Wassat

If you use one of these new fangled electronic gas lighters, which seem to have the uncanny knowledge of the most inconvenient time to run out of gas,make sure you have FULL refill available for it. . . . . OR Several boxes of matches

All persons over the age of 50 (fifty) qualify for help from AGE UK telephone numbers all over the place and offices and shops, some of the shops have an office within them. We know several people who have sought their help and advice. They will take you all the way through the benefits system. Some people have been very surprised to find that they are eligible for more than they were getting.

I know several people who are non boater and have no interest whatsoever in the waterways who have acquired BW keys and make full use of BW facilities when they are out with their motor caravans. Apparently it is one of the first tricks you are taught when you go to one of their rallies. One gentleman told me that he had bought 2 BW keys from another motorhomer at one of these rallies.They find the elsan points especially usefull.

Real economy and keep fit machine:

Warfarin when being taken has to be monitored. The topic title says it all really. Does anybody have any suggestions on the best and most efficient way for a ccer to gget this done. Second question. Does anybody know anything or have any suggestionss for the other blood thinners.

From the same Forum BHS replies so from horses mouth: Re: Towpaths, Bridleway and access creationWe’d like to offer our apologies for the delay in responding yesterday to tinap’s email (Fenris, we had seen the thread around the same time of sending so can promise it was coincidence!). Also, a big thank you for the positive comments on this thread about our good work on access and the need for help if we’re going to achieve more. The BHS has represented the interests of equestrians nationally with British Waterways and what is now The Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT) for more than 10 years. We have a good partnership, as a result of which there is an agreement whereby if a towpath is suitable and safe for (mounted) equestrian access, and would provide a key link between two bridleways or a safe off-road route to additional equestrian legal off-road access, then CRT and the BHS will consider a proposal for such access. The Horse Boating Society also represent the interests of horse drawn boaters, which is still a thriving tourism practice on parts of the network. It's important for anyone reading this who may not be familiar with the variety of canal towpaths across Britain to note that the majority of towpaths would be dangerous for horse riders even if access was granted by the CRT or landowner. The historical evolution of the canal network has resulted in the narrowing of towpaths (making it very difficult for horses to turn around if they come across an obstacle) and the removal of horse routes over bridges - with the majority of existing bridges too low for horses to pass under, this means they would come to a dead end. Lastly, there has also been the removal of the slipways on hard towpath edges, which could have been used as access points in and out of the water to assist a horse if it fell in. There are some canal towpaths, however, which may be suitable – some which may require funding to adapt, and some which simply would be too expensive to adapt to a safe standard for all towpath users to make accessible for equestrians. Over the past two years, we’ve been working with BHS members and volunteers to identify key pilot areas for potential equestrian access, and we’re pleased to say that work started on our first proposed area at the end of 2013. We’re working positively with CRT on this but it’s not yet at the stage where we can make the location public so please bear with us. Just as there’s safety in numbers, so there's strength, too! The more members and volunteers we have, the more we can collectively achieve. Full details on each are on www.bhs.org.uk. If anybody reading this has any further comments or questions about access to canal towpaths or feedback on potential towpath routes in their area, please email access@bhs.org.uk with the subject ‘Access to Towpaths’.

Seen on a forum: Re: Towpaths, Bridleway and access creation I was told that the BHS are working with the canal & river trust regarding opening towpaths to riders. I contacted the CaRT asking about our local canal & they asked me to forward on my email to the BHS & confirmed they are working together. I did forward it on in the middle of December but am yet to get a reply x BHS = British Horse Society Anybody know any more about it Imagine a narrow towpath after it has been raining hard for a couple of days.!!!

The National Trust style membership already exists. The members are the boaters. They pay and get what few benefits there are - tow path mooring, locks held together by yellow tape and akros, etc. Everything a boater does, not just licence fees, supports the canals. When we buy fuel, get repairs, it all supports the canals. The suppliers pay C@RT for the privilege of doing business with boaters. The peripheral users who don't pay licence fees are the walkers, cyclists and fishermen. In a way it is like fleas on a dog's back (the boaters being the dog). Yes, there might well be thousands of fleas and only one dog. But eventually the burden is too great and the dog either gets de-flead or dies. Without the dog's blood supply and warmth the fleas are dead. If the boaters are driven abroad (Yes, we and several others are already considering it) or just leave the canals because of cost and bureaucracy then how are the walkers, fishermen and cyclists going to support the continued upkeep of the canals? The fishermen pay a licence, but they can and will go wherever it is either cheaper or more productive to fish. There are already angling clubs for those with the money and inclination to join. What can the canals offer over and above what already exists? Nothing. The cyclists and ramblers? They expect everything free, just as they do from the National Trust. They are getting a service over and above that which everyone else pays for in their general taxes but which most rarely use, although it should also be remembered that if too many people use an area it suffers badly. Some paths have been worn away and walkers asked to go elsewhere. The idea of different membership sections for each user group is a good one. But, and this is a big BUT! The competing sections must never be allowed to kill the dog and must be made to understand that their use is peripheral to the reason for existence of the canals. Eventually the only viable option will be turnstiles where cyclists and walkers pay to use the tow-path or use a swipe card (keys are too easily copied) that comes as part of their membership fee. Income from government sources is inevitably going to decrease or cease altogether. Charities that gain all or large proportions of their funding from the public purse are under fire, http://fakecharities.org/ and you only have to look in the media to see charities have become fair game - and who can blame those who see their income shrinking or their jobs at risk for objecting to high salaries and tax money going to organisations that they might not choose to support willingly? CART is either a charity which exists on freely given donations and offers the donors no services other than a feel good factor, or they are a business that charges for it's services and should charge ALL users for those services. Either way they should listen to the people who donate or pay to make sure that they are given value for their money.