Power problems solved - that's 4 new batteries then!

On our way to Brum:  Well it's bye bye Stourbridge for another year.  We have solved the power problems - it wasn't the inverter (after buying a new one), and it wasn't the fridge.  No - we didn't buy a new one.  Despite the Numax batteries showing "green" for good, on the indicators, and despite them being less than 2 years old, the batteries were shot.  We have now bought 4 new batteries and (touch wood) all is functioning as it should.  Thank you Martin Brookes at Stourton for the testing equipment.  Dave did try and sort it out at the dry dock at Stourbridge, but the new guy there was disinterested & couldn't be bothered in such a trivial thing as no power on a narrowboat.

Pic below - Albert is waving goodbye - he's one of the three (yes 3) employed to move Tenacious & Temeraire with the owner, the 7 miles & 7 locks back to their base.  Albert tends to pop up unexpectedly at locks and start lockwheeling - we've known him for many years round Stourbridge and the BCN, but also at Audlem, Tyreley and bizzarly in Llangollen of all places (no locks there tho).

It was another lovely couple of days for cruising.  Up the Stourbridge locks and past the Red House |Glass Cone. 

Up and up the Stourbridge and Delph locks

To Merry Hill where we moored for the night

Netherton Hill in the distance, which we'll be skirting round on the way to join the Main Line

Through the waterfront at Merry Hill.  There was a boat moored here, can't remember the name, only the owners (as signwritten in big letters)  "Norfolk and Chance".  Charming!  We stopped for a meal at Wetherspoons, we thought cheap and cheerful would be the order of the day after forking out so much on batteries and an inverter - we had 4 drinks and two main meals for less than £20!

Getting closer to Netherton Hill, with the church spires poking through the trees.

Lots of wonderful new sculptures and mile posts on the Dudley Canal...

Still without graffitti

Windmill End

And into the Netherton Tunnel, where there was a workboat moored in the right in the middle of the tunnel.  Luckily we did see workmen walking around with torches on their helmets, but the boat wasn't clearly distinguishable.  There's light at the end of the tunnel....

And eventually - after 40 minutes and 3058 yards - out the other end

and onto the Main Line, with it's toll islands

Under the M5 and the old line canal

And into Birmingham City Centre, where we'll stay for a few days, giving me time to visit Mum, for what would have been Dad's birthday. 

Power problems, delays & another dunking for Nemo

Well, that's Stourbridge done for another year.  The weather over the weekend was fantastic, which brought the crowds out - not so many boats this year - only 58.  Never mind, next year is the Staffs & Worcs 50th anniversary for The Battle of Stourbridge  so hopefully, the number of boats attending the rally will be over the 100 mark.  Dave will miss visiting his favourite pub (The Royal Exchange on Enville Street)  He'll probably have to wait another 12 months for his next pint of Bathams!  
We met up with lots of friends over the weekend - and made some new ones too.  But time to move on and start cruising - now i've (finally) picked up my new glasses from Specsavers.  They look like and feel like safety visors.  I'm sure they're not the ones I picked!

Here we are at the Exchange on a lovely sunny afternoon:  Frank & Gill (NB Fragil), Me, Ken & Judy (NB Flying Fox) & Sandra (NB Iapetus) & Ken & Judy's dog - who's name I can't remember I'm afraid.  Ken, Judy, Sandra & Brian (not in picture) have just returned from 2 weeks on the Caledonian Canal - they hired a boat & didn't take their own!  They managed to pick the 2 weeks in September when the sun came out for their trip, and highly recommended it.  Oh - and that's the BCN committee having a meeting on the table behind us (they weren't there just for the beer)

We've been having trouble with our power over the last few weeks.  We thought it was the inverter, so changed the fan, which made things worse and it packed up, so we bought a new 1800w inverter.  We still have problems, so it wasn't the inverter after all.  Which left batteries or fridge - either way it was going to cost money.  After testing and re-testing, isolating, & recharging, we have discovered it's the batteries - initially ruled out as 3 of them are less than 2 years old.  So it's 4 new batteries, which we are hoping will be delivered tomorrow (Wed), fingers crossed as we want to get into Birmingham on Thursday so I can go home & visit mum for a few days.  This will leave Dave free to visit is 2nd favourite pub - The Wellington, which i've raved about before.   16 hand pull ales plus more for cider.  No food served, but if you'd like to bring your own in, they will provide knives, forks, plates and condiments, and clear away afterwards - how good is that!  Unfortunately we're a week too early for the Birmingham Beer Festival from 27th - 29th October, but depending on where we are, we'll try and get back by bus (cat permitting).

