Wonderful Worcester and another incident with Barry's camera!

The last time we were in Worcester on a boat was in May 2009, on Northern Pride, just a few days before our disjointed trip on the River Avon when we received a phone call to say Barry's dad wasn't well and Barry had to return to NZ for three weeks.

This time we stayed in the city for a couple of nights, then turned around rather than continuing to the Avon at Tewkesbury - another time maybe, we rushed the lower Avon so would love to return one day and do it more justice.

As Jenny was leaving us on Tuesday, to catch a train to Bath and then continue to Cornwall, Barry took the boat down through the bridge to check out the swans before mooring up for the night - and paying a four pound mooring fee! We're not used to having to pay, apart from on the Thames, so we did so resentfully.  

Standing tall and proud - Worcester Cathedral, well worth a visit

So many swans! Apparently a group of swans is called a bevy, lamentation, herd, game, team or wedge (when flying in a 'V' formation)

The Cathedral grounds

Lovely cobbled streets

I know that many people pooh pooh Facebook, believing it to be full of nonsense and posts about meaningless rubbish - and if that's what they're expecting then that's what they'll see (though I question whether those people who denigrate Facebook in this way have ever really even used it properly - Barry included!).  

However, I see the better side of social media, in that it connects people all around the world and keeps them in touch in ways one would never have imagined possible just a decade ago.  This was brought home to me again this week - Jenny posted a photo on her page, in which she 'tagged' me, and seconds later she had a message on the post and told me I had a visitor coming!  It was actually a comment from someone I was in the same class with at Grammar school, in Sutton Coldfield, over thirty five years ago - saying he lived just five minutes away from our mooring.  

So we chatted (yes, on Facebook!) and arranged to meet up on Tuesday - it was wonderful to see you again Russ, and get a glimpse of life at Kings School Worcester - an Independent (private) school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. Russ took us on a tour of their newly built Boathouse which was made possible by an extremely generous benefactor - and inside we met a girl from Hamilton, New Zealand (where Barry's daughter Jamie lives), who was working there.  It sure is a small and magnificent world.

Me and Russ - and a clever camera trick showing a very small pupil in the background!

Minutes after leaving the boat to walk into the town, Barry suddenly stopped and admitted he'd done his old trick again - left his camera behind!  Zipping up the cratch cover he'd put it on the roof of the boat, so hurriedly returned just in time to see someone standing next to the boat.  He was a council worker who'd been passing by, noticed the camera sitting there with no owner in sight, and was helpfully taking it to safety and writing us a note to tell us so, leaning on the top of the boat.  Barry approached him, thanked him for being so observant and thoughtful, and took his camera - at this point the young man picked up his folder and phone - which tragically slipped through his hand and managed to slide slowly right down the side of the boat and into the river! Poor Barry returned sheepishly to recall this sad tale - maybe it'll be the last time he forgets to pick it up - but I doubt it!

When we got back to the boat later that afternoon, we arrived just in time to help the young man to move AREandARE and enter the river to try and retrieve his phone.  He said he wasn't bothered about the phone itself, just the SIM card, he had a new phone coming anyway.  Boy did we feel awful as he stripped down and shivered uncontrollably in the cold water, attempting to find said phone amongst all manner of muddy and mangled items.  Unsurprisingly he was unsuccessful.

Bless him!

We moved to Diglis Basin early in the evening, passing The Boathouse along the way, and just managed to get a mooring (close to  the water point, yaay!), which meant we could turn around and go back out to travel up to Stourport on Thursday.  

The Boat House - a most unusual structure

Later on we had a walk along the canal and then back through town - Barry decided to take me a long way so we could see more of the houses and nooks and crannies much to the disgust of my poor feet who hadn't been expecting such an extensive journey!  Lovely all the same, and we got to perve at some very big homes - not that we're jealous (seriously we're not!), we love our tiny, cosy abode.

The following pictures are rather large, and don't fit the page so well - forgive me but I don't feel the smaller versions do them justice and it's so good to have Barry's photography back on the blog ...

Under the bridge along the Birmingham and Worcester Canal into Worcester 

A wall of a house that faces the canal - obviously they didn't want to overlook it too much!

