Arthur Marshall

None, but they still do. When I started work, i got paid in cash. Then was forced to open a bank account as employers were instructed by government to stop such payment. Plenty of other examples. In order for the Revenue to pay my rebate into my account instantly I have to have a passport, as I haven't, it takes 3 months to get a cheque. Morality and ethics have absolutely nothing to do with contract law, or what one person or business can do to another, which is probably lucky, really, as no two people have the same code. Contract law, interestingly (or at least I think it's interesting) is the last remnant of the feudal system which it is based on, so it's simply what the person higher up the food chain CAN do, nowt to do with should or ought.

Cows have always been hip. Fresians are positively groovey. Man.

That's all that was ever proposed. All the rest was the usual internet exaggeration, panic and misinformation. And they don't say "self-isolate". They advise staying at home. Self-isolating is shutting yourself away from everyone in a single room and not seeing anyone. At all. Staying at home is what we do normally when we don't go out. You have to remember that ninety per cent of what you read anywhere is drivel, like your bit last week about all schools closing last Friday. You do seem a little naive in what you believe, which surprises me. There again, maybe it's just fun to stir the peasants up a bit!

I understand it's going really well in Italy, Iran, Spain... Stop trying to panic us. Doesn't mention age at all. It refers ONLY to those infected who risk spreading it by behaving like idiots. Got nothing to do with incarcerating us old farts.

I'm not surprised we haven't seen the OP for a bit...

But it is, isn't it? Sometimes anyway? Or doesn't that happen any more? Mind you, on the rare occasions I've been on lumpy water, it's me that's been emptied over the side more often than not.

So we're being asked (not compelled) to isolate as much as we can, for our own good. Fair enough. Penalties are for those (of any age) who refuse a test if it's considered necessary or who, knowing they are infected, put others at risk. While I'd obviously much rather damn the Tories for incompetence and uncaringness, I think they've got this right so far and unlike other countries have resisted the urge to panic and make things worse.

How they going to tell if someone's 69 or 71? And who is going to do the telling? Non-existent coppers arresting people with grey hair who cough in the street? Maybe they'll co-opt traffic wardens... I think we have to wait and see the legislation before we start worrying, but if you've got a temperature and a cough, you probably won't feel like going out anyway. There's hope for us - a lot of people on this forum and as far as I'm aware, none of us have even caught a mild dose yet.

Mine aren't - it takes the pharmacy a week to get them. Might depend on the pills, might be the pharmacy - mine has cut right down on holding drugs and has to order moost of them from a central hub elsewhere.

It will be impossible to ban those without symptoms from going out. An 80 year old on an estate, living on their own with no local family? And thousands of people simply can't afford to get food delivered. What is sensible is to try to reduce interaction as much as possible, to try to put of getting seriously ill until there is a chance to be cured, or at least looked after. And to remember that most old people recover, too.

I never had much success with Captain Tolley. Did you find it worked?

Taking the risk of bring accused of being pompous again, I reiterate that, if you live on your boat in a marina and have no desire or need to take it out, it's a perfectly justifiable thing to do because living on a boat is nicer than living in a house. And, morally speaking, you don't need a licence. But there are thousands of things the law or the powers that be compel us to do which have no moral validity or practical use, but that someone further up the food chain finds advantageous and has managed to impose on the rest of us. This is just one of them - the problem with being in a minority position is that you get discriminated against. Whether it's worth the time and energy fighting a battle that is almost certainly unwinnable is a matter for the individual, but it's still not a bad thing to do, in my opinion.

Further to all this, as the original bloke I took it to ended up not having the time to do the job he thought it was, I had it looked at by the guy who rebuilt it twenty years ago and then by another local engineer. Both thought it more likely to be the gasket than the oil seal so,as the engine doesn't have to come out for that, it's cheaper so we're doing that first. If it turns out not to be and he doesn't find any other culprit while he's in there. I'll have to move on. The only other major thing that's happened over the last few years is the gearbox coming off and going back on, so have mentioned it, but can't see how that could be a cause. Sadly, this could be the end of thirty years with the boat as I'm running out of money. I'd hoped it would last as long as I did so fingers crossed...

You'd have thought so. It doesn't look like the actual structure is damaged, so no worse than a flooded house, probable easier to dry out. You do wonder why, as they were in it at the time, they didn't loosen the ropes when they felt it start to tip. Surely if they've been on the Soar that long they must have been aware it goes up and down a few inches every now and then, or do Pillings have some kind of levelling control?