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Absolute joy to get out at last today, first time this year, even having to cancel our traditional Christmas cruise due to care issues. We even set off in the dark last night, just because we could.

It’s my boat. The silencer is welded at the edges. There is no drain hole. The clamps don’t leak exhaust gasses. The silencer is in the engine bay. A top technician from Autoterm visited the installation as the heaters were in their infancy in 2019. He was complimentary about the standard. The boat safety inspector inspected the installation at the last safety check and was very happy. I’ve never seen a narrowboat with the silencer mounted externally either. We run the heater everyday and I there is no exhaust leaking from anywhere except outside the skin fitting. The boats diesel engine silencer is in the same engine bay space so you suggest this silencer is moved to the outside of the boat too? So, it’s probably best to mind your own business and concentrate on your own boat (if you have one!)

Looks like it comes with its own pot of gold!

Hello all I hope this is ok? I’m a small time YouTuber on canal restoration. A few weekends ago I helped on a dig with KESCRG on Westfield lock on the eastern end of the missing mile. This involved digging things out mainly. Here is my video on it, I hope you enjoy https://youtu.be/HGxubEXzm4w This is what it was like at the beginning of the year when I was filming down there previously. https://youtu.be/M_D71X0mwLI I’ve also been there this weekend for another dig (not volunteering this time just filming) and will be there again in 2 weeks helping again with KESCRG

How about making it really difficult and spotting a CWF boater who is happy?

What does DNA stand for? . . . National Dyslexic association. Last time I told that joke on here, someone came and started explaining no, it should be NDA....

Depends on the boat club. In my case, I didn't meet any official from the club until after I joined and was offered a mooring. Even after a year there I hadn't met the commodore....and his boat was the next one up the mooring to mine! Like most moorings, there were a number of boats that never move and who's owners are practically never seen.

I don't like the idea, not because I'm against the concept specifically but more because this place lives or dies on discussion and even though it can be frustrating for the old hands to see the same topics raised time and time again the forum needs new members and that's how new members get involved, by asking questions. And I have a real soft spot for the forum and we need new involved members

I gave up posting advice on anything as I realised I don't know anything.

Germany doesn't run the EU according to what Brexiteers in cluding you have been telling us for 6 years.

It will probably be the older cars for which replacement items can be made by a decent engineering workshop, that will last longest. It is the more recent cars that use sophisticated electronics modules which are often specific to a particular model and manufactured in the Far East, that are likely to become scrap sooner, when replacements for items such as their multifunction touch screen displays that are replacing physical switches and instruments, are no longer available. The very expensive manufacturing plant required to make such items means that they cannot be made by independent suppliers in the same way that mechanical items can. An acquaintance who runs a 1948 Jowett Javelin, had a linkage fail in its gearbox last year, and was able to source and fit a replacement in a week. I would not be surprised if the high cost of EVs and Hybrids, combined with issues with charging EVs by those who do not have off-street parking, leads to the continued presence of many older IC cars on the roads. We could end up a bit like Cuba after Castro took over and import of new cars was blocked.

I suspect the opposite would be true - the signal-to-noise ratio would tilt strongly towards noise if all the sensible factual information were to be stored in a wiki.

Not near Hopwas is it? We got caught out there many yars ago (late 90s) near the army range in the woods there because the stoppage was listed as on the B&F rather than on the Coventry canal. Something odd going on there with the canal having two different names depending on where exactly you are. This was in BW days. I remember walking the dogs in the woods there. Quite nice if you can avoid getting shot by soldiers.

They are travelling in wodges(packs) now, 2 x 12' and a big red 14' at the back, been together all winter.

Well this forum (or any public online forum for that matter) isn't too far apart from the very concept of a Wiki, i.e. a website or database developed collaboratively by a community of users. The key difference is that as you know, a forum is more focused around the discussion of such content and is not limited to or restricted to supposed factual information, but also opinion. Not sure I'd agree with your point about Wiki having a rubbish reputation. By whom? Wikipedia for example is constantly maintained and updated. The same cannot be said for the hard-cover encyclopedia my late mother bought me back in 1995. - Which is now out of date and contains information that has since been disproven by scientists and/or other experts in more recent years. (e.g. due to recent discoveries about our solar system etc etc) Point is; Much of what we think we know today will likely be disproven in years to come. But if we don't share what we think we know, how will anyone be able to disprove it? That is the beauty of sharing information. We can only build on our knowledge by doing just that. Ultimately if people take what they read as gospel (irrespective of whether they read it in a scientific textbook or otherwise), then quite frankly they're simply narrowminded. It's always best imo to keep an open mind. Point in case; Only 15 years ago we were being told by the government (albeit indirectly) to go out and buy diesel cars on the basis that they were more efficient and better for the environment. Now look at what we're being told. - Does that mean we shouldn't share what we think we know today?

Starling, with Ethel, in happier days en route to Ellesmere Port 2004.

My recollection is that pension holidays were a consequence of, I think, Gordon Brown making a rule that pension funds whose assets exceeded 105% of their liabilities, had to pay the excess to the government to reduce their assets to the 105% level, effectively a form of taxation on pensions. So pension holidays should have been no surprise. When I first joined the GEC pension scheme, employee contributions were graduated, higher earners paying up to I think around 10%. When the company took a pension holiday, employee contributions were reduced to 4% for everyone, regardless of salary. Had they not done so, some of both the employer's and the employees' contributions would have been confiscated by the government.

That's nice for you! I'm using a 12" laptop and I have poor eyesight and my screen resolution is exactly what I want it to be, thank you.