Bimbly1

And whilst on the topic of wrapping things up, how about a couple of space (foil) blankets?

Since professional management was introduced to most/all public services in the mid eighties, there has been a proliferation of managers and non-frontline staff, many of whom have no hands on experience of the nuts & bolts of working at the point of delivery. This has been to the detriment of front-lione staff. The NHS, Soc Services, Education, Police spring to mind as good examples. What is surprising is that in spite of what we hear about the effects of this in the media when something goes pear shaped, most services are provided reasonably efficiently and to the satisfaction of those receiving them. Bring back a requirement for common sense and experience.

Moorings, (pop in and overnight), are ok in Kidderminster between Tesco and Sainsbury's. Place has been tidied up a lot. Apart from the centre of Kiddy, wouldn't moor between Falling Sands and Wolverley Court locks. The markets do some good fruit & veg and meat.

Especially if you brick the windows up.

Cox Automotive at Atherstone sorted my TP out last year. They needed both the generator (alternator) and the control box and both needed repair. Yes, it cost several hundred £ but it is rather more complicated than fixing a standard alternator. There will doubtless be a similar firm in your neck of the woods. Good luck.

I thought it quite good for July.

So what address is on your driving licence or passport? For verification purposes, this must tally with the address given on the CRB application.

As a fairly recently retired nurse specialist I can confirm that this is correct. The BRC advocated this guidance four or five years ago on the back of research which showed little or no difference between the two methods in maintaining blood oxygen levels. The main aim of CRP now is to maintain some circulation to the brain and first aiders, (who are by definition unlikely to be undertaking CPR on a daily/weekly basis), will achieve better blood oxygen levels with uninterrupted intermittent compression. We also have in our 1st Aid kit some pain killers, Piriton (anti-histamine) tablets for severe stings and Steri-Strip skin closures (for bigger cuts which gape a bit). I use a GPS thingy when we moor and make a note of our position so that in the event of requiring the emergency services, the location can be quoted. Have yet to need it but you never know when it may come in handy. The result can be converted to the postcode via a Google search.

If you head south from Drayton Manor, there is Kingsbury Country Park, with walks and lakes and a smashing all day breakfast. Go into Brum and there is the Sea Life Centre. Going the other way, along the Trent