stickleback

The speed they work, I reckon they could have the Bedford / Milton Keynes link done by Christmas ...

Love it! Looks great ...

There's also Blisworth marina just around the corner from Gayton marina - on the GU and only a few hundred yards from Gayton marina.

Dumped!! Love it.

Well, I know Whitby and Richmond. And I think Stratford on Avon is really lovely. Stayed there for 3 days and loved it.

Fantastically useful post. Thanks, Nick. One question - how do I know which port settings I ought to have it set to? I have one account which refuses to work on the iPhone but works well on my iMac and Macbook.

We were going towards a bridge on the Caldon a year or two back and saw kids on the bridge with bricks ready to throw. I got my camera and stood at the front pointing it up at the bridge - they scarpered! I really wanted to get a picture to send to the police and the local schools but they moved the minute they realised I had a camera.

Looks delicious. Must give it a try - hope the forecast is good for Saturday!!!!!

I can not agree more!

The hire boat business at Guildford on the Wey has closed - presumably WASN'T picking up year on year.....

Sounds like queen wasps. I get them overwintering each year in my workshop and they can emerge anytime from Feb onwards. Last spring I killed about 5 of them over a few months - each one will make a nest and can produce scores of wasps. I even found one which had overwintered in a metronome - it was still sleeping when I found it so was easier to dispatch! I've only once had a hornet in the house - make a deep, loud sound like a motor scooter, bigger than a queen wasp, and the bits which on a wasp are black are a deep brick red on a hornet. Latin for Hornet is vespa - perhaps why the motor scooter was called that???!

So is the local authority responsible for maintaining an ungated drive??

If the egg is cold you may as well forget it. And if it was a couple of days ago - it is certainly too late. If you find the same thing happens again and the egg is warm, google something like "incubating egg". But be warned - the newly hatched duckling will probably "bond" with you and think you are Mummy!!!!

These are pics of a Ken Martin built boat - 57 feet, semi trad, built about 2006? Several people commented on the high build quality, though I'm not qualified to judge myself! We certainly had no complaints while we owned the boat. Loved it...

Also had someone get on the boat at Bancroft Basin - they were taking pictures of each other!! Also had that at Hatton. Had to point out that it was my home....

If you established a routine and got permission to arrive at / trade in the various marinas along the canal between Stoke Bruerne and, say, Whilton, with stops along the way, you might just get some regular customers. But speculative customers - I'm just not sure. I know I was always in dread of running out of essentials (like wine...!) and made a point of stocking up where ever there was a shop - and there are so many. You need to do a lot of research to make sure that it's really viable before launching - so to speak.

I think that as long as the building remains, there's no reason not to turn it into two flats. It will look much the same. And the owner will at least have got a sensible price for the property rather than , perhaps , sod all. Might even be able to buy a nice narrow boat from the proceeds.

We had an excellent experience selling through Dominic in August. He saw the boat, photographed it, put it on his site - we had someone look at it 4 days later, put an offer in after a 2cnd visit and they bought it after having had a survey. Absolutely an ace service and totally stress free.

Firstly, if it's old, the gasket almost certainly needs to be replaced (Robert Dyas and lots of other shops sell them - take the old one with you.) Secondly, to use the pressure cooker - say for potatoes - place the potatoes in the steamer basket (if you haven;t one, just place on the trivet). Add about a mug of water - two if it' a big machine! Place on lid and turn the valve to pressure (or add the weights if it is old fashioned). Switch heat to high and wait for the little valve to pop up indicating that pressure has built up, then for the steam start hissing out from the valve, or from under the weight. Now turn down to a point where the steam reduces but pressure stays high enough to keep the little valve in place. NOW start timing - for potatoes I'd think 5 minutes would be enough. Switch off heat and move the valve to steam release - and be prepared for lots of hissing and steam flying about! Keep hands / face etc well away from steam... When valve falls and the lid can be opened you should have beautifully tender spuds. Lots of sites to find out more about pressure cooking, such as this one http://missvickie.com or this http://www.hippressurecooking.com/five-amazing-pressure-cooker-meat-tips-tricks/ and this http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com Happy pressure cooking!!!

Actually, I make porridge in a pressure cooker about 3 times a week. Delicious! 1 cup oatmeal, pinch salt, 1.5 cups water, place in heatproof bowl and stir, stand on trivet in pressure cooker and put about 2 cups water in the base of the pressure cooker. Close lid, switch pressure cooker on and bring up to pressure for 4 minutes then switch off heat source and allow to depressurise. And there you have it - beautifully creamy porridge - add cream / honey/ etc as you choose. And for a real treat - chocolate porridge! Mix into the water two teaspoons of coca powder and stir into the porridge oats, add a tablespoon or so of sultanas for sweetness and proceed as above. Very decadent breakfast! The new electric pressure cookers are brilliant - no hiss, no escaping steam - it seems not to be working until the time is up and there is a fab pressure cooked meal there waiting for you.

You can have both in one gadget http://www.instantpot.co.uk

I sold mine in August, having loved using it for 7 years ... There was a sense of relief (mainly to do with finances!) but I miss it - progressively more, actually. Sitting by the squirrel stove, toasty warm, with a glass of something, while outside the snow was deep and the canal frozen over - beautiful. Since selling though, the bathroom has been refitted and tiled, central heating fitted instead of storage heaters, decorated throughout - which wouldn't have happened. And I can imagine, when I retire in a few years time, selling the house, buying a small flat - and another boat!!

What an awful thing to happen. Terribly sad.

Wonderful to see Fairstar coming along so well.

There are SO MANY good low carb recipes here http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/forum7.html For noodles, I like mung bean noodles. Low carb and lots of resistant starch (which doesn't count as carbs!!!)