Bartimaeus

We were moored in the only available space at Ansty, and unfortunately it was in the shade of a large tree for much of the afternoon.  If one of the other boats had moved on early, I might have suggested moving back to take their place.  Instead we drove on in slight drizzle alongside the M6 with the diesel engine charging the batteries - living the dream!

We moored on the last of the pilings that we had spotted just before Hawkesbury Junction.  The weather continued to be wet enough to be no fun, but not enough to help with the worsening water shortage.  I continue to get alerts from Canal and River Trust telling me of further sections of canal with restrictions or closures.

It was dry enough in the evening for a stroll - I had found an interesting looking loop on the map.  It was a pleasant walk until we passed a house on a quiet track.  A large dog started barking at us, but seemed to be safely constrained by a fence.  Three tiny dogs squeezed under the gate and came to bark at us, and followed us along the path, still yapping.

We were both alarmed and annoyed by the experience but not harmed.  A little further on, the path was overgrown with scratchy bushes growing from both sides.  We might have considered turning back, but with the dogs behind us, we pushed through.  Luckily the overgrown section was short and we were able to reach the towpath as planned.  Clare snagged her trousers on some barbed wire, but we were otherwise unscathed.

Next morning we decided to move on through the junction.  We cast off just as a line of boats had gone past, so soon found ourselves in the queue for the lock.  It was difficult to see who was going where.  We ended up passing a flower covered boat, but promising the driver we knew he was ahead of us in the queue.

I hopped off to work the lock - it's the only one we'll go through for the rest of the month and Clare did it going the other way.  In my enthusiasm to help boats through, I forgot that we needed to empty the recycling too.  I only remembered as Clare and Bartimaeus were descending in the lock.

Clare opted to take the recycling out and leave me to negotiate the junction.  Despite the overcrowding it was a simple enough U-turn using the bow thruster - and taken slowly after making a fool of myself at the marina last week.  Clare was able to cross the bridge and get back on as I came through the narrow section where we set down Lesley and Ian.

We drove on as far as Bedworth and went in search of lunch.  The centre of Bedworth is crowded with churches.  We found lunch in a centre provided by one of them.

After lunch we explored the town centre.  The almshouses looked intriguing, but a sign at the entrance requested privacy for the residents., so we didn't explore in detail.  The Heritage Centre is open on market days - we'll have to time a return visit with that in mind.

After exploring the cemetery we walked around the Miners Welfare Park.  There were baskets for playing disc golf, but no sign of anybody spoiling their walk that way.

Today has been another dull day with occasional heavy showers.  Several boats an hour have passed in each direction, sometimes with their drivers getting wet.  We're pleased to have the option to stay put.