The last run of the season

Norbury to Calf Heath

November 2013

The autumn run, lovely as it is, does come with a bit of a sting in its tail. It represents the last trip of the season and much as we always plan to have a cruise or two in the winter the reality is that at best we will have a night or two aboard before the leaves start to emerge next Easter.

But hey, were not finished with this trip yet. The autumn sun is out and the mild weather is holding so we potter along, picking sloes and rosehips and creating a one boat water hazard to all and sundry who happen to come past whilst we are in picking mode.

 Montgomery taking shape

We decided to make Brewood our destination for the night but in the event we never quite made it. We approached Stretton Wharf and slowed to take a further look at Montgomery and just as we were about to carry on, the guys came out and invited us to moor alongside the rebuilt Phyllis May and take a closer look at their work. It was good to be able to examine the new steelwork and so share ideas for the next phase of the project. With the main bulkhead in place with one door handing on its hinge, attention is turning to the front deck and its associated bulkhead. The crucial thing about such a short boat is to make it look right and it would be so easy to make it all look top heavy. I am happy to leave this to Keith who has an expert eye for good proportions and what he is producing is exceeding my expectations.

Steel patchwork

As we were wandering round Montgomery Sara and Jim climbed down out of Bakewell, which is currently out of the water undergoing some repairs and blacking. We were invited in for coffee and one thing led to another and suddenly we found ourselves back at Wheaton Aston enjoying yet another great pub meal. Three nights out in a row - a very sociable return trip.

Drysdale overplating

Whilst we were looking at Bakewell I realised that Drysdale was alongside and had its waterline overplated. It appears that the boat, which has been moored at Calf Heath for years, was bought without survey on e-bay and it was a case of buyer beware when the sides were found to be down to a scary 1mm! Its a small miracle it made it to Stretton for repairs and rather than trip out the interior they opted to fill it with CO2 to prevent internal fires. This is not a technique I have come across before and I am advised that it involved regular tests involving candles in jam jars being lowered into the hull but always being careful not to inhale!

We spent the night next to Phyllis May but heard none of the ghostly goings on which Terry used to remarked on in his book. The signwriting is absolutely great - it made me laugh out loud.

And so it was off to Calf Heath, picking late elderberries as we progressed. Sadly there was a  literal sting in the tail - I hopped off the boat straight onto a wasps nest. One stung my ankle and one got me on the bum, which encouraged me back onto the boat in double quick time. I hope all the elderberry cordial lovers appreciate my suffering for the cause.

Philomena - film review

Philomena 

November 2013

Starring Judy Dench (Philomena Lee) and Steve Coogan (Martin Sixsmith - BBC News at 10) 

A quirky film in the best tradition of British drama which follows Philomena Lee's search for her long lost son. 

Lee gave birth to her son out of wedlock in deeply Catholic Ireland at a time when that sort of thing was a major no no. Her sad tale reflects much of what is bad about the Catholic Church of the day and its fair to say that they dont come out of this very well - another twist of the never ending series of disclosures of child abuse. 

In her case her son is sold to Americans and she gets on with her life, but never quite forgetting her lost son. She tries in vain to track him down but the convent conveniently lost all records on a "big fire" and she hit a dead end. Enter Sixsmith, a world weary journalist and recently "retired" as a government spin doctor in the wake of the "good day to bury bad news" debacle. He picks up the story and used his expertise to take Philomena's search to a new level. 

I am not going to take the plot description any further - go and see the film. 

Within our audience there was physical laughs and tears during the telling of a compelling human interest story. Judy Dench is a bankable star but this is Coogan as an actor with gravitas - a million miles from the Alan Partridge character which irritates the life out of me. 

And that takes me to the cinema we attended. We saw Philomena at Birmingham's Electric Cinema at the back of New St Station (not to be confused with the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road, London).  Its the country's oldest working cinema with two small auditoriums showing a mix of contemporary, independent, foreign and classic films in a genuine art deco setting. There is nothing historic about the visual and audio side of the operation - that's all state of the art - but the ambience makes it a cut above the normal. 

We attended screen two which contains about 70 seats,  of which 60 are "normal" and the rest are sofas at the front and the back. Some of these roomy leather sofas come complete with waiter service summoned by text (another concession to the modern era) and the cinema is happy to run a tab which covers the pre screening cocktails, mid film coffee / chocolate all fortified with a pot of chocolate buttons and ice cream. All very personal and a bit special - you are made to feel like a guest rather than a punter. 

And the cost? Well - quality never comes cheap. The premium sofas are £13.50 a seat and the collection of refreshments listed above set me back another £20. And then there is the parking - a discounted £3 in the adjacent NCP. So just a place for a birthday treat I hear you say. Not necessarily. Strip away the comfy sofa and all the peripheral consumables and you are left with a little cinema of great character - and the standard seats are just £7.40 which is only a small premium over the bulk standard multiplex price. 

I think we have just found our new "regular" cinema! 

