Tullz

Thanks Toad, Dor and George Notes duly made Oh btw Dor - love the sig *chuckle* Tullz

Both sound tricky, but I'm sure we'll cope ... somehow Perhaps you might be lurkin around on our return on Sun/Mon 30th But in the hands of a professional - that makes the difference. We'll most prolly get looks that say, 'Bloody amateurs!’ or 'Wannabees.' At least we won't be accused of bein fairweather boaters Tullz

Thanks guys, Keith Me 'n' the other half aren't what you'd call undernourished - built for comfort rather than speed so the locks may take a little longer then. Boat called Tardis huh? *grin* Had a look at the route planner; may have to rethink Gnosall to Chester - looks as if it might be a bit of a manic journey rather than a leisurely one *sigh* Dibbo think that will be the combo on our boat, me doin all the leapin around, clutchin me windlas, BOGG shoutin instructions from the decks. Steve yeah I know bit of a bummer, but we plan on moorin up at about 3ish each day and startin once our bones have snapped into place Toad Point taken - I take it that there isn't a lock keeper then or is there? I was lookin forward to makin some scones for them! *pout* Tullz

What are the best pubs for food along the Shropie between Gnosall and Chester? And where are good places to buy raw ingredients - butchers, bakers, farmers' markets etc. Thanks Tullz

Hiya Peeps Ltns Me and the other half, BOGG (Big Old Grumpy Git) are back on the cut, this time on the Shropie for a couple of weeks in a couple of weeks. We're hiring Larch from Middlewich and are heading down to Gnosall and then back up to Chester. So a couple of things: 1) How long to get up Audlem flight? The book (Collins Waterways Guide) says 'The locks are close together and provide over two hours of energetic navigating.' Book also says 'Add number of miles to the number of locks and divide the resulting figure by 3. This gives you an apprx guide to number of hours your journey will take. So which is right and how long will it really take? We hope to leave Nantwich early on Tuesday mornin (24th) and be in Market Drayton by 10/11am on Wed 25th. Is this feasible? 2) Are there Lock Keepers at the flight? 3) Anyone who is around the area and fancies one of my Lock Keeper Scones with homemade damson jam and cream, stop and say hello. Nice to be back Take care Tullz

Well once agin plans change. Looks like it will just be me 'n' BOGG (Big Ol' Grummpy Git) on a boating jaunt in July. He has now decided that he'd like to do more boating this year, so as a result can you guys tell me: a) What festivals are happening the first week of July and where? c) (and this is him askin') does anyone here hire out their NB? - I told him that it is very unlikely I can't put in bracket b cos it wants to put in a instead! Ta very glad.

Margarine -schmargerine! *wink* How dumb can vets be? Many years back we had a wee kitten, and at that time I was experimenting with makin' bread. I left said dough to prove and came back an hour or so later to find a huge mass missing from the bowl. My only conclusion was our wee kitten had decided to take a snack from the fermenting mass. I rang the vet and the converstion went something like this ... Me: "Hi, I think my kitten had eaten some proving bread dough." Vet: "How old is it?" Me: "Three months." Vet: "What are you doing with three month old bread dough?" I was gobsmacked ... I mean ... *doh* or should that be dough? Just had a squitty kitty for a couple of days Just goes to show though - even vets don't think when they ask the obvious!

Hehehehe nah, but they do seem to have mobiles attached to some part of their bodies, so I can normally tell where they are from the constant bleepin' of txt msgs or the screech and hiss of what they call music!

Now this is freakie - my kids are called Jessica and Toby!

I read somewhere that one should gracioulsy thank the cat for its present, praisng it for its efforts and congratulating it on being very clever/brave; they seem to apreciate the words! Well dear old Fattie did us proud again this mornin; another dead bunny under the bed and a live one found refuge under The Daught's school blazer! Spent half an hour removing the fur from the bloody thing - the blazer not the bunny. That was after I took the tremblin' little critter up the road and popped it back over the wall and into the field. Fattie is now curled up on the sofa in the spare room, havin' spent most of the mornin' lookin' for the bunnies! Stoopid cat!

