After a few good days of chilling at Tixall Wide we pulled pins at 09.10 and winded in the wide before heading back to Haywood junction and then turning right towards Rugeley.
After dropping down the lock at Great Haywood we saw this girl on the towpath . She seemed to be striking different poses and we didn't know what she was up to . It wasn't until we passed her that we saw a photographer with lights and cameras taking pictures of her . For some strange reason I didn't get a picture of the Photographer but did get several of her.
Just look at the size of these Leaves . Apparently its called Gunnera and is a member of the Rhubarb family, after only a few years it grows to this size. Gunnera manicata is a giant herbaceous perennial. An absolute monster. A huge furry rhizome lies on the soil surface from which stout, 2m spiny leaf stalks emerge that carry immense, puckered, scalloped, rough textured leaves that can reach over 3m in width. Weird spiky-looking but soft-fingered flower stalks are produced that just add to the whole primeval, Jurassic feel that the plant has. Reaching full potential in a sheltered position in a mild, wet climate at the edge of a lake or stream in a valley bottom this is simply one of the most dramatic plants that can be grown in the UK - but best given the room it deserves.
Passing this boat which is called Maid of Oak and is supposedly the last ever Narrowboat that was built of Oak . It has been up for sale for some time and at £65,000 it may well be up for sale for sometime to come.
Arriving at Rugeley and how lucky are we to meet up with friends Tony and Jacqui on Nb Timewarp . They are well known on the canal system for Tony’s collection of quality tiller pins that he sells and Jacquie’s amazing home made Fudge which comes in a variety of flavours .Needless to say we stopped and moored up behind them.
Just opposite our mooring is Rugeley Cemetery and Carolyn couldn't resist the opportunity to have a look to see if this would make a good final resting place for me. To be honest it’s not at all bad here as it’s well kept and in a Sunny location . Another one to go on the list .
As always it’s great to chill out with friends and we ended up having a couple of days with Tony and Jacqui .The biggest problem with our lifestyle is that it can be months if not years before we meet up with friends again.
After a couple of days we pulled pins at 07.40 and headed towards the moorings outside of Tesco . Even though we had stocked up from Aldi we still did another shop which mostly consisted of wine.
Passing through Armitage tunnel and as it’s a single passage and very narrow. Carolyn has to go ahead on foot to make sure no boats are coming in the opposite direction . It’s still called Armitage tunnel even though the roof was removed many years ago.
Going through Armitage which we always call Toilet Town and we pass the Armitage shanks Sanitary works . For some reason every boater that passes here seems to take a picture of it.
We picked up this mooring a couple of miles before Kings Bromley marina and will spend a day or two here . With some good fishing this mooring will be just the ticket until we move on to our favourite village of Alrewas.
Happy Days
enjoyed the blog xxx
ReplyDeleteThe Gunnera looks fantastic, but I have a feeling it's now classed as an undesirable introduction as it shades out native plants (except nettles and brambles - I know, we've got some!)
ReplyDeleteDebby x
Hi Debby , That's very interesting and I can fully understand what you are saying . The funny thing is that Curly has it growing in her school garden and she gets so excited every time we see it on our travels . I will have to let her know what you have said about it and then maybe she can tell her school about how undesirable it is . I will see what I can find out on line and supply Curly with some evidence to take back to school..
ReplyDelete