We moored up at 3:30 yesterday, just under the bridge to the east of Hartshill British Waterways works. It is a wonderful example of old industrial buildings, with many in the complex having rounded walls instead of corners. We can't quite make out why, but there must have been a good reason! The picture shows the shed under the clock tower and if you enlarge the picture, you can see the black and white BW signs hanging from the left of the main building.
So, yesterday we did 18 miles and one lock. The one lock was at Hawkesbury Junction where the Oxford Canal joins the Coventry canal and is only a foot deep! Seems crazy, but there we are! We were delighted, while in the lock, to see Gosty Hill's fuel barge just pulling alongside a boat in the basin between canals. We needed (wanted) more coal and he carries Taybrite, one of our faves. It was fun pulling alongside his barge and having the coal lifted straight from his boat into our bows. Sorry not to think of this as a photo opportunity! Pete then deftly moved us from the Basin to the Coventry canal, turning completely back on ourselves. What a helmsman!!
Three more fun things yesterday:
1 When Pete was at the tiller and Elizabeth was inside getting dressed, we were alongside a railway line and along came a goods train. The driver waved at Pete and sounded the horn! The little boy in Pete was thrilled to bits!
2 Josie spent much of her time OUT on the deck with us!!! She even pretended to sleep, outside, in the open air, lying on top of the deck panels with the engine just below. Woah. It has taken the best part of a year and a half, but hey. She's joining us now.
3 When we sat in the Malt and Shovel, Hawkshill, we shared a corner bench with a cat looking just like our Norman of years ago. We were convinced it WAS Norman. Jeffrey, did Adella somehow end up in North Warwickshire and give Norman to a family member? It was a real treat for us!
