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Lily Rose

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Posts posted by Lily Rose

  1. 15 minutes ago, Annie cariad said:

    Hi

    Anyone know what the latest update is on the Brinklow closure CRT site has nothing since late Feb ????

     

    Cheers 

     

    Latest (AFAIK) CRT update...

     

    https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/27385-easenhall-cutting-brinklow-oxford-canal

     

    08/03/2024 15:34

    The team have made good progress and cleared all the trees and vegetation adjacent to the slip area. We have also commenced work to remove some of the slipped material.

    The slip is very extensive, and there is still movement, both on the exposed main slip face and on the isolated sections opposite. The initial estimate of the volume of material that we need to move is in the order of 4000 tonnes. We face challenges over the stability of the exposed clipped face, and the material that has stockpiled. In addition, due to the weather, there has also been another minor slip adjacent to the nearby Bridge 84.

    We’re keeping the end date the same for now, but given the challenges we face, this date may change. We’ll provide another update as soon as we receive one, and certainly by Friday 22nd March.

  2. 7 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

    When I bought my  new shell to fit out I bought a few gallons of Waxoyl. I heated it to thin it a little then sprayed it on the entire shell from gunwhale down and base plate. It sets ish but creeps to cover gaps. Did a great job of my shell anyway and quick to do. Dont know if its still available these days?

     

     

     

     

    If it was good It's now probably either unavailable or 're-formulated" to be much less effective. But you never know.

    • Greenie 1
    • Love 1
  3. My cooker doesn't have electronic ignition so I use the long gas lighters you can buy in Poundland and other places for about a quid. They sell the butane gas cheap as well. I have more than one in case it fails. Works well for us and no risk of a burn as the handle is several inches away from the flame.

     

    I also use it to light a gas bbq, far more reliable than the built in spark button.

  4. 6 hours ago, LadyG said:

    No, weill shaved Kit Kat do?

    To be fair they have worked with no bait for all but this one, modern things, very sensitive. I have got some standard wooden ones but they are useless by comparison. 

    Traps checked: job done.

    I did have a cat before who used to announce his arrival before getting it in to boat, so I never had this problem.

     

     

    I often get mice in my attic at home. I use the Rentokil or Screwfix plastic traps as they are far easier to set than the old wooden ones. I have used peanut butter as bait in the past, it works brilliantly but as the traps might be up there for months waiting for the next batch of mice to move in the bait will eventually go mouldy.

     

    I now use the cheapest supermarket "value" chocolate. The mice love it and it doesn't go mouldy like peanut butter. I cut a very small piece, slightly larger than the little bait cup, and then wedge it in so the mice can't remove it easily enough to get away without setting the trap off. I've had that happen when the piece was loose but not once it's wedged in.

  5. 18 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

    Also just watching two girls and a clown called Jamie moving two boats strapped together.

     

    I've only watched about 15 minutes of it. The bit where they entered the tunnel with the two boats strapped together and one of the girls on a gunnel looked as though it could easily have ended rather tragically with a somewhat squashed human being.

  6. So I tried the Directors in The Boathouse. Difficult to say with any certainty if it was as good as 40 years ago!

     

    I enjoyed it anyway, enough to want to have some more when we go back in this evening for the Thursday 30% off mixed grill. We're overstaying the "Summer" limit of 4 hours to do so but there's still space behind us so I don't feel too guilty. Given there's no mention of Spring or Autumn on the notice I'm assuming the "Winter" limit of 24 hours applies to everything that isn't "Summer".

     

    Anyway, the other beers were Hobgoblin IPA (not Ruby), Pedigree and Wainwright. I like the Wainwright but then again I do seem to have developed a taste for golden ales (or grapefruit?) in my old age.  My current supermarket favourite is Hobgoblin Gold.

     

    I think my all time favourite real ale is Adnams but perhaps that's bias due to coming from East Anglia. Never seems as good further south though, and seems at its best when actually in a Southwold pub, possibly psychological. Not that I've been there for some years sadly. 

     

    Here's the proof that Directors is still available.

     

    Back on topic... it's several years since we were in the Greyhound. Ray was there that day as well. Must be time we headed up that way again soon, maybe next Spring. Just have to hope it's still as good under new management. Perhaps Ray will let us know.

     

    IMG_20230914_145742432.jpg

  7. 5 minutes ago, cuthound said:

     

    Glad to hear Directors is still about. Hopefully it tastes just as good as it used to.

     

    Sounds like we drank in similar haunts when I worked in London.

     

    Surprised that you didn't mention Young's as a staple. I often drank it in The Lamb in Leadenhall Market.

     

    For some reason I never really took to Youngs. London Pride was definitely a favourite of mine. Quite liked Bass as well. Lots of other favourites that I can no longer remember.

  8. On 18/08/2023 at 15:27, cuthound said:

     

    I used to enjoy a pint or two of draught Directors back in the 80's. Sadly it seems only to available in bottles these days and is nothing like the draught.

