Update, January 2023 (2)

What a beautiful day it has been! I didn't wear a coat all day! I spent a couple of hours weeding and sweeping our front garden, which overlooks the Coventry Canal. My husband caught me out when he took this photo - I was in the middle of the sweeping and I looked a bit of a mess, didn't I? You can see my car behind me and narrowboat Joe Fiss in the background.

It was great to spend some time outside, and especially good to see the narrowboats back on the canal. Today was a perfect cruising day! Several narrowboats have been heading up and down Glascote Locks.

We usually hear the paddles first (although they haven't been as loud recently, because my Tamworth Towpath Taskforce volunteer team and I oiled them all last week!) Then we hear the engines - the thumping of an old trad engine often sends me running to the canalside to see what the boat is. I always keep my phone with me to snatch a quick photo of a passing boat and deal with any incoming calls, so my dungaree pockets are really useful!

Sometimes we hear a shout or two. Today there was a chap shouting at his missus, "Don't close the gates, there's someone coming up!" It must be a few months since we last heard that particular request. There have been quite a few days over the winter with no boats moving at all.

This morning we went to Kingsbury Water Park which is a huge park with several lakes and a beautiful walk alongside the River Tame and through woodland. The model boat club was out as usual - they usually run traditional boats in the morning and model power boats in the afternoon.