The sun brings 'em all out

Sunday, 12 February 2012 18:00

It is so nice to see the sun, shame it was only one day. It may be warmer but we are back to gloomy skies today. The sun cheers me up too and so off I went for another wander, camera in hand! I went from arctic-like ice to warmer climes in the space of about 50 yards!

Iced over Cambrian Wharf

This time I turned left over one of the bridges at the "roundabout" ......

The world and his wife were out on the towpaths around the centre of Brimingham and the seagulls were being well looked after at Old Turn Junction

Seagulls at Old Turn

As you can see, the ice was well broken up due to the demands of commerce. The trip boats were out, shuttling back and forth; however, they were only carrying a few passengers, everyone else was walking.

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One of the waterbuses at Old Turn

ICC, from Brewmasters Bridge

The ICC is the back/front of the Symphony Hall and is an amazingly multi-level, versatile building. It is used for large conferences and small meetings. There are corners away from the crowds that can be used to sit and reflect or work; there are cafes, bars, a music shop with Symphony Hall music on sale and of course the delightful Symphony Hall. I have even heard of narrowboaters who go there in the evening to charge their electric stuff and save on heating!

Mind your head!

Avoiding the icicles under Broad Street Bridge/tunnel is easy for pedestrians, but not so for boaters as they hang down right in the middle of the channel! It was near here that I overheard this - "who wants the sea when you have canals?" -this in the most urban of canal settings! Now to me, this is like saying that a cat who lives on a housing estate doesn't want trees because he has a scratching post. Having lived near the sea for most of my life, I know the power it can exert over the psyche, as can canals but in a totally different way. Sorry - just my little homily for today!

From Broad Street Bridge back towards Old Turn

The canal at Worcester Bar was liquid too, as far as I could see, but I suspect that just around the corner beyond the Mailbox at the end of this stretch, the ice returned.

Worcester Bar and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal from Over Footbridge

So the Main Line and the W and B in the centre of Birmingham are well on their way to thawing - but the Birmingham and Fazeley (where we are) is still frozen over - so we can't move yet. But you never know, the thaw may be on its way.