canalboat

Adder and Grass snakes swim and can be that long. The diamond pattern suggests an Adder. Its amazing how fast they can travel. Both will move away if approached but best not to surprise or corner an Adder.

I quite like the sound of Prime Minister Hancock, who one news wag said he "could resemble a normal human being more often than the rest of them"

Rumour at Hillmorton always was that it was a steamer that was buried in the old open dry dock.

PM resigns - who wants the job?

Not tying to be clever but - Is Incalac different from Incralac

Difficult to date the picture but the basin was open until circa 1970 when a bund cut it off from the main canal. The photo may just show some water at the Basin entrance but no attempt has been made to park the empty boat in it. Tree growth at the entrance is fairly advanced but it doesn't take many years for crack willow to grow and fall over in water. I was involved as a volunteer in the project to open up the basin again as a mooring for heritage boats on public display, and with the help of IWA Waterways Recovery Group, great progress was made. When CRT West Midlands took over management of Hillmorton from South East, they pleaded lack of funds as the reason they would not add it to their list of restoration projects so could not oversee the volunteers. CRT said they could only continue as an independent commercial operation under the rules for building a marina, and insisted that the volunteers lease the basin at full market rent. So after two years of inactivity the volunteers could not accept that they must pay CRT for restoring their canal as a public heritage asset so the plan to re-water was reluctantly abandoned. However, having already adopted the Basin under the CRT Volunteer scheme (which is different CRT management) the group of volunteers are now clearing it again to create a sunken garden in time for the 250th anniversary of the death of James Brindley whose last ever canal had reached this very spot on the day he died. So stand by for a party in September 2022 and join in the fun now to make the site ready. And who knows - the plan for a heritage mooring may rise again.

Since the NZ earthquake destroyed their factory, where do you get one in the UK

Which is the quietest diesel generator?

BARNES is advertised in the latest HNBC quarterly. But you don't get the mooring for the £40k !!

Named, tongue-in-cheek by BW staff, after the BW Manager who lived in the house it leads to and who walked over it every day to his Office at the BW HQ. Many of the working boatmen would know that area as Morton just as the long pound from Hawkesbury to Hillmorton was/is Morton Pound. (Hilton overlooked the moorland from up on the Hill)

Does anyone know who was the last horse-boater to regularly use the whip to warn other boaters of their approach? I had that information and a whip that he made but I have lost his name and boat details.

<<<<<< He needed one of our horseboxes

There is at least one Simolda still licensed although I think it has been overplated and its wood cabin covered in steel.

Oh you poor sad wee thing...………………….

Shortly after I had a 2DM restored professionally (years ago when I had money) the rocker arm (is that what its called?) on one cylinder seized. I went 8 miles on one cylinder and it had easily enough power but was spewing thick smoke and unburnt fuel from the exhaust chimney. Expert cured it by inserting large screwdriver on the rocker spring and hitting it with a hammer saying "It'll free up with use" and it soon did. I'd love to see your removable electric start. I once made one from an electric paint stirrer driven by my Honda 1.0 Can you send me a PM with your location?