Thomas C King

Aside from CaRT my issue with "well being" and "wellness" in general is that it takes a lot more than a walk in nature to feel "well", when I think they're talking about mental health. Specific to CaRT: in so far as the outdoors can help mental health, and health in general with vitamin D and exercise, water and canals are neither necessary nor sufficient for "wellness". If the objective is the best outdoor space possible, it'd be more efficient to plow the money into making our parks as best and frequent as possible. Of course, that wouldn't make the canals navigable, which should be the purpose.

Did they mean they were in a meeting or somesuch? If that's the case then, whilst I get generators are annoying to some, they are talking nonsense. I have meetings just fine whilst people's gennies are on (including ours in winter) How long were you running it for? Are you charging your batteries with it? If not, then a quick fix to reducing running time would be a battery charger - and you might save on fuel because of inefficiencies.

This is certainly a common theme on the London boaters facebook group, where 'gentrification' comes up frequently (and I've noticed more people are pro-NBTA than on the other groups, even the K&A one).

Is this a boomer poem?

I wonder if the housing crisis is causing a demographic shift in boaters, and those new boaters are more likely to be piss-takers. I would guess that previously, most liveaboards were drawn to the lifestyle, boats, or both. I.e., a genuine love of the canals and moving about. Now, we may have more people who are doing it as a cheap way to live, so moving about isn't actually the point of it for them.

Which is a lot.

I went similarly far into further education but far fewer practical skills than yourself. I am assuming I am younger. There could be a correlation between people who went further into further education, and people with fewer practical skills. But there is another variable, age; younger people are less likely to have had the time to learn those skills, and are more likely to have gone into further education. In a decade, we might find that there is a lower correlation between university education and practical skills. This is all assuming that the stats match this. Lack of practical skills amongst the youth and any correlation with education could be the figment of our imaginations.

Ahah, I was assuming it was increasing numbers of younger boaters without experience or confidence (e.g., from owning a home), rather than ageing boaters. Could be a bit of both.

I think most likely is a changing demographic. People who simply don't have those skills, or people who don't have the time. I doubt plumbing and carpentry have become more complicated, although I suppose electrics sometimes are (slightly). It feels like finding someone takes a lot of time as well. Even for a simple job, it took us months to get someone to plumb in a new whale gulper (previous plumbing was a botch). We've been waiting six months to have our wood burner door replaced, even after a reputable tradesperson agreed to do it.

I don't see this as any different from going for a swim (in a place good for swimming, not wherever that was). Never got any abuse swimming in the upper Thames.

Is this in support of the NHS or gay people? This is why we can't be using iconography willy-nilly, it gets confusing. As an aside, whilst I support LGBTQ+ rights, I find this kind of branding cynical. When a business, e.g., H&M, uses it, what are they saying? That they make a meaningful contribution to the movement? If yes, then fine use it. But they don't, and CRT doesn't do anything special either as far as I know. Or is it to say "we welcome LGBTQ+ people"? Because that should, in a modern society, be the default position. If anything, the use of human rights movements for commercial purposes is, in my view, harming them.

Years ago I was looking for a flatshare in Rotterdam. The potential flatmate asked if I was religious, I said no. Turns out she was gay and didn't want to be stabbed in the night by a fanatic. I think it's a genuine concern for gay people, and there have been a number of high-profile murders and assaults. It's not always about identity. I remember Huami in Whilton, I think we left around the same time. It's a lovely boat, and it looks like you've covered far more of the network than we have. Hope you find someone. edit: As an aside, I don't fully understand why you can't accommodate a woman. Are you worried they'll lack sufficient privacy (or that you will)? If you feel comfortable, I'd consider rethinking that and let them decide whether it's their cup of tea or not.