Technology

The nights are drawing in and there is a nip in the air, autumn is on the way.  This year's fruit harvest is impressive, trees are laden and the hedgerows are full of glossy blackberries, elderberries and rosehips.  We watched a squirrel gathering acorns and had no trouble finding sloes to make sloe gin.  Kev even spotted a wild hop vine growing at the side of one of the Atherstone locks.  

There are seven Atherstone Locks and they are notoriously slow to fill.  We arrived on a busy day, as we were going up the locks boats returning from a festival were coming down them. This saved some time opening and closing lock gates and with the help of the volunteer lock-keepers we were soon up the flight. 

We've seen an increasing number of boats with solar panels on their roofs.  The boaters we've spoken to are all impressed by their performance and some also recommended a company, M&R Controls.  After some further research we placed an order with M&R Controls for four 100 watt panels and an advanced controller to maximise electrical input.  This combination should provide all the power we need on a bright sunny day and make a good contribution in less than ideal conditions.  Delivery was arranged for Thursday in the Greyhound pub car park at Hawkesbury Junction.

We had opted to fit the panels ourselves and although they are relatively easy to connect up laying the cables was time consuming.  Kev was pleased to spot a short cut by drilling through one of the panels to feed the cable through.  As the drill went through it hit something and I thought I heard running water but only for a few seconds.  We were sure there were no pipes at the back of the panel and so finished connecting the cables.  

The next day the sun shone down as we drilled holes in the roof, fitted the brackets and paused to chat to other boaters.  As we connected the last panel the sky clouded over but we were still pleased to see a flow of electricity into our batteries.  Since fitting the panels the weather hasn't been ideal but we have already reduced the time the engine is running just to charge the batteries. 

Coventry is 3 hours away by canal or half an hour by bus, we took the bus.  The city looks like a new town as the majority of it's buildings were bombed during World War 2.  The cathedral was also bombed and all that remains is a shell with fragments of stain glass still attached in the window openings and the tower with it's spire.   We climbed the 180 steps up the tower and this time I'd remembered my camera. 

The shell of the cathedral viewed from it's surviving tower.  The building on the left is the new cathedral. 

   The Transport Museum had an impressive collection of exhibits.  The early precarious cycles caught my attention and some of the first cars and motor-bikes looked equally dubious. Kev was interested in the large motor-bike collection, spotting machines from his biking days. Bringing the exhibition up to date was the latest Jaguar and two world land speed record holders.  The display and the machines themselves, which were far bigger than I imagined, were interesting but we decided against a ride in the simulator.  

Thrust 2 which achieved 633 mph to break the world land speed record in 1983.  In 1997 this record was broken by         Thrust SSC which was also in the museum but wasn't as photogenic.

Gales and rain were forecast for Sunday so we stayed at Hawkesbury Junction for another day.  The bad weather didn't materialise and we enjoyed an excellent meal in the Greyhound that evening.

Canal art on a bridge at Hawkesbury Junction

Our journey from Polesworth to Hawkesbury Junction