Good Friday – an early start to get to Tamworth by 8am, delayed by a Tesco petrol station offering petrol at £1.55/litre. Too good to miss!
Yesterday had been a leisurely day; a late start followed by a 7 mile round trip to the local Waitrose, predominantly to sample a few blue soft cheeses in preparation for the cake of cheese I am putting together for son G’s wedding to M. However when we arrived at this substantial Waitrose we were disappointed to find no cheese counter. Still the walk had been good for us and the adjacent John Lewis helped make the trip worthwhile. The recent realisation that we can still get a free newspaper by logging into the Waitrose app also lessened the disappointment of the cheese scenario. R had suggested I check in advance and to his credit, he didn’t say ‘I told you so!’. It was good to do a substantial walk and we arrived back at the boat pleasantly tired and ready to enjoy a quick drink at the pub before heading for bed. I tried to find a Maundy Thursday service on You tube. There were a few Catholic masses but no Anglican offering so I settled instead for reading the different gospel versions of the last supper. Reminded me of how we can witness the same event as someone else and yet have a surprisingly differing recollection of what happened!
Back to today and our early start to get to our friends V and R in time for a hot cross buns breakfast. We then joined them at the Tamworth Good Friday Walk of Witness. A silent procession around Tamworth followed by an outside service of readings, prayer and worship, open to all denominations and none. It was inspiring, thought provoking and accompanied by sunny weather, which was an added blessing. It made up for the lack of a service yesterday and put me in the right frame of mind to appreciate that this is afterall the season of Easter. Easy to forget when living a remote life aboard.
V and R drove us back to the boat and then we all travelled together along the cut in warm sunny weather for about six miles, stopping to fill up at a water tap. V and R decided to leave us then as they had to walk back to their car. Another boat filling their tank before us was taking rather a long time, R caustically remarking to me that as an all women crew they had probably emptied the tank making full use of the shower! It can take over an hour to fill so we decided to abandon the idea and just as we were setting off a man appeared on the towpath. ‘Would you like a lift’ I asked? His eyes lit up and he readily jumped aboard. N, whose parents had emigrated from Pakistan had lived in Birmingham all his life. He often walked along the towpath and had always wanted to travel on a narrowboat so couldn’t believe it when I offered him a lift. Both of us being very chatty, I gleaned much about his life: he was a courier (but really wanted to open a narrowboat cafe), had 6 children, grandchildren and an ex wife. All this by 42! He looked about 30! Sweetly, he couldn’t believe I was 60, so he’s a friend for life! He asked me if I minded him smoking, little realising it was going to be hash. He did offer me a joint but I thought if I haven’t needed one in 60 years I didn’t think now was a good time to start and anyway I think I got some via him because after his departure, I have felt markedly chilled all evening! We shared some amazing conversation, some X rated, so not suitable for a family blog! As I said to R later, was there something in my face which made him feel able to talk so freely? He willingly accepted by offer to pray with him and though of differing faith, he found immense relief through my prayers and I felt the hand of God over the whole encounter. It reinforced the conviction that God wants to use Naomhòg not only as a retreat boat but also as a prayer boat. It always seems to me that our worthwhile encounters happen on the boat just when my doubts are setting in as to whether we have heard God correctly. It gives us conviction to continue. Offering a lift to someone seems such a small gesture (indeed in a car you might not even consider it in this day and age) and I realise I need to be discerning but I also want to trust that God will put in our paths the people he wants us to help. N left us with his mobile number and the assurance that if we need anything whilst in the vicinity of Birmingham, we are to ring him and he will bring it to us. Actually he could be a godsend next week when we are hoping to isolate as much as possible in preparation for the family wedding. A takeaway curry may be just what’s needed!
Mooring outside Bournville station, we could be in for a noisy night. We left the boat to explore the area and found a rather run down high street, yet it was filled with an amazing community spirit. First we went into an art cooperative cafe greeted by a friendly chap who encouraged us to view the exhibition in the rear of the building. It was photographs of Ukrainian students, presently studying at Birmingham university, with the backstory of what is going on for each of them in their home towns and where they were when war broke out. It was very sobering.
We were offered free cardamon buns which had come from the local bakery, also a cooperative – a thoughtful gesture because as we had asked for recommendations of where to eat, the cafe manager had thought we were hungry. Infact we appreciated something to soak up the glasses of wine and R was a bit peckish following his recent hash close encounter! N was keen to give him a joint but this was vetoed by me! Leaving the cafe we continued exploring the high street with its many varied cuisines, although surprisingly few onestop shops. We then found ourselves ushered into a welcoming, slightly bohemian restaurant, where we feasted on a couple of delicious starters and homemade pickles, before returning to the boat, pleasantly relaxed having had a great deal more inspiring day than anticipated.
NarrowboatTLC 