Bartimaeus

This morning I thought it might be time to move on from Kidderminster.  The frequent deposits from seagulls, and their screeching early in the morning were starting to lose their novelty.  The water tank was getting low though, so we started off by reversing back to the water point and refilling the tank.

With that job done we headed forward again and had just passed our mooring  when we met a boat coming the other way.  The driver told us that the pound ahead was very low, he had got stuck and been rescued by another boat.  This was the second time we'd been warned about levels there.  We were near some rings so we decided to moor up and look ahead before deciding.

It was slightly difficult getting to the side in the sludgy water.  An enthusiastic passer-by on the towpath tried to give helpful advice, but I managed to get in despite not attempting the manoeuvres he suggested.  Above the lock there is a pretty mooring which is marred by having a multi-lane bypass running right by.  The geese don't seem to mind the noise though.

We both went to look at the pound above the lock.  Neither of us were sure, but we both thought the water was further down than it had been when we looked last week.  If we were only planning to pass through, it would probably have been fine, we've seen much worse.  However, we have an appointment to be at a train station in two weeks time, so we are being extra cautious.

We were considering what to do, and whether to do it before lunch when I got a message telling me that something I had ordered from a nearby shop was available for me to collect a day early.  That made the decision easy, by the time I had collected my purchase it was lunch time.

The purchase was clothes hanging ladders.  The heat pump will not get the radiators as hot as we have been used to.   The ladders are intended to hang on the backs of doors, but that's not our plan.  We hope that by mounting them strategically above radiators we will still be able to dry clothes in reasonable time.  I also bought some hooks, but fitting those is a job for another day.

By mid-afternoon we had decided to turn round and look for a pleasant mooring.  We'd gone about half a mile when we spotted a very nice looking mooring just above the next lock.  There is a lot of tree cover, but I think there is enough sky to allow the batteries to charge while we are here.

The towpath here has not been busy, but we have had a number of pleasant interactions with passers-by.  It feels like we've made a good move.