Whilst waiting for this to upload, Nemo cat has taken another dive into the canal.  He's been dodging bikes at 40mph on the towpath, drunks, dogs and hoards of people whilst moored at Stourbridge.  We get into the countryside & he takes a dive off the wrong side of the boat.  We've been moored right side to towpath for almost 2 weeks now & he still jumped off the wrong side.  As I've said before.. not the brightest button on your shirt that cat.....

Stourbridge Open Weekend / Boat Gathering

The open weekend is in full swing, with boats everywhere!  Lots of beautiful working boats here, all with brasses shining & engines popping.  What a wonderful day for it!

Beefur & Fragil competing for the "who's got the tallest aerial" competition.

You know you're getting old ... when the car you learned to drive in is now a "vintage"!

At least it wasn't one of these though....

Ah - police cars when they were round and friendley (Ken Smith had one of these)

Back to boats - this should solve any arguments about being "under propped"

The always immaculately turned out boat & butty Tenacious & Temeraire

Lord Mayor's parade & cavelcade returning to the Stourbridge Arm to the noise of boat horns and bugles.

Of course there's always one ...  This boat decided to go for a jaunt just as the Lord Mayor's procession was rounding the bend heading through the line of working boats, thus sending all the boat in the flotilla into reverse and subsequently sideways.  Ah well, all adds to the spectacle I suppose.

Stourbridge

We've been in Stourbridge for a week now, while Dave has been doing bits and bobs around the area, such as painting out the grafitti & clearing up dog poo etc, just to tidy things up ready for the boat rally - or "Open Weekend" as it's called. Boats have been arriving thick and fast over the last couple of days, and the organisers are hoping for anything up to 80 boats. On the day we arrived last week, there happened to be a jazz night in the bonded warehouse so we went along - it was great. Packed out & very entertaining.

Old arms & buildings on the way into the Stourbridge Arm.

Stourbridge Town Hall (opened 1887)

Unfortunately, Stourbridge town in plagued with charity shops.  There's a shop for every charity you could think of - from the usual Oxfam & various children's charities - to "Happy Staffie Rescue".  I haven't counted them, but there must be more than 25!  Sadly, the indoor market area is deserted, but there are plans for it's redevelopment - by Tesco.  There's a beautiful clock there, which gives a lovely display at 12 noon, when the figures go round....

We'll be here till at least Tuesday, which will give us time to visit the laundrette, collect my new glasses (eyes that is - not the chink chink cheers variety - although with all these glass works around here.....)

End of the Shroppie & onto Staffs & Wus

A slow couple of hours on Sunday, as we hit a fishing competition just before Wheaton Aston - miles of em!  A boat travelling towards us warned us they were there & he had counted 72 fishermen.  It was amusing to see, as we approached them, that they turn away & rummage in their maggot pots to avoid making eye contact.  How about one of them, just one, saying "Thank you for going at tick over". That'd make a nice change.

The wind was making things very difficult between the M54 and Autherley junction as it's quite exposed.  We were pleased to be turning onto the S & W where we were a bit more sheltered.

This mini narrowboat is moored at Oxley, unfortunately it wasn't moored next to another 'normal' size narrowboat, so you can see the difference in size.  Just after turning onto the S&W, a lovely surprise - Dave produced a bottle of bubbly which he'd been hiding in the gas locker, to celebrate our anniversary!  He's after brownie points ....  We moored above Dimingsdale locks & walked up to The Greyhound at Lower Penn which was featured in the local CAMRA brochure.  Another great find.  Hand pulls, great local beer, good food - bit pricey tho' but it was our anniversary after all. (More brownie points for Dave)

Thanks Mum for the lovely oasis you gave us last week as we wouldn't be around for 'the day'.

