Capey

Not as tedious as people who use words like belay. As for tedious, well it might be an old subject matter, but as long as tedious people keep speeding past those of us who dont know what belay means, you will keep getting abuse - pity some people just dont have any manners

You great wally!!!!!! (that is me at my politest, I called you a lot worse on Sunday) OK you may wonder what that uninhibited outburst was all about. For those of you who claim, its not necessary to slow down when passing moored craft or make comments on the "meerkat" like behaviour of those inside said moored craft, let me share with you my HO on the subject. Sunday, after working like Trojans all morning on the boat, we decided to have a nice quiet civilised lie down for an hour or two. next thing we know there is one almighty crash, bang and everything goes flying. It took me a few seconds to wake and reaslide that Armageddon was not happening, and heared my neighbour who was sitting on her deck reading shout "thanks so much for slowing down" - and the charming reply reply "I can't go any slower than this". He must I swear have been doing 6 miles an hour - had to have been, 9 boats in a row bobbing about like crazy his wake. The best part was that "Mr Congeniality" had to turn around and come back past us later in the day. I did notice he went a lot slower that time but we all ran to hold down our precious posessions in his wake. He stared straight ahead, not even bothering to turn around and look at us as we clung to our boats in panic. So NB Ranger, if you are out there listen up - our boats double bank on one hell of a narrow canal at Warble Wharf, slow down OK. I dont care if I am one of those annoying people who shout at you, I dont give a damn if you have all sort of historicaly fancy schamncy engines, and I dont give a toss about the wonderful sound it makes, next time you come past me at that speeed you will feel the wrath of the shiny boat owners club of Warble Wharf. If everyone else can slow down and do, so can you!!

You can also join the army, travel to exciting places, meet interesting people and kill them, just not smoke while you do it......funny old world isn't it ?

Oh Poo, thats really sad, maybe too much diesel in the water or whatever. Mine are done with the tap and are flourishin, in fact the cucumber is a bit like a triffid now, I am getting a bit nervous to go into the greenhouse, in case I never come out again. Looking to plant garlic next after watching that fella on the Hampton Court Flower Show garlic person from Isle of Man - it lookes just too easy for words.

Yet?? befor what, the great flood, the next ice age, before we all turn into swamp monsters - I sit with a hot water bottle under my feet every night, and its July people. But I still would not swap living in the North West to go back to South Africa, despite the weather - I still love it here

Hi Nathan I'm afraid I dont play football either, I am a grown up lady who never got the hang of it. I don't know your dad because our boat is moored in a place called Hyde in Cheshire. You need to go and look it up on the map. Its in the Northwest and we live on a wharf where boats used to be build in the olden days. Its called Warble Wharf so if you look at the canal guide for the North West you will see us on the Peak Forest canal. I wish I had a dog but I work all day and so does Paul so we dont want to leave the dog by itself. I am trying to get him to let us have a cat. I see you are using the Captain emoticon - so is your dad the galley boy?? I used to travel on ships and was a stewardess (thats like a very fancy word for waitress and laundrymaid) all over the world. Japan, America, Carribean, and Africa. I come from Cape Town in South Africa - get out that map again but am very happy living in England. I hope you find some penpals of your own age here soon, there must be lots out there - maybe thier folks will see your message and get them to reply. Do you know what a blog is - you could write one about being 8 and living on a narrowboat. I am sure other kids around the world would be interested in reading it. Its a very differnt way to live isn't it. Good luck Bridget

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do I am in the same position as you, and this was very helpful - there are some breeds out there that are quite content to be on their own for a while.

Hmmm shouldn't see my daughters flat then, she has 3 boa's, 2 velvet gekko's and a baby python. Her specialisation in reptiles (she is doing a doctorate in Conservation). Mind you if your gambian friend is a native African then it is easier to understand as a lot of their fears are traditional rather than "rational" - if you see what I mean. In South Africa the black people are scared of white cats, white dogs and particulary snakes. I cant wait for the arrival of the bats though - so watch this space.

Just a bit of silliness here, but after waxing lyrical about my portable greenhouse, I have decided this year to give everyone something for christmas that they can use on their boat or mooring, to improve the environement of the concrete bunker we live at. My first gift I bought yesterday on a specail at the garden centre (where I went to top up my hayfever attack) a Bat Box - how fantastic is that ?????? they had ladybird boxes, bee boxes and butterfuly boxes - I just thought the bat idea was fantastic. I will need to introduce them to the woodpeckers though. Isn't life in this country just brilliant -back in Africa - we would have caught the bats and barbecued them. I will just stick to squirrel kebabs - more meat on them

oh har har - spelling was never my strong point but i am fully on the anti side - there just has to be a better solution than this. I would love to try the first nuclear powered boat - oh wow, and would save so much on heating and lighting - it would glow green all the time - as would I.

Have read your other posting as well re; how much you are enjoying it - could not agree with you more

Oh dear, does not look like there are loads of kids out there, so thought I would say hello anyhow. Just keep calling, I am sure the kids will pick up your message soon enough. We live on our boat and would not go back to a house for anything. Do you go to school or are your taught at home? What do you do when you want to play football or some game that takes up a lot of room. Do you have a dog or cat? You should write down what its like for a boy of 8 to live on a boat like you do, other kids will find it very interesting I am sure. Enjoy it Bridget

And here in Manchester - someone would have pinched his boat, table, unbrella and his dog

IMEHO - The smartest reply so far. There will in any case be a shortage of products for bio fuel in the future. The worlds largest populations are all discovering the joys of beef and dairy, so with huge tracts of grain dissapearing across S E Asia, responsible governments should be producing more food, not fuel. This is from a woman who has today for the first time, used a train in the UK. I have abandoned the car as the fuel is too expensive The train was such fun - the fellow next to me introduced me to his shopping, the bloke in the suite spent the entire trip cleaning his ears with his fingers, and the one next to him chewed his dentures - I didn't know life could be so interesting.

My only suggestion to your topic is get yourself some boat handling and safety instruction. If you have alreayd had some you may have been sleeping through the "what cosmically stuiped things to avoid doing when living on a narrowboat" - part 116.2 which says, dont ever jump into the canal - dont fall in, dont paddle, for God's sake you dont know what is in there. I mean people fall in by accident, and the safely training teaches you, not even to jump in after them to rescue, throw a life belt whatever, never mind the shopping trollies, the dead cows, the disgusting muck at the bottom, if your girlfriend wants to jump off boats into water take her to Greece, but stay on board your narrowboat. My safety and boat handling was done by Top Lock training - and Malcolms words were - the only thing to remember about getting into the canal is don't. Any flu like symptons, better take her to the local A&E -