Sir Percy

I'm seeing this under Gold membership, so that should work. What I can't see (should have asked this in title) is whether a breakdown covers a sinking.

Ok, that sounds promising, thanks. Hoping to be able to do a favour for a friend in need.

Quick question, please: is membership linked to one named boat, or can you use membership to receive service on more than one boat? Thanks

More of a technique than a recipe, and a pretty simple one at that: I picked up a pack of baby back ribs from the Sainsbury's chiller and thought I might try cooking on top of the stove in a cast iron casserole. For some reason I thought I'd need to keep the ribs off the bottom of the casserole, and I had a pack of shallots which needed using up so made a layer of halved shallots and put the ribs on top. Some tail-end spices were thrown together for a dry rub (I think there was a cumin/coriander mix, plus some ground fennel seeds). Lid went on, and the casserole on top of the evenings fire. What happened unexpectedly, was that as the shallots cooked down, they released enough oniony vapour to gently steam cook the ribs which turned out falling-apart tender and juicy. Removed the shallots (which were set aside to make a soup with) and the ribs went back in with a BBQ sauce. Normally, I'd just buy a bottle of some sauce and not bother making one, but I had a purchasing mistake that needed using up. In a moment of weakness, I had bought a bottle of reduced-salt, reduced-sugar tomato ketchup which tasted horrible, obviously. So, I added maple syrup, tamarind paste, salt and sugar to bring it up to BBQ level. If I'd thought about it, I might have blitzed the shallots into the sauce. That's for next time, because there definitely will be a next time.

On a Musk-related note: What funky-but-stupid features might you design into a Cyberbarge, i.e., a misoverengineered technonarrowboat?

Similarly water-based, but no murder mystery: Boogie Up the River, a radio comedy-drama series. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boogie-Up-River-Comedy-Travelogues/dp/B0BZ12KTXB

Just been using some of that (Weathershield) today; for exterior wood and metal, quick dry satin. It's a no-thin paint, quite thick. It does dry quickly, which is good for painting outdoors, but difficult to get brush marks out.

I've just spent a hundred quid on these bags of hardwood logs https://www.fireandflame.co.uk/product/fireflame-4x-hardwood-logs-copy/ which were being cleared out at £4 a bag (normally £8) from the local Sainsbury's. You may want to look around at your own; I've never seen this particular seasonal knockdown before. Note: not online. I don't know if you can really compare coal and wood on a therm/£ basis. The wood burns hotter and faster than coal. I'll hold off using the wood until the longer, colder winter nights. As for wood briquettes, I've still got the recycled cat litter idea in the back of my mind.

Presumably those illegally moored houseboats would have been removed now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68677681

Of course. Perfect, that also does away with turning them.

I'd have to use smaller spuds, but the ashpan sounds like a good idea. Couldn't agree with you more, there's something about a stove-baked potato which makes them more delicious.

I like wrapping a jacket potato in foil and putting it into the stove to bake. However, getting the skin crispy and not burnt is a hit-or-miss affair. Does anybody have a reliable method?

Talking heads, a voiceover and animated graphics are classic ingredients of a cheaply-made schedule filler. I think I recognised Mark Benton's voice; jocular style and accent most likely chosen for popular appeal. Interesting though, that 'Cunk' was Liz McIvor, who previously wrote and presented 'Canals: The Making Of A Nation', shown on BBC, which some of you may have enjoyed. She was blonde in this programme, which I would assume was simply a personal choice and not a ploy for popular appeal. As for making a programme cheaply, I don't imagine that it would have cost much (relatively) to make 'All ABoard! The Canal Trip', also shown on BBC as part of their 'slow TV' series. A drone camera follows a boat down the K&A for a couple of hours, accompanied by ambient sounds and the occasional informational note overlaid on screen.