Saturday 28th of July 2012
Birmingham.
Broken cloud and a cool wind were the order of the day. Plus it was a day for giving the dogs a trim to help them keep cool as the summer finally arrives - at long last. A pretty quiet sort of a day because the Memsahib is visiting daughter and helping to decorate the kitchen. Me and the dogs have been abandoned to our own devices.
Whilst taking the dogs for a walk we came across a lady taking an early bath in the canal. She now is aware that one foot on the towpath and one foot on the boat is not a smart move - when reaching for the bow rope! She was safely extracted from the canal with just a little embarrassment. But as we said it was like crossing the equator for the first time and entering into Neptune's realm - your not a real boater till you go and have a look under the boat!
Later we had a word with another boater who had his arm in a sling. It seems that the day before he had also taken an early bath at Gas Street basin. However he also managed to dislocate his shoulder at the same time! He was now awaiting the arrival of a back-up crew to lend some assistance to moving the boat. The 48 hour moorings at Gas Street basin are not a safe place to be!
I had a walk into Birmingham city centre, on Friday evening. In the square there was a large screen set up. It seems that there is some sort of party going on in London. There are arsonists running around with flaming torches. Ex footballers breaking the River Thames speed limit. Plus television commentators doing a piss poor commentary which they had practised for in June at the Thames Jubilee thingy!
Walking back to the boat it was good to seen normality return to the city centre. Police vans and Ambulances parked ready to give people a lift to different locations around the city. City centre ambassadors standing outside the various pubs meeting and greeting punters on their way in - and helping to carry them out when they became tired, emotional and world leaders in projectile vomiting.
Yes, we have lots of our history to showcase at the Olympic party. Not only fields and farms - but suicidal farmers protesting at the price of milk. After all it was us who gave the world slavery and then went on to subdue other nations into becoming a reluctant part of our commonwealth. We gave the world the template for parliament. A place where the members can flip homes and fiddle expenses. A national health service which employs fewer and fewer medical staff but is wonderful work creation scheme for administrators. A land where our streets are safe and the crime rate is so low, we don't need bobbies any more so we are sacking them. A place where we can send our youth to fight a war of someone else's making and then give them a P45 in place of a medal.
Makes you proud to be British!
Daily Total
Miles: 0.0
Locks: 0
Swing/Lift Bridges: 0
Tunnels: 0
Pump Outs: 0
Engine Hours: 0.0
Diesel: 0
Accumulated Totals
Miles: 997.3
Locks: 722
Swing / Lift Bridges: 119
Tunnels: 15
Pump Outs: 12
Engine Hours: 2286.1
Later......
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