Moss growing on a roof w/weathervane on top
NUNEATON
I had to change the spelling of Stoke
Golding on my last blog post. I am sure there are plenty of spelling and
grammatical errors on all my posts despite my efforts. I have a propensity to overuse the comma.
Guess I want my readers to “take pause”.
We shoved off around 7:30 this clear but
chilly morning. Boy, when your feet and hands are cold, it’s hard to think of
anything else. Our trip back down the Ashby Canal again took us through narrow,
shallow, muddy waters. In some areas where there is heavy brush along the shore
and brown swirling waters, it reminded us of the swamp lands of Louisiana. We
were looking for gators.
Yesterday, we had to pass another boater on a very narrow shallow stretch. and we could feel the hull skimming along the muddy bottom. Luckily today there wasn’t much traffic so could stay the course in the deeper middle of the canal for most of the time. The very last bridge before turning on to the Coventry Canal was so narrow that it was like playing bumper cars getting through it.
We cruised for at least 4 hours before
docking and then walked up to a pub David had read about that was supposed to
have wonderful food. Unfortunately, they no longer serve food. We decided to
get an Uber and ride into the town center which was much too far to walk.
Nuneaton is known as a market town and this
was a bustling Saturday shopping day. The center of town is a pedestrian plaza
with blocks of shops and restaurants saved from traffic. Today there were
multiple booths set up in the town square selling all sorts of goods. We found
some gloves we think will work well for David. Now I can have mine back!
David wanted to find some charity shops and look for a heavy sweater and neck scarf. We were able to find both. Found a corner hardware store which was the tiniest and most cluttered retail space we have ever experienced. David bought a folding yard stick to use to measure the level of diesel fuel on the boat. Worked like a champ.
Just one corner of several corners
David spotted an Italian restaurant and suggested we go in. When we saw the spaghetti being served it looked rather anemic and unappetizing, so we didn’t have much confidence in the quality of the food. We ordered a glass of wine and bruschetta only. We were pleasantly surprised by how delicious it turned out to be. Shouldn’t judge spaghetti by the lackluster of its sauce.
We ended up finding a fish and chips shop
and ordered the “Senior Special” which came with beans, buttered bread and tea.
The fish was the best we have had so far. David then looked for a butcher shop for
some beef for his soup. As I expected, he came out not just with beef but also chicken
and lamb chops. Should not have left him unsupervised. David sure misses
cooking. Looks like we will have some boat dining in our future.
They have come home to roost
Standing on our feet for hours in the cold does take a toll on our energy especially if you are using up energy trying to stay warm. Some boaters have taken tractor seats and welded them to the railing at the stern so they can rest a bit while driving. That would be nice.
When we stopped for water today, I was up
front at the bow which is called the cratchet. It has a leather canopy which
zips up on both sides. I was finishing up with the hose and when I went to step
out, David had already released the bow line and the bow had drifted away from
the bank. The double doors to the interior of the boat were closed and locked.
There is no handle to open them. I saw that the mid-line was still attached and
yelled to David to get me out. Good thing he had not already headed down the
canal. Who knows how long I would have
been crunched down inside that little compartment sharing space with bags of
coal. Would he have missed me?
A boater with a green thumb
When we get TV reception, we usually watch news on the Al Jazeera channel. It is probably the most extensive global news network we can access. We also find such classics as Knight Rider, MASH, Law and Order and the long running prime time British soap opera, Coronation Street. I used to watch that with my Gram in the 70’s! My brother, Barry and his wife, Claire, will be pleased to know that we finally saw an episode of the Great British Bake Off and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The big event these days is the Soccer World
Cup in Qatar. Both England and Wales qualified, but there is a huge controversy
over Qatar’s treatment of the Gay community. Teams have vowed to protest on the
field in some peaceful but meaningful way.
We are a day ahead of schedule. Tomorrow
will bring a few locks to wrestle. Hope I am up to the task. It’s been a while.
We were able to Zoom with Mike and Diane Fullaway
this evening. They plan to join us on January 1st. We will have a two-boat
convoy. The canals will never be the same!
Fun Boat Names: Wild Thyme
Ole Tom
Smart Move
Satisfaction Rehab
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