You might think that Botterham Bottom Lock is some sort of anal chastity belt, but in fact is it stage one of a two stage “staircase” lock, where the water from the top lock fills the bottom lock, and you are faced with double high gates in the middle.

That was our final lock for the day, which was spent heading north on the Staffs and Worcester, back the way we had come a week ago, and then past the junction with the Stourbridge Canal into new territory. The locks were scattered every half a mile or so, so Paula was on and off the boat all day.

Former lock keeper’s cottages have often been converted into desirable canal side residences. This one keeps the canal motif by having a miniature lock gate as their garden gate.

Here’s another nice roof garden.

In honor of pride weekend I should mention that we saw our first dyke boat today. Often boats will have the first names of the couple who own the boat painted on the side next to the name of the boat. We went past one owned by “Annie and Eliza”. Yeah!

One of the earliest TV shows I can remember watching as a kid was “The Flower Pot Men”. This featured humanoid marionettes called Bill and Ben who were made of flowerpots who said nothing but “Flubadub”, and a sinisterly sentient sunflower who could only say “Weed”. Both plot and character development were somewhat limited, as each episode took place while the man who worked in the garden was having his dinner. So, imagine my surprise on seeing a flowerpot man on top of a shed fishing in the canal.

The only question is, “Was it Bill or Was it Ben?”