Sunday 18th April 2021 Alrewas
Hello again from the warmth of the sunny cabin aboard the Lady Aberlour. Captain Carl and First Mate Lindy Loo are once more chugging off up the Trent and Mersey, looking for adventure. It's been so long since we did a Hedgerow Jotting that neither of us can remember how to upload the photos. I will post this and upload the photos tomorrow, when my lock down brain can fathom out how. The Captain, usually the quietest out of the two of us, seems to have a lot on his mind, so I have handed over to him to get you in the mood for another season of aimless wittering - here is comes!!
While I’m not on the subject of boating I thought I’d share some trivia with you. Now, most people can name some of the Knights of the round table. Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival and so on. But very few people know of King Arthur’s biggest Knight. He was a fearsome brute who went by the name of Sir Cumferance. Moving on, the world’s population is set to double in forty years. Babies are to blame. Finally, an allegedly true news item from America: a burglar was discovered in a couples’ house when the husband told a joke and they heard someone laugh upstairs.
Back to the original reason for this strange scribble, boating. We were pleased to note that when we returned to the boat after many months the engine started on the first attempt, everything seemed to be in good order inside and we were able to cast off without incident. I usually struggle to get the boat on and off from our home mooring as the canal is so shallow here but this day we cruised away on the first attempt - no pole required. We found signs that one of our windows has been leaking slightly though. I’ll have to get out the “creeping crack” stuff to try and seal wherever the leak is.
Our next stop was Branston. No, I’m sorry all those pickle lovers out there, this particular Branston is a pickle free zone. Actually, it is a nice spot to moor A short walk into the village takes you to a Co-Op, a Byrd’s bakery, and a charity shop. There are also various take-away type places; Chinese takeaway and so on. Even a fish and chip shop. The one down side is that they are building swathes of new houses adjacent to the canal. What is, at the moment, a fairly quiet and rural spot, will soon be a built up area.
Some good friends of ours visited us today, Sunday. We cruised though four locks and moored just above Alrewas lock. They have been stuck in Spain since 2020, so it was extra nice to be able to spend some time with them. Thanks for a great day Richard and Mel.
I’ve been advised that these jottings are normally around one thousand words in length. In order to get the number of words up to the required aggregate I’m going to have to add some fillers. These are some newspaper headlines that made me smile. They may make you smile too. (Or maybe not!).
“A caller reported 30th June that a bird had been stolen from an apartment in the 100 block of Haskell Street East. It later was determined that the bird had not been stolen, but was lying dead at the bottom of its cage”.
“Worker suffers leg pain after crane drops 800 pound ball on his head”.
“Bridge closure date Thursday or October”.
“Woman missing since she got lost”.
That’s all for now dear readers
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| Eggington Beach at our mooring |
Captain Carl here - the sun was shining, the sky was blue and , at last, we were chugging along on the stern of the Lady Aberlour. Just a few hundred yards away from our home mooring is a boat called “Victor’s New Home”. We have seen this boat every time we cruise from Egginton to Willington and vice versa. Always moored in the same place, and always with the same sense of respectful loneliness. For fourteen years or more I have wondered who Victor is and if I’d ever seen him cruising the cut. Well, it turns out that Victor is not a he at all. The boat is the new home of a Coventry Victor engine. Ok, ok, I realise that this is a contender for the greatest anti-climax of the week award, but I thought this would be a way of starting one of our infamous Jottings. Yes, dear reader, we are back on the water and looking forward to floating here, there and everywhere.
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| Love this little boat |
Tuesday was the big day. We arrived at Egginton beach early in the afternoon and decided to load the boat straight away, rather then relax on the sand. By three p.m. we were moored just outside Willington and were getting our craft shipshape. As I was washing down the roof I became aware of a duck. Did you know, you get a better class of duck in this area than you do further south. Up here, ducks tend to be quite friendly and quack politely, asking how you are in the peculiar duck language that you can only understand if you are another duck. Down south, some of them are just plain rude, hurling abuse at you for the slightest thing. I’ve found that the best thing is to not get involved. Just ignore them is my advice. Swans are all the same wherever you are; arrogant, condescending, tending to look down their beak at you as they swim by. Always thinking they are whiter than snow. Anyway, enough said. I’ll leave it there; after all dear reader, I’m sure you already know this.
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| Duck on a mission |
While I’m not on the subject of boating I thought I’d share some trivia with you. Now, most people can name some of the Knights of the round table. Sir Lancelot, Sir Percival and so on. But very few people know of King Arthur’s biggest Knight. He was a fearsome brute who went by the name of Sir Cumferance. Moving on, the world’s population is set to double in forty years. Babies are to blame. Finally, an allegedly true news item from America: a burglar was discovered in a couples’ house when the husband told a joke and they heard someone laugh upstairs.
Back to the original reason for this strange scribble, boating. We were pleased to note that when we returned to the boat after many months the engine started on the first attempt, everything seemed to be in good order inside and we were able to cast off without incident. I usually struggle to get the boat on and off from our home mooring as the canal is so shallow here but this day we cruised away on the first attempt - no pole required. We found signs that one of our windows has been leaking slightly though. I’ll have to get out the “creeping crack” stuff to try and seal wherever the leak is.
Our next stop was Branston. No, I’m sorry all those pickle lovers out there, this particular Branston is a pickle free zone. Actually, it is a nice spot to moor A short walk into the village takes you to a Co-Op, a Byrd’s bakery, and a charity shop. There are also various take-away type places; Chinese takeaway and so on. Even a fish and chip shop. The one down side is that they are building swathes of new houses adjacent to the canal. What is, at the moment, a fairly quiet and rural spot, will soon be a built up area.
 |
| New building work at Branston |
Some good friends of ours visited us today, Sunday. We cruised though four locks and moored just above Alrewas lock. They have been stuck in Spain since 2020, so it was extra nice to be able to spend some time with them. Thanks for a great day Richard and Mel.
 |
| We had a great day |
I’ve been advised that these jottings are normally around one thousand words in length. In order to get the number of words up to the required aggregate I’m going to have to add some fillers. These are some newspaper headlines that made me smile. They may make you smile too. (Or maybe not!).
“A caller reported 30th June that a bird had been stolen from an apartment in the 100 block of Haskell Street East. It later was determined that the bird had not been stolen, but was lying dead at the bottom of its cage”.
“Worker suffers leg pain after crane drops 800 pound ball on his head”.
“Bridge closure date Thursday or October”.
“Woman missing since she got lost”.
That’s all for now dear readers
Love and hugs
The Chandlers Afloat
PS: it was the 50th anniversary of the two Ronnie this week. Linda and I loved their shows.
“A Grandfather has gone missing after eating four cans of baked beans, two cauliflowers and a jar of gherkins. His family has made an emotional appeal for him not to come home for a fortnight”.
“A survey on the decline of morals in Britain reveals that in Liverpool alone last week, an average of 26 women a day had casual sex with a married man who wasn’t their husband. The man is now recovering in hospital.
Classic stuff and its Goodnight from me and its Goodnight from her.
PS: it was the 50th anniversary of the two Ronnie this week. Linda and I loved their shows.
“A Grandfather has gone missing after eating four cans of baked beans, two cauliflowers and a jar of gherkins. His family has made an emotional appeal for him not to come home for a fortnight”.
“A survey on the decline of morals in Britain reveals that in Liverpool alone last week, an average of 26 women a day had casual sex with a married man who wasn’t their husband. The man is now recovering in hospital.
Classic stuff and its Goodnight from me and its Goodnight from her.
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