April 15

The Stratford canal is now a memory. I passed the great Cadbury chocolate works in Bourneville, but decided that I would wait for a tour of the “Chocolate World” museum until I had someone along who might appreciate it more than I…

I’m in Birmingham overnight, in the Cambrian Wharf- a safe place to be in the middle of this city. I had planned to stop it at St. Martins in the Bullring to check out the large ring of 16 bells there. I asked whether they were ringing, and was told, yes, at 6:30. I waited 2.5h and no one showed. I asked the security lady, and she said “the regular ringing practice is at half 7 (7:30).” OK. Waited another hour, one guy showed up, no one else, then he exclaimed” It is Holy week, so no ringing!”. Darn. And this after I had asked the staff there twice. Oh well. It was a great evening, and I have purged myself of any desire to look at stuff I don’t want to buy for a long while.

I’m on through Birmingham tomorrow, and we’ll see how far I get. I won’t strand myself in the middle of the Wolverhampton locks. Another glorious spring day becons- the forecast is for good weather until Easter day.