gatekrash

Going round to Carbeile I believe, so guessing it's a drop straight in at QAB and then being pulled straight back out again over there.

This turned up at our lumpy water marina in Plymouth today. It's due to be towed across the bay to a local yard at Torpoint for refurbishment. Hopefully not today as there's a full gale blowing. I do love the tin shed roof over the front, along with the matching shed door half way along ! Anyone got any idea what it is ? I'm guessing given where it's going and that someone has paid for haulage and hoisting (and the yard that's dropping it in isn't cheap compared to canal hoisting rates) that they're intending to live on it.

Another vote here for Tom, if he's got availability. Did ours a few years ago and he was great, very easy to talk to and happy to spend the time discussing what he'd found.

It says at the top blurb that there are over 30,000 photos and it seems they come out in a random order. I managed 3 before I gave up !

I'm using up a crate of ex MoD hexamine fuel as firelighters. it's the stuff they used to issue to cook on out in the field, but they have changed over to an alcohol fuel and I've got tons of it left. Same stuff as they sell in go outdoors as 'festival cookers'. Goes up a treat, holds a flame for about 5 minutes so things really get going. We also occasionally do a top down light. Put the solid fuel on the bottom of the grate, then the kindling on top. I didn't believe it would work, but it really does as it warms the chimney up fast to get a really good draw then as the burning kindling drops down it ignites the solid. As taught in the book 'Norwegian wood' which is a must for anyone with a proper fire!

There was a lot of weed cutting going on on the W&B a few weeks ago (it desperately needed it).

I'm guessing this is specific to use of these items as 'ingredients' rather than as a separate item. As I can buy pigs trotters from my local butcher which are definitely feet!

Stop just before the Curdworth tunnel (there is good piling there) and walk up to Curdworth village. 2 good pubs, we ate in the Beehive last time which is down in the village. Family run, was a bit chaotic with service, cheap but very friendly and seemed to be where the villagers were going, and the beer was Enville and very good. The other pub is the white horse on the main road. Chain pub and I think would be a bit more up market, but we didn't eat there this time. Did look nice though. Have also stopped at the Cuttle Bridge, which looks like a motel. The problem with that one (or at least it was last year when we went there) is that it's where some of the HS2 workers go, so it was really busy. And the moorings outside are right by the main road so were a bit noisy, further down near the tunnel was much quieter.

It had definitely moved from centenary square when we were there last week. We wondered where they'd put it. As far as I know after all the public support for keeping it they were going to take it away for a period to prepare it for permanent display, as it wasn't designed to be kept. Presumably they need to do something to remove the JCB from under it. There is talk of it being permanently displayed in New Street station.

Reminds me of the sausage rolls the MoD used to buy to put in their brown paper 'horror bags' (packed lunches). I made the mistake of reading the contents one day. 'Minimum 8% meat content'. And they definitely didn't taste good.

I hope you visited Bogey Knights emporium of unbelievable tat whilst there ? The only place you can buy anything from a shackle to a dummy warhead...

It's not what it was. Black and Decker is now owned by Stanley tools, the same company also owns DeWalt. They aim their tools at different markets. B&D are their budget end aimed at the DIY market, then Stanley are mid range and DeWalt is aimed more at their pro market (hence why DeWalt stuff is the stuff you always see builders using, with the odd bit of Stanley stuff here and there). My B&D stuff all burned out very quickly when I was rebuilding my Landy. Replaced it all with a mix of Makita and DeWalt and never had a problem since. Although I've also got Lidl and Aldi stuff for less intensive jobs and they've also been fine. The Aldi multi tool has been great and did a really good job of scraping the loose blacking inside the water tank last year.

Tonight, 2022 Broad Street bridge towards Arena Birmingham. And preparing for a party conference. (no politics on this thread though please 😁 ). Loads of police about hereabouts and apparently we'll possibly be having the boat searched by police dog as we go back through Broad Street on Saturday.

The Rochdale must be open again without anyone being told. It's listed as one of the 6 'Best places to boat this autumn' on the CaRT homepage... From Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, canal boat holiday-makers can travel along the Rochdale Canal through the Calder Valley to the old mill town of Hebden Bridge, nestled in a fork in the hills. Climbing through woods, fields and small stone towns, the journey there and back covers 14 miles, 20 locks and takes around 11 hours.

Yes, I forgot. Worked for the IT department of EDF Energy and its predecessor, SWEB for 31 years until I retired a few years ago and went to Hinkley B a few times, including being stood on top of the reactor (total anti-climax). Our chief exec back in the mid 2000s used to be found of telling us about how cheap electricity would be once Hinkley C was online and according to him 'customers will be cooking their Christmas turkeys using energy from new nuclear by 2015' ! He left shortly after!