Birmingham Thursday 21 September 2017

We were about earlier than usual as my son was coming for breakfast. just before 8 a boat came passed backwards. The Shirley Drawbridge was broken. When my son arrived a few minutes later he said the road lights were flashing but the barriers up. he stopped but then a chap waved him over. Thankfully it was fixed by 9.30 am. so we could set off for the day. We started in the dry and it remained like that until we reached Bournville then it really started to rain and didn't give up until we were in the centre of Birmingham.

We hadn't been going that long when we passed this tin duck in wellies sat on a garden step.
We then rescued a dog, his legs were still kicking when I pulled him out, but after Diana washed him in a bowl of hot water he seamed to have given up the ghost, maybe after a couple of days of drying out.

I have never seen a stretched glass fibre cruiser before but it looks as if Lyons are in the process of doing one.
Up to Kings Norton Junction with the tight right hand turn on the T junction. The old toll house on the Worcester and Birmingham canal is still there and it has a painted board on the fascia listing both distances and tolls charged.
Here we leave the North Stratford Canal and run into Birmingham on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Just before we passed the Bournville works CRT, or their contractors were hard at work cutting back the offside vegetation, I hope they don't get a puncture in those dry suits, I don't think I would fancy waddling around doing that.

I have never heard anyone mention that they have used the "Barge Thru" cafe on the off side. handy for breakfast if you overnighted on the Bournville moorings and were heading south.

From the colour of the paint work would I be right in thinking that Cadbury's paid for the foot bridge over the canal near the station. Who ever did it the steel work over the arch is quite impressive.

We headed into Birmingham with the rain just about stopping as I passed through the "Bar". We were hoping to moor in Symphony Court but they were double moored so we pulled into a space a little further up to find all the moorings are reserved from yesterday until after the weekend for yet another event. So it was back down to Old Turn junction, wind, back through the "Bar" and moor by Granville Street Bridge, well its handy for the toilets.

Today's Journey 11 miles, no locks in 4¼ hours.