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So nearly every CRT workboat will have been reported by Monday ...

David was very good at getting other people to do the work. Through ACT we supplied him with coal in the early days of the enterprise. One time I had left Tadworth at Stoke for him or more likely Tony Warwick to unload it and put the surplus to their sales in the old Elton or Elsan as we called it. After 2 weeks went back to fetch her and found her still nearly half full. Nick Hill and myself shoveled the balance in the Elton and made sure the bilge pump was going left. Got back to Stowe Hill and stopped under the bridge with the intention of having a swift pint only to find it had been done up and had a name change to Narrow Boat from the Globe. There was plastic sheeting over the carpet in the bar and when the land lady appeared she refused to serve us as we were a bit dirty! Nick stuttered at her we come by narrow boat to the narrow boat and you won’t serve us change the name back to the globe. Sorry about quality of the photo.

In 1984 David Blaygrove asked us to move 19 tons of loose housecoal that was on Rothens Wharf at Atherstone to Stoke Bruerne, to Load on Hesperus. ( South Midlands Canal Transport.) We had bought Thaxted only 2 months before at the National Rally at Hawksbury. I have just got to my Archive after filing it away in 2004 when we emigrated. In those days a certain standard was maintained. Brasses polished no tee shirt or fleeces. I had taken my suit jacket off on a hot day but rolled up my sleeves.

Just looked at the Log for this trip. The coal was British coal mined just before the strike and peoples perception of what we were doing was odd. I believe foreign ( Polish) coal was being brought in. This caused an altercation at the junction with the Ashby canal with a hire boat, whose occupants decided we were scabs and abused us. ( maybe they thought we had nipped overseas to collect it). Suttons was interesting as we hit a lump coming round by the sub station resulting in a huge roll, Mrs S (ah No Miss In those days ) was worried about putting a gunnel under. Finally we there was an incident with a hire boat who was conveniently using the concrete wall of the old railway bridge at Hillmorton to tie to, leaving a 9 ft gap on the downstream side of the bridge.As we came into the old bridge the stern rose rendering the steering hopeless, ( we had a good bit of way on Thaxted was fast loaded) we ‘kissed’ the stern of the boat as we came through. The dazed tea stained occupants fell out of the back doors to be sternly informed that BW regulations make it against regulations to tie within 70 foot of a bridge lock or weir for exactly that reason, that their diesel tank now held 15 gallons less and that receiving a lapful of scalding tea was the consequence. Mrs S is still as direct today as she was then. And we still have a town class…

yes thanks for that jen . the make i have is a kidde .i have just read the instuctions .it seems mine need replacing ,the other day it was bleeping for maybe 10 secs .it was telling me it needs replacing ,i would not known that if i had not just read the instructions .so thanks to you guys on canalword oof to get one just now