Cheshire cat

The bike was a 531 steel road bike. I had just negotiated a crossroads and I was probably doing 12 mph when I went through a puddle outside a farm entrance. The puddle disguised a very deep pothole that caused me to launch over the handlebars. The downtube and top tube both bent on impact although I didn't realise at the time and road the bike another 20 miles home. It was cheaper to buy another second hand frame than have the original repaired and repainted.

I've swallowed quite a few flies this year. If it wasn't for overheating masks when cycling would be a good idea. Regarding helmets I think it depends what speed you are going at. If C&RT manage to enforce 8mph then you really aren't going much faster than joggers and no one is asking them to wear helmets. Last time I came off was November last year and it is the only time my helmet came in to play. I hit the ground, my helmet hit the ground and forced my sun glasses frame to slice open my forehead. The bike was a write off but my head was OK after a couple of weeks

Plenty of boats moored just upstream of Hurleston today.

Three abreast but presumablly on the correct side of the road? And your problem is they were going slower than your Chelsea tractor? I only had two pedestrians step out in to the road in front of me yesterday

I didn't think you'd be wanting to get down low enough to look at the baseplate. 😄

How do you know? You've always poo pooed the idea of a survey

I would say that is the case with the majority of restored canals and probably all current attempts at further restoration

Clearly more members have worked in chicken factories than owned Liverpool boats. I spent summer of 75 and 76 in a chicken processing plant. I put half a million bags of giblets back in the chickens in 75, one every four seconds and cut up birds for portions and Kentucky Fried the second year. £1 a week extra for that because using the circular saw was dangerous. The woman who was supposedly training me cut the tip of her finger off on my first morning Birds usually lost limbs in the washing baths in which case they were candidates for portions. I never saw any birds get repackaged

Both the red signs and the ones Peter has posted are present. At the moment they appear to be digging trenches across the towpath. Perhaps they are putting drainage pipe in.

Mooring is suspended between Staffs & Worcester junction and Fancy bridge below Gt Haywood lock for six weeks to facilitate a towpath upgrade!

The tram journey to Rochdale takes such a circuitous route it is almost as quick to walk! Great idea to walk the Rochdale. I might give it a go myself.

It's only a matter of time before someone offers Gap insurance for boats. I know of someone who has had a high end boat built. They were being quoted £900 - £1000 as a first time owner.

Last time I tried to pay in groats they were declined