Stourbridge Canal Festival 2009

Another trip on the train today took me to the Stourbridge Canal Festival held at the Bonded Warehouse, and along the canal side.

There were lots of people there and it was starting to get crowded as I left.

I spotted the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS) stand proudly selling the Waterways Routes range of DVDs.  I hope they do well.

Posted on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 12:11        Comments (0)
Category(s): Festivals and Shows

IWA Festival 2008 - Autherley Junction

August Bank Holiday means it’s the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) festival.  It’s held at a different location every year and this year it’s at Autherley Junction where the Shropshire Union Canal and the Staffs & Worcester Canal meet near Wolverhampton.

We had planned to visit on Saturday morning but our plans became a little complicated and Christine visited on Saturday morning and I visited on Sunday morning.  It was a very quiet start to Sunday morning but it was just starting to fill up as I left at lunchtime.

There were all sorts of stands, typical of these festivals.  Some sheltered in the marquees and others braving the weather with their stalls outside.  Plenty of boats to go aboard, if you don’t mind queuing.  There was, of course, plenty of the traditional mud to wade through.  There were plenty of volunteers putting down cartloads of bark chippings but they were soon trodden into the mud.

Then it was back by bus and train to our boat, still moored in Birmingham.

We’d planned to cruise the Avon Ring this week but unfortunately our daughter, Susan, is in Hospital.  First in City Hospital, and now in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, fortunately both within reach from our home moorings so we’re living on the boat.  We’re still not certain what the problem is but it seems to be a rare infection which has stopped her kidneys working and she has needed dialysis.

There are small signs of improvement now and we might manage a short cruise later in the week, hopping between railway stations or bus stops so we can still see her during visiting hours.  With our son Andrew, and girlfriend Megan aboard we can share the visiting.

Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 at 09:12        Comments (0)
Category(s): Festivals and Shows