Arrival at Hawkesbury Junction

In contrast to the last few days the Sun has shone beautifully for our passage today from Nuneaton to Hawkesbury Junction which reflected itself in the happy smile of everybody we passed. Even the anglers, normally very glum and taciturn when addressed, were very pleased today not only to return my greeting with a smile but mostly with a witty quip as well. Wow!

 

The flat rural countryside of north Warwickshire

 

The Sun is so good for everybody. The feel good factor is enormous when it shines.

Though the view of Nuneaton from the canal is probably not its best the Sunlight on the water today and through the shrubbery behind the council houses sparkled, while well kept gardens glowed with the bright colour of late summer and autumn. Even the vast stretch of allotments to the west of the canal were heavy with produce. Weekend owners were busy harvesting their good supply of beans etc., trimming large cauliflowers and happily digging the ground ready for next year’s crop. The heavy fragrance of mowed wet autumnal grass wafted across the canal as ‘Futurest’ and I passed by to remind us that no summer is ever a bad summer.

 

The relic of a rustic bridge……

 

 
…… and of days gone by

 

There was very little traffic on the canal this morning. ‘Futurest’ leading the little flotilla was probably the first to disturb the bright coloured Kingfisher who flew at a furious pace over our head towards ‘Roots and Wings’. Up until joining the Coventry Canal at Fradley Junction I had not had one sighting of this wonderful bird throughout the whole year’s journey. But in the short period since then I have seen four of them. It’s amazing as well as most pleasing.

Hawkesbury Junction has always been very busy at the times I’ve passed before and I expected nothing less this time. So imagine my surprise but extreme pleasure nonetheless to find the visitor moorings leading to the junction from the north, completely empty when we arrived.

 

The ‘Greyhound’ under the bridge

The Sun makes me feel optimistic always, and when one is optimistic everything always goes right. So on this Sun laden day we were bound to find that we had a free choice of mooring on arrival at normally busy Hawkesbury Junction. The rule never fails.