Thanks guys Everything duly noted

Just a quickie guys, As it says above - Fossdyke - good cruising, with pleasant scenery, good pubs and is their any bandit problem in Lincoln? Once again any advice is much apreciated

I love cat stories, and all of the above had had me in fits of giggles, especially the live chicken and superglue (well done Carl you never cease to make me laff ) Our various cats have brought us presents of some description or another over the past 24 years of enjoying their company (8 mogs in all) One of our first cats - Mott the Grott, woke us one night with a horrible crunching noise. Blinking as we put on the light, he was sitting on the dresser with half a daddy long legs sticking out of his mouth - wings and legs still moving. I have walked down the stairs on many occasions and have been greeted with bits of chewed bird, mouse, rabbit and even the odd footless frog - (that would have been one to Harry Cat). But the worst thing is wondering what the hell's stuck to the underside of your foot; upon lifting leg up to have a look, one discovers a mouse head stuck to ones instep! Not good if you have a hangover. The other thing is discovering a funny smell of something that has obviously died and not finding a thing. Coming in from work a few days later you find the kitchen window crawling with bluebottles. *shudder* Cats don’t eat shrews because they are too bitter for them. I have found many hiding in the laundry that have escaped the various felines prowling around the house. Our latest addition of the cat fraternity is Grey aka Fatty Furball, aka His Fattiness who tries desperately to catch birds without much success although he will wait patiently for hours to catch mice, which he does with great aplomb. But he excelled himself yesterday morning. We knew he had something for us, because of the type of shout he used to wake us. Several attempts to find out what the matter was lead to him giving up with his stupid humans and he scampered in with his find – a baby bunny. Moving as fast as his stomach would allow, he scarpered under the bed, where we couldn’t get to him. He then left our present there and we were forced to go back downstairs to get a broom so we could retrieve the poor thing. As is the way of Mother Nature, bunny didn’t survive. Still these things we come to expect from our cats and it is in their nature after all, but when we manage to save the odd present from the maws of the mog and release them back into the wild, if they are unharmed, makes us feel a little better, even if the cat then sulks and spurns our affections for a day. Why is it cats hold grudges? Edited to say: I worked with a guy who's mother's cat used to lay in wait on the flat roof of her hosue and had caught a seagull. They had the devil's own job of trying to get the bird away from the cat as he struggled to get in in through the cat flap!

How on earth did he find that? Come to think of it - where the hell did it come from? And, prey tell ... what have you done with it?

just found their site; thanks Ann

Now there's an idea, but I think I'd prefer him actually playing the flute and standing on one leg on the boat

I shouldn't really laff at Honey's misfortune, which I'm not, but Carl your comments have brought tears to my eyes, Maybe the bike wasn't their main objective - maybe it was the wrought iron fence! Now I really must get back on and do the list of stuff that needs doin - I hate housework!

Nah ... I could be mysterious and leave it as that couldn't I? Think I will, cos I don't want anyone pinchin the idea

I was sooo tempted to ask liveaboards if I could look inside their boat when on our Easter jaunt, but thought it wasn't the polite thing to do. Some of them looked amazin! Back to the topic in hand - I presume you can call your boat anything you like as long as it isn't offensive. And if you do have a name, do you have to have it displayed in some form on your boat? When we get our boat, in xx years time, we're thinking of just having an image as its name, is this allowed? Oh btw, Purple Fairie, love your art - nothing like an old greaser or a young one for that matter

Mornin' guys We've been hooked, lined and sunk (or should that be landed? *shrug*) after our wee jaunt dan sarf over eaaster and I'm now looking for a summer jaunt. Timing is a difficult as The Boy is goin away the same time us us, but to Greece, so am looking for places to pick boats up from near airports. A quick troll round the net and I discovered teh Royal Canal in Dublin. so my question is does anyone know of any hire boat companies there? I've looked at Leisureways, but they are closing from May So ... any ideas? Failing that, any suggestions about places near airports Ta very much

Has anyone informed the various canal related websites and BW of Holly's recovery? The reason I ask is cos waterscape.com still has her as missing (webpage not updated since 10th April).

Well done guys - I think you've done a tremendous job, especially Jon. And to Trish and all at Middlewich - glad everything has been resolved and that Holly will be back with you soon, unless she's kept for evidence, in which case - where the bloody hell will they keep her?

Slightly My mum (yet again) when her first husband was home on leave from the navy during the II world war, washed and pressed his white flared bell bottomed uniform trousers with a crease and to keep them pressed, put them under the matress. Needless to say he was not best pleased - the trousers shouldn't have razor sharp creases down them! Just goes to show what a bit of starch and a firm matress can do! Who needs an iron?

My mum used to use a table covered in a couple of towels, and a proper cast iron iron, heated on the kitchen stove and spat on to see if it was hot enough! but as Malc says ... ironing? I must admit that I do have an iron and a board, but can't stand the damn thangs - BOGG's white shirts get done by local company, cos he always complained about how I did them - shame that really *innocent look*