Bacchus

An interesting project and a lot of work! Not sure whether you want spelling mistakes pointing out, but the pop-up for the Stour in Kent says "Rive"

I agree with @LadyG that the ply is probably shot beyond aesthetic repair. You could potentially put a kick-plate or similar over the knackered bit to hide it, or you could strengthen, repair, sand, and paint, but the best solution would be to repair and maintain in future A friend of mine swears by "Woodskin Curing" (from International) - apparently very UV stable and not as glossy as varnish so easy to live with, he has just done the washboards on his yot with it (which were in a right old state)

I would look at this as two projects - get a fabricator to make the folding screen out of either hardwood or aluminium, then speak to a cover maker to look at the hood - not sure about the world of narrowboats, but somebody like Jeckells of Wroxham will do a very good job, and they will give you an inclusive price for measuring and making - I think they will do the steel frame for you too. Their work is excellent and their prices reasonable.

Yes, immediately downstream of the bridge. Nice spot to stop. obviously you get a bit of train noise, but that seems to add to it rather than take away. Just googled PSPO - be interesting to see how (if) that works. There has been a boat moored on a Spelthorne mooring for at least a year. EA enforcement notice caused it to be moved about 25m to a "non-mooring" bit of bank which is presumably also owned by Spelthorne.

I spoke to the owner of a fatty at Maidenhead last year, and he seemed quite proud of the fact that he had kept his 70' thing on a public mooring for 18 months... It might help if the anachronous VAT rules which make a 65' * 12' boat cheaper than a 50' * 10' boat could be addressed!

My mistake - I think the sign is some local militants trying to make it look "official" like the Kwasi Kwarteng blue plaque that was stuck to Staines bridge recently sign Blue plaque

sorry, been away in Henley. Drinking... Yes - Thames at Staines - a hand-written note tied to a lamppost! I will try to get a photo later Exactly - see my reply to @magnetman 😁 "where smooth waters glide" - not sure who maintains it, but I find it a very good and informative site https://thames.me.uk/s00470.htm

Half full of what though? I have just been for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and seen an EA warning saying that the river is "polluted with raw sewage". We always know that, but it must be pretty bad if they think to put a warning sign up...

Well they say every picture tells a story, and this tells the story of the Thames today (well, yesterday, but it hasn't changed...)

I had the same in a Reading car-park driving a 110 Landrover that had a roof-rack. Drove under the height barriers perfectly, but got wedged under ducting that crossed the bottom of a ramp...

I have had good results with Sadolin Superdec which is, I believe, a breathable acrylic. I used it in my camper conversion (including in the shower area) and have used it on a wooden house where it has stayed good for a number of years; it's a bit flaky in the bits which get strong sunshine, but the shaded bits are as good as new, and there is no evidence of rot in the cladding (which wasn't the case when I removed the previous "exterior gloss")

The banana plant is an 'erb because it has a fleshy stem and not a woody one, but the bit you eat is a fruit because it contains seeds. All banana plants are clones, effectively all cuttings grown from the same original plant, and they are parthenocarpic -- they can fruit without pollination. But here's my favourite thing about bananas, it is a water-colour by a good friend based on Damien Hirst's famed installation "mother and child divided" - I give you Banana - split 😉

Deffo needs to be a running stick at 145 mph. Walking just wouldn't cut it

I bow to something of which you clearly have knowledge, but am struggling to see how that deck is in tension? It looks as if it is created to mimic a member following a basic catenary - at least I am guessing that it is a mimic with the glu-lam beams which are great in bending? The V-shaped supports look like members in compression which would make the bridge-deck a basic beam? ETA - fexcellent bridge whatever 😁 thank you for posting

The requirements of inland boats and sea-going boats are very, very different, but there are a few that sort of meet in the middle (and will be a bit of a compromise; they won't be best of breed in either scenario, but may get you through). The Peter Nichols Hufflers come to mind - they can go pretty much anywhere and do most things with a good degree of competence. They won't get you on a narrow canal (as above) but should be okay on the wider ones (the manufacturer is based in Braunston). Peter Nichols also make some sturdy sea-going barges, as well as narrow-boats and inland boats. Also mentioned above, the sea is a big, dangerous and rightly scary place, but every round-the-world-yachtsman was a beginner once. Don't be afraid to learn, but don't think you can just hop into a boat and point it at the horizon (at least not if you're planning on coming back...) Maybe also try to watch "all at sea" with Timothy and Shane Spall on their sea-going barge Princess Matilda. Again, not a (UK) canal boat, but she is very at home on bigger rivers (I have seen her on the Thames a few times). Also, maybe also consider the inland waterways of mainland Europe which tend to be designed for bigger traffic than ours. One final also - big is tempting, small is better. A boating lifestyle is generally about learning to make do with the least you can get away with, not trying to replicate a luxurious land-based lifestyle. Many 30-35' yachts spend years circumnavigating the globe...

I went to the barber last week and asked him just to cut out the grey bits. I realised my mistake when he got out the Mr Sheen...

A great example of why we use the serial or "Oxford" comma... (either that, or you have really weird teeth)

Manual toothbrushes are SO inferior that they should carry a government health warning that they are only to be used when the electrickical one has failed

The ULEZ expansion? Mostly goes out to the M25 (not Runnymede and a couple of other "non-London" boroughs), including - hilariously - the roads around Heathrow... so "polluter pays" if you want to turn up at the airport in your 8 year old VW polo, but not if you then get on a whacking great A380 which will either take off or land over central London... Not having 3.5m would put me off buying it... (and of course, now that that nice Mr Hunt has said that he will increase the lifetime pension allowance to 1.8m to encourage me to work harder (and not as a tax-bonus to wealthy cronies and backers), I will have to consider very carefully what I do with my spare millions) And the houseboats are actually quite nice if you cruise past them - that is a great stretch of the river.