John V

When you are in Stortford have a walk up the road to Coopers (next to Budgens) an extraordinary shop with a range from the cheap and nasty to the highest quality......I normally go in for one cheap item......and spend a fortune !!!!

Not really, as long as you leave it reasonably near a good public transport link and move it along your route/projected route every few weeks or as needed. Depending on the particular canal sometimes a couple of weeks cruising every day can be travelled by car in an hour

Strawberries, broad beans and dwarf beans. Like Saltysplash, tomato plants in the wheelhouse to go out later (after the last couple of days of sunshine some of the strawberry plants are in full flower)

I am happy at the moment, Sabina H is ideal to live on and I might possibly finish it before I pop my clogs Shapfell (the Ormelite cruiser) is perfect to explore the canal system but I must confess to a slight hankering for something around 30' but seagoing, maybe a replacement for the Shetland (Which seems to be sold now)........but I don't think I can keep up with the maintenance on three

177 Tug "Eric of Lincoln" by mudlarker2, on Flickr

God, don't I know that feeling

I go with the van method. before it's much lamented demise my aged Astra van was left in the most awful areas all over the country for weeks at a time, I would hate to have left anything even reasonably respectable in some of the places. 250,000 plus miles, (and looked it) no stereo or anything else of value. If anyone had wanted to nick it they could get in and start it with anything that would fit in the keyholes. It always started, always got me there and could carry an enormous quantity of logs/coal/rope/sheets of ply/engines/generators/and......................

Are the water meadows covered in spring flowers yet Mr Bizz?

You mean He doesn't drink tea ?

There have been a few of these ....for want of a better phrase.....bodged issues between CRT and boaters they consider non compliant. One would have thought that by this time a proper system could have been established that would prevent this. If a boat requires prior permission or vetting before a licence can be obtained I would have thought it a fairly simple matter to "red flag" it on the computerised system so that any attempt to obtain a licence would get a "this vessel number xxxxx must apply for a licence either in person, by mail or via email to the authorised officer Blah Blah Blah." If only there was one designated office with staff knowledgeable and competent to deal with the legal issues dealing with all these matters and all other departments forbidden to make ad hoc comments or communications. . Surely this is not impossible, and it would save so much hassle both for CRT and boaters.....of course it would dry up a never ending source of threads on this site.

I find that description depressing, I haven't been on the Stort for possibly as much as 30 odd years. I used to love its peace and quiet. There was hardly any traffic and not that many moored boats. Everything just a bit run down and bucolic. If you could spot the lock landings in the undergrowth it was always a leap of faith that you wouldn't slide off the other end on the moss. I think it might be wise for me not to return there now......they do always say you shouldn't go back and I think after that length of time it's possibly true

I think with anything like that going missing it's not the value, it's more the fact that some scumbag has made off with your property. However much you might make light of it, you can't help being both upset and angry. sorry to hear of your problem

Fortunately that was not second hand, just on special at morriscobury's