Bartimaeus

After the encounter with the man on the canal who had asked for a drink and a little to eat, we had seen him pass a couple of times more. He looked happy when I saw him in the evening. He didn't ask us for help again, and possibly had all his immediate needs met. Shane had had a brief conversation when the man had tried to chat about festivals. Shane isn't a festival goer, but I realised that Shane's T-shirt that day had "Love Music Hate Racism" writ large upon it, so it made sense for a passing stranger to think festivals might be a good topic. In fact small events in a local church hall are more likely.

We have had a particularly quiet time lately, hiding from the heat and having not far to travel as we didn't want to overshoot the train station, even the evenings were warm. But rain was due at some point. 

We popped into a cafe in Polesworth and declined the loyalty card, saying we wouldn't be here often enough, no offence about the cafe but we were just passing through. Shane had heard there was an abbey to view. Before we got there I saw a different grand building. A little Latin inscription explained it's origins, a rather grand front to a building that was a school for impoverished boys and girls, we think. 

The walk round the abbey was mercifully a bit more in the shade than the street. We only moved short distance to get to Atherstone. This was where I believed the friendly boaters aboard Cousin Hebbe lived. I wondered if they were travelling or if we might bump into them. We firstly took a bike ride there, having a friendly chat with lock keepers and helpful local woman who was keen to give us advice and called us "Babe".

While Shane was locking up the tandem in the High Street, a man on the bench struck up conversation. I had been window shopping and then came over and chipped in. It was only as we were taking our leave to go to a cafe that the man realised we were together and asked if I was his wife. As Shane was heading away and I turned to go the man said, "Your husband is a very good man, isn't he?" I said I ought to agree with that! It wasn't as if he had been given anything he needed - perhaps he wanted a bit of company and that was enough.

We had seen a cafe called Nye's bistro which we might have considered for the fun of telling our Nye that we had eaten there, but it was closed so he just got a photo. In stead we chose Pinocchio's cafe and received a warm greeting from the lady who worked there, inviting us to choose a table. I chose the summer special which was very refreshing on a hot day. She seemed very delighted I had chosen their new item. She came back to tell me she had had it on holiday and that was the inspiration for serving it. Shane thought it was morning coffee time so only had a teacake but mine was mainly a drink anyway.

I was very happy with my choice. We later went to a bakery and got a few items so we were able to fill up later since that was not quite lunch. We sat out the heat on our camping chairs in the shade.

The next day rain was forecast in the afternoon, so we tackled the flight of locks. Despite starting well before high noon, it was already very hot. I was driving at first and found myself in full sun. I got suncream during one lock. The locker has the harder work but sometimes they can seek the shade of a tree while waiting for the lock to fill or empty. It is common to sit or lean on the lock gate arm while waiting, unless heat or rain make you seek shade or shelter. At one lock I noticed there was a lock arm bench in the shade. Shane did stand under a tree but he didn't rest up on the bench.

He was soon thirsty and we swapped over so he could have coffee and drive. We had not yet met lock keepers. I helped a lone boater through but from then on I got help from the crew of boats coming the other way. One driver called out as he left, "I think that's what all lockers should wear!" He hadn't chosen a pink strappy top himself. I took this as a complement. I had chosen black shorts to avoid oil damage, a strappy top for cooler, unrestricted working in the heat and a sunhat for face and shoulder protection. I thought it was a perfect outfit for midsummer locking too. Just as well, as despite the promise of lock keepers, I met one lock keeper at one lock. I think their role when the water is low, is to control the lock use and water levels to preserve water, rather than to assist the boaters with locks. It is an important job as otherwise waterways have to close for lack of water.

We got moored in Atherstone and went back to the same cafe as we were greeted enthusiastically, hailed as 'the people who chose watermelon" and introduced to their daughter. We had the watermelon again and noticed it was the last of it as others were not being offered that summer special. I was sorry again at declining the loyalty card.

On a busy summer Saturday, I was surprised to get such attention, Shane is often recognisable as 'the man in red' even if he is in a change of clothing. The next morning his Mastodon feed presented him with a post, or 'toot', about a design by artist, Lorraine Schneider, in 1965, and to his surprise he noticed he was wearing it at that very moment, but in his own colour scheme.

In the afternoon, we got a train from Atherton to Stafford and went to change trains. A woman was struggling with her suitcase on the stairs, and Shane carried it for her. She said "I can't thank you enough!" She was worried she would miss her connection. The smallest help at the right moment can mean a lot.