Tram trip to Benidorm on the Lemon Express, cut through rocks and gorges; Commemorative plaque and some old machinery, preserved at Gata station

 

Nut Crushing

Jesus Pobre Artisan Market, Spain, where pilgrims may visit, but not dogs and you might see a man crushing almonds to make turron, local delicacy....

 

El Forn

Favourite watering holes on our recent trip to Spain

 

Guess the Proverb

This month's Drawing challenge from Pen & a Pint......draw your favourite proverb. I'm not sure you'll know it , as I've not really heard it outside our family members, so my Nanna Nield may have made it up!

 

Answer: They don't make diamonds as big as bricks

Sad Clown

Hmmm

 

Flea Circus

The marvelous Pen & a Pint drawing challenge (courtesy of Calder Graphics, Huddersfield) this month featured the theme of circus. I can't recreate the big top here, but if you look closely, you can see the holes where the poles were attached. 

 

Polesworth

Spot the missing bricks

 

Spurs

Ouch!

 

In Praise Of British Workmen

Much maligned, minus the builder's tea, wolf whistles and a place to park your bike at half moon, they really did do a good job. And a sense of humour too. Top work gents!

 

A Man's A Man For A' That

Happy Burns Night....Robbie Burns wrote this poem in January 1795. Happy birthday Dad.

See also: Midge Ure's performance at the Opening of the Scottish Parliament. "Vienna" it is not!

 

Ogley Junction- No Access

We look forward to the day when we can chug up towards the three spires of Lichfield after canal restoration...............

(I note I have inadvertently called HS2 "HST"!) 

 

 

Canal Milestones

Having spent ages locating old turnpikes and milestones I'm now on the lookout on the towpath

 

Canal Hazards

 

Fradley Junction ....and warning signs at the Toilet Factory

 

Utopia, Amington

I stumbled upon Utopia in Amington, former pit village....... all the canal bridges have names not numbers on the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Plus a bit of canal art  on a barge paneling at the Swan, Fradley Junction

 

Daydream Believer

With Thanks to the Three Tons, Fazeley.

 And our New Year's Eve serenader on the towpath, Mrs Taggart. 

 

Boundary Stone

 

Daydreaming: lovely mooring at Whittington, where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal finally met the Coventry Canal. The man from Brum got fed up of waiting and dug out this bit to join it up in 1790

Glamping

Daydreaming: They really did look like Glamping Pods........as seen on the

 Birmingham and Fazeley Canal

 

Up The Junction

 

Kings Bromley  Wharf

Streethay Wharf

Fazeley Junction

Up The Junction....one of my favourite songs, although it was about Clapham Junction, not Fazeley!

(Squeeze, 1979)

Brickmaking Remembered by Peter Grey (Faded Canalside Poetry Trail)

 

With thanks to Peter Grey.....  faded brick poem on the canal-side poetry trail at Polesworth 

Polesworth Brick

Daydreaming: A Souvenir From Polesworth (with thanks to The Bull's Head, Polesworth)

 

Post Industrial Polesworth Pub Scene

With Thanks to all at The Bull's Head, Polesworth

 

Gargoyles and the Nunnery Gate

 

                      More interesting bits of Polesworth

Poking Round Polesworth

Daydreaming by the canal: whilst Robin went for a trip to a winding hole, I went for a look around Polesworth. Some historic bits...a hall once home to Disco man Edwin Starr, who made 

"Eye-to-Eye Contact", plus  I saw an abbey church and a handsome bridge over the river Anker.......

 

It Ain't What You Do, It's The Way That You Do It

Daydreaming: Getting to Grips With The Kit!

It's not every day that you encounter a helpful chap from Anapurna

 

Up The Cut- Trent & Mersey

          Daydreaming: Here's our route on our maiden voyage

On our way up the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals, we dropped in a few watering holes!

 

 

 

Christmas Card Scores on the Doors

Are Christmas cards going the way of postcards? Less cards this year (although some members of the household did leave some at work!!) and some things never change- animals still won, with birds coming second. The top animal this year was a dog.....  more homemade cards this year, mostly lino cuts- hooray!! Santa was this year beaten by nativity and there were far less carol/ Christmas song themed cards, unless you count "Sprout, Sprout, let it all out", in it's own way a winner! (Thanks to the Bewshers/ Whites.)

 For my favourite card, see the next page of the blog!

Canal Cartoons Day 1: Take this with a pinch of salt....they were both really nice!

No prizes for guessing where we stopped for lunch. The "Plum Pudding" pub was shut. It was named after the horrible narrow cutting we had to go through, which was probably even worse when it was a tunnel. It had its roof taken off due to mining subsidence....but a great butty at the Crown instead. Plus they had an old Coronation brick cemented into their wall and a nice old map.....

 

Life In The Slow Lane

 

Started off 2025 with a "Trip Up The Cut", as they say in Polesworth.

We set off from our base at King's Bromley in narrowboat Daydream. 

Drifting along at 3mph. It feels great!