     

    So did I, there were quite a few Courage pubs in the City of London in those days. Courage, Fullers and Shepherd Neame were lunchtime staples for us back then. Shepherd Neame had an odour that could be kindly described as an acquired taste. Or perhaps less kindly as smelling of farts.

     

    Anyway, I'm currently moored outside the Boathouse in Braunston (yes, I know... but when 50% of the boat's crew has a foot problem the options are limited!) and I noticed earlier that they currently have Courage Directors on draught (plus Hobgoblin Ruby, Wainwright and one other that I can't remember) so we'll be going in shortly to try it.

    • Greenie 1
  9. 1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

     

    Just a slight correction, stalactites come down from the ceiling, whilst stalamites grow up from the floor.

     

    Easly to remember - 'tights' come down !

     

    I always understood that the ones from the ceiling were spelt with a c and the ones from the ground with a g.

     

    Yours has neither so I don't know where they grow from!

  10. 19 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

    I always turned it down util it stiffened, that indicates the voids are full of grease, maybe three to five turns.

     

    I've had very little success refilling my greaser using anything other than a teaspoon so that's what I always do now. I try to eliminate air pockets as I do it by poking the grease with a thin stick but accept there may still be some. As a result, when I stop for the day I give the greaser a turn or two until I feel resistance. I check how much dripping there is both before and after doing this.

     

    I then come back about half an hour later to check that there is no further sign of dripping.

     

    On the day I leave the boat to go home I'll give it an extra turn and check it 2 or 3 times over a longer time period just to be sure.

    • Happy 1
  11. 4 hours ago, agg221 said:

     

    However, the learning curve for such things is not very long or steep. Get yourself a CRT key, a hose for filling the water tank, the keys to undo the water and diesel filler caps, an anti-vandal key for locks, a couple of mooring spikes and a hammer and personally I would add a couple of goat chains for mooring to piling (I prefer them to nappy pins). 

     

     

    I would say get four mooring stakes, not two.

     

    If you moor up with only one at either end you will need to regularly check that they have not come loose due to passing boats. Especially if they are going a bit fast.

     

    With four you can use two at either end driven into the ground at opposing angles, preferably with one going through the ring/hoop of the other. Arranged like that they will feel far more sturdy and will be far less likely to come loose or pull out.

     

     

     

    • Greenie 2
  12. 1 hour ago, Puffling said:

    These things are obviously fairly dynamic. Some considerate boater before you leaves everything sparkling and even donates some spray cleaning liquid and a nice cloth. Or the contract cleaners get different staff.

    Not seen Snarestone but I found Sutton good enough. If we are talking about the same place - Sutton Stop? Admittedly it was a winter evening and I wanted to get onwards after the junction so didn't have time to make a detailed appraisal. Did get a nice paperback from the toilet, though.

     

    Not Sutton Stop, I meant Sutton Cheney Wharf on the Ashby.

     

    I agree it can depend on a number of variables but Snarestone has been consistently excellent on numerous visits. As has Sutton Cheney Wharf.

     

    Many visits to Sutton Stop suggest this is variable but it's never been anything to write home about.

  13. 3 hours ago, Puffling said:

    Lucky you. I seem to remember the Services had the cleanest Elsan point I've yet seen on the system. 🪠

     

    My admittedly limited experience of the system suggests that the elsan at Foxton (been there once) was way above average but that Snarestone (been there about 6 times), at the top of the Ashby,  was the best. 

     

    Sutton Wharf was pretty good too.

  14. To clarify, the first time was 5 or 6 years ago (and about 2 or 3 years after I bought what was then a 15 year old boat) I used Vactan followed by two coats of Black Jack blacking.

     

    Last year I lightly sanded the rust patches that had appeared and gave it two coats of Vactan all over. The 2nd coat was probably of little benefit other than catching any areas I might have missed with the first coat. After leaving it a couple of days to dry and cure I rinsed the tank out before re-filling and using it again. I did not use blacking this time so it was much easier.

     

    We carry fresh water separately for drinking and cooking. We would use tank water, as I'm sure it's fine, if we ran out of fresh but it hasn't happened yet.

  15. 1 hour ago, Ianmc said:

    Could I paint tank black on top of vactan? 

     

    That's exactly what I did 5 or 6 years ago.

     

    Last year I decided enough rust patches were appearing (albeit nothing like as bad as it was before I did it) to make it worth doing something. I didn't fancy blacking it again so I just used Vactan. I don't expect it will last as long but it was much easier and more than a year on nothing seems to be amiss yet.

  16.  

    I'm with Newton Crum. They charged me £79 eight years ago when I bought a 15 year old 45 foot narrowboat.

     

    Eight years later and they're still charging me £79.

     

    I do wonder sometimes if they're cheap for a reason and maybe I'll regret it if I ever need to claim. On the other hand a total loss that they refused to pay out on wouldn't be the end of the world. I've always assumed that when my boating days come to an end the boat's value will be nil. If it isn't then I'd look on it as a bonus.

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