We wanted to make an early start to do our shopping in Rugeley at lunchtime, but both needed to be on deck for the lock just round the corner at Woodend. We got away at 8, and, after queuing for Armitage Tunnel in a tricky cross wind, arrived at Rugeley at 11. Elanor’s chimney looks quite complete, though it won’t be in commission for a while, since there’s a lot to do at ground level yet.
As always, I was pleased to see the gothic splendour of Spode House and Hawkesyard Priory. A remnant of my love affair as a student with the books of Michael Moorcock makes me think of it as Hawksmoor Priory, and the fact that there’s a boat on an end-of-garden mooring in Rugeley called Stormbringer only adds to this nominal confusion in my ageing brain.
We concentrated on shopping in Wilkinson’s and WH Smith before lunch, then raided Morrison’s afterwards.
Then it was a case of onward out of the town. I winded Sanity at the old rail transhipment arm beyond Bridge 68, itself just beyond the new by-pass bridge, and we moored between the by-pass and the Brindley Bank Aqueduct. We had a bit of bother finding a length of piling where the water was deep enough to get in, but succeeded after taking some soundings with the shaft.
In the evening we saw mostly dog walkers and joggers on our side of the canal, but a rather noisy bunch of young men wandered past on the opposite side at one point. We had some anxiety about them, but in the event they went off back into town on their side without giving any bother at all.
Today we made a more relaxed start, to give time for Morrison’s to open so I could get a paper and fresh bread. In fact we got back to the shopping mooring at Bridge 66 just before 9. Morrison’s didn’t have an Independent, so I went on to Smiths for one just as they opened at 9.
As we arrived at the mooring, one of the alternator drive belts had started squeaking furiously, so I took a bit of time to try and stop it. It was the 90 amp alternator belt. The alternator looks to be very very slightly out of alignment with its pulley on the crankshaft, and one edge of its belt had frayed. I managed to move it over one notch on the pulley (it’s a poly-vee belt), but the squeaking continued for most of the morning, gradually reducing as the fraying wore away.
We stopped on the water point just by the Spode House moorings, and then had an exciting run through the narrow and windy bit of canal between there and Handsacre. There were a lot of boats coming the other way, a mixture of hirers and privateers enjoying the bright autumnal weather.
We’ve moored for the night just by King’s Bromley marina. First job of the afternoon was adjusting the water gauge reading. It has been reading low, so that the tank appeared to empty very quickly to 80% and then more slowly. When we got to KB, it was just on 80%, so I’ve adjusted the gauge to read 100%, and we’ll see how that goes.
I also had a go at reviving the Ecofan, which has been getting more and more reluctant to run, and now seems to have given up altogether. This wasn’t successful, so it looks as if it will have to go back to the importers to be rejuvenated.
5 comments:
It was Hawkesyard Priory, not Hawksmoor (I think you have confused it with the 18th century architect). We used to stay there when the monks ran family holidays for Catholics back in the 1960s and 70s.
Reading this again, I now see what you are saying; I first read it as if you were saying you were not sure which it was, Hawkesyard or Hawksmoor.
Cross checking the Wikipedia entery on Moorcock, I now realise I was conflating Hawkmoon (the novels) with Moorcock to produce Hawksmoor.
Evidence that my brain is even more terminally confused than I thought, but appropriate given Moorcock's own propensity for games with his characters names, and indeed for changing features of his novels between editions.
Fascinating to hear that you had stayed in Hawkesyard, though - I've never been inside, just fascinated by the outer appearance.
My friends and I used visit when it was a Dominican priory in order to attend weekend calligraphy courses. But unlike a friary scriptorium we kept glasses of beer on on desks as well as the ink.
I was a boarder at St. Bede's school, housed in Spode House for 5 awful years 1936 - 1941 ( now 81 yrs.old ), never forgotten it..... Sure that when I went there first the head was a Mr. N.Bentley assisted by Mrs E. Bentley. Bona fides clues to the iniated = ' Multum in parvo '. And - ' quicks the word, Sharps the toffee !'
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