Sorry for the slow answers to emails, the lack of comments on flickr, and the lack of photos on flickr, blogger, and SPAMletters. I have had only a few hours each week on the computer. I mean to do all these things sooner or later - later is more likely.
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Tu22Apr09-10.40bst,Leighton Buzzard library,?,Belnea,Accuratus,Microsoft,?
The weather has been great over the last few days since I left London. Sun,clear skies, wind from the North and East. Now it's from the West which will mean rain sooner or later. I read that, over the Easter weekend when we had drizzle and cloud, not far away in Holland, they had the earliest summer day on record at 27C.
I skippered at the top of the cutting at the top of the Chiltern hills. The "summit pound" is between the last lock upwards from the South, Cowroast (Cowrest) lock, and the first lock going down to the North, Marsworth top lock. Overnight it was a bit cooler - 5C - on the Chilterns. The path in the cutting was rather wet and muddy, as it sees less sun. But that is rain water to drink.
There are many birds on the canal. Today some common terns. One caught a fish and then dropped it back in the canal. Many grey herons. Some Canada geese flying overhead, fooled me by being white underneath, but that "honk" cannot fool even me!
The dawn chorus is loud around five. First seems to be the skylark. Then the usual suspects, robin, blackbird, wren, chaffinch, pheasant and more I do not know.
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F24Apr09-09.20bst,Milton Keynes library,Dell,Dell,Dell,Microsoft,?
Each county has its own way of giving internet access to not-members. Watford,Hertfordshire give half an hour at £1.25, but it crashed after 20 minutes. Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire gave a free hour and 5 min longer at the end. Bletchley and MK, Bedfordshire, give half an hour for £1.
I always get lost in Milton Keynes. So this time I walked in along the new A5, which has a narrow cycle lane!
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W29Apr09-09.50bst,Rugby library,Dell,Dell,Dell,Dell,?
Today is warm and sunny. I walked into Rugby - famous sons, William Webb-Ellis, Rupert Brook and Frank Whittle - from my skipper on the Oxford canal, under M6.
I heard my first cuckoo before the dawn chorus last Sunday. The mother mallard ducks are bringing their ducklings onto the open water now. When I pointed my camera at a family, the ducklings rose on their webbed feet and ran away over the water. In the pool below a lock, I pointed my camera at a preening swan. When it saw my camera it swam fast towards me and was rewarded with a slice of wholemeal bread. It's hard work taking snaps of animals when they can see you. Herons won't let me get within 50 yards.
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F1May09-10.50bst,P.A.'s internet caff by the bus station,?,acer,hp,hp,laserjet
I walked into Coventry today from a dry skipper under M6, by the Oxford canal. The weather is "changeable", or "English". The Oxford canal, one of the earliest canals, was started by James Brindley,1711-72. A contour following canal, it took nearly 20 years,1769-87, to build. Nowadays it is a country canal, lovely to walk through and now and then, muddy. This morning in the dark I tested some ankle deep mud for depth!
A little North of Rugby is the short Newbold tunnel, about 250 yards long. It was dug in the 1830s(?) to shorten the winding contour Oxford canal and win some trade off the railways. It is the only tunnel I have seen to have a towpath beside the water. British Waterways and Rugby Council have put in some lights to shine your way through.
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W6May09-10.20bst,Lichfield lby,Compaq,Compaq,Compaq,Compaq,?
Today I walked into Tamworth, looked at the parish church and library, then out again and along the Coventry canal. In 1790 at Whittington brook, the Coventry canal met the Birmingham & Fazeley canal and I started walking along another canal. I left the B&F canal where the railway line (many Virgin trains) crosses the canal, went under the A38 and SW into Lichfield. The three steeples of the cathedral can be seen from anywhere in Lichfield. Sam Johnson (and his dictionary), perhaps the best known son of Lichfield, is 300 this year!
Near Coventry, in the early light of dawn, one arm of the 'V' wake of a swimming duck shone against the dark shadow of a tree. Suddenly, it had gone, leaving spreading rings instead. "That was no duck," I thought. "Perhaps a moorhen or even a grebe?" I have seen no grebes, however.
A little North of Coventry, I had a look at Bedworth, where in 1850, 1 in 3 made ribbons. It's a well cared for, neat town centre, which is a walkway, with parish church and alms houses by Nicholas Chamberlayne's will. I saw a shop called "Mary Ann Evans". "She's got the same name as George Eliot" I thought and carried on.
The next day walking through Nuneaton, I read the words of a local historian - "George Eliot is the only undisputed genius born near Nuneaton" A charming statue of her is in the town centre, seated leaning on one arm. It was put up in 1986 at a cost of £8000. Contributions came from all over the world.
"Main line" and "Junction" are both words found on the canals, so it would seem likely that the railways took them over from the canals. Perhaps "Lengthsman" too?
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F8May09-09.5bst,Rugeley lby,Compaq,Compaq,Compaq,Compaq,?
Yesterday I had a short day and stopped in a quiet wood beside the Trent & Mersey canal. The wood had some big trees, oak, hazel, scots pine, but had many new trees planted, some of which were doing OK but some were struggling for light. Today I walked past the well-known name of Armitage Shanks, in the village of Armitage! The canal and the Trent run near each other here. I crossed to the A513 to stroll into Rugeley, which had coal mines and is still in the power business with a coal-fired power-station, Rugeley-B.
I saw the four bright Northern stars together - CAVD, or Capella, Arcturus, Vega, Deneb in the order they rise in the East. Capella is on the North skyline where they are hardest to find. Roughly overhead are Vega and Deneb, with Altair in Patrick Moore's summer triangle.
In the West is Arcturus below the plough.
Twice have I met Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine or gas turbine, at Rugby and Coventry. He was born in Coventry and a bronze stands outside the bus station. Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle OM KBE CB FRS FRAeS is shielding his eyes to watch the Gloster-Whittle E28/39 make the first flight without a propeller in 1941! In Rugby a memorial ring reminds us of his time making his first gas turbine with British Thompson Houston of Rugby.
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M11May09-15.20bst,Jumpz internet caff,Stoke-on-Trent,?,gnr,Genius, Mercury,hp laserjet 5P
Today I was up fairly early to walk along the Trent&Mersey canal, through Stone and on to Stoke. In Stoke are buried Josiah Wedgewood and the Spode family. Stone claims to be the birth place of the Trent & Mersey canal. I think they mean that the investors gathered here for the first survey in 1755, by James Brindley. The Act of Parliament only passed in 1766 so the canal was not ready till 1777.
Stoke City FC was Stoke FC until 1925 when Stoke became a city. It was founded as Stoke Rovers by Mr Armour(?) around 1865, and was one of the 12 founders of the League in 1888, only Notts County being an older club. Two big names are Stanley Matthews (1930-1947 and 1960-1965) and Gordon Banks (forgotten his dates) Banks got 36 of his 73 England caps playing for Stoke. Stanley Matthews went from Blackpool in the First to Stoke in the Second. When he retired at 50 in 1965, Blackpool were in the Second and Stoke were in the First. I do remember that! Who was that guy Alan Hudson? And George Eastham?
Stoke are now at the Britannia ground, 28000 crowd and were at the Victoria ground for 118 years a League record.
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F15May09-10.00bst,Middlewich lby,Dell,Dell,Dell,Dell,?
Yesterday, Thursday 14th, was a long country walk, other than Wheelock and Sandbach.
The farming was mostly pasturre, cows, sheep, horses.
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Best wishes to all, Robert
