Friday, 25th March
A long day today, as we had twenty locks to do in the Audlem Flight and five in the Adderley Flight.



TOP OF ADDERLEY LOCKS

Trev did all of the locks and I steered, quite a different story from the first time we did this stretch, and I wouldn't steer, so did all of the locks. A man called Roger helped us with quite a few of the locks. He's having a boat built and wanted to find out all he could about ours, and we were very happy to have his help.

We moored up at Market Drayton, and finished getting the boat looking as pristine as we could. Tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law come to see us. They live in Spain and this is the first time they will have seen the boat.

This is the second Good Friday running I haven't fallen in the canal.......

Saturday, 26th March
We went to Ted's Boatyard to fill up with diesel, the cheapest on the canal at 32.9p per litre. We took over two hundred litres on board, then we turned the boat round and filled up with water. Then we were ready for our visitors. First we all went to The Talbot pub for lunch, which was fairly basic, nothing special, then we went for a cruise. We went three miles back the way we had come, then turned at a winding hole and came back to Market Drayton. The boat was duly admired and we had a good day. We stayed at Market Drayton overnight.

Sunday, 27th March Easter Sunday
We were deciding whether we would travel at all today, as it was raining, when Trev's cousin Ann 'phoned. She lives near Brewood, where we shall pass through, and she is receiving our mail for us. Ann said that if we were going to meet it would be better if it were tomorrow, so that decided us and we set off. Fortunately the rain stopped and we went up through the flight of five locks at Tyrley, and through some lovely countryside.

We were intending to moor up at Norbury Junction tomight, but so was everyone else on the canal, and there was nowhere to moor. We found out later that there was a meeting of a boating group who had all met there. However, we carried on and found quite a nice mooring at Gnosall.

Monday, 28th March
The canal is very busy at the moment, everyone is out for Easter, and there are lots of hire boats, too. We got stuck behind a very boring boat which was going very slowly. It seemed to me that at the places where we could have overtaken he speeded up and where we couldn't overtake, he slowed down! But Trev told me not to get agitated!

Eventually we got through the lock and moored just above, at Wheaton Aston, ready to meet Trev's cousin, Ann. She picked us up and took us home to have tea with them. The post hadn't arrived even though it was posted first class last Thursday. So we shall wait until tomorrow and hope that it comes.

Tuesday, 29th March
Trev set off without me this morning! Well without me getting up. I was still in bed when he set off. He wanted to get to Brewood, so that he could get a paper. It was only three miles to Brewood, and on the way we saw the first brood of ducklings of the year. There was about a dozen tiny fluff balls, only a day or so old. We walked in to Brewood to buy provisions. There's a very good butchers which we remembered from our last visit, and we stocked up the freezer.

Ann 'phoned to say the post still hadn't arrived, and we arranged to go for a meal with them at The Bridge Inn at Brewood in the evening. In the afternoon it started to rain, and it rained without ceasing for the rest of the day.

Wednesday, 30th March
It rained all through the night and all of today. What a good job we live on a boat! The towpath is filthy, and it's not easy to keep the boat clean inside. We're moored in a cutting and it's very dank and dismal, and there's no mobile 'phone reception.

At last the post's arrived! It's not that there's ever anything exciting in it, but we do need to receive it regularly, in case there are bills or anything which needs attending to. At around 2.00 p.m. the rain stopped and we set off to get near to Autherley Junction ready for our assault on the Wolverhampton Flight of twenty-one locks. This is through an area where there can be problems, and so we're keen to get through early. Actually, if it rains, it might even be a help, as it might encourage the little varmints to stay indoors!

Unfortunately, Trev has decided that he wants to make a diversion tomorrow. There is a one and a half mile cul-de-sac of the canal called the Wednesfield Oak Loop. It goes right to the area where Trev was brought up, and he wants to go there! We have to ensure that the BW yard is open at the far end, as that is the only place to turn. Oh dear, am I looking forward to this........... As if we aren't sitting targets any way going along the main canal in urban areas, without setting ourselves up for target practice! Guess who won't sleep tonight!

Thursday, 31st March
Two years ago today we moved to live on our boat. What a lot has happened in that short time. We're certainly older and wiser, and can now call ourselves experienced boaters, which is more than we could at the beginning, when our only experience was a week on a hire boat! Would I do it all again? Yes, emphatically, though perhaps in a slightly different way.

We were up early this morning and left our mooring by 8.00 a.m. We went to the water point and filled up with water whilst we ate breakfast, and then set off. We had a long day in front of us, down to Autherley Junction, where the Shropshire Union Canal meets the Staffs and Worcs Canal, then to Aldersley Junction where the Staffs & Worcs meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Here we turned left on to the B'ham Navigations, and immediately encountered the Wolverhampton flight of twenty-one locks. We did this flight in the Autumn of 2003, and so we knew what was coming.

It took us three hours to get through the flight and then we continued on through Wolverhampton. Fortunately, the person at the BW yard at the end of the Wednesfield Oak Loop said it was not recommended to take a boat down there, as the bridges were low, and so we were able to forego that pleasure! I was sorry for Trev as I know he'd been looking forward to it, but every cloud has a silver lining! And for us, this meant that we were making good time so instead of staying overnight in the Black Country Museum as planned, we continued on into Birmingham.

We didn't pass another boat all day, until we came to Factory Junction at Tipton. Here there was another boat going down the three locks and we followed them down, and passed another boat coming up. The whole trip from start to finish took seven hours. It was seventeen miles and twenty-five locks--yes there was another little lock I haven't mentioned at Autherley, a stop lock. The difference in water level is only about six inches.

It was great to pull in to Birmingham again. We moored in almost exactly the same place as last time, outside the National Indoor Arena. Our friends the postmen, Catharine and Mamdooh, came to see us in the evening and we went to the Tin Tin Chinese Restaurant and had a good meal.