Flexible planning is the name of the game

11th & 12th June

Colwich Lock can be one of the most congested on the system, so, although we didn't plan to go far, we made an early start to get through before the rush. This worked reasonably well, although we still met a boat coming down – they had the same philosophy as us (early start, early finish) and were headed for Rugeley, now three hours boating away.

High spot of the cruise was the sight of a heron confronting a cormorant on the towpath, and forcing it to disgorge its catch of four fish. The cormorant then flew sadly off, whilst the heron scoffed three of the fish and flew off with the remaining one in its beak, presumably for its offspring.

We've never seen such a thing before, and in fact never used to see cormorants much around the main system, only near the Fens.

As we went along, we decided to modify the cruising plans a bit, based on the fact that the toilet tank gauge had turned amber overnight. We reckon on having another week's use after the amber light comes on, and the calculations didn't quite work for leaving it until after we come back from Lincoln. It would be better, we thought, to go onto Penkridge to pump out before coming back to Stafford to leave Sanity.

We therefore carried on up Great Haywood Lock, with the aim of spending the night at Tixall, and going on to Penkridge over the weekend. I nipped in to the shop near the lock to get a paper, and then stayed on the bank to take rubbish to the bins beyond the junction whilst Sheila went on with the boat.

Great Haywood Lock was missing the latch on the top ground paddle rack, so you had to hold the paddle up whilst the lock filled. After we moored, I emailed BW West Midlands office about it, but at the time of writing have had not so much as an acknowledgement. In the days when the Fazeley Office was the hub of the Central Shires Waterway Unit, you used to get an excellent and courteous service from them, but since the amalgamation with West Mids, it's gone to the dogs.

There was a bit of a hold up at the junction, whilst boats manoeuvred in the Anglo Welsh lay-by beyond, then we were through and had no trouble finding a space on the Wide.

Just before lunch there was a knocking on the roof, and there were Gordon and Jean off Langley, Braidbar number 73. They were having some work done to her when we first moved on to Sanity, so we shared the dock at Poynton for our first days of living aboard.

We had a good old natter, in the course of which they mentioned that the area around Stafford Boat Club was already solid with boats double moored on both sides of the cut.

At their suggestion, we enquired of Otherton Boat Haven if they could take us, which they can, so another change of plan. It's costing us £36 for the four nights, because they have a minimum booking of a week, but it's still worth it for the peace of mind.

Later in the afternoon we were sitting out on the towpath, me working on the second fat fender and Sheila knitting, when Gordon came back with a booklet about the Severn and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, they having just been down that way. Aren't people kind?

Today was an amazingly damp start. We've decided to spend it here at Tixall, then pop back to the junction for water and supplies first thing tomorrow before going on to Acton Trussell for the night, thus getting past Stafford BC before the weekend.

Then we'll go to Teddesley to do some Midland Chandlers shopping (shafts, mostly), and to Penkridge for Sunday night, preparatory to arriving at Otherton (which is just up the cut from Penkridge) on Monday afternoon.

Today has been a wet day, good for staying in the boat, apart from an early walk to the village for a paper. I've made another side fender (all in one day, I must be getting better at it). I had some short lengths of natural sisal left, so made this one from that and two long lengths of the Victory Black, so that it's a two tone fender, very stylish.