Shroppie foraging trip 2013 - Norbury

Back to Norbury
November 2013

The Shroppie ma be very tranquil but you have to admit that it a bit short on shops. We had just about cleaned Brewood out of supplies for jam making and I had been holding Market Drayon out as a promised land for shopping. The reality is of course that Mkt Drayton is a town which has had its centre wrecked by out of town supermarkets but it does have a good Asda (I think) which is about 10 mins walk from the canal.

Tyrely Locks - Shropshire Union Canal

I was weighed down with 10kg of sugar (the max load I will carry without complaint) and it was back to the boat for a late season engine service and then a lazy start through the locks in a lovely still autumn morning with hardly a cloud in the sky. It wasn't a day to hurry so we pottered along picking sloes as we found them.

Misty Woodseaves Cutting

Last night my brother had been in touch and we agreed to meet up for a meal at Gnosall but all our messing around coupled with over an hour on the Norbury water tap caused us to run out of time and daylight so they diverted to Norbury and drove us the three miles to Gnosall. Two nights an two meals out - things are looking up.

Herbs at Tyrely Locks

Knowing my interest in DIY cider, my brother arrives with a couple of sacks full of eaters destined for the press. If you saw any other boat with sacks on the rook you would assume coal. Not with us - foraged fruit more like! 

Anyway, it was one of those great days which slide by like a good pint, satisfying and leaving you wanting more.

Autumn Forage on the Shroppie

Foraging on the Shropshire Union Canal

November 2013

For several years I have clung to the misguided notion that my solo autumn trip along the Shropshire Union Canal is just that - a solo trip.

Shebdon Ebankment

But lately I have come to realise that it is a long time since I did my solo trip alone, and have had the pleasure of a number of companions over the years. Most recently it has morphed into a late autumn foraging trip, stocking up on sloes, rose hips, and even damsons and elderberries all in the company of Mrs Ahab.

Just half our haul of sloes - for sloe jelly and sloe cordial (cheats Sloe Gin)

The solo trips were the product of a particularly difficult time in my life when I needed some solitude, but this is a time which which has passed for which I am very grateful.

But there is something else about boating which has slowly started to dawn on us - boating is no longer a holiday. Sure, it happens when I am on holiday from work, but its not a holiday as such. That's not to say we are unhappy with boating, far from it. No, what has become apparent this year is that boating is our "other" way of life. We slip from one life to another and being absolutely honest, its the simpler one afloat we want more of. Just as well given the plans afoot!

Anyway, after visiting Stretton Wharf we pressed in through very indifferent weather to a blustery Norbury, picking another five kilos of late damsons, about 8 kg of sloes plus we spied out some late elderberries for picking on the way back (hot elderberry cordial is a standing favourite product at Christmas fairs). 

 Weed clogged prop on a Trust workboat - had been pressure washing the edging stones.

The following day took us on through Grub St Cutting and then later the even more spectacular Woodseaves cutting - impossibly narrow, deep and unstable. This deep tree lined slot in the land opens out into the pleasing flight of five locks at Tyrely, which in turn lead into Market Drayton - our destination. 

The dying embers of an autumn day were spent sitting on the stern forking off the elderberries, another load destined for the elderberry vinegar.

Bridge over Woodseaves Cutting

We ate at the Talbot who served good food and were getting rid of their old glasswear, so we left with full stomachs clutching half a dozen Pedigree glasses - bought for the princely sum of £5. Mkt Drayton was something of a BCNS rallying point with no less than three local boats moored next to us and we all ended up in the same pub for the evening.

Aston Hall by Candlelight (nearly)

Aston Hall by Candlelight 

November 2013

We have spent the last three evenings at Aston Hall attending the bi annual Aston Hall by Candlelight experience.

Its amazing that in our 24 years in the city we have never visited the hall not really even seen the outside which sits alongside the Aston Expressway shielded by a belt of trees. What is more, its barely a long distance clearance from the Holte end of Aston Villa's iconic football stadium so the omission is nearly unforgivable.

Sadly, we still havn't visited the hall - instead we spent three rather chilly evenings selling preserves in the associated craft fair, but at least I got a look at the outside of this incredible Jacobean mansion, built in 1635 for Sir Thomas Holte. I know this because I heard the start of the guided tour six times each evening!

The incredible thing is that such a structure sits so close to Birmingham's city centre, but of course when it was built Birmingham was a mere hamlet in today's Digbeth. The city has spread and as the hall changed hands its lands were sold off for housing development till today it sits surrounded by industry and housing and were previously it was assailed by Parliamentary troops, today it is assaulted by the constant roar of traffic from the A38(M). 

The hall fell into the ownership of the city corporation over 100 years ago and whilst much of its essence, remains there is inevitably more than a trace of clumsy compromise which is attached to just about anything that illustrious institution gets its hands on!

However, the place is a complete gem and well worth a visit if you ever get a chance.

 And why nearly? Well, as we were working we didn't get to look round the place all lit by candles, and as we will be unavailable next weekend we wont be able to get to see it this time round. Maybe in 2015!