Then there's the door that leads to the canal - which seems to be sealed off, with no handle

Then there's this marvellous mural

Cobbled lamplight - we could have gone back in time without knowing it here

On Wednesday we caught the bus to Ombersley to spend the day with my parents as they had some phone and computer issues to sort out.  Walking through the city to the bus station, Barry captured a couple more gorgeous images ...

The main shopping area in Worcester - look at this photo and then 'spot the differences' with the one below ...

One of Barry's favourite images, taken in autumn 2009, and now 'owned' by his brother Ray

The stunning building of the 'Three' shop in Worcester

On Thursday we headed back through the lock and onto the Severn, meandering to our next overnight destination of Stourport.

Diglis Basin

Seeing the Boathouse from another angle, with the cathedral in the background

Farewell for now Worcester, it was a pleasure as always

And here's more swans to add to the sanctuary

A delightful weekend in Droitwich

It's been a hectic couple of weeks aboard AREandARE, so blog posts are a little behind!

To make up for it there's some of Barry's amazing photos on this blog which is a rare treat - above is a scene from the journey to Droitwich.

Moorings were still plentiful when we arrived, with spaces along the towpath and in the basin all weekend.  It was a busy place though with so many BCF narrowboats around; a pleasant atmosphere with lots going on.

For us though, it was a great opportunity to discover more delights of Droitwich, and catch up with family.  We've visited the town many times in the past, but found places we never knew existed.

A short walk from Vines Park, we came across Droitwich Lido Park - a vast expanse of parkland and amenities that I'd not seen previously and a great find for all the great grandchildren to visit when they come to see their great grandparents!

Droitwich Lido's outdoor pool

There's lots of historical buildings in Droitwich too ...

The Visitors Information Centre and Salt Museum building

The Raven Hotel

Quaint canalside cottages

Still a few mooring spaces left - and a trio of accommodation here: boats, houses and a church

More charming cottages hidden away

Coincidentally my three sisters had planned the same weekend to stay at my parent's home to do a bit of decorating, so Barry and I went to assist - well Barry assisted and I took my parents out to Whitley Court.

My youngest sister Viv collects us from Droitwich for a day at my parents

Whitley Court - Magnificent

The spectacular Perseus and Andromeda Fountain

We managed to get my parents onto the boat for the first and probably only time which was very precious - here I am with my dad who wanted to come and live with us I think!

We had lunch at a pub we frequently go to, we've just forgotten the name of it!  This one below is just up the road - we remember this one, it's called 'The Cock Inn' - no comment ...

My dad is getting very old, but for 93 he's still amazing and loves a game of pool.  He's also still a very good player despite his failing eyesight and stability - it's wonderful to be here spending time with him.

Back in the basin and here's a photo of the mural showing the legendary 'Captain Kidd' which was unveiled on May 4th.  In June's Waterways World, there's a write-up of this which states the mural "...was inspired by the tale of Richard Coote, MP for Droitwich from 1688 to 1695. Coote was appointed governor of America's early colonies, and recruited Captain William Kidd and others to captain a privateer galley to stop piracy.  The plan backfired, and Kidd, of course, went on to become a pirate himself."

On Sunday Jenny met my three sisters - so we had two Teutenbergs and six Walshes sat around the table enjoying a Sunday Carvery - very special.

We finally left Drotwich on Monday morning, heading to Worcester.  The canal is definitely worth a visit, so well kept with reed beds either side ...

And at the second to last lock, we became the centre of attention for a mass of schoolchildren from Kings Hawford school who were taking part in a sponsored canal walk, and had great fun helping to open and close the lock gates - it was quite unnerving having so many young people so close to the paddles and gates, but they were all kept well controlled by the teachers so thankfully there were no mishaps!

The final lock skims past a very grand property, and then we were onto the River Severn once more (the last time was May 2009) and rushing to Worcester at a breathtaking six miles an hour with the flow!

Our first Tardebigge experience - how many locks?!

On Monday we left the England's second city behind, and idled along the greenery of Kings Norton and Bournville, and taking a short walk to the Guillotine stop lock on the Stratford Canal. Last winter, with the help of £200,00 from the 'People's Postcode Lottery' funds, this unique construction was restored and only opened on 30th April.  In the latest edition of Towpath talk they say "There is a worry that the structure will be once again spoilt with graffiti and damaged. Dean Davies reported that the trust is trying to educate local youths on the value and status of the monument."  Sadly their worries have come to fruition, with graffiti appearing on each side.

