Thursday 31 May 2012

Due to the inclement weather and the fact we were moored right outside a pub that does food we abandoned the BBQ idea and ate in the pub. There Wife modem was merrily flashing away and transmitting well it just wasn’t connected to the World Wide Web. Wednesday night is Curry night and you get a drink free, the only problem its squirty IPA, Fosters squirty larger or wine but it is only about £8 a time. 
When we got back to the boat we had bit of a list on as the river had dropped a few inches so the last job before going to bed after Magic had stumbled off and on for the last time was to push the bows out so we were once again afloat, I had left the stern well out. We had just got to bed and it started raining again so that was the engine room doors shut for the night.

When we woke this morning we were listing again as the river had continued to fall overnight but had recovered by 10 am. when we took Magic off again.
1030 am. and  we were off, not a bad morning with warm sun, but before lunch I had a fleece on and after lunch I added a waterproof jacket as the rain was back with us. We arrived at Brownhills Lock to find a cruiser coming up, I pushed the bows into the lock moorings and dropped Diana off and then backed out to hover. I couldn’t lay alongside due to an abandoned hulk of a cruiser on the lock moorings. Diana reported back that there was a slight domestic going on at the lock.It was their first lock and there are is no information about delay timers on the top gate. The lock had filled but the gate was only lifted 4”, Diana soon sorted them out and they were happily on their way.
At least there was a differential across the lock this time, it was dead level last time we came through.

Hermitage Lock was showing a red light as 2 cruisers were coming up so I held back to give them room, needles to say the second one out had to overtake the first as soon as they were out and as they approached me, so we were three abreast. After Hermitage Lock on the Old West River things slowed down with no flow on the water. The Lazy Otter make it plain that the don’t want Narrowboats on their mooring to visit their pub.So far this year I have not seen any boats on their moorings at all and with the amount about I would have thought they would welcome any custom, but then I am not a business man. There was a different boat in the Dry Dock, its a shame the cover only covers half the dock at a time. We continued on to moor for the night at the 100 Acre EA moorings, needless to say we are the only boat here, I expect it will be different at the weekend.

The highlights of todays cruise has been the bird life, first a Kestrel hovering over the river.
this was followed by a little Tern who was diving around us, it is a shot as he entered the water, Followed by a couple of him breaking out again, his wings move so fast it just a blur.

 

 

 

 

Then there is another common bird in these parts the Oyster Catcher.

I also saw a Kingfisher who shot straight along the river passing us at about 2 foot above the surface, far to fast to get the camera but such a vivid electric blue.