Arts Festival

The Trent  and Mersey took us through the small town of Stone where we stopped overnight before continuing through open countryside.  As the Bank Holiday weekend approached the boat traffic increased and as we moored up in a quiet spot a familiar boat came towards us,  Victoria Plum, whose home mooring is Viking Marina.  Don pulled over and we had a good natter before a heavy shower had us running for cover and Don continued towards Stone.  

Cows paddling  on a rural stretch of the Trent and Mersey

It's a shame the weather has turned cold and wet this month and we've been glad of the gas central heating.  We were pleased to see a trader selling coal at the side of the canal but surely we shouldn't need it in August.   But the cold weather did us a favour.  While looking for warm clothes in our under-bed storage I spotted a damp patch and further investigation revealed the small water filter was leaking.  Luckily nothing had been damaged and Kev easily fixed the leak.  

The next small town was Rugeley which has a new large Tesco store next to the canal, ideal for stocking up.   The once busy Morrisons in the town centre was obviously feeling the impact of the competition; when we called in their 'reduced to clear' shelves were full and even included cans of beer!

Fradley Junction connects the Trent and Mersey to the Coventry Canal and several locks resulted in a queue of boats.  Once through we moored up next to Fradley Reservoir and nature reserve.  The path round the reserve makes an interesting walk revealing numerous bird and bat boxes, a hide with a thatched roof and some wood carvings.   I took the new camera but didn't need the zoom for the huge wooden dragonfly at the entrance. 

Wooden dragonfly in Fradley nature reserve

 By chance I walked Bess and Brinny up to the next village  along the canal, Alrewas, and discovered it was their biennial arts festival week.  The next day I went for a look round and followed the arts trail around the village.  The route was marked with colourful bunting and fabric pictures and quilts hung from gates, fences, trees and even canal bridges.  I enjoyed a spinning demonstration and looking round the art, textile and photographic exhibitions held in various halls along the route.  

Detail from a wall hanging in Alrewas arts festival

   

Nursery rhyme characters make a jolly display 

Our journey from Wedgwood to Alrewas