Goodbye Shroppie

Wildlife of the day – FOUR Kingfishers.

After an exceedingly peaceful night in a dark cutting we had a late start this morning, fuelled by chocolatines – hot from the oven. It is Saturday after all.

 

A nice run down from Brewood spotting this Kingfisher sat posing for us between bridges 7 and 6. Then under the busy M54 and on past Wolverhampton boat club who had a weekend rally on celebrating their 60th anniversary.

 

Finally down to Autherley stop lock where we were assisted through the lock by the couple who live on the first moored boat opposite the hire base. They told us of a family that returned their hire boat after just four days because the Wifi stopped working. Apparently their two teenagers couldn’t exist without it and the data allowance had been all used up in the first three days.

Left onto the Staffs and Worcester canal, meeting two other boats in the narrow cutting just north of the junction. Luckily both were met at points where Jannock could move across into the layby there while the southbound boats passed.

 

At Coven Graham spotted his all time favourite boat name written on the bows of a white fibreglass cruiser – “Wibbly Wobbly Floaty Thing”. CaRT had only managed to fit Wibbly Wobbly on the licence paperwork.

We continued on through Calf Heath and started meeting the five locks we planned to do today at Gailey. As we ran alongside the M6 motorway above Rodbaston lock we had not one but two Kingfishers flying along together in front of us.Although I had the camera ready they dived into a large tree not to be seen again.

 

We moored for the night by the Cross Keys pub. Brenda went for a walk to get some bread and found a nearby convenience store about 5 mins from the canal. It was staffed by an Asian lady and the Samosas she bought there were excellent. The church bells at Penkridge were ringing - not sure if that was for the coronation of practicing for a special church service tomorrow to mark the passing of QE II.

G&B