Sir Percy

This Sunday's job: unblocking the kitchen sink. It had been put off for far too long, in the dread anticipation of the slimy grey mess that lay in wait. I couldn't have left it any longer; drainage had slowed down to the point where the water level was rising up towards the overflow after washing up just a few items. I cleared out all of the stuff that I'd crammed in undersink, laid down newspaper and a big old ready meal foil tray, and started by unscrewing the trap. Boak. Raked out all the smelly, slimey, gunk from the trap and the hose. Gave it a tickle with a drain snake, and reassembled. Tried running some water - minimal effect. Went at it with some caustic soda. Not good for the canal, I guess. Possibly not good for my pipes, either - they got a bit warm, but seem unscathed. A bit of improvement to drainage, not fantastic, though. Thought I'd better give the pipes a good flushing, so dumped a bucket of water into the sink and had a cup of tea and a sit-down. Came back to find...a sinkful of water. Absolutely no drainage at all now. I must have dislodged a load of sludge to a point further down where it had blocked the outlet completely. Out with the plunger. Not the old-school rubber cup on the end of a wooden handle, but a big plastic version with a large concertina. Gave a good old plunge and a gritty, watery sneeze came out of the overflow. Had to cover that with one hand while I tried plunging again with the other. Water running freely again. When the time comes to unblock the sink again, I think I'd probably go through the same steps again. Anyway, that's what's worked for me.

Notes given by someone who DIY'd their own stern cover:

Don't know, but I suspect the white stripe might just have been from a seagull.

https://www.davidsoul.com/david-soul-interview-my-home-is-where-my-art-is/ Lived opposite the Elsan point in Little Venice I was told, not sure, it looks like he was on a widebeam.

Kerosene seems to be a popular, cheap alternative. Where you get it from, idk

Thanks all

Has anyone got any experience of using these: are they any good at testing for contamination (water, diesel bug, rust)?

I meant the website that I'd previously referred to.

There used to be that on the website. I take it there's none on the current list? Can't help you, then.

Yes, that was the one. Run by the same woman that's produced the list above (linked).

That Canal Cuttings website disappeared a long time ago, and then another popped up to take its place, aggregating properties on the market. You could search by canal, whether it had a mooring, etc. It seems to have gone as well. The woman behind it seems now to be involved with French property sales, but has a list of canalside properties here: https://www.sheridanparsons.uk/canalside-homes-list-november-2023/

Coarse salt in a grinder should work.

There you go, I knew it was possible. Nice one. I looked around at swing jibs and price was in the hundreds.

Sorry to hear that. I was starting to doubt my original thought that it would have been a problem for some boaters facing older age until your reply.

This is more like the swing jib that I was thinking of. It's no problem to lift a 13kg bottle with one hand and step up on to the gunwale; it gets awkward stepping down into the well deck then up again to lower the bottle into the gas locker in the bow (single-handedly).

I have a dim (possibly false) memory of reading in a volume of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, a description of a sergeant's advice to his squad for how to deal with extreme cold weather: to piss themselves.

Fella near me just turned 85 and has stage 4 C; if I'm about he'll ask for help to get a water container onto his deck because he gets tired more easily now, but I do worry something'll happen when we're not around.

Colonel Tom Parker could have come up with a feet-heating solution which would allow you to move about the cabin. Not for those of you who suffer from incontinence.

My mind first started idly wandering to mounting a swing jib, but thought that might be over-engineered. It's not really a problem for myself (atm), but I was wondering what older boaters do. Seems like a good idea, not got close enough to a bottle supply as yet...

Aside from simply putting your back into it (and hopefully not out), do you have any clever solutions/techniques for transferring a heavy object onboard? I'm specifically thinking of sacks of coal and gas bottles, especially as I get older and creakier.

The Sound Burger appeals as a clever space-saving device, but obviously doesn't address the problem of the vinylephant in the room. I've just dug out an old Thorens deck (with suspended platter, useful on a boat) and brought that on board, with the first tranche of my record collection, which I might be able to find space for, with careful culling. CDs, I've mostly ripped onto a Brennan JB7, so I guess they can go to Oxfam. Add to that, harmon/kardon speakers chucked out on to the street by my NDN, seemingly for no other reason than his kids dropped bits of toast and toy parts down into the subwoofer hole. Bit of a design flaw, that. The only thing I've splashed out on recently is a preamp with a digital output so I can digitise the LPs. Might be a compact system eventually.

Search result: https://londonmobilemarina.com/services No personal experience of them.

You might find yourself having to go to the mountain. Uxbridge, or Bulls Bridge etc., may be able to arrange for an engineer to carry out works to your engine. Check with them (with engine details) and see if you can book in. Of course, you need to arrange to be tugged down there. Might have a number for a man and tug based in Southall if you need it. Perivale is fairly near to those two; you might be able to find someone willing to give you a tow.

Interesting; do you have a link, please? Edit: no worries, found some

That's what I did, missed your reply while I was working on the pump so I reassembled while the sealant was wet. Seems to be working...so far!