Bartimaeus

Bryn and Shane arrived fairly drookit to Gnosall. I had made a start on a meal and Bryn was hungry so he didn't have too long to wait by the time he had changed and got his waterproofs hung up. 

He was soon pleased to be here as cygnets and swans came visiting, then ducklings and their parents. Gnosall had already improved dramatically since his first arrival. As we set off I saw another baby water bird. My guess was moorchick but confusingly there were no moorhens in sight and the nearest adult was a mallard drake and this was no duckling, ugly or otherwise.

There was significant gardening efforts in Gnosall and they were making a point of being welcoming. 

 I noticed the welcome sign on my way out of Gnosall. There was a garden that wanted to be noticed too. It had a sign on it as well saying Gnomesall, but there were a lot more than gnomes adorning their garden.

Although there were only two locks ahead, the various fluffy babies and unusual cuttings including a very short tunnel cut into stone, made it an interesting ride for Bryn. The weather was cool but not wet.

Even when it wasn't a rock tunnel, it was sometimes a green tunnel. The trees were growing leaning across the cutting and we were hoping the recent rain wouldn't have lead to new landslides. 

On some bridges we passed the greenery was dangling down but at this one it wasn't just dangling but wrapping round underneath. It was obviously getting enough light under the arch.

There were a number of interesting canal features en route. The bridges were varied. We crossed over Watling street and the aqueduct was small but with carved posts. The road below was modern despite its Roman origins. 

The two locks were far apart. One had a few people at it but they seemed to be observing so that they knew how to do it when they got in. At the end of the day, I went to help Bryn with a lock but with the wind blowing the boat didn't come close enough for me to feel safe getting off. When at last I got off the lock turned out to have only single gates and a single winding mechanism at each end so no extra help was needed anyway. It was a stop lock at the junction, where Shane planned to moor anyway.

We had a walk to the outskirts of Wolverhampton and after dinner we all found ourselves ready for a slightly early night, despite the lack of hard locking. Shane had noted that the best weather might be between 7 and 9am which are not our usual traveling hours. I found myself awake before seven and unable to get up and read inside without disturbing Shane I dressed and went outside. It was sunny by the bridge over the junction and I watched a wagtail bobbing about. The songbird chorus was in full swing. 

Ducks and teeny ducklings were enjoying a peaceful swim with few people and no moving boats. In the quiet they weren't guarding them too closely.

After a bit of reading outside I went inside and thought I might read in bed a bit now it was lighter. I soon fell back asleep and in the end, we had far from an early start, as we didn't wake until ten. As I was making coffee, I saw a boat passing called Watt Knot. Many boats have knotty puns, but this had an electric pun too as it was another Ortomarine boat. They were about to negotiate the junction so were in no position to stop, but Watt Knot also has new owners and they might not recognise us. Someone has made a boat sighting spreadsheet but I still have to work out how to make it work for me.

We had a trolley in the water sighting almost immediately after setting off. You can tell we are near a town, when you spot that. A more pleasant sight was ahead, a heron, standing knee deep in the water. Just as I clicked, it took off, but I got its first flap, still with submerged legs but with spread wings.

We saw some more teenie ducklings but they all scurried off the water as we approached.

I thought the stance in my heron picture was very odd but shortly after we passed a statue in a garden that looked very similar, on grass, not in the water.

Shane did a calm job of negotiating some narrow spaces ahead. We managed to meet two boats close to one of these narrow sections. He knew it would be a winding canal, but not as narrow.

I thought I had seen giant inflatable yellow ducks ahead but they were merely buoys guarding an obstruction on the side. There was plenty room to get past as long as two weren't crossing.

Rain began and we decided we were at a good stopping point and pulled in. While we were lunching we heard someone calling from the bank. I went out and a woman in a wet waterproof said, "Excuse me I'm sorry to interrupt but you wouldn't happen to have a bicycle pump?" We did and they were delighted when I said, "Yes we have a track pump!" - a much more effective option than ones people usually carry on their bikes. As we don't have any visible bikes they were really not expecting us to be able to help, but there was nobody else around. They fixed their puncture and were very happy to be saved a long walk. 

Once they were done we could set off, I was inside when I heard panicked cries and came out to see Shane in heavy reverse and a girl and her bike in the water. Shane was keeping the boat at a safe distance, but ready to offer help if needed. Her father was managing to pull out the bike as she got to the bank and then pulled her out. We offered a towel or anything as she was drenched, but her mum said she'd be fine. She was obviously still recovering from the shock as we left.

It had been a more eventful day than expected and we hadn't reached the main event of the flight of locks. Despite a dodgy gate or three and wet surfaces, there were no calamities and Bryn and I worked them.