A boat stuck in a lock

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we had a good walk around Birmingham.  We've been trying to take a different route each time we walk down to the main shopping area.  We've walked that path so many times already.  We stumbled across a couple of interesting shopping centres with grand entrances and some more lovely old buildings.

Down at the market area we saw some Morris dancers.  We'd never heard of them until we arrived in England so we read up about it this old folk dancing dating back to the 1400's : Wiki.  We browsed the rest of the food market, especially the seafood.  We didn't buy anything because we have a couple of days worth of food in the fridge.  We'll have to go back on Monday!

I've subscribed to email updates of stoppages, warnings etc on the canals we're likely to cruise.  Yesterday there was a closure of the Aston Lock flight, just down from where we are in Birmingham and today an update saying it may be closed for a week.  A poor boater had gotten his boat stuck in a lock!  Mick went for a walk this afternoon (while I worked) to see what the fuss is all about and had a chat with the fellow on the boat.  Seems he's staying with the boat despite it's crazy angle in the lock.  Canal and River Trust have fenced the are off and will have to remove some of the brickwork and coping stones to set the boat free.  Hopefully it will wait until they do this now as there's no water beneath it.  What an awful thing to happen.

 

We got a new neighbour this afternoon.  I had my fingers crossed that a long boat wouldn't come in beside us.  As luck would have it the neighbouring boat is 47ft so I still get a slight glimpse out from the dinette.  It makes the working hours a little less tedious.  Our view this evening includes another nb Josephine.  Mick's in his element here with good rubbish disposal facilities across the basin.  He's just a blur in the bottom photo while out on his mission.

Carol and Barry's visitors arrived and she came over for a visit with young Chayse.  There was a bit of exploration around the boat, as only children can, and she tested out our bow locker seating and also the folding stool.  Hope they passed the test!  Having visitors to sleep on a boat can take a bit of creativity and tonight's solution to their sleeping problem is the backrests of our dinette making up the foot of their bed so Chayse can sleep on that section of mattress on the floor.