Saturday 25 July 2009

Calf Heath to Gailey

Calf Heath to Gailey
Sat 25th July 2009
Staffs and Worcester

4 miles
2 Locks
2 Hours

Family issues to attend to today, so we spent the day in Derbyshire attending Tilly's school fair in the company of the Goon Squad. She sang like an angel but sadly a recent turn of events has prevented her from joining us for our second week afloat, a sadness for all of us.

Undaunted, we came up with a plan B, which would allow us to remain afloat but also be in a position to visit Tilly every other day. We therefore left one car at Gt Haywood and carried on in the other back to Calf Heath, returning in early evening. With the sun shining we made an immediate start towards Gialey, smoothing our ruffled emotions with a couple of Gin and Tonics.

It was one of those perfect summer evenings when we pottered along slowly, sipping our drinks and leaving a trail of monkey nut shells in our wake. We moored up just below the second lock of the Gailey flight, a popular stretch which, on this occasion, we had to share with a number of other crews. Their animated laughter mixed with the smoke of their barbecues, drifted down the towpath as the sun curtsied to a spectacular exit.

As a counterpoint to the beauty outside, we watched "The Boy in Striped Pajamas". The film views a German concentration camp through the eyes of the Commandant's young son, who tragically ends up in a gas chamber himself. All very poignant and very tragic.
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