seen from Yemen
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Belarus
seen from United States
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from Romania
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Sweden
seen from Uzbekistan
seen from South Korea
seen from United States
February 19th - There were other stars, too though. The cats are waking up in the warm weather, and I saw several, including the two canalside kitties at Brierley Hill and the great dog and cat partnership at Bumble Hole. That pair’s facial expressions were absolutely priceless. I think they are big mates, but the cat clearly tries to hide it.
February 19th - It was a warm day with an insistent wind and occasional sunny periods - but a fine day for a ride. I covered 63 miles, the first big ride of the year, and the towpaths were much easier going than I thought, apart from a couple of rough patches at Stourton and west of Wolverhampton.
The canals showed themselves beautifully, and the sound of church bells and sight of daffodils, snowdrops and other spring flowers gladdened the heart.
Of course, the architecture stole the show - the viaducts, aqueducts, bridges, locks and associated houses are gorgeous.
The Black Country is wonderful and I’ll always love it.
The Home Brew Boat first began trading at canal-related festivals in Droitwich April 2014. Over the following three years the cruising plan was primarily based around planned events from April through to October. This year we decided to make considerable changes. We felt our floating lives were becoming ‘same old’, and we were at risk of going back down the negative (as we see it) spiral of a ‘work routine’. The very idea!
We did, however, decide we’d return to familiar, friendly and fun festivals in the month of September – for a variety of personal and business reasons, to trade Barry’s wares.
The Black Country Boating Festival (BCBF)
This iconic and incredibly well-supported-locally weekend at Netherton, near Dudley, is a favourite. It’s ably and efficiently organised annually by the Worcester, Birmingham and Droitwich Canals Society, as is St Richard’s in Droitwich, they also manage the Parkhead Festival every two years. The commitment and enthusiasm shown by the volunteers to produce these trading and networking opportunities is incredible, and we’re very grateful to their dedication.
Our trading spot, as we’re regulars, is next to Helen and Andy on the Jam Butty/Wandr’ing Bark, near the Bumble Hole Nature Reserve café. Due to our respective different journeys in 2018, it was the first time we’ve had opportunity to spend time with our dear friends this year. So we made the most of it! Of course the obligatory game of six-handed-rummy was enjoyed, and lots of catch up chatting.
We also met two new terrific traders who were the other side of our boat sandwich. Kath and Annamarie began living on their narrowboat in April of this year. We let them know about booking in, and the nearest supermarket (Aldi of course, our favourite), though they’d already sussed that one out. What we didn’t realise until well into the weekend was that we were in the company of two famous Vloggers. Not only is Annamarie an extraordinary artist, together they are Social Media Whiz-wives! Check out their website, Facebook pages, and Youtube Channels. They really do have all their bases cleverly covered.
As an extra added bonus, we’ve since found a few things in common and been able to share accumulated knowledge between us which has been brilliant. I have no doubt our paths will cross again in 2019.
Lots of interested passer-by
Our new ‘best friends forever’ aka BFF Kath and Annamarie of The Narrowboat Experience and Art by Annamarie
Barry works his magic
All set up ready for the inevitable crowds
With the CRT CEO Richard Parry
Barry and I took our new buddies to the beer tent on Friday night, for a boatman’s supper (maybe it should be boat ‘person’s’ supper?), and a pint or two. There was also a solo singer, delightful, and of course the Shady Band, a group of talented boaters. Most entertaining – despite an unexpected short break when the electrics blew a fuse!
The footfall at the BCBF weekend is always amazing – whatever the weather. We were happy to welcome Richard Parry, the CEO of the Canal and River Trust, who paid us a visit on the Saturday. We’ve missed seeing him, as it’s always a pleasure to us to talk with him and catch up on all manner of fascinating things.
One of the things I loved about this weekend was being able to wear my ‘Get Your Kit Off …’ t-shirts and sell alongside Barry on the Saturday. Most unusual for me, as I’m usually Facepainting elsewhere. Barry took the opportunity to sell-off a number of lines, in readiness for his new business venture. Which worked well at BCBF and the following two weekends. I shall say no more until he’s ready to share how he’s taking The Home Brew Boat forward …
Tipton Community and Canal Festival
This one’s a smaller event, though it doesn’t detract any from it’s niceness. It was Helen and Andy’s inaugural Tipton trading and I think they rather enjoyed it. We had our grandson on board over the weekend which curtailed me from being Barry’s side-kick. It did allow me to mingle much more with the traders in the park – and spend some of our takings supporting them!
