Liam

Yes it's definitely lives on the northern side. If the boat I saw this morning is the one in question then it has recently changed hands and used to hang around the Leigh area.

Well funnily enough, just after I'd submitted that last post, a widebeam came through the A56 Bridge needing north. Seems to be a fair few scuffs along the top bend and a liberal coating of red brick dust everywhere.

So that's why the 3 fire engines and 2 long wheel based transit type vans turned up. They parked in the railway access lay-by yesterday but as they didn't appear to be in any rush I assumed it was a training exercise as they've done it before under the M56 bridge opposite the Chandlers. The outfit was met shortly after by 2 RIB's coming from the tunnel to be lifted out the water and taken away. I didn't see any widebeam go either way so assumed they came from the Anderton area. That's interesting in itself as the lock is narrower than the tunnel, so it must have a really tall and/or boxy profile above the water.

Not these past few days, simply spotted by being out with the dog on various walks, or just plodding through various jobs on the wharf. I forgot to add rabbits to the original list. They're plentiful in the adjacent field.

In the past few days or so, let's call it a week, I've seen Moorhens, Mallard Ducks, Swans, Cormorant, Foxes, Voles, Mink, Rats and mice including the field variety, Barn Owl and various small birds, the usual suspects of sparrow, robin, blue ti, wren and many more. I have seen a Badger too but that was on CCTV so doesn't really count. All in a rather urban environment. They're all there you just need to be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye out.

I'd personally aim or the moorings overlooking Pennington Flash which receive a greater amount off positive feedback from people I talk to.

Liver Grease is no longer. We managed to "rescue" if not the last, then the nearly last, of the stock. Norfolk Street is now looking a lot different which is a sad affair. It was nice to carry it out by boat, although it did involve wheelbarrowing it up the dock road to Salthouse to get it loaded

Having recently taken off the lid of our cesspit tank to facilitate the emptying of, I was humoured to find a cap off am Elsan Blue bottle, a large amount of wet wipes in a huge ball, crowned by a Richard and the head off a loo brush. We use a small, family run business to do the deed of removal and so to stop causing them any issues when they were due to arrive later in the day I spent 10 mins or so fishing with a litter picker. It wasn't very pleasant.

If you have access to an air compressor, would using that to blast it through help?

Thanks for the comments. As @nicknormansays it is an F11. Going off his comments and the ebay link given earlier on a fair price seems to be £400 for starters, so if anyone is interested get in touch. The item is preferably collection only from either Leigh or Preston Brook, but could possibly ship for cost wherever. Cheers again Liam

I've been asked to help find a new home for a Lucas Francis Lamp. The owner knows there's a certain amount of value of said lamp, but doesn't really know what to ask as a fair price. Some pictures are attached and any suggestions or feedback most welcome. The item comes with a mounting bracket and storage bag as shown and the lamp has some slight damage in the form of a hair line crack also shown in the pictures. Cheers

Yep that's correct 👍 You won't find any hire boats there either. When Claymoore went into liquidation all of their assets were sold off, including the few boats that they actually owned. The majority of the boats were under a sponsorship scheme and have since either been sold or relocated elsewhere. Looking rather tired is an understatement! But we've (well, Kez has done most of the work to be honest) have been beavering away in the background completely stripping out the old rooms to create a shop, office and usable and functional workshop space. We have a lot of exciting plans in the pipeline but like most things on this scale they take quite a lot of time and even more money. We are getting there though, and we're pleased to announce we're hosting the first of (hopefully) many courses; this one is a beginners Canal Roses course on Sunday 31st July, being run by Kerri Williams aka The Heritage Crafter.

No they won't as it expires after a set amount of time.

Yes I've got an account with Calor, and during a recent visit from my rep was told the same, but it isn't just the 3.9kg Propane cylinders, it's also the 4.5kg Butane cylinders which are going to be discontinued.

I've recently had a visit from my Calor rep, and he too said that the 3.9 and 4.5 cylinders would be phased out. No mention of the same for the 13 and 15kg cylinders, but he did say that they'd invested £17m in new cylinders so I think they will still continue to be around for a while yet.

It's open

If it wasn't for @TheBiscuits blocking the canal this morning in Leigh I may have been through 🤣

I'm heading south, and whilst passing through Worsley just now, there's a bloke on a bike suggesting people stay put in Worsley for the time being as the aqueduct is off until Thurs. He apparently was told this earlier by the guys on the ground. There never is unfortunately, the tank breaking down happens very frequently and I haven't seen anything posted in previous times.

I'm happy to report that the required bearing has been tracked down, ordered and should be with me tomorrow morning. For anyone in the same predicament as me in the future it is a CRL10A bearing 🙂 Thanks for the comments

Hi Tracy, the photo above is a bit misleading, it's actually a 3:1 pictured and the shaft sizes between the 2:1 and 3:1 differ slightly. I took all of the old bearings from the 2:1 to the shop, and replacements were found and purchased apart from the 1 in the picture. I left it with them last week to try and source so don't have it with me to measure. I am hoping that theres a slim chance somebody has the bearings required scribbled down on the back of a fag packet somewhere after changing their own 🙂

Hi all, would anyone know a reference or part/type number for the bearing shown in the picture. It's the top output side of a Type 2R reduction box for a HA2M. Cheers all

Simon Pollard covers the Braunston area. I think he's actually based in Braunston. Telephone 07770 433 287

Is it just me that thinks the river below Diglis Lock is bloody boring 😴

Like the boat yard, who after sending in the invoice for a service on a Lister SR3, included costs for topping up with anti freeze. Never did find out where they apparently put it 🤷