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Bet that taught her a lesson, where did you poke her?

Back to waterways. While hunting out the loco photo I came across these of the ill-fated water slope at Beziers. Part of the scheme to allow 38 metre barges to pass through the Canal du Midi, it bypassed the staircase of 30 metre locks nearby. Hotel-barge Papillon is seen on her way up with a small cruiser, being pushed in a pool of water by the overhead gantry. The 38 etre barge in the other picture carried a load of stone. The slope's working life was short, the gantry running away downhill one rainy day when its rubber tyres failed get a grip. Fortunately there was no vessel in the pool, but the resulting wave lifted a hire cruiiser onto the bottom gates at the lock downstream and the vessel was wrecked. For the group on board it was their first lock on the first day of their vacation. Legend has it that they were offered a replacement boat but they declined

As a bit of a lockdown project I have been putting together a list of online historic UK waterway film. It is at Historic Canal Film (timlewis.org.uk) I would be interested of hearing of any others that may be out there.

I think whoever is poking him with that big red stick is bang out of order!

I finally took up the challenge and watched their latest Vlog. Until now I never thought there could be anything worse than Gregg Wallace or Mrs Brown's Boys, I was wrong. It was awful, not only was it less than informative, it was all about themselves, with half the footage showing them talking, and looking at each other, accompanied by a very poor attempt at humor. If this is an example of "above average quality" vlogs, it confirms my original assessment of such presentations.

'allo, 'allo, 'allo, what's this around the propshaft?

PZM Amex

Great stuff. Herewith one of my own, taken at around the same time, out in Rajasthan. I was practically arrested taking this photo as railways were defined as a military objective apparently, although, as often in India, hands were shaken, good wishes exchanged and the whole thing forgotten. Incidentally, apropos of nothing to do with waterways, I recommend 'Man-eaters of Kumaon' (which is where we were going), a best-seller in Britain years ago, but now largely forgotten. The author Jim Corbett, tracked down tigers which spread terror in outlying territories - one animal alone killed over 500 people - and while he was hunting them, they, all too often, were hunting him. A gripping read, in or out of Lockdown. Amazon has it. After that try 'The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag.'

The best things come to he who waits.. 20 years in this case. Dredging team assembled ready for action on the Chesterfield.