Guillotine Lock, aka Kings Norton Stop Lock - the only one of its kind and a Grade II* listed and Scheduled Ancient Monument

Continuing on to Alvechurch, we moored not far from where we hired a narrowboat called 'Wye' from 'Anglo Welsh' in April 2007, Barry's first foray onto the canals - which caught him hook, line and sinker!  

On that occasion we chose not to do the 'Tardebigge Locks', the longest flight in the country - luckily for us this time we had an extra pair of hands and managed 42 locks in one day! It was hard work but fun, and with rare bright blue skies and sunshine, I also got a bit sunburnt  - I even alternated with a bit of driving into the locks for the very first time on AREandARE with hardly a bump - very impressive I thought.

Jenny must have the idea now, and to make it even quicker we used the fold up bike to get from one lock to another and smooth the ride for the captain ...

Just to prove it, we have a few of Barry's shots - here I am gliding her in, gently and smoothly ...

Last night we moored not far from Hanbury, so Jenny could cycle to Hanbury Hall today - Barry and I chose to stay and catch up on some work-related things as we'd previously visited there (when we had our National Trust membership).

Tomorrow we'll be heading down the Droitwich Canal for the first time - though the timing isn't so good and we may not get a mooring in Droitwich.  We hadn't realised until yesterday the 'Churches together' group have chosen 8th and 9th of June to have a weekend of family fun and activities at Vines park.  A number of Boaters Christian Fellowship narrowboats have been passing us - so we're crossing our fingers and other appendages there's a 60 foot long space there somewhere for us ...

The Lovely People in the Heart of the Country

We’ve spent the past few days moored in various places in the heart of the City of Birmingham, a place I frequented as a teenager and in my thirties and forties, for shopping and night-life. It’s a buzzing place, with some incredible architecture both ancient and modern. I hear people denigrating Birmingham, saying it’s dirty and industrial – well I do not agree – the streets are clean, the people are friendly, there’s an abundance of activities to immerse yourself in and there are more canals than there are in Venice – what more could you ask for?

Victoria Square with ‘The Floozy in the Jacuzzi’ was looking stupendous in the sunshine, and we spent an hour in the Art Gallery – we didn’t make the most of this building and its contents sadly, as our visit was too close to closing time and we didn’t find time to return.

The Repertory Theatre and Central Library are in the process of being re-built – not really sure about the design of the building, though new library alone is costing £188.8 million and will contain the world's largest collection of Shakespeare books, pamphlets and memorabilia. It's due to open in early September 2013.

'The levels are stacked up like a pile of children's building blocks, and wrapped in a lacy metal skin which in sunlight casts intricate shadows on the floors inside and is also intended – according to the architects – to recall the tradition of jewellery making and the city's industrial heritage. The golden box at the higher levels blocks light from the archive storeys and their precious collections, including manuscripts from the 12th century on, and an internationally renowned photography collection.'

Birmingham New Street Railway Station is halfway through its refurbishment and is looking amazing – so much more expansive and spacious than its predecessor was. We met my daughter Kim from Birmingham International Airport early on Sunday morning, following a week in the sunshine of Greece. It was her first visit to Areandare – just a short one as she needed to be back at work this morning. I’d found an amazing deal of First Class train travel back to her home in Brighton for just £34!

The newly emerging Birmingham New Street Railway Station

Over the weekend we’d walked past an interesting statue just outside ‘The Cube’ a number of times, and hadn’t realised until today that it is in fact one of a series of incredible pieces called ‘The Lovely People’ by Arron BIrd aka Temper – the others are situated inside The Cube building.  We couldn’t understand why they are not advertised more on the walk to The Mailbox (link) so that many more ‘tourists’ can see past the materialism and busyness of modern day life.  I was incredibly inspired and humbled, and loved the artist’s description of these real people.

"The lovely people are a group of seven people, all of whom have an exceptional story to tell.  The bodies are those of the actual people who inspired the work. The mirrored shine of the hearts reflects our own faces as we approach them, asking us to see a little of ourselves in each of these embodiments of society.":

This one represents a man who has worked hard all his life

 'Mother and child' - the child was born with a hole in her heart and was treated in Birmingham

 'Survivor' is an old lady who walked across Europe in the war - her mum was sent to Auschwitz 

The flying sculpture represents a firefighter who risked his life to save colleagues