What a palaver for 6” of water!

Thursday 14^th October; Moat House bridge to Brewood

Thank you to everyone who has sent their good wishes regarding Meg – she is fully recovered but with a hiccup or two along the way, as you will see.

She appeared very hungry yesterday evening, so as well as her mashed potato and the tiniest bit of bacon fat to get the tablets down her, I gave her some of her normal dried food.  Well that was a mistake! She brought the lot up, kindly waiting till we had gone to bed of course.  She needed a clean blanket but otherwise seemed absolutely fine and went back to sleep!  So we were all a bit subdued this morning, but as she seemed alert and wanting her breakfast, we decided to push on to Brewood where if necessary we could get a taxi to Penkridge.  But we only gave her mashed potato.  It was slow going this morning – It’s a bendy bit of canal and there were quite a few moored boats.  The permanent mooring at Coven Heath has a watch-dog – once he saw Meg sitting up on the locker he ran to the stern of every moored boat barking loudly.

He was wagging his tail furiously, so was he saying hello, come and play, or telling us to push off?  He was a handsome boy though.  He looks like a cross between a Staffie and a boxer.

The giraffe at the end of the moorings had company today.  The cold weather seems to have affected its knee joints, I hope they're not too painful!

Once again we had a clear run through the narrows.  It’s shady, and beautiful ferns adorn the rocky edges of the cutting.

It wasn’t long before we were passing the allotments.  I love looking at allotments and seeing what people are growing and comparing their results with mine!  Their sunflowers have done much better than mine, perhaps Wolverhampton slugs are less rapacious

At Autherley junction there were at least 5 boats waiting to turn right up the Shroppie.  We floated about under the road bridge, as with another boat hovering in front of us and the moorings before the junction fully occupied we had no option!  After 10 minutes or so a space became free on the moorings, which was lucky as two boats were approaching behind us.  Fortunately they were both going straight on towards Stourport, or maybe up the Wolverhampton flight.  I left Dave tying up to the rings, and went along to the junction to see if it was worth stopping for an early lunch.  The chap who had been having trouble holding his position mid-stream was relieved to be pulling in below the lock – with boats manoeuvring or cruising by he had been at the mercy of cross-winds, which were slight but very annoying.  It was clear we wouldn’t have too long to wait and by the time we arrived he was already rising, or was it dropping, onto the Shroppie.  We decided to crack on a bit and moor out in the country for lunch and stopped on the Armco past bridge 6.  The autumn colours had begun to show, especially when the sun came out – hazel

And cherry

Meg was hungry for her scrambled egg for lunch, but rejected all the potato as she could detect the presence of a tablet.  If she doesn’t pick up soon we will call the vet again.  There was plenty of mooring on the rings at Brewood and we all walked up to the village where the butcher sold us some skirt steak (for beef stroganoff) and chicken (for the invalid).  When we got back Meg wanted a game of ball too, and then when we went up to the Bridge for a pint she charmed all the staff, though we refused the offer of a treat, in case it upset her tummy.  It was the first time since the first lockdown that we have sat in a pub for a pint.  There wasn’t much choice of draught beer but the warm welcome and crackling fire made up for that.  We went back to the boat to eat – and Meg thoroughly approved of the chicken!  We didn’t try to get her to take the antibiotics, as we think they were only prescribed in case there was an infection, so provided she continues to improve we will forget about them.

 9 miles, 1 lock, 6” fall