Christine

I was an active member of the CW Forum about 10 years ago. After years of caring for old mum and Grandchildren, the old dreams of buying a narrowboat are resurfacing. I’ve holidayed with families often on various bits of the system and in all weathers. As I live in West Sussex I’m looking probably in the K&A area. Ken, my friend will join me as we intend to make some progress around the system for the greater part of the fair weather months. Just the paperwork to sort after Mum sadly died....and then we will be off boat hunting ?

Hi Guys! I have only just had time to catch up on CW Forum and to sincerely apologise for not coming along the the Newhaven banter. It's been a hectic few weeks - car died in MOT, elderly mother had a nasty fall so needs daily care from me and my daughter had baby #2. The self employment breadboard business has really taken off and I'm doing four Farmer's Markets a month. The worst news is that I have replaced elderly Nissan Sunny (bought for £250 6 years ago with no repair bills in that time and got £150 for it at the scrappy yard) with a Suzuki Waggon R+ It is a nice dark green though.

Thanks David for the email regarding the banter. Lewes would suit me well - I know the Snowdrop Inn. Either date would be good or a Sunday. Great stuff! Chris PS - Delighted to say that I can get back in the forum now I have a wizzy new laptop!!!

It's just been on - Grand Union Canal featured in Michael Wood's Series about the history of Kibworth, Leicester. He is on NB Georgina at Foxton. (started at 7.00pm -it's on about 7.45pm)

Oh! nice one Bazza, she looks lovely. I reckon there is room for a big banter on her - we will have to wear those blue bag things over our shoes like wot they make you put on when you have a nosey around posh boats at exhibitions. Brilliant. Great choice. Chris xxxxxxxxxxx <-----that's just incase you have a spare berth going LOL

I have just brushed the hound with a brush like this and (with this thread in mind) tried this on some rugs and carpet - brilliant - I got up huge balls of fluff of all types of flooring. http://www.plentyforpets.com/product_detail.php?product=4047&category=0_164_1035_161 I bought mine for £1.50 at a dog show - needs very gentle brushing on the dog though as it is rather fierce.

Flotex seems to be the choice of all the hire boats we have used. Easy to vacuum/scrub and always in that dull fawn colour which matches the muck. I guess they know a thing or two. Oh, and vinyl laid so that it is wrapped up against the walls in the bathroom. A tip from a friend was always buy carpets the same colour as the muck in your hoover bag. (So that is Spaniel black & white = grey with a sprinkling of baked bean in my house).

Here is a bit about Carolina Ducks in our local paper this week http://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/lifestyle/columnists/the_prettiest_duck_of_them_all_1_1367802 Sorry - I can't do the linky thing since the New Look CWF.

We bought a cheap axe from B&Q - useless as the shoulder that holds the handle is very fat and gets stuck in the log. I would, in hindsight, try to find a good old secondhand one in preference to new. Also some means of sharpening it. The best tool I ever used on logs was owned by Ben Law (of Grand Designs fame) It was a machette type with a very thin, sharp blade. Excellent.

Have you got a nice big sharp knife to chop off rubbish down the weed hatch if you get fouled up?

A neighbour has just left a bag of Damsons on my doorstep picked from a tree on his golf course. (in exchange for mushrooms that I had found in the cow field). If anyone is on the on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal I found loads of damsons on my last trip, on the tow path, which are good for jam, Damson Gin (as for sloes) and chutney.

I don't know about the road signs but every map of Sussex stuck on the fly leaf of our school atlases certainly had been 'amended'.

Big Lock was the first lock that I opened - for the first three, I was down below pouring G&T's - hence the falling in.

Son's ex girlfriend's father (still with me?) had a company (which we referred to as 'Daddy's D**k Cream Co) making erectile dysfunction cream back in the 1990's so I did a bit of searching to see if he had a hand in Vasolator, so to speak. It appears to be made by a Japanese company - main ingredient is Glyceryl trinitrate (yep, you'r are right - nitroglycerine by another name) which is absorbed by the skin and causes blood vessels to dilate.

My first lock (as a passenger on the trip boat) on the Wey & Arun was Baldwins Knob Lock - we had been walking along the towpath when the Skipper slowed down and invited us aboard. My first lock 'proper'was Middlewich Big Lock on NB Willow from Middlewich Boats. Trouble happened straight afterwards when I slipped off the gunnel gettng back on and ended up in the Cut.