More Rain, Less Tea

There were no excursions down backwaters to derelict tea warehouses  today, but plenty more rain. We were fooled into leaving Bodymoor Heath by a short dry spell, but the rain returned after Fazeley Junction and got steadily worse. We stopped for lunch at Whittington and as Ken has to leave tomorrow we almost decided to call it a day there and then, but after a walk into the village to check on bus times (the whole gamut of internet-based bus information now available having been rendered useless by lack of a connection) we decided we were now so wet we might as well carry on!
The jourtney was enlivened by a bit of boat spotting. We passed Seyella somewhere near Hopwas and had a shouted conversation with Geoff and saw steam narrowboat Emily Anne at Streethay. Nev Wells' Waterlily was at its mooring at Fradley Junction by which time the rain was of an intensity known as "Lake District Rain" (very heavy and showing no signs of stopping). We eventually came to halt just outside Alrewas, which will do Ken for a bus back to Lichfield in the morning, and tea was foregone in favour of two mugs of hot cocoa. And it is still raining!