davey b

Were you planning to? Boating can be expensive but....

If you are unfortunate and there is an uninsulated area where the spray foam did not get (as we are on a return edge along the gunwale) and you may be getting condensation dripping and staining the wood either on the face or from behind. I have heard a light bleaching solution may help (or something like rose water is in the distant depths of my mind...) to clean off the blackening from the wood, but you need to address the condensation area to stop a re-occurrence

I once saw a US serviceman brief a British General and use most of the terms above and a few more. At the end of this piece of information there was a pause whereupon the General said: "What does that actually mean?" The American chap, somewhat forlornly, replied: "I don't know, Sir, I just read it out." "I see," replied the General, "Don't bother coming again!" Daniel Charles' current picnic based drivel surrounds what you would miss most about the canals... implying it will go if you don't cough-up. Seems to me that a good deal of maintenance could be paid for by not employing him!

I took 3... My heart is broken!

I'm sure I can drink one quicker than that... so actually put weight on in the locks!

Seems to change every time I go on there. I think it depends how you get to it, either from favourites, Google, address bar direct, search/advanced search, etc

Expensive but very good, Sikaflex 291 and Sikaflex 221. About a tenner a tube! http://usa.sika.com/en/solutions_products/01/01a006/01a006sa01/01a006sa01100/01a006sa01102.html http://usa.sika.com/en/solutions_products/01/01a004/01a004sa05/01a004sa05100/01a004sa05101.html

I'm a happy customer, though stuff can take a while to be ready. They helpfully agreed we could collect (brass & glass is heavy!) but we were waiting for one item to be finished and we picked up no problem in the end, so partly us to blame. Always very helpful on the phone and also when Mrs B collected.

Congratulations... Enjoy it!

We wanted a unique name - strange as we already had one, but that had all sorts of connections with the previous owner and we were keen to move away from that - and according to Jim Shead's site we have. Tea and Medals comes from a Blackadder quote loosely based on military history and common terms ("...back in time for tea and medals" from the Royal Flying Corps/Flasheart episode, though whether it precisely predates Blackadder is open to question; it's common now!). It also strikes a chord with us as we consume gallons of tea (the kettle is usually on if we're on board) and I have acquired a few medals now including one for not getting caught I'm trying to work out how to integrate my ribbons into the paint job - in order, of course.

They don't need comparing; both do valuable work helping broad and differing sectors of that community. This was the first ride round the Brize Norton route and follows the move of the repatriation flights and creation of a new memorial.

I was there! (black KTM 990 SMT with very bright running lights) It has become annual and started with a ride to Royal Wooton Basset to commemorate and mark that community's part in the repatriations during the course or the Iraq and Afghan conflicts. As the location for the repatriations has moved from RAF Lynham to RAF Brize Norton, so too has the ride. It has been organised this year by the Royal British Legion and has probably raised many tens of thousands of Pounds towards the causes they support including the remembrance of all our fallen. It was quite thing of which to be part... possibly 5 to 10 thousand bikes travelling through Oxon from Dalton Barracks Abingdon (formerly RAF Abingdon) to RAF Brize Norton with people lining parts of the route with flags and banners, all ages and types of people - quite moving to see that level of support. The ride passed the Britannia Gate (ceremonial type exit from the RAF station for the funeral cortege) and finished past the memorial on Norton Way having passed many village war memorials on the way. Quite few serving and ex servicemen and women were riding today. More info here: http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/fundraising/riders-honour-the-fallen-on-the-ride-of-respect-2013 and here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-22926580

The bed on our tug is under the deck and I quite like it.... It reminds me of the protective concrete igloo I slept in to avoid the rockets landing near us in Iraq! The temperature issues are as much to do with convection currents as anything - good heating and ventilation is essential. Deep draught is good for headroom, and sitting on the deck is very pleasant. I'm sold on it!

BWML contact there is Maeve Hillen (which I believe is her correct spelling) - a very helpful lady.

It is quite clearly explained http://smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html which I think is Gibbo's site - generally good for electrical stuff.

£3000 for a cast iron stand pipe is MoD pricing! The cast iron type could be copied or a similar item produced in self coloured resinous (probably recycled) fibrous plastic material, designed to be Regs compliant and self insulating for considerably less csot whilst being more pleasing to the eye, functional and less attractive to the scrap metal thieves. That stainless item is utter arse! Public toilet or kebab house chic, with little insulation, poor functionality and greater injury potential. Ignoring the (slightly suspect) water regs argument, surely the question should be why? Just do what one of the richest charities in the country does and ignore the situation until forced, when they get someone else to do something for them as a gift!

A tumble home is a styling design where the top or bottom curves away from the (usually) vertical side, used to avoid a 'slab-sided' appearance or to give clearance where required i.e. it tucks i at the bottom or rolls in at the top - imagine the curvature along the side of a car or railway carriage I would guess that the upper reaches of the hull roll inwards above the top rubbing strake on your boat and that the blacking stops (stopped) on the strake with paint being used above.

You should be aware (if not already) that there are two levels of this silvered bubble wrap. B&Q do some stuff for about £15 for 15m x 600mm & screwfix have something that looks similar for about £100 for 25m x 1m. We've used the cheap stuff as a liner between the spray foam and the ply wood before the decorative layer (t&g ash). It does make a slight difference, if only by bridging or filling drafty gaps. I wouldn't pay the higher price. It stops them stealing your thoughts, too!!!

If it isn't too rude, of how much did CJ Diesels relieve you for their FIP and injector rebuild? Mine leaks like a sieve and is running very rich! I need to get the governor t-piece adjusted correctly as well...

Is there anything out there to replace G7 lamps? These are the low watt version of the halogen tube in security type lights. As they are a pole at each end, I'm thinking that Alan's G4 adaptor x 2 may be the easiest way and use two G4 LED BA15 type lamps (rather than the MR15s that Alan has used).

About 18 months ago we were travelling along the Bottom Road and the 'Community Payback' team had painted the whites of gates (Garrison etc) in the rain. I found out by opening the gates as Mrs B had found them all to be quite difficult. We caught up with them whilst they were having a rest under a bridge, where they were making paper aeroplanes... Out of Wet Paint notices!

Aside from the ongoing (and frankly uninteresting argument about who calls who what and who... who cares - life is far too short) initials discussion, did the OP draw any conclusions that can be shared? My experience of the higher level management of BWML has soured somewhat since the original topic arose, and the suggestion that BWML is anything other than a cash source for the Trust has been firmly dispelled.