Our corner mooring by the park
Barry shares his vast knowledge with customers
Tipton is a much-maligned town. Sadly there’s a number of local shops closed down, so it doesn’t look as though it’s prospering. There’s photos in The Fountain Inn (great pub!) showing what it looked in it’s heyday.
In between Tipton and Parkhead, 26th September, we happily remembered the ninth anniversary of our English wedding – a Humanist service held on the roof of our previous narrowboat Northern Pride. There’s sparse choice of eating establishments in the area – which mattered not a jot. As Eastern Spice Balti, round the corner from our mooring, was perfectly splendid. Fabulous service, delicious food, and incredibly reasonably priced.
Parkhead Canal Festival
This was our third bi-annual gathering here, along with Helen and Andy. This time however the trade boats were grouped in the side arm at the top of the locks, rather than on the canal heading towards Dudley Tunnel.
It was my 59th birthday on Friday 28th September, given a choice it’s unlikely Parkhead would feature on my favourite places to spend the anniversary of my birth! However … Helen and Andy treated us to a meal at Ma Pardoe’s, following which we partook of a drink or two in the beer tent. Certainly not a bad way to celebrate entering my 60th year.
Another new meeting of fellow traders occurred too. Barry had chatted to Paul and Dave on ‘The Pizza Boat’ aka ‘Baked on Board‘ at Tipton, but I’d been too busy with our grandson to do much socialising that weekend! We’re told by many they make mighty fine sourdough pizzas. Shamefully we never got to taste one. Next time we see them we most certainly shall …
Birthday meal at The Swan
Our trade mooring
Julie’s canal art and Kew
The boys in the beer tent Saturday night
We also took the opportunity to get a ‘head and shoulders’ shot of us both by Andy. I rarely wear make-up, or get ‘dressed-up’, so it seemed opportune. We rather like it – a couple of silver surfers!
Unfortunately the footfall over the weekend wasn’t brilliant on our final festival. Despite that the weekend was extremely enjoyable – I even got to experience a trip on the Dudley Tunnel experience and try out a spot of legging, as well as watching the infamous ‘Duck Race’ debacle between the locks. Smashing.
Dudley Canal Tunnel trip
Legging
The Duck race
A whirl-wind of fantastic festivals, family and friends for September.
Calendar Club UK
For the third year running our autumn/winter income earning opportunity is with the excellent company of Calendar Club UK. It’ll be our second season in the cathedral city of Lichfield. We’ve experienced a quite stressful few weeks while we’ve been searching and subsequently waiting for confirmation of a suitable a store, but it’s all coming to fruition this week.
Our Three Spires Calendar Club shop in 2017
We start to build our shop on Thursday 11th October, and if all goes smoothly we’ll open on Saturday 13th. It’s in a different location to last year’s Three Spires shop, and we’re confident this one will be in an even better place for people to pop on and buy their essential time-management-tools..
The next post will provide more details on this year’s venture, as it’s not completely signed, sealed and delivered yet. We’re hopeful of greeting and catching up with many readers in store over the coming months.
It’s exciting tinged with trepidation of the end of our ‘freedom’ as we know it for a few months …
Three Fabulous Festivals of 2018 The Home Brew Boat first began trading at canal-related festivals in Droitwich April 2014. Over the following three years the cruising plan was primarily based around planned events from April through to October.
A bostin weekend at the Black Country Boating Festival 2015
A bostin weekend at the Black Country Boating Festival 2015
Having had three very pleasant kiwi visitor episodes in August and early September, the most recent lasting eleven days and nights, we’re understandably a touch out of synch on blog posting. I also managed to squeeze in a long weekend in Brighton with one NZ buddy … Anna and Andy just before they left us on Friday 12th September, after arriving on 1st September – the final day of the IWA Festival…
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Cobbs Engine House ~ Bumble Hole #MySundayPhoto
Cobbs Engine House ~ Bumble Hole #MySundayPhoto
On a walk around the local Canals and fields I took the tiny 3 to see a building i spent many hours in as a child, a 200 year old mining engine house.
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Home Brew Boat beer tasting at Bumble Hole
Home brew boat and beer tasting at Bumble Hole
We stayed in Birmingham a little longer than planned – it’s such a buzzing city and we do enjoy our visits there.
Yesterday we moved the short distance to our next Boating Festival at Netherton, near Tipton in the West Midlands. We were pleasantly surprised to find the event’s location in a setting one wouldn’t imagine existed in the heart of what was once one of the most industrialised parts of…
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