Bartimaeus

When we arrived in Droitwich, after the water tank was filled up, Heather and I set off, so Heather could have a walk and explore the park. We stopped to look at the sign of all the directions you can go and how far away the furthest points in the compass directions and discussed where we have been - not quite everywhere is the answer. It looked to be updated and another array of history information signs was new since we were last here. A statue of a salt worker in metal was new too.

We crossed one of the three swing bridges that we had opened earlier and then decided to use the next one to cross back to the other side that had more paths. Just there I recognised Catherine, who has two electric hire boats, both made by Ortomarine. One was originally diesel but she had it converted to electric and she was so pleased with it, she ordered a new electric build from them. Out of context, she didn't immediately recognise who I was but realised that she did know me, greeting with me with, "how do I know you?" In fairness I was accompanied by someone she's never met (I am sure she would have known me if accompanied by Shane) and I had the advantage that she had her Cafwen Cruisers company cap on and I have seen her in it before. She was carrying a bunch of flowers and a card as she had just discovered that the couple who had hired one of her boats that day, had her 50th birthday during the holiday, so she had bought her flowers. What a considerate businesswoman she is! She said they were just setting off from Droitwich Spa Marina today and if we were moored in Droitwich tonight we might see them later on, saying how lovely they were.

She hurried off and Heather and I headed away too. Heather had spotted a church on a hill so we went in search of it. We found a sign off the road to St Augustine's and the path rose steeply. When we got there we walked round, meeting another person coming round the tower the other way, so we guessed there would be another route down. The tower itself had several reinforcements on the sides, keeping it up.

We took a different path down which took us across the railway line and back to the place where we had left the park. I was lucky enough to catch sight of a kingfisher from above as we crossed the tiny stream coming back. I checked the rubbish point access, so we could use all the facilities at our disposal, while at the basin.

Catherine's prediction was correct and Ollie Owl appeared. Shane ventured out to chat in the evening and I went out in the morning as it looked like they were standing over an open engine bay. It was a short filter clearing job and they seemed perfectly jolly and chatty. They are Canadian and this was their second time on a canal boat holiday in England. I told them I had been Canadian canoeing (perhaps they just call that canoeing) in Algonquin Park - different boats and more of a camping experience but that was thirty years ago. It felt pretty adventurous with being six months pregnant and there were bears in the woods, of which I was acutely aware when using the remote latrine. There were also racoons in the woods and, despite following the instructions for protecting food from bears and racoons by hoisting it in a rope up a tree, we discovered racoons can open buckles when we brought the bag down the second night our food was mostly eaten.

No worries here though as the supermarket was at hand and Heather and I had stocked up. We didn't risk collecting the wonderful fungi that Heather identified as 'chicken of the woods'. It merited photography though.

Suitably stocked, boats left the basin, but as we were trying to charge up a little we went faster, Ollie Owl politely letting us past. We stopped at the first lock and Shane made a hasty start on lunch, eating a simple sandwich while Heather and I were preparing salad. Olly Owl caught us up and I had only had a couple of mouthfuls of salad, then felt fit to work some locks. 

Vicky was very friendly and appreciative of the help and advice, being at the start of her holiday. These locks had heavy gates and some stiff winding mechanisms and occasionally it was helpful for one of us to cross over and help the other. Some allowed two windlasses, one on each side to wind one paddle. The team were on it and Heather did a good job of documenting lock working while she munched.

Reg and Shane were clearly getting along well too. It is probably the first time we have shared locks with another electric boat, never mind an Ortomarine one. No doubt some discussion was had of the serial hybrid features and other Ortomarine boat similarities and differences.

Heather joined us and just as well, since one gate seemed to need all three of us to open it. We had quite a few to get through, but with excellent company and help, it was enjoyable. We were all relaxed.

During our chats Vicky had mentioned the hat pompom helped them find their son, Rowan, in a crowd. It can just be seen in the jungle of high rushes.

Vicky was warm enough to remove her waterproof but kept her hat on. She observed we had matching tops on and I said it was just as well she had the hat to make sure our husbands didn't  get the wrong wife. 

At some point I managed to get my lunch and Vicky assured me that she and Heather had it all in hand. We moored up beside each other at a lock. We heard a knock at the door. Vicky had told me she was an author, as well as having day job, on one of our chats. I was maybe only slightly less surprised than Heather that she had brought us each a signed copy of one of her books, with thanks to her locking companions in the inside! 

Shane had a job to do in the evening. Before Heather had arrived he had had a problem with one of his sandals. One of the magnets that holds a strap in place had come out. Now in October, perhaps he could have moved to warmer shoes but he persisted with making it good. It had taken three attempts to do an effective repair, contending with correct placement of magnets and gunky glue that foiled the first two attempts. However the other sandal had suffered the same breakdown but he had learned from all the previous attempts and so he made a quicker job of it. He's fixed both sides successfully now.

The next day the chaps got the lock ready, and we were all chatting away when another boat appeared at the other side of the lock. As it was now set for us, we had better not hold them up. Heather and I cast off and I drove in. Reg remarked on us 'switching it up today'.

He then remembered a conversation about the gunwales. Their boat had smoother ones than ours and less safe to walk along. He had checked and found there were instructions not to walk on the roof or gunwale. The grip strip on ours invites you to use it. Nonetheless he had now seen he had left a fender down, but that with the boats trapped tightly together in the lock and with my sanded gunwale available, we felt that he had no chance of falling and he set off to retrieve it.

In fact this lock even had a sign saying it was particularly narrow and boats must come out one at a time or they will get stuck, so this was the best place to do it. He had also managed to get his life jacket on in preparation for the river, while in a lock.  In the first lock I had entered and left first but this time as he was proceeding and picking up Vicky, we agreed he should go first. He gave me two 3D printed dragonflies, that he had made. They reputed to ward off stinging insects.  They both have given us gifts of their own creations now and I was unprepared to offer a parting gift.

We didn't shut the gates. I went alongside the jetty and Shane hopped aboard then I turned the boat round. The space was wide but the flow made me come closer to trees than I would have liked. Now Heather and Shane worked the lock and we went back up to Droitwich, where she was catching her train. Having started her visit with us moored on the Severn at Worcester, Heather had now been taken from the Severn to Droitwich from both sides. We loved our time with her, even with the clouds.