I love these things, someone with ALOT of time on their hands has been defacing/enhancing (which ever view you take), old tree stumps and sign posts all the way down the cut.  Makes me smile anyway!

Beautiful old plough at Awbridge lock

When we arrived at the Bratch today, there was a bloke with a camera who asked if we would mind him filming us entering the locks.  No problem says Dave, as I dived inside to put some slap & lippy on!  No pressure then - I was driving & thankfully didnt touch the sides & we descended perfectly - being filmed each step of the way. Phew.

No I haven't got the picture the wrong way round - this is the stonework exiting Greensforge lock, showing genuine erosion caused be ropes on the stone - rather than the stuck on false stuff you see on the sides of bridges.

Last pic of the day, beautiful deer sculptures at the garden centre Greensforge.  Moored tonight below Rocky lock.  Stourbridge tomorrow, as it's a convenient place for Dave to get to his Aunty's funeral in Plymouth, then we're there for the clean up weekend, the weekend before the rally.

Blakemere to the Anchor

We had a night with our friend Bill at Colemere (A.K.A. Steam Boat Bill) who had made a 'lightning machine' Tesla coil, amazing - but very noisy.  We continued on our way the next morning feeling rather delicate after one too many bottles of the red stuff.

Lightning indoors!!!

For this next bit of the journey, it would help set the scene if you would hum the theme tune to the film "Jaws"  duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh, duh duh dahhhh! "There's something in the water" AGHHHHH It's Jawcals (Jaws) the day boat from Trevor Basin, sneaking up on us round Bettisfield as we stopped for water!  There's no getting away from them.  The good news however, is that it's been sold, and Jack from Anglo Welsh is delivering it to Norbury Junction.  (As I write this blog, moored at The Anchor, Jawcals passes us again).

We caught up with Jack again at Grindley Brook where I helped him down the single locks, as we were in a queue to go down the staircase.  When I returned to the top Beefur was next in line (3rd) to go down.  "There's no one coming up" I said to the lockkeeper, "Is that a fact? No one's told me" very grumpily (you've probably worked it out that it wasn't Gary on duty that day).  "Yes, actually, it is a fact!" Dave explained to Mr. Grumpy that I'd been to the bottom of the locks to lock the day boat down & noted that there wasn't any one on their way up, & thought he might like to know, as the boats were stacking up at the top.  "Sue! sorry I didn't recognise you". I was only trying to be friendly to an ex-colleague, I shan't bother next time!

We thankfully got through the Wrenbury lift bridge without incident - unlike friends Ken & Denise a couple of weeks ago:  Denise operated the bridge & Ken went through without problem, but then the bridge would not go down.  The traffic was piling up, and tempers were fraying for the jammed motorists, who by now had started honking horns.  A farmer who was also in the queue, jumped out of his tractor with a large sledgehammer and started to walk towards the bridge.  "Its not my fault" shouted Denise at the farmer, whereupon he wacked the bridge with his sledgehammer, and it started to descend "That's got it, it's been playing up for weeks & BW were here to fix it this morning".

Fantastic sunrise near Wrenbury

From Wrenbury, we had a leisurely 30 mins walk to the Bhurtpore Inn.  A fantastic pub with 15 handpulls, extensive menu and great food. Well worth a detour from the canal. Beautiful old buildings here, this one states that it was built in 1667!

We don't think we've ever seen so many boats around at this time of year.  We've queued at nearly every lock.  Loads of boats at Coole Pilate, including blogger NB Armadillo, we exchanged pleasantries as we passed by & carried on our way. 

As we went through Market Drayton, this little black dog fancied his chances with 7 very large signets, mum and dad.  Needless to say, he backed off pretty quickly!

We continued our journey - no time for leisurely stops, as we had a rendevous at The Anchor, high Offley, with friends Mike & Hazel (NB Tess of Wooton), who were going to set up their tent there for the night.  We have never seen so many boats at The Anchor & the pub was heaving, stuffed to the gunnels with boaters and campers, with most tables outside occupied, which was a wonderful treat to be able to sit outside till late at this time of year.  There were plenty of musicians, and we had a fantastic night, and even stayed till after midnight - very unusual for us - we only do "early doors"!