Bartimaeus

Having chosen to take our time we made our way up the last of the Audlem locks and had plenty time to relax in the sun after. We both enjoyed the swooping swallows.

Shane surprised me by getting everything out of the bow locker. It was an eye opener to see how deep it was with him in it. He looked like a Jack-in-the-box as it came right up to his waist. I should realise as it had four folding chairs, a table, and a bike in there and quite a lot more. I put up a folding table we have only used once, but we concluded it was a little flimsy. We might need to find a new home for it. A nearby boater had found a new home for some pub equipment and made the front of his boat look like a bar. 

Above us, were some buzzards soaring over the fields. I had seen some earlier, but there were now more than I have seen before. Like the swallows they were hard to see but there are a dozen here. They will have lots better eyesight than we have. 

Two men with two boys were stopped at the top lock to view them. Some ploughing in the fields was the main attraction and gulls were gathering too. 

The next day we moved on as we were on a 48 hour mooring. The shape of the Shropshire canal causes problems for mooring, unless you are at official mooring rings. The Shroppie shelf is a curved edge that causes a scraping on the bottom of the boat as you get a foot from the edge. We made a failed attempt but moved on to the rings a little further on. Another boat moored just in front of us and put up a large parasol and deck chairs. We could have done the same but in stead we had a walk into Adderley.

Walking past the locks I noticed some very old looking steps to access the boat from the lock or vice versa. I wondered if they had become very worn or always had been curved. It was an unusual shape for a step.

We had been to Adderley before and I had got a book of knitting patterns at the book swap. This time Shane got an Ian Rankin novel. We headed to the church to find it closed.

Outside the church is some local history and a mix of ancient practical and decorative items. There was another old set of steps, for mounting and dismounting and holes showed there used to be a rail but these steps looked the expected block shape. They might not have had such heavy wear if only used by a few on a Sunday.

The metal animal silhouettes spoke of the farming heritage and an old farming building was being refurbished nearby. 

Below the display I saw another metal animal shape right in the grass. I don't think I had noticed this one last time we were here. These were not necessarily welcome to the farmer though they could provide a meal.

On the way back I saw a ladybird and wondered if it was one of the new invasive breed, the harlequin ladybird. I am no ladybird expert. I took a picture to research  later but while the spots are nice and clear it was not much help. It was disappointing to discover that identification as less easy as some of the ladybirds are very variable in colour, size and spot number, and the harlequin is one that is hugely variable. It might be, as a white triangle at the front was mentioned as a common feature, not the shape I had been looking for.