29th July, Atherstone to Curdmoor

This morning everyone was on great spirits. All the boaters we met coming up the remainder of the Atherstone flight were chirpy too. The weather was cooler but still warm enough. Showers were int he air.

We cruised on until about 12 noon and then moored for a salad and salami lunch during a heavy downpour. A spot of fishing after lunch brought a very small perch. The first catch of the cruise.

Another dry boating session took us to Glascote locks where we met a stream of Canaltime boats all returning to base. These locks really empty quickly bit filling is interminable.

The turn into the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Fazeley Junction is very tight but was negotiated adequately enough. We hailed our friends David (nb Kew), Alan and Hazel (nb Dilly Dally)who had moored for tea. We carried on past to turn at Curdmoor Winding Hole and moor near the conveyor bridge.

Eeyore and Piglet went for a walk under blackening skies after the spaghetti bolognese dinner had been cleared away. We saw loads of black slugs that had been drawn out by the showery weather but had a good time in a hide overlooking the nature reserve at Kingsbury Water Park. Lots of mallard ducks, tufted duck, great crested grebe, pochard, a goldeneye and a garganey. Cormorants were roosting on trees and we spotted one tern on an island occupied by Canada Geese. In 1999 we had passed here and there were loads of nesting terns. We wondered why they were not nesting in abundance this year. The only downside was that one of Piglet's telescope tripod legs broke. Getting to the hide was interesting too. We had to wade through a foot of water to the steps up to the door.

Nick's Canal Planner assures us that we can relax tomorrow without cruising and still make our next target of Handsacre, on the T & M past Fradley, by Thursday afternoon.

The starter did not present any problem today.