nina

Thankyou! :-) That helps a lot. Never thought about Curry's, I'll have a look online.

Thankyou for your input. Next question if anyone knows, if my husband converts the gas cooker to LPG himself, does that invalidate the boat safety certificate?

Thought I'd mispelt Spinflo :-) I like their glass top hob. My husband says the same as you, that domestic gas ovens can be converted. This would need a certified gas fitter wouldn't it?

I want to replace my gas oven & separate gas hob but on doing some research, I am finding the prices vary vastly between chandlery companies. I've found a Spinnaflo gas hob but there is 70.00 difference between several online sellers. Has anyone bought new boat appliances recently? Can you share any tips on which is the best appliance and company?

I find the boat much warmer than our bricks and mortar address. We were sat in our flat last week with the heating on and I felt cold. Winter on the boat brings it's share of problems but I do find it the warmest place to be just because it's a loss space to heat up. Boats must be so well insulated as there seems to be no heat loss.

It is that closeness to nature that's the main addiction. Plus just closing the door on what seems like an ever increasingly mad world. I smile when I get back to our boat and try discussing the news or any latest events with friends. They look at me with blank expression wondering what I'm talking about. Their life of oblivion means they don't engage with the outside world on any level. Yet, some of them are very clever academics with knowledge on a wide range of subjects.Considering how town dwellers communicate mostly via their iphone, I have the most stimulating conversations with boaters.It's as though they have an improved clarity as a result of not being bombarded with daily breaking news bulletins. However, try talking about the Eurozone or a referendum and it's blank looks all round. Love it!

My husband and I are in polite conflict. I say polite conflict because we hardly ever argue and tend to be very giving towards each other. I wouldn't want him to be unhappy and vice versa. Because of our work commitments, we spend half the week on our narrowboat and half in our town centre flat. Both have completely different and attractive lifestyles, and in all honesty, I feel very lucky. But out of the flat and the boat, I prefer the boat. My husband, who is a large man, (I'm very small), gets a bit frustrated with the smallness of the narrowboat but I love it. I have a really nice electric oven in the flat but roast potatoes taste the best when cooked in my little gas oven on the boat.:-) It's not so much the boat that's got me hooked as what the lifestyle provides in terms of wholesome simplicity and an awe each time we go out. Whenever we go off on even just a short cruise, I feel like I've been given a VIP invite to visit God's garden. The beauty, peace, tranquility and just the friendliness and calm of other boaters is so nice. And so, we're at odds a little because we're trying to work out whether we make this lifestyle permanent, ie, live part time on the boat and part time in bricks and mortar. I could live like this forever but my husband prefers bricks and mortar I suspect. Although, resistant to the charms of the narrowboat as he is, I am noticing a seduction of his senses taking over:-) The more people we talk to, the more converts there are out there. What does everyone else enjoy about being on their boat?

One point worth mentioning, listening has the same value as talking when it comes to representing the majority. Hopefully if there are equal amounts of listening and talking, it's a win win for all parties.

We have two bathrooms on our boat.One for the hubby because he takes so long to get ready. And one for me. To be honest,a pump out is great when you can empty it. But if we have an Arctic winter like last year and are stuck in ice, a cassette toilet is a Godsend. Pump out is more convenient because you don't have to empty it every few days. Cassette is better if we have a frozen winter. Can't say either smell. We use all the bacteria killing products and never had a problem. You can't be too scrooge on using the products though as some people can be :-)

To cook a domestic reared goose, you cook pretty much the same as a duck because both have large amounts of fat. Place on a rack in a roasting tin with the tin half full of water (as it cooks the steam reduces the fat from the goose). Goose is a delicious meat and the crisp goose skin is nice, you just don't get much meat after it's cooked. Serve with gooseberry sauce or similar. The fruit acid cuts into the grease making it easier to eat. To be honest, a pike wouldn't get much of a feast from a goose whereas it would be eating a turkey for weeks like the rest of us.

Sadly, they are full of fat. Probably the reason a pike would enjoy such a catch.

Geese aren't heavy. Look what you get on a plate at Christmas. Pike are known to take anything many times their size.

We walked past this yesterday. Very big tree so the boat owner was very lucky that only branches hit the boat mostly. The middle of the tree landed in the canal. Spoke to same very jolly boat owner yesterday happily sawing up logs from the fallen tree. Looks like he had a win with plenty of free logs for the winter ahead.

My Ugg boots.

I don't mind the locks but I do enjoy the straight run without them for a change. Not having to deal with crowds or grumpy people is one bonus. I have been at both Watford and Foxton and watched the lock keepers handle some very difficult boat operators. Makes boating very colourful & varied!

The Leics section of the Grand Union. No locks from Watford to Foxton. Bliss!

We also keep an electric radiator on low heat on board just to be safe.

From one end to the other, little tree, lights, handmade decorations, more lights. I love it. I also discovered that the coloured lights really improve the atmosphere on a grey day and lift the mood. My husband no longer has mood swings:-)

Completely agree. I would also have signs advising that young children and dogs be kept back from the sides of the locks.

Apparently a tree has come down in MH basin.

As much as I dislike health and safety red tape, BW don't appear to have brought their policy upto date to reflect the numbers of people using the canals. I know it's not rocket science but the industry has gone from being an industrialised working environment to a leisure industry. We saw young children running along the gunnels and climbing through the hatch playing a game while their boat was going down inside the lock. Mum was stood on the side happily waving to the kids while dad was operating the boat and grandma was on the wine. I discreetly suggested the dangers involved, which she was clearly oblivious to because she just shrugged her shoulders and carried on waving to children as they ran along the gunnels again. I asked if it was the first time for them on a boat to which she said yes. I walked away stupified. Because it's sold as a relaxing, peaceful, getaway from it all holiday, I don't think some parents grasp the reality of how dangers are ever present. It's just not in their vision.

When we went out cruising last summer, we made the error of going out at the height of the school holidays. It was a simple case of not having any other time to go due to work commitments. The one thing that struck me though was the lack of supervision of children especially around locks. We saw quite small children being sent to operate the paddles many of which were very stiff and quite dangerous when they slipped back down at some speed down once released. I remember thinking it's only going to be a matter of time before a child is injured or drowned. As boating has become a more popular family holiday option, I feel more safety rules need to be applied simply because you can't rely on some parents to see or think about the obvious. To a regular, seasoned boat owner, the safety precautions are obvious and don't need spelling out but to others, it does need a loudhaler unfortunately. I really wouldn't want to read about a child being hurt when with a few big hints posted on a sign and maybe some new safety precautions it could be avoided.

Yes I agree. We're seeing this now in our local town with shops closing. The reason they are giving for the closure is an unwillingness by the landlord to renegotiate a more reasonable rent. They could probably survive the slow trade if they could have a rent adjustment if only on a temporary basis. I cannot complain about my landlord, he's been fair from the start but my overheads are very reasonable anyway. Will be interesting to see what the next quarter brings. Fingers crossed. No point going into it with a negative frame of mind.