Worcester

Who's that peeping over the wall?

 Now that's what you call a visitor centre, gold encrusted statues included...

 Approaching Worcester & it started to rain so most of the pictures are hazy.  Beefur now in winter mode, all the flowers and pots have been taken off the roof.   We can actually see over the roof now, but it looks very bare.

Nice to see the African Queen is still afloat.

Stourport - Wed 27th Oct 2010

I must give a mention to a great find whilst in Stourport - The Hollybush Pub, 54 Mitton Street.  From Stourport basin, walk back up to Br5, then take a right into Mitton Street (away from the canal).  Friendliest pub we've been in in years.  6 real ales, plus proper cider, very well kept, and here's the bonus - everywhere was spotlessly clean - especially the loos.  Just brilliant.

Foraging for wood - part 2

Moored between Kidderminster & Stourport, wimped out today & took a "rest day" as it was raining.  Lit new stove in the back.  It was that hot in here that 4 hours after the fire has gone out, we're still in t-shirts with all the windows open.  Unfortunately, it got that hot in here that the inverter took exception to the heat in the back & gave up due to "over temp".  All ok now though i'm pleased to say.  At least we managed to cook the dinner on the stove before we had to let it go out!

Foraging for wood

We are novice foragers in the wood department, well, we haven't done it for at least 8 years since we converted from solid fuel to diesel when on Sans Souci.  After last winter, we've installed a second stove in the back of Beefur , which is fuelled by coal & wood, as well as the diesel fire in the front.  So we now have two different forms of heating, so in theory will be sorted for the cold winter ahead..........   Which brings us to our first log spotting foray heading down the Staffs & Worcs.

I was inside the boat pottering about when Dave puts the boat into reverse, nothing unusual with that at this time of year with all the leaves in the water, but the reverse continued, so I jumped out of the front doors to see what the problem was.  "What's wrong" I shout from the front.  Dave makes the sign of a "T" with his two hands. "Do you want a cup of tea" I shout back at him.  "No", and frantically make the "T" sign again.  "What do you want?"    "T"  "What?"  "T!!"  "What?"   Dave puts engine in neutral, "Don't you remember the new sign we discussed yesterday?"  He says.  No - I had no idea what he was talking about.  "Tree!  Tree!  Fuel for the Fire!   Tree!" he shouts.  Ah yes, T for Tree, I remember now, it seemed a good signal when we discussed it last night.  So we reversed to the spot where the wood was spotted & put the bow into the off side bank.  Dave then jumped off & collected the wood & dumped it onto the bow. I was holding the boat in forward into the bank.  Lesson one learned:-  the bow sinks further into the mud when held in forward & loaded down.  With the bow now stuck fast, we were completely stuck.  We repositioned the wood near the back, poled, reversed, pushed and rocked, but we were still stuck fast.  After about 30 mins, a boat came past & kindly pulled us off  (thank you 'Good Boy').  Thing is, we weren't as red faced as perhaps we should have been - ha ha - we had our first free fuel and how smug we were.  But we now know why it had been left there - TOO SHALLOW!    Next time it'll be different...........

Technology

As you've guessed from the uploaded photos, the computer problems have been fixed.  We stopped to shop at Sainsbury's Kidderminster & spotted a PC World.  I bundled all the defective/inadequate software and hardware into a bag and sauntered to said computer shop, expecting the "oh sorry, we havent got the staff in today, call back tomorrow", or the sharp intake of breath and "oh, nothing we can do, you'll just have to buy a new digital camera".  But no - the "tech guys" had a look at the computer & fixed the problem in 30 mins.  Apparently this new computer with windows 7 doesnt like old software like my 3month old mobile phone (eh!), or the digital camera - which is a few years old to be fair - but not as old as the response from the "Tech" person at PC World warranted - "Oh wow - it's a HP325! I used to have one of these years ago!" Thanks alot says I, I didnt realise I owned the first antique digital camera.  Anyway, problems seem to be solved with a download & running software with just about the capacity to copy photos and nothing else - anything better than nothing.

Photo of Beefur arriving in Kidderminster. 

Introducing Nemo

We have a new addition - Nemo cat.  He's now 3 months old and can be an absolute monster - don't let that cute face fool you.  Captain cat was killed on the A5 near our moorings in July & we were both heart broken.  She was such a clever cat, considering her life on a boat & out cruising for 5 months of each year, just brilliant - although intelligent near water, no match for the A5 on a Saturday morning.  So a replacement was sought immediately & hence (Captain) Nemo.  Unfortunately he does NOT live up to his name.  He's fallen in 4 times now - he's just the complete opposite to the eligant Captain cat.  He gets so excited when he goes outside, he jumps from land back onto the bow & straight off the other side - hopeless!   The photos are a couple of weeks old, apologies for that but we  have been lacking the technology, as mentioned above.  Pic 2 shows Nemo trying to clean himself after another swim.  Pic 3 is Nemo swinging from his scratch post (thank you again Aunty Gwyneth).  We've had no traumas with him today because he refused to go outside in the rain. Wus cat!  NB  Just read this out to Dave & he say's I'm being too hard on him - "give him time!"