Orphiel

There indeed is, but it's Edgware with no 'e' in the middle. It's in North West London, just on the borders with Middlesex. Not exactly a town, but present in addresses.

I didn't think I'd actually be going through Cranfleet, according to the maps on BW website. Am getting a better one on order from Amazon soon though, so hopefully this will tell me better!

I do not, but have been recommended it by someone who has. How often do you have to empty it? As it's only me, should not be a lot, so I would trade the extra muckiness for only doing it a couple of times a year!

Tell me of these marzipan eco loo sachets, they sound pretty cool. Yers, I have found there are envirolet composting toilets that use no electricity, but unfortunately they are in America, and the ones they import over here are only 12v or 24v versions. Have looked and they do ship them all the way over here, but I dread to think about the import tax, and the trying to fit it myself... Meg

If there's space, save up and buy a composting toilet. No mucky taking out of cassettes, or moving to pump outs. Pretty expensive though, definitely a long term plan... Also large. www.envirolet.com

You could always put in an offer, then if you do get laughed out of the boatyard, look at more piles of poo. If all you lose is being laughed at, surely the off-chance they'll say yes is worth it? Also, as you say you want to keep some of your budget back for work needing to be done on the boat, wouldn't you have less needed to be spare if the boat needed less done? Meg

Have found some info on what homeless people and travellers can do to vote, which is nearest you'd get, I reckon. You can make a declaration of local connection somewhere. Copied and pasted from info system at work: Declaration of local connection A declaration of local connection (declaration) may be made by homeless people, including squatters, patients in psychiatric hospitals and remand prisoners. This should be used by a client in one of the above groups who does not fulfil the usual residence requirements, but is otherwise entitled to register to vote. The declaration must:- • give the client's name; and • provide an address for correspondence to be sent to, or an undertaking to collect such correspondence from the electoral registration office; and • give the date of the declaration; and • state that the client falls into one of the categories permitted to make a declaration and set out the relevant category;and • state that the client fulfils the nationality requirements; and • state that the client is 18 years old or, if s/he is not, give her/his date of birth. If a client enters more than one address, or submits more than one declaration bearing the same date and different addresses, the declaration(s) will be void. A client may cancel a declaration at any time. A declaration enables a client to apply to register to vote. S/he must submit the declaration to the registration officer within three months of the date on the declaration. Once registered, s/he is treated as being resident at the address s/he has given. This registration will be valid for twelve months unless cancelled or superseded. Homeless people If a client is homeless, s/he should make a declaration, giving the address of a place where s/he spends a substantial part of her/his time, or the address of somewhere near to that place. This could include a cafe or drop-in centre. A Traveller not settled on a site may be able to make a declaration. As I note it does not tell you exactly how to do this, I would suggest contacting the Electoral Commission for more info on it. Contacts If you want to visit one of our offices in person, we have provided directions and maps which you can download from this page. Our main contact details The Electoral Commission Trevelyan House Great Peter Street London SW1P 2HW Tel: 020 7271 0500 (switchboard) Fax: 020 7271 0505 Textphone: 18001 020 7271 0500 Email: info@electoralcommission.org.uk Meg

Hallo all Was away for the weekend so picked up all replies and PMs now. Cheers for all advice, and will download boaters handbook. Am not singlehanded at least, but the help will consist of the boyfriend who managed to break his arm the last time we were on a narrowboat, helpfully. Did it to spite me, I reckon. He is now fully recovered but somewhat nervous... Canal route planner says I am coming into the Trent from Derwent Mouth off the Trent and Mersey canal. Am staying at Beeston marina, hoping to get there on the 18th March but as you've all pointed out, if the river conditions are not good will have to leave boat and think again! This may be a silly question, but how will I know? Will there be signs up saying it? Andywatson, would be very grateful for any help on the Alrewas-Wychnor bit, but am trying to work out if I am coming through it, am poring over maps at the moment but have yet to find a good one. Will PM or give you a call in a bit, also Malc who is also ace with the helpful. Will also make sure I have an anchor attached. Meg Jammy cream doughnuts, by the way, are not only excellently gooey, but a good shape for cramming into the mouth whole.

Hallo people Having (hopefully, pending survey) bagged myself a lovely boat, I now will need to move it from Staffordshire to Beeston Lock, on the River Trent. Am a little nervous about the whole river deal, as I hear the Trent can be pretty hairy. Anyone got any good advice, or would be able to maybe visit for that part of the journey and offer shouting at me and telling me how to do stuff? I make good tea, and exceedingly good cakes. Lots of chocolate involved. Should be on the weekend of the 17th-18th March, have spoken to BW and their stoppages are /scheduled/ to be finished then, so here's hoping... Thanks for all excellent advice on boat buying. Has been definitely much appreciated. Meg

