Farewell Brum.

Monday 27th September 2021

We set off at about 9:15 and reversed out of Oozels St loop. Unfortunately the wind coming down the mainline decided to interfere with this manoeuvre and so Jannock ended up reversing part-way round the roundabout outside the NIA before coming forwards back round into the Farmers Bridge entrance. Different!

Last night’s heavy rain has gone and been replaced by sunshine. Luckily the whole of the Farmers Bridge flight was set in our favour and so we fair flew down the ten locks. The wind didn’t cause too much hassle under the BT tower although Brenda did need to take corrective action when Jannock started going towards the concrete pillars.  As we left the bottom lock we could leave it open for the CaRT rubbish boat that was approaching from Aston.

Out the bottom and on to Aston flight where Graham had to fill all the locks bar the first two after we passed an ascending hire boat. While waiting for the first lock to be ready Brenda found that the wind combined with a strong pull towards the overflow weir created a whirlpool affect that tried to rotate Jannock. We left the flight at 1pm.

After the Aston bottom lock Brenda went inside to prepare both lunch and tonight’s supper just as a heavy rain storm started. Lunch was served to the Cap’n while we drifted very slowly under the large warehouse that covers the B&F Canal. Ten minutes later, with lunch eaten, we emerged out of the other end to find the rain had subdued a lot. By the time we were at Minworth top lock it had stopped and there were blue skies but still a biting wind.

 

It’s been a lock heavy day but we were making good time so decided to go down the Curdworth flight as well because the weather tomorrow does not look too good. The HS2 works are still alongside locks 2 to 6 but the seismic monitoring stations have been removed. The damsons in the tree alongside lock 6 were riper and sweeter than when we picked some on the way up the flight 3 weeks ago. Graham picked some more and they are lovely.

Out of Curdworth bottom lock and we wanted to moor on the visitor moorings but nb Hampshire Rose was plonked mid way between two other boats which made about 20m of mooring un-useable unless you were in a small plastic cruiser. We went on about 100m further on and moored against the grass bank with pins.

 

Before supper (and the light went) we took a walk around the nature reserve alongside the bottom lock, a thing that Brenda has wanted to do every time we’ve passed this way previously. We were rewarded with a nice sunset and then back to Jannock for the best goat stew we’ve ever had – the quality of the goat meat we got at Birmingham market was excellent.

G&B