Friday a lazy day after the exertions of yesterday a greater part of this morning was spent trying to find a mooring for Sybil  and succeeded when a lady rang me back from France ! she was the manager for one of the marinas we wanted to try and was away for a few days . hows that for good service ,after that a train ticket was the next challenge easy to book on line but then the problems started as  our chosen departure station was unmanned and did`nt have a ticket machine so we have to get on with no tickets and collect them halfway at Birmingham despite two calls to India and a very helpful guy at Midland rail I think , the only answer is to rely on the good sense of the inspector
It does`nt seem like we have been out for five weeks already but what I have missed least is the chaos and noise of towns and roads normally we creep down a green and quiet waterway into and through towns and cities and under roads only popping up to see and collect what we want and then back down and moving on again, many people don`t even know we are there.
Returning home on Monday will be a nightmare trains people ,traffic and noise.
We did  venture into town today to visit  Morrisons for supplies but when you have to carry all on your back it really does reduce impulse shopping.
We shall move on tomorrow as this mooring is a maximum of forty eight hours , heading north up TheStaffordshire and Worcester.

As we came down the locks yesterday we passed this chimney around three hundred feet at least I guess 

look closely you can see  a ladder up the left side it`s fixed Fred Dibnah style  with ropes etc what you cant see is in the picture below

This guy was just below the top at least two more were on top , the ladder was the only way up

they deserve all they get paid and more

surprise surprise  no rain today

Thursday morning got off to a damp start as we left Dudley and headed off up The Birmingham Main Line towards Aldersley junction  through Wolverhampton but with the small obstacle of a run of twenty one narrow locks all downhill which always seem to take longer so we have achieved our target after around seven hours of hard work more  for Hilary than me , at an average speed of one mile per hour and a drop in height of 132 ft in that distance .

Here is an old  road bridge over the canal overshadowed by the M5 bridge

This is the M5 straddling the Birmingham canal on our way to Dudley

A wet Wednesday  spent at The Black Country Museum which would have been better with some sunshine 

an interesting place but I guess not a lot different to Beamish or Hutton-le-hole.

Monday we went down to the water point at the top of the Farmers flight filled up , disposed of waste and rubbish turned and went back up to our mooring behind the NIA ready for our departure Tuesday am.
Tuesday  goodbye to Birmingham  will definitely come back again so  off we go heading up towards Dudley  travelling for over three hours  we saw almost no other boats it was almost like our own personal canal with all the moorings we could want and just three narrow locks to negotiate
Now that we have stopped for the night just outside the  black country museum I think it is some what like Beamish  Tomorrow we shall find out.
We also are next to the entrance to The Dudley canal tunnel one and three quarter miles long  dudley canal trust we can`t do a passage at the moment as you have to book in advance to be towed through by an electric tug , some thing for the future  but a real must do .

Saturday morning surprise its raining we are still moored in Birmingham so many things to see and do including the pen museum , really it `s a very interesting place .   pen museum
The Jewelry quarter  a clue is in the name .The markets The Bullring shopping centre so many shops but still the same sort of stuff and familiar names I didn't know there was so much stuff we didn't want .
There is also the Paradise forum teases the imagination doesn't it , it is really a 60s/70s concrete shopping centre which also included the old central library , opposite the museum  and scheduled for redevelopment ,things seem to change quickly in the city centre although  there are a lot of interesting buildings around both old and new.
we are probably going back to the library today to actually look at books.

                                   Looking up part of the Hatton flight quite a daunting sight

First test run on the folding bike

  President and Kildare struggling to get through the double guillotine stop lock at Kings Norton

Inside the library elevators suspended in space through the central core of galleries 

a couple of Mr Emetts creations 

\This is the traffic island in the centre of Birmingham where the canals meet

Arrived in Birmingham this afternoon  we are moored two hundred yards from the city centre  brilliant .
We have just been for an explore of the area already and visited the library ,an unbelievable futuristic place , nine floors of books  in galleries and study rooms you go from floor to floor via escalators lit by blue fluorescent lights and a totally glass lift to the top floors  there is a roof top garden and viewing area , an attraction in its own right as well as a public building We are visiting the museum tomorrow which has a special event on "The amazing machines of Rowland Emett " the designer of chitty chitty bang bang and many others
Torrential down pour at tea time got back to boat with out getting too wet.
On the way here had an exciting meeting with President one of the few steam powered narrow boats left she was towing the butty Kildare together a massive length , almost overcome with excitement ,steam and boats , left Hilary holding the boat quite literally while I went and took pictures.

Yet another Monday morning but no trains packed with  commuters  here to prick our conscience  last was spent moored at Hockley Heath another suburb of Birmingham after a long and very hot Sunday  to give you an idea of the area a steak in a bar was eighteen pounds and the garage is an agency for Rollers and new Maclarens .
Sunday we ascended the Lapworth flight of locks nineteen in total each one lifting us around seven to eight feet these are all together in one large run but are narrow so that when we got a system going it was quite quick with Hilary setting the lock for me to enter starting it filling and then going on up to the next one to start on that while I brought the boat out into the next pound closed the lock down and so on for most of the day .
The final challenge for the day was two lift bridges which had to be wound up and back down to allow the boat through.
The distance covered seven miles!
Saturday was a day of broad locks twenty three in total each with a similar lift but  lucky to meet a guy called Mick who walked with us setting locks ready , filling and helping all round he did this in his spare time for pleasure he also helps some one with working boats as well.
Only five and a half miles today.
This evening we have moved on to Shirley  and tomorrow will head up into the centre of Birmingham