Canal Capers

I have been on a canal holiday for the past few weeks and have had no internet access so this week it is a bumper blog.
The canal is very relaxing as you travel about 3 miles an hour. This gives you chance to enjoy nature and wildlife.

Narrowboats all vary in size and decoration. A non traditional narrowboat.

Whats it's all about 'Alfie?'

Locks can be single or double taking one or two boats. There is a different mechanism for opening the lock gates depending on the company that built the canal. The lock gates can be very heavy eg. 3016 kg. good for building up muscle power.

Some locks are manned by Canal and Rivers Trust volunteers

There are numerous bridges all different heights, very narrow and most on tight bends.

This bridge is untypically high

Branston tunnel.

Your have a searchlight on the front of the boat and not all tunnels are straight

Sometimes in the towns you see graffiti.

Here's looking at you

You pass many villages that you would not stop at or notice if you were travelling by car.

A quaint thatched cottage

Brinklow is very pretty with lovely timber buildings.

Very decorative

I also found Humpty Dumpty waiting outside the village hall.

Where are the king's horses and all the king's men?

There are some strange inhabitants.

Skulking around

Anyone fancy an ice cream?

One scoop or two?

There are interesting industrial building along the canals.

Look at the crane and the clock tower

A dutch barn.

Not double dutch

There are signposts at canal junctions.

The choice is yours

The towpath is always interesting.

A eclectic collection

That goes on and on

Not everybody has a conventional garden

Occasionally you see the darting bright colours of a kingfisher.
Long horned cows at Shugborough.

Moo

This Victorian grape storage bottle was used by putting the stalk of the vine inside the bottle to preserve the grapes. 

This was before we had fridges

I have made an Autumn wreath for the allotment shed.

Ivy, rosehips and achillea

I have been busy catching up on all my weeding and harvesting raspberries and damsons. 
The pumpkins are turning bright orange and the stalks have rotted on the plants so I have lifted them off  the ground to ripen.

Turn, turn, turn

A wonderful sunset from the canal boat.

Look at the colors reflected in the water