests to have the best time.  

Note to selves: it doesn’t really matter, as it is the company and the experience of boating that matters, not where we happen to be. Case in point: Salvi and Ann enjoyed themselves hugely (well, they SAID they did!), and while the stretch of canal we were on with them (Alvechurch to Edgbaston, Edgbaston to Lapworth, Kingswood Junction to Knowle, and back to Heronfield towards Kingswood Junction) was beautiful, varied and interesting, almost all of the system has those characteristics to a greater or lesser degree.

Could we go any slower? Or have more fun?

Of the last post, Ann says that instead of noting they were looking grumpy, I could have said that they had been up since four in the morning and had just flown in from Copenhagen. "But you didn't" sez I. Ah, a small flaw in the explanation. But they had been on a train for a number of hours from Truro, and they have been holidaying since October and THAT is tiring!

The smiling Persicos

Salvi steered us through the Wast Hill tunnel on our way to Edgbaston. It's hard to see but it was VERY hazy - diesel particulates galore! Two boats had come through before we entered and their exhaust fumes had not in any way cleared!

I cannot remember where this is, but there are permanent moorings on the offside. What a wonderful view!

Is this Ray and Leonie's old boat with the NZ removed?

On Saturday, after Ann and I took the rubbish over University bridge and took a few photos, we headed out of Edgbaston with Ann steering - and a great job she did of it!

Poppies at the bridge

The view from the duckhatch at Edgbaston - there are university halls of residence across that bridge and woods between the canal and the buildings. A beautiful place!

From the bridge we could see Salvi spiralling the rope, a la Michael Roy ...

See, Ann can even smile while steering!

We stopped for water not far up from King's Norton Junction. The weather was beautiful, so we decided to settle in for the afternoon and evening.

While David and Salvi re-positioned the bike (see photo below), it was so hot that Ann and I took a couple of the chairs to a small wooded area and plonked ourselves down in the shade. Surprisingly, the mooring was very peaceful, although there is a block of flats across the canal. It was such a hot night (at least initially) that we left the front doors open and the offside cratch side open, the stern door lid back with the offside pram-cover side off, and the duck hatch open with a sheet pegged across it so that air could move. Of course, about 3am, the temperature dropped - but clever all of us - the duvets were close at hand ...

David and Salvi found a good place for the bike which doesn't obstruct the view and keeps it out of the way.

On Sunday, without hurrying about it, we started on the way towards the Lapworth flight, but we decided not to descend them and moored up outside Hockley Heath in the sunshine in the peace and quiet – too much like hireboating to be doing 6.5 hour days, or like racing with the assistance of the wonderful M&J, to get through the multiple lock flights on the way to Alvechurch to hole up waiting out the rain and the time gap until pre-op and surgery.

Salvi did all of the steering, wherein his sailing experience came in very handy. I was very disappointed that the lift bridge at Shirley was fixed open (and the road closed) because I was looking forward to having a go at opening that and stopping traffic. Dammit!! And just after it, we had to stop because we had a piece of a branch between the prop and the rudder – I was on weedhatch duty because David is DEFINITELY not allowed to put his  hands in this very, very black canal water. I had to use the short boat hook (sorry, Mick, we have one on Waka Huia and you no longer do on Unknown No 3 …) to investigate with an implement, rather than putting my hand down without being able to see what I might be grappling with … I think though in the stopping and pulling the boat in to the side (thanks, Salvi) the branch bits (2) floated out. So I retained my heroine status, but without having to disentangle crap from around the prop shaft. My arm was washed thoroughly and smothered in sanitizer, and the glove with which I covered my hand was soaked in a bucket before being washed…

On Monday we decided that we really ought to do the Lapworth Flight so we prepared by having bacon and eggs - protein top-up ... I channelled Julia, and went two or three locks ahead and got them ready, then came back and helped clear the lock Salvi was in and off again I went. It was very efficient, but rather tiring, I would have to say. So my admiration for Julia increased exponentially. 

Ann soon got the hang of lockwheeling, and was ably tutored by David, who had the utmost difficulty in NOT taking part. It must be very difficult not being allowed to do anything when everyone else is fully occupied on stuff you enjoy and are good at! I did relent and tell him he could close up one gate after Salvi exited. However, once off the boat, he found people to chat to who were not boating. So he wasn't very much help. However he did seem a lot happier!

In the lock

When there were 6 locks to go, we saw that the 48 hour moorings in Lapworth looked very inviting, so we accepted, and moored up before about 2pm I think.

Salvi rather liked the chilli and tomato relish. So much so that it is all gone now. Note to self: make more next time!

We finished off the locks the next morning, then stopped for breakfast down in the junction.
 

Coming in to the last lock

 

Ann and David coming to the last lock - Salvi is just getting in to it without touching the sides.

This was meant to be a serious but smiling photo - however, Ann stepped backwards into the nettles.

 

David's artistic arrangement of orange tomatoes on bagel ...

