Sept 10th

Apologies for the delay on the blog, we were very late mooring last night as we had to stop off in Tamworth - we have a slight plumbing problem, but we won't go there! Anyway, when we finally moored I didn't feel like cooking and as there was a really nice pub very close by, we just went out for dinner!  We are moored in a little village with the enchanting name of Hopwas!  It is just North of Tamworth, though you wouldn't know it, it is very rural here - lovely.  We had a really lovely meal in The Tame Otter last night, excellent food and very good, friendly service. However, apart from our little problem(!) we had a really lovely day yesterday, the weather was gorgeous, I even had to put my sunglasses on!  We had a lazy morning and didn't actually set off until about 11.00am.  We stopped off in Polesworth for a few supplies and had a nice lunch of salad and local pork pie - yummy!  We passed through some really lovely countryside and it was very pleasant indeed.  After our impromptu stop-off in Tamworth we arrived at Fazeley Junction and turned North.  We arrived in Hopwas just as the sun was setting, cutting it a bit fine, at about 7.30pm! Anyway, we are now staying put waiting for AJ Canopies to arrive to fit our cratch cover.  It was raining when we got up but it has now stopped, which is a blessing for the cratch fitters! Those of you who know me well will be surprised to hear that I have become extremely boat-proud and turned into a right little "boatwife"!  No sooner have we finished eating than I am in the sink with my Marigolds on, I can't wait to get stuck in on the floor!  We keep giving it a sweep but it could do with a really good "fettle"!  Things will be much better once the cratch cover is on as a lot of the stuff that brings the dirt in, like shoes and boots and mooring implements like pins (big tent pegs!) and keys (a contraption that fits into the corrugations alongside the canal that you attach a rope to) will all be housed in the cratch, which will double as a conservatory and garden shed! Watch out for the next blog, hopefully there will be photos of our new room!