Tuesday 26th March 2019



Firstly, well done to Barbara for working out the acronym on the bench in the Swan:

                         “Would You Buy Me A Pint If I Told You”

It’s a shame she wasn’t with us on the day, we could have been drinking for free!



We walked to the boatyard at Streethay Wharf. It’s over 1½ miles along the canal, but a nice walk except for the last few hundred yards when you have to cross the canal and walk on the inside of the crash barriers of the A38 with traffic thundering by just a few yards away. The post does not get delivered to the yard until the afternoon so it was a wasted walk. We had come across a stone mile-marker for the canal with 2½ chiselled into one side and 3 into the other. These are the miles from Fradley Junction and the village of Whittington where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is joined before the Coventry Canal begins again at Fazeley Junction.




We returned to the boat, dropped the dog off and caught the midday bus into Lichfield for some clothes shopping. The bus passes the boatyard and, just as we were passing, they phoned us to say the prescription had just arrived. Thanks Michelle, as always, we appreciate it.

Lichfield is a lovely, compact little city, or the centre is anyway. We walked around the centre and called into the Tudor Tearooms for coffee, a panini and cake. Our coffee arrived as did the piece of Victoria Sponge as it was the last piece, but then we waited 30 minutes for the panini, they had forgotten us. Always annoying when that happens.



        


                                                                              Tudor Tearooms circa 1513                                                            
                                                                             Birthplace of Samuel Johnson


                       



                                The Guildhall



In Debenhams we picked up the summer weight jacket I had ordered, but nothing else really grabbed us, so we left and caught the bus back. Unusual for us to go shopping and only return with something for me.

Arriving back at the boat, we found the same boat that got jammed across the junction at Fradley was attempting to moor behind us. Or trying to. He had his boat right across the canal with the bow in the bushes on one side and his backend on the towpath. He started giving us some twaddle about the canal being shallow before shutting up when he realised we were on the boat ahead of him. Within minutes of mooring this guy had crap all over the bank and a big dog running free and shitting everywhere. The type of tinky boater who gives us all a bad name and causes canal-side residents to complain about boats mooring outside housing.

We had a really good dinner of duck in plum sauce with fried rice, noodles and stir-fry veg.



Weather: a nice day but deceptively chilly.















 




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