Teehee, Runcorn. That programme is my secret shame. Meg

Hi Anthony That is indeed pretty bizarre. Have you heard any more from the collectors or BW? I have a suggestion of something you can do. If you have provided them with all the available info, and they are still not listening, and in effect harassing you for payment, you should be aware this could be considered creditor harassment, which is unlawful even if you DO owe the money. You could write to BW and the debt collectors stating clearly that you have sent them all available info to deal with the case, you consider this to be harassment, and should you receive any further demands for payment you will inform Trading Standards (this is a local department, if you call your local council they can put you in touch), the Police, and the Office of Fair Trading. Then do so if they write to you again. Any debt collection agency may be a member of the Credit Services Association or the Consumer Credit Trade Association, which have Codes of Practice for their members, you can find these on the websites below: Credit Services Association Website: www.csa-uk.com The Consumer Credit Trade Association (CCTA) Website: www.ccta.co.uk Ooh, more specifically to BW, you can make an official complaint to them, and then if they do not give you a satisfactory answer, you can refer the complaint on to the Waterways Ombudsman, who deals with maladministration and general c@ck-ups by BW, apparently (on website) examples include unreasonable delay, bias, incompetence, neglect, arbitrariness, failure to follow proper procedures and making decisions without proper consideration. You have to make a complaint to BW first though. In fact I would put all of these things in the first letter, harassment, complaint, state that you will refer matter to ombudsman. Then watch them backtrack real quick. BW complaints procedure: http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/accounta...complaints.html Waterways Ombudsman: http://www.waterways-ombudsman.org/ Meg Disclaimer: All general advice without seeing or knowing much about your particular situation. Also I cannot open the PDF with BW license terms and conditions in it to look up any details on change of ownership and responsibility to check that you are not liable, because this PC is rubbish. You could try to do that here: http://www.waterscape.com/images/bw_2006_l..._fees_final.pdf

They could be, but they're not Is HB for mooring fees, as they are considered rent, whether you own the boat or not. if you are looking for a specific example, both Dr. Bradley and davidandjulie had some examples of liveaboards claiming HB earlier in the thread, and realistically a boat to live on to rent is near impossible to find, so these were probably owned boats.

Just to clear up the 39 week rule confusion, this is a rule for a completely different benefit, Income Support or JSA, which means you can get your interest on a mortgage paid as part of your IS/JSA after 39 weeks on the benefit. Has nothing to do with either rent or Housing Benefit. You start getting HB from the time you apply for it.

Have not had experience, but I work for the CAB, and our info says that it is possible to claim HB for mooring fees. Does not unfortunately give any more info about how specifically to do it, though. There is a section on the HB/CTB form asking if you live in a mobile home or houseboat, but the bit that may cause problems is that it asks if you pay rent, and mooring fees would have to qualify. Should do though, your problem may come when the council just gets confused about it. Also, you'd have to be staying in one place, as HB is paid by the local council, and so if you moved into a different area, you'd have to apply somewhere else. In practice the waiting times they take to decide would make this pretty useless.

Yeah, I have thought about it overnight and just think am willing to pay £500 or however much just to be able to sleep in it in peace Thanks for common sense reply also. I will put up some pictures of the boat in Gallery and the like when I am sure nothing will go wrong! Meg

Hallo people I have a similar survey question. Have made an offer on a boat subject to survey. (After finding exactly what you all recommended, smaller, newer boat, all sorted out to liveaboard and finished. Phew! Also, you are all ace). Now, what I was wondering is, the boat was built in 1992, and the present owners have a thorough survey from when they bought in in July 2004, involving hull measurements and ultrasound etc. I am getting a copy of this, as they are nice. If this looks fine, and there are receipts for any work that needed to be done and was done after this, do I really need another survey? I am looking at horror stories like above, but obviously if the survey from 2004 has checked all that stuff, it is unlikely to be a problem now. Will have more info when I do get the survey, so may be asking what it means also... Thanks, Meg

I almost went to see that boat this weekend, recognised the picture straight off! Cannot believe what it actually looks like, and the cheek of the brokers. I did sense they were a bit cagey over the phone when I spoke to them, and decided to check out some others nearer to home. Also facts they told me over the phone (amount of fit-out and reburb done when, etc) didn't tally with what was on the website. Went to see another boat instead, not at a marina or in brokerage, and spent a long time being shown around by the owners, who said that they were very loath to put it into a brokers, as they had seen too many boats neglected in marinas and not taken care out, allowed to go damp and nasty etc. Must say, my experience of them in general (limited though it is so far) has not been impressive. Meg

You guys are ace I will work my way through all of those and swot up good and proper!

Could be. Could also be that I tend to use beetroot with mayonnaise, which soaks up the pink something wicked. Makes my salads look practically radioactive!

Does everything not turn pink? Happens whenever I make anything with beetroot. Meg

That will be your problem as everyone in South London is ill at the moment Whereabouts are you then? We are raining now, so pretty much nothing left, boo.

Pfft, flippancy is pretty tricky to get across on t'internet. Next time I will be better at it Hopefully it'll last a couple of days (well, anywhere that's not South London) and your son can still get some snowy fun, poor kid.

Wow, guess I'll keep my flippant comments to myself in future Am quite a fan of it myself, although most of it has turned to mush already.

Makes you wonder how they manage in Canada. I have visions of people getting out of their houses, turning pale and holding on to something for support 'omg, snow! Not again! Oh god, waily waily' etc. Every single day. That, or we're just a bit over-reactive

Thanks very much Keeping Up, I think I'm finally starting to get a grasp on some of this. I'm going to search for some info on invertors, now that I know what they are! I presume you can get small ones for specific appliances, and then bigger ones (that flatten batteries) are for more than one thing at a time? Just one more quick question - if I was looking for someone to fit a 240v ring, are there specific boat electricians, or is it boat fitters that do this? Have done some googling but as I am not sure what to search under it's not doing too well. Will have a chat with someone about prices and the like, just to put some feelers out. So providing my budget stretches to it, I could get a 240v ring put in. If I then get some more batteries, I am also planning some solar power and maybe (in the long term) a wind generator. This, obviously along with the engine via an alternator, should give me charge to the batteries, which would run the boat electrics. Have I missed anything obvious, or is this basically how it would work? Meg PS Am I p*ssing you guys off with all the questions yet? I do feel like a bit of an idiot.