spadefoot

Saw a few last summer. Only at night though.

So let me get this right; righteousness at the top of the list, self-righteousness at the very bottom. And do I really lose so many righteousness points when I sticks me Captain's hat on? Seems a bit unfair.

As I moored up the other evening, I stopped to watch an otter swimming & diving. He was not at all bothered by my being there 15ft away. K&A but I'm not saying where. Must have seen hundreds of kingfishers in the last 2 or 3 yrs. In the middle of towns & more rural places. Water-voles seem more common on river sections.

You must have a much larger power usage than me, or a much smaller alternator. My engine gets a couple of hours every other day, and 5 or 6 hours once a week or so. Fridge, water pump, a few led lights. 240amp alternator. cheap batteries. Washing gets done and things get charged whilst engine is running.

Maybe the sticker on the back should have said 'power consumption variable, depending on how loud you play your music'. Unless as WotEver says, it's a class A, then the power consumption is closely related to the output power, but of course the output power is constantly changing. Therefore the power consumption is constantly changing.

Audio power consumption really doesn't work like that. A 150w amplifier doesn't run flat out all the time. Average power use would be maybe 15w.

I agree, that sounds like a very reasonable argument, as long as you ignore modern social problems, and the appalling housing (accommodation) situation in parts of the country. Making a reasonable argument is very easy as long as you only consider factors which make the argument reasonable.

Or maybe your "wants" fell neatly within the existing rules.

A variation on this often crops up, usually when the argument is lost. As I read it, it seems to mean, "don't stand up for a minority, in case things become worse for all of us" or " shut up & keep your heads down, or we'll all cop for it". So find someone who thinks it acceptable, and ask them.

But do these figures help the discussion? We don't know how many of the 5000 or so boats are lived on. So we don't know how many of the 2240 boats are lived on, etc, etc. So we don't know how many of these cases involve families with children. All we know is the number of boats.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. So know you're suggesting that the overwhelming majority of the population, listens to what Guardian readers tell it. And that these same Guardian readers, are the establishment. Hmmm.

I can assure you that it is very common to most towns around the south-east at least Athy. There, you can take my word for it so you don't have to look.

Your doing it again. I don't want moorings available wherever etc. That's what some members of NBTA appear to want. That's what is being discussed. About your privilege; If you have worked hard & achieved at least some of your desires, it can be easy to forget that some have worked equally as hard, yet not achieved, possibly through no fault of their own. You ask why "that simple truth" should be any different for a boat dweller. I don't think it is or should be. I don't imagine that living aboard gives people any more entitlement about location. But just as I don't imagine there are any NBTA members lobbying Dorset County Council, I don't suppose there are that many members of the National Bedsit-Dwellers Assoc lobbying CRT about providing accommodation for it's members. If you only want to come up with reasons as to why something shouldn't be done, rather than put your mind to how things could be done, that's up to you.

So who is implying that it is? it is just one of the factors, of which there may be many, which should or could influence a person's choices as to which part of the country they would like to live.

There is thread drift, and there is derailing. One of them is done utterly on purpose. Ahhh, if only life were that funny.

Graham, does it not occur to you, that some of those finding it very difficult to find land-based accommodation in their home town, have turned to boats in a possibly desperate (and possibly misguided) attempt to secure some half decent accommodation for themselves & family? Do you not listen to the news? Did the recession pass you by? Have you not heard of the austerity drive? Have you not noticed people sleeping rough? Have you not spotted the small clusters of tent dwellings around town parks & in woods & along the canal edges? Do you have any idea of the sort of accommodation that some poor buggers are expected to put up with? You can't deny that it is "a" factor. I do not know why people give other reasons, you would have to ask them A diversion seems low on a list of possibilities.

You make pointless arguments for the sake of it. Do you do it for a living? I'm afraid I don't know where New Mills is. It's quite possibly not in a convenient place if for example you work, have family, have a network of friends etc, perhaps 100miles away. Probably very convenient if you have all that nearby. This could be very important to some, less so to others. Don't lump everyone together. All are individuals, with individual needs & requirements. Do not tell me what I want. I do not want moorings anywhere. I am retired and CC quite happily thank you. Why should we be discussing house dwelling on a forum about canals, in a topic about life as a liveaboard? I believe you, like others, are using it as a diversion in an attempt to derail the argument. A very common tactic amongst the thoughtless, the smug, and people arguing from a position of relative privilege. Don't be one of those.

You appear to have widened the definition of "suitable" to include "not really suitable when all said & done". I don't think it's helpful to bring in the words "particular & "selected" with regards to schools. Most land-based dwellings are in range of "a" school. I'm guessing that these particular NBTA members of which you speak, hope to be able to access "a" school. You're kidding right? Do you think that someone who has spent maybe £150k on a posh shiny boat that they use half a dozen times a year, is going to leave it moored on the towpath? Yes, but if they stuck to that definition of place, then the moves would average out to 1km over time.

All round win. You now know more about your wiring, more about bad connections, you can have a shower & you have a spare Gukper.

That's more or less how towns & villages come into existence. I wanted to build a house in an attractive, convenient village once, and you know what? Some bugger had already built one right where I wanted mine. In fact there was a whole row of village, stretching all the way to the end of the village. I ended up having to build it in the next town.

Yes, I see that. But as the NBTA is just a pressure group,surely some would leave if they got what they were after. Some might really want a mooring & have joined the NBTA in the hope that it might help. Obviously some of them are just selfish people, full of their own entitlement, but that's not uncommon in modern Britain. Your not wrong about the beer. Pubs definitely better down west.

Thanks. I'd already convinced myself really. It was the way it flew in, nothing like a sparrowhawk which I spot often.

I'm not sure it's that great for mooring in BoA. For a start there's that concrete shelf. Tithe barn to Avoncliffe is a bit gloomy in winter with the hill & tall trees on the south bank. Shopping is a bit limited. Limpley Stoke area is beautiful this time of year, but there's still that shelf & again, very shady. In summer, it's a nightmare of hire boats & holiday boats & day boats blasting up & down & bashing into moored boats. At this time of year it gets quieter but people don't seem to like slowing down. Last time I went through, most of the "Bradford" boats were at Seend & heading for Sells Green. Mind you, their place was taken with the Bath boats, so making people move about more doesn't necessarily solve much. It's ok to visit for a while, spend some time in Bath, enjoy the scenery but overall, the eastern end is much nicer for actual boating & some peace & quiet.

Nick, re point 2. Should you not have the CU close to the mains inlet? And would there be any problem with running a long earth wire from that CU back to the engine area?

Was moored at Dundas aquaduct recently, filling my water tank. Happened to glance up just as a large(ish) raptor flew by, legs out, wings tucked back in a very fast glide. It piled into a tree and a couple of pigeons scattered out. I thought it could be a Peregrine. Any thoughts Jerra, is that Peregrine country? I've only seen them in towns before.