Blogs from Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Time runs together on the Canal. It's hard to believe that hours go by, and then you can't believe it's only been five minutes since the last bridge. We are doing the Black Country Loop near Birmingham, in a counter-clockwise fashion, starting out of Barton Turns Marina (and ending there). Rather than give a mile by mile (there are 86), lock by lock (more than 100), pub by pub (yummy meat pies), or bridge by bridge (we stopped counting)... for the remainder of the canal trip, we will talk about interesting highlights. We split out our time in Birmingham into a separate entry, after this one, since that was a short escape from normal Canal life. We'll mention that Anne and Tony (mostly Anne) were sick during this part of the trip, so we may not ... read more

“Seaside.. Seasiders”! A lone voice boomed out across The Moat. The vocalist awaited further backing. There was a none. The old lady in front awoke from her slumber on the crash barrier and turned to express her disapproval. The next vocal volley met with a steely glare. The vocalist realised he was on a loser having had “the look” and went back to his pint. Harry’s Bar had been doing good trade all afternoon. The Mount Pleasant gang were on the long trip south to the sleepy confines of southwest Derbyshire. They were impressed by the product on offer in Harry’s Bar – the pitchside refreshment emporium – and the pleasant spring sunshine. The thick coats showed that they were unaccustomed to anything other than a stiff North Sea breeze blowing in. The day had started ... read more

Christmas seems a lifetime away. Hwyl - a welsh goodbye to Christmas and helo a chroeswch - welcome to a new year . 2017 and the start of other great and small adventures. January feels listless and I am reminded of the Pilot song which went something like "January sick and tired you've been hanging on me". The corner looks empty now the Christmas tree has been taken down. The days are grey and dull and have that November feel of dampness upon them. . The Derbyshire sky lifeless. The sun obscured by the thick clouds . The wind holds a chill which touches with its icy fingers. Towards the end of the week snow is predicted. Any rain is likely to fall as snow or sleet. Winter perhaps is on the verge of arriving. There ... read more

Tis true, today is our 9th Wedding Anniversary and as much as we love our little home with it's beautiful surroundings, we can't wait to be somewhere warmer this time next year! The countdown to the off is in full flow with more and more emphasis being placed on the search for a suitable adventure vehicle. This includes hours being spent on the internet rather than cooking tea! We'd originally thought the decision about 'what vehicle' was totally straight forward ... campervan, has to be, doesn't it? Well apparently, no, it doesn't! Now the idea of a 4WD and a caravan has crept into our collective minds so we're checking out more possibilities. It's not just us two that we need to consider, Sarah's Mum and Dad will be coming out to Australia sometime in 2010 ... read more

Kinda cloudy day but no rain and it was warm…Mel and her madre took me out to the city of Lichfield--apparently it is a “city” because it has a cathedral and if a town doesn’t have one it is called a town or a village. The Lichfield cathedral is the only cathedral in England that has three spirals…fancy that! The city itself is adorable with hidden areas that reminded Mel and I of such places as diagon alley from harry potter...hehe. Her mom took me for tea and cake at another cute little pub called the “Hedgehog.” So today was my last day in Newborough where Mel lives…I was sad to already be leaving because it was such a unique and amazing experience in the country sides of England. Definitely ten times more breathtaking than in ... read more