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Moving on 26th to 31st May

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Tuesday and the heatwave continues. Andrew is due back at the boat by lunchtime, so I was getting down the first six locks of the day and waiting for him to join just before the next three locks. Poking my head out at 7am and it was already hot so got under way. New friends Dave and Carmel on nb Troutbridge were also leaving so we went down in convoy, Carmel working like a hero to get both boats down. I've not done many locks on  my own but soon got the hang. She would fill the lock ahead and open the gate while I emptied mine, then she'd come back and open my gate while I scrambled back to the tiller. Was far too busy to take photos until we were at the bottom of the flight and literally underneath the M5 I love that the original canal bridge is still there, albeit dwarfed. The shade was so welcome, even though it was only 9am. Moored up at Galton Pump house by 10am and half an hour later, Andrew arrived. Perfect! On our way before long and into the thr...
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Titford part 2

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After a serious music session, time to stop putting it off. The weed hatch opens a hole in the bottom of the boat, so is heavily secured and a palaver to open. Then it's onto my belly, head and shoulders upside down into the engine bay, with one arm at full stretch into the water groping around and behind the propeller. Anything on there will be wound super tight so it's a matter of finding, or creating, an end and then untangling it. Result! Also a collection of bruises in fairly odd places.. Then carefully replacing the hatch. Thursday I decided to venture into town, as the weather was starting warm up.  Good thing too, Friday had a train strike due. Had a wander through the museum,  to see the Staffordshire Hoard and the fine collection of pre Raphaelite art. This was reproduced in a book I had as a kid.. Victoria's Heyday, J.B.Priestley, I remember being fascinated by the details and stories it held. Great to see it in real life. On m...
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Titford 18th - 26th May

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These Black Country names eh? We had a restful day on 17th, waiting for a gap between  the showers to amble to Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory, an amazing place. It's the 3rd time we have visited, as the Explorer Cruises always call in one night. This time we hoped to meet up with an ex colleague but somehow we missed each other..  Will try again during the week. Anyway, waddled our tummies back to the boat And collapsed inside for a post prandial snooze. Next morning was cloudy but mostly dry, so we set off through the weed to Titford. There was a report of a fallen tree partially blocking the canal,  and we got there found contractors already on site to remove it. They moved out of the way while we drifted past.. plenty of room, just meant going through a weedy patch. Here's what we mean Onwards! To the Oldbury Arm, which leads up 6 locks to the Titford Pump House, the HQ of the Birmingham Canals Navigation Society (BCNS). These locks ar...
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Halesowen to Tipton 15th to 17th May

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A quiet night was spent, with no rogues appearing to take an interest in us overnight. Andrew having clocked that I was having a tussle opening a can of beans, rushed off in dawn's early light to be outside a hardware shop as it opened, to get a new tin opener. I had coffee ready for his return, and then away we went down the Dudley No. 2 canal, right to the current end of navigation at Hawne Basin. Originally it connected to the Worcester and Birmingham canal but mining subsidence caused the closure of the through route. Even so, there is one tunnel,  (You can just see the exit as a tiny pinprick of light ) with a section in the middle where it's drooped. Not so low that I needed to get  off my steering step though. And into the basin, through a very low and narrow bridge.  I dipped out of doing that and let Andrew take over. Onto the wharf, for diesel,  pump out, water, and laundry. Then onto a mooring for the night, and long, ho...
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Bumbling along 13 - 14th May 2026

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So here is our mooring spot And just beyond that bridge was this; A swirling maelstrom of cars and people, a shock to the system, I can tell you. What is out of view to the left is the new Metro tramline being built. Heavy duty steel piling being sunk into the hillside.   We ventured down on  the evening of 12th, because we had a CO monitor to replace, and my airbed was not holding air, so we figured we'd get a replacement which if also unsatisfactory we could bring back for a refund next morning.  And we has a meal at wagamama: first time for both of us and really good. The weather in the morning was very unsettled, so we treated the exploration as our daily exercise, keeping the wall to our right to make sure we inspected everything, but mostly maintaining a brisk pace. The airbed was a success, hurray! But I was tempted by some Skechers shoes and a fleece, and then it was lunchtime.. Ask Italian, also really good. Back to the boat to digest and ...
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