magpie patrick

I think we ought to thank Creamcheese for starting the ball rolling for this back in January. She'd been planning this hangover for nearly six months, that's dedication

Cracking pics Phylis Would, say, a Viking 26 with a sufficiently large outboard be able to do that trip?

For Smelly I'd agree, but it was bagpuss, signed in as smelly... Not that Bagpuss looked entirely compos mentis...

Sounds like a good time all round, and we were there! For the avoidance of doubt can I add that our early departure was due to Val having recently had major repairs, not due to hangovers (which isn't to say we didn't have them) Val off work for another week or two, I've a 9 o'clock meeting tomorrow...

I think you are wrong in fact, but right in principle. Taking an NB across the channel is a disaster waiting to happen, and the only reason it hasn't happened is that those who do it are bold but also ultra cautious. Take it on a truck, it will cost more but it will have two advantages, one, you don't have to cross the channel in a narrow boat, two, you can be crained in at your choice of destination, not enter the canal du Calias, which is a bit like arriving on the english canal system via the Manchester Ship Canal when it was busy

well, because of complaints, I reduce them to document size first... My flickr photos (selected) bit bigger, but the come off the camera at ten meg

Okay, some photos More to follow, especially when I find the lead for the compact digital camera These are all Canan D400 DSLR with 8mm fish eye lens Evening in the beer garden, smeely getting less sober Smelly of for a drunken kayak session (about 9:30pm) Ange and Dave talking to Wriiglefingers, Paul Catchpole and Creamcheese in the middle ground Scrambling the Ostrich Egg

Are you quite sure that's wise...

We're home: two hours driving and Val slept most of the way. Great to see you all, especial thanks to Richard and Sue for putting us up and all for understanding, nay suggesting, that I should take Val home to rest rather than help with the tidy up. A good, albeit slightly knackering weekend PS, has Smelly Come round yet?

As the manager of £12 million of the funding for that canal I can say, hand on heart, that that isn't true. BW had underwritten the scheme, and had, at the time of their departure, a liability of around £2 million. This was on a risk register so it was entirely possible that the expenditure wouldn't occur. One of the reasons BW walked away was that the actions of others had the potential to leave BW facing a £12 million clawback when it was other bodies who had failed to deliver. BW had claims in with HLF of the order of £1.25 million, which have to date not been paid, The entire £12 million grant being granted to Stroud DC. As for scumbag, no you didn't say that, but you have so far expressed a view that the western K and A is a "slum" and that the actions of people who have no permanent mooring are, in effect, indefensible. implication you also link the two. To "liaise" when holding both those views would be extremely difficult. As an aside, a defence lawyer is required to believe in his client's innocence, even if it is on a technicality. Otherwise the lawyer must seek mitigation, not a not guilty verdict.

Given everything you've said about it I'm a bit surprised you are coming this way, or do you just like to go places you can moan about? The point is Sue, regardless of whether or not you were acting to liaise or not, someone whose starting point is "some of the people I'm dealing with here are Scumbags" isn't going to be very good at it. Liaison is about seeing both sides, not making the case for the prosecution. No, but volunteers can do a lot more than they have historically under BW, things like grass cutting, litter picking etc are only just the start. By way of example, BW valued volunteer input on the soon to be reopened Cotswold Canal (Stonehouse to Brimscombe) at £75,000. Stroud DC have identified volunteer works of £1.1 million

Thank you Chris, I knew you'd turn up when we needed you. Sounds like Sueb has some explaining to do

Hmmm, you'd make a fine liaison officer with that attitude. I don't know all 150 but the ones I know make a point of not using (and certainly not abusing) visitor moorings which make up a only a few hundred yards of the 15 miles between Bath and Semmington. Go stay in Centre Parcs if you want it all orderly and manicured

If you are referring to my anecdote Sue, I know it survived initially as it trotted past me as if nothing had happened, it was also trotting around the harbour an hour later when we were having our chips. However, this was 2004 so it may well be deceased by now. Life is 100% fatal for all species I'm afraid

we've got four tins in the larder, we'll bring em is four tins enough? If Not, is 1.5kg of Black Pudding enough?

Pistols at Dawn Sueb just as it's not to your taste doesn't mean it's wrong. I may be biased living in Bath but we enjoy cycling that length (oh, perhaps we shouldn't be cycling it even though it's national cycle track), there is a tremendous spirit amongst the boaters and a true sense of community. The variety of boats is stunning, someone we know lives on a converted lifeboat from the SS Canberra And how do you know they are illegal? The number of boats on the Bradford pound varies but is around 150 (or 15 a mile, the national average is 10), the majority of which have official moorings and most of the rest shuffle because they can't get one. In summer they go onto the river and up to Devizes. Your accusation is a bit like pointing at a house extension and saying "they haven't got planning permission" without checking first whether they have or not. Go find a fact please, before you start spouting The Calder and Hebble was difficult when it was in good condition, it was built for barge men who threw small buildings around as light training

A liitle off topic, and not for a moment suggesting you should mow a dog down, but an incident from some years ago which suggest they are more robust than we realise Me and the ex were in Dublin, and had been to the transport museum (read, buses in a shed) somewhere in the north of greater Dublin. Walking back for the train, a dog followed us, and being softies, we sweet talked it. It became apparent the dog was daft, it kept crossing the road oblivious of traffic to find other soft touches, and then returning. Nearing the station, the dig did this, and walked straight in front of a car, the ex turned away but I saw it go under the wheels and be thrown up onto the underside of the car followed by the back wheels going over it. The ex hadn't seen this, but when I looked back she had a look that still haunts me, she was upset beyond belief, she was wounded. As I tried to comfort her the dog trotted past us... Julia, seeing this, first thought that she'd turned away and missed the lucky escape, but this time it was the look on my face which told the story, because I thought the dog to be dead in the road. BTW, before you get too romantic about my ex, another car had seen the first half of what i'd what I'd seen, and the female driver was in tears. I told her the dog had walked away apparently unharmed, I then got accused of being "overly sympathetic" to this woman...

LDP will be written in Planglish I should imagine, and probably Cynnlunio Cymraeg as well edited to add, I'm fluent in Planglish and can get by in its welsh equivalent