Fradley Junction, nice but middle of nowhere... for those of you who haven’t been there it consists of (as it says on the tin) the canal junction of Trent and Mersey with the Coventry canal, a water / elsan point, a workshop / painting facility, 4 locks, a cafe and a pub (The Swan / Mucky Duck)... there are a few houses and a canal-side shop but anyhoo a good place to visit especially when the pub gets taken over by an Irish folk gang (not really a band) and the little space left is rammed too.
We had a wander in the surrounding area but there’s not much to see... it all revolves around the 100m area centering on the junction... we had a good time and headed back on Monday - I enjoyed the time on the tiller but a pretty uneventful trip except for the random Hari Krishna sign someone had painted on the exposed trunk of a fallen tree facing onto the canal... turns out it was our new neighbour at Little Haywood... chances of that??!
One Month out in the real World and counting
It’s been a whole month since we escaped the Marina for the outside world... OK so we haven’t been far but that’s because we are waiting for Julie to finish her contract and retire from gainful employment (as I did last month)... Plan A is to then meet up with friends and do the Birmingham and Stratford areas over the Summer (better 2 boats than one on a City canal). We spent a couple of weeks at Tixall (including the trip to Fradley), did a water replen then moved down to Little Haywood... Next day I noticed the CRT bloke-on-a-bike taking notes - typical!!
The logistics of being ‘out-and-about’ are interesting - we are still juggling with how long batteries last (considering the lack of sunshine... how often and long running of the engine is needed) and what we can use on 12V or on the inverter, then there’s water - we are on day 8 tomorrow and that’s with normal use / showers / hand-washing... A Life on the Ocean Wave... About the worst thing is the state of the towpath the weather and the combination of the two; but if thats the worst thing then Yippee!!!
Dog Patrol - Pack on the move
OK, the humans keep changing the garden scenery... its good but you mark your patrol area and whoops, gone elsewhere, new markings to do... Went to the Chase on a long walk again today. They led us up and down lots of hills but the woods were cool until it rained severely and we all nearly drowned!! Oi owner, Dog, not Dogfish!!
