Crew - Graham and Brenda

Just before we set off from Hawkesbury, nb Grace appeared alongside and so we arranged to meet Terry and Chris again at the bottom of the Atherstone flight later that day. We then untied and passed through the stop lock immediately behind them and turned onto the Northbound Coventry canal. The weather was a little better today but I believe we have a case against the Met. Office - not as described. We passed Grace when they had to pull over due to some rubbish on the prop. We waited until they indicated that all was well again and then continued on our way knowing that they planned a brief stop with their friends en-route.

At lunchtime we stopped at Hartshill yard for a water fill. We saw a chap unlocking the cellar door - at cut level - of an old building - at road level. It's a very interesting building so we paid attention to his access. He said he was going in to tune his banjo and opened the door of a wonderful music studio. We chatted and he invited us in to look around and then he went on to play Blue Grass music on his banjo for us. Sausage rolls and a serenade during a water fill - how nice.
Once the water tank was full, we moved off and then descended Atherstone flight to moor up after the eleventh lock and await the arrival of Terry and Chris aboard their new acquisition nb Grace. We sat on the towpath and had tea and scones during the first bit of sunshine all day. Simon (No.1 son) came and joined us for evening meal and then stayed on for a days boating on Sunday. A 'boat warming' mini-GiG ensued and our bad diet was rounded off with late night chocolate chip flapjack made by Christine - delicious!

Crew - Graham, Brenda & Simon.

Graham left at 6am to do a car shuffle from Hillmorton to Whittington. The Di Blasi decided to stop on the return journey near Hopwas. He pulled onto the pavement and stripped the carburettor and cleaned it. All was Ok again and the journey completed. Once we had breakfasted we set off but almost immediately lost forward drive from Jannock's engine. The gearbox had dumped all of it's oil into the engine bilge from a split cooler hose. A temporary repair using self amalgamating tape did not work and it did it again before we had reached very far. I made an improvement to the repair and used a margarine container to catch the leaking oil so that I could put it back into the gearbox.

We stopped above Glascote locks and I made a better repair using self amalg. followed by a roll of thin aluminium sheet held together by two jubulee clamps. This worked and the gearbox was now oil-tight again. On through Fazely where we met a highly offensive female live-aboard who started to wind, without any signals to us following, and then got upset because we were too close for her to turn in one go. .

At Hopwas, as we approached the main A5 bridge past crowded moorings outside the pub, we came across a determined southbound boater who refused to give way and barged (sic!) his way through the bridgehole. I believe this sort of 'selfish' behaviour is becoming more common on't cut! We finally moored for the night in Whittington and I took Simon back to his car at Bradley Green so that he could return to Salford. Brenda and I had a joyless search for a pub meal around the village finding one pub with no electricity and another with an Anne Summers party in full swing but no food. We finally settled for a Chinese take-away on Jannock before joining Terry and Chris for an evening on Grace.

Crew - Graham, Brenda & Simon.

We collected Simon from Stone and then drove to Whittington to find Jannock. Once we were shipshape we set off towards Fradley passing nb Nackered Navvy moored outside the Plough Inn at Huddlesford near the junction with the Litchfield & Hatherton canal. We then preceded to meet an on-coming boat at every blind bridge or narrow section of canal all the way to Fradley. It was so busy I was not looking forward to the likely queue at Fradley middle lock. Through the swing bridge we turned left onto the Trent & Mersey canal.

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Crew - Graham, Brenda & Simon.

We left Fradley, pleased to be moving at a reasonable rate again and headed down the Coventry canal as the weather threatened to get worse. No problems meeting other boats today so we assumed they were all at the National Festival. Through Fazely yet again we arrived at Glascote locks in the rain and once through, Graham stayed out to complete the journey to Alvecote while Simon and I retreated indoors to avoid the downpour. There were so many boats 'out' but moored bankside that progress was well below 2 MPH for most of the day. After dinner Simon took Graham back to Stafford to collect our car and then he continued on home to Salford whilst Graham returned to Jannock.

Crew - Graham & Brenda.

It was not bank holiday weather today, neither was it summer. Mediocre but dry is the best description. Graham was up and at-em at eight o'clock whilst I laid abed until my brain functioned. A full english breakfast was taken on the move so we were fed ready for the Atherstone flight. We whistled through the first two but then slowed right down due to all the slowcoaches and lock-hoppers that were about. Hey-ho! At lock 4 we met a fellow blogger who introduced himself once he saw the boat name rising up in the lock. On the subject of boat names this weekend:- I can see how a boat comes to be called 'Kazi Minghi', some just are, but 'R Swipe'?

Crew - Graham & Brenda.

Brenda was still feeling sore after her facial operation to remove a carcenoma and so Margaret joined us to keep her company (and inside the boat - hopefully) for a trip down to Hawksbury and onto the North Oxford canal.
Margaret : - Weather disappointing but dry and warmed up eventually. An abundance of Blackberries on the right side of the canal for a change!, we could not reach the egg plums though. Brenda is suffering from Post Operative loss of faculties.

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