What were all these apples doing in the canal today? We couldn’t see any nearby apple trees, so I think they must be leftovers from a massive apple bobbing competition. Or perhaps it solves the mystery of where Tim and Sam’s apples went to after they were stolen from the stern of their boat overnight. Who knows?
I’m getting ahead of myself though. After meeting Tim and Sam on nb Plan B at the Dudley BCLM moorings, we saw their boat again in Birmingham. We texted to say hello, and they invited us round for bacon sarnies in the morning – delicious! We’re headed separate ways today, so said our farewells but hope we’ll meet again somewhere sooner or later.
We turned right at Old Turn Junction, and under the newly named Black Sabbath Bridge. The local water taxi was waiting to depart, but kindly waited for us to go past first.
Sarah waved hello to “The Mailbox” as went by – ex Royal Mail offices now converted to shops and apartments. It’s changed a bit since back then!
I nearly shed a tear for the poor little teddy left behind, outside the new uni student flats 🙁
We had hoped to moor opposite Bourneville, but had been forewarned that the moorings were filled with “gypsy boaters”, and indeed there were. Four boats there that didn’t look to have any intention of honouring the 48hr stay signs, so we pressed on.
Fortified by some crumble for lunch (me, not Sarah!), we turned on to the Stratford canal at King’s Norton junction and through the disused guillotine lock.
The general advice is not to moor between the junction and the lift bridge at Shirley; we went a little further and moored up in the same spot as the last time we came this way, just after bridge 14 past Dickens Heath. Funnily enough nb “Autumn Years” is here too; they were moored just behind us in Birmingham, so we said hello again!