After a good nights sleep today started off pretty wet   but as we had already decided to go into town any way it didn`t matter too much so first was a walk up to the church hall where there was the annual bazaar on with some interesting stalls ,  a few purchases made and then cake and coffee to follow .
After that a walk round the the rest of town checking out the charity shops without success (some one needs some smart gear for the theatre in a couple of weeks time ) after that we went back to the boat with our earlier purchases . then rested and raring to go again  so back up town to Aldi for some essentials and then back down to Sybil for another small rest ,our next stop was the Riverside where the Stourbridge MCC annual show was on well worth the one pound entry fee
Despite what some one told us earlier , Stourbridge is a decent shopping place with all that you need


                        King Edwards college one of the more interesting buildings in town

Nice bike at the MCC show among many others

Hilary liked this one with a bench seat for the passenger

A fair few bikes turned up despite the weather earlier 

After doing the eight Delpf locks yesterday before which we passed through the Merry Hill shopping centre where we stopped to eat lunch but managed to resist the call of the precinct in the  late afternoon we stopped on a small branch off the end of a feeder canal at the top of the Stourbridge flight which we thought would be a nice quiet place to spend the night but it turned out to be a very busy little corner with many dog walkers , fishermen and a meeting place for the local youth under the bridge but as it got dark they all  got bored and went home and although we were illuminated by flood lights from an adjacent industrial site it turned out to be ok  so this morning we reversed out and performed a ten point turn to entertain some of the local walkers and then went on to do the Stourbridge sixteen locks , tonight we are in Stourbridge  ready to explore the town tomorrow


A model display in the information centre at the end of Netherton tunnel which gives you some idea of the intensity of the industry that was once there but is now all park land and housing

half way down the Stourbridge flight there are two locks so near together they seem to be a staircase but in fact are worked as two separate locks but there is only a short distance between the two 

Nearly down the Stourbridge locks only  four more to go

                                Last night  moored up on the fens branch it looks peaceful now
                              just ahead of us is the limit of navigation where the weed starts

A good run this morning from Birmingham six miles with no locks to reach the Netherton tunnel which is one and three quarter miles long  it is around fourteen feet wide and the same high and it is so straight that as you enter you can see the light at the far end of the tunnel , all  tunnels should be like this.

 At this width it means that two way traffic applies but we did not meet any one coming the other way.

Just about to enter , the small white dot in front is the far end of the tunnel

loads of room in here even a tow path down both sides

Yet again we pass under a motorway  on our way to Netherton this time it has its feet firmly planted into the canal with room for us to pass on either side

Safely moored up at the other side of the tunnel

This is the canal system in the Black Country around Birmingham our eight day trip started at Wolverhampton then up to the Anglesey Branch , down the Daw End and Tame Valley and back up to Walsall then back to Wolverhampton down through Cosley Tunnel past the end of the Dudley and Netherton Tunnels to the end of the old main line and turned right to go to Titford and the pools at the end.

                                 Some beautiful ironwork in  the gates at Titford pump house
                                                        home of the BCMS

Just about to start locking back down from Titford

Some very unusual cloud formations we saw yesterday on our way down the A1 yesterday

Why is there a model of the Eiffel  tower at the services on the A1?

Hilary on goose control at the Smethwick locks

Flats on stilts outside Walsall perhaps the water levels do go up here !

Our group of boats moored at Pelsall Common half way round the tour

Eric on the ukelele  at Walsall basin

This is us negotiating the Titford , pools small lakes that act as feeders to the canals they have a motorway bridge right through the middle

Today we are back in Birmingham for the night, we went  down into town today to get some tickets for  the show Mamamia , some thing Hilary has wanted to see for ages ,loads of activity around town this morning , music for youth on in the ICC  and around the library ,loads of young musicians going in ,while   at the same time a demo was taking place down the main street by the NUT  about education cuts perhaps a bit of a clash?