We had inducted Salvi and Ann into 5 Crowns, and they were rapidly addicted. So much so that ANY opportunity to play was seized: Example: Me 'Ann, shall we go to the pub?' Ann: 'No, but let's play cards'. So finishing up early was never a problem.

Ann wins twice...

Marilyn wins! OK, I didn't take any photos of the cards from David's and Salvi's wins, but it did happen.

That wasn't the end of the boating day, but more later.


All was right with the world on board Waka Huia during their tenure – Salvi and Ann were both wonderfully relaxed. Boating at less than 3mph will do that to you!

A good report

On Friday evening we reported back to BMI Priory for David’s post operative appointment with Imran Masood. Imran was pleased with David’s eye and also pleased with the fact that Pakistan beat NZ at cricket a couple of days before. We told him it was our gift to him. And the less said about yesterday’s game against Australia, the better, OK?

David’s IOP (intraocular pressure) was 12 in both eyes and his acuity is 6/9. Apparently that is pretty good, especially for a man who has previously been partially sighted. So now I am pressuring him to start doing some of the steering. Boat, but not car or motorhome … The former is safer because it is made of steel and travels at 3mph. The latter two are less structurally robust, and if David was at the wheel, would probably do the same speed as the boat. And, as I think I may have mentioned, there is a tetchy relationship between me and patience.

Superhero, or safety man? They do the job of protecting him and that is all that matters.

We are now on the move again – the weather has cleared up, Salvi and Ann are here, and we are boating! Having two more steerers on board is great, as well as it being great fun playing cards (5 Crowns and Up and Down the River), talking c*ap, and doing lots of laughing.

They look grumpy, but I promise they were happy really - they both were very pleased dinner contained vegetables ... Cassoulet, coleslaw and homemade bread. I will put photos of them smiling in the next post, so you believe me that they are not being held here against their will ...

Declared the most comfortable bed for ages - those duvalay topper pads are good value!

Salvi and Ann have been doing their big adventure over the last few months, travelling up into the Arctic Circle, doing a river cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg, going with other friends (they have other friends??) to Greece and Puglia in Italy. They have spent time in Italy on their own, and then came over to Truro to spend time with Ann’s cousin. Then, oh fabulouso, they came to stay with us.

They have been with us three nights now, and so far the maxim about fish and friends doesn’t apply. Of course, that could all change …

We had an afternoon and a night down at the top of the Tardebigge flight (same place we stopped with Bernice and Roy), and we all walked a fair way down the flight – Ann and I went further, and did a bit of cleaning up after 4 teenagers who had clearly gone to sit by the reservoir to drink beer (Stella) and smoke. We brought their cans back to the boat for disposal, damn their eyes!

 

The top lock and that is Waka Huia  on the right. A lovely spot. Bernice and Roy will notice that this time, we winded before mooring up ...

Salvi is an engineer and was interested in lock operations.

This is the old pumping station building that is now a very lovely home. Those are three kiwi tourists looking admiringly.

This is the manky scum that gathered at the head of a couple of the locks - that duck had just swum through it and back out. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

 

Is it just me, or does that wall slope outwards at the top? Is it a design feature or a flaw or age and settling?

Regardless, it is a very attractive church. I it doesn't have a cross on top of the spire - it's a wind vane. So that's OK then!

 

Hard to believe how close to a conurbation we were. The canal is down by the first line of trees.

Salvi on drinks duty.

In the morning we filled with water (Salvi and me), emptied the elsan (me), emptied the rubbish (Ann) and then Salvi steered us back to Alvechurch for a pump out – well, we thought it might be wise … Then on in to Edgbaston with Salvi on the tiller.

See, Mick, Salvi does the rope trick too ...

We threw Ann and Salvi off before Kings Norton Junction so they could get a cab to a cemetery in Birmingham to see the site where Ann’s baby brother had been buried 65 years before, before her mum and dad emigrated to NZ. Ann and David had done the investigation on the net and Ann had made the call to the sexton – the cemetery closed at 4.30, so we had to make sure they would have plenty of time.

 

Ann and David doing research and phone calls while Salvi and I were in deck.

David and I continued in to Edgbaston. Much faffing ensued at the moorings while we tried to find the best space.  But what a lovely place to moor – so peaceful and friendly with walkers and cyclists and other boaters coming past. It was very hard to realise that we were within a mile or so of the centre of Birmingham. And what was interesting (to me, anyway) was that I have absolutely no memory of the details of the canal from our trip in their in the company of Laughing John a couple of years ago. Apart perhaps from the rubbish in the cut. That was familiar.

We walked to BMI Priory – a 20 minute walk away through the most beautiful suburb and the university. Edgbaston is the Parnell or Remuera, the Khandallah of Birmingham.

The appointment with Imran was very heartening, and David is clearly seeing much better. So the next appointment in a fortnight will be with Imran and Pete, and we think it’ll be the last one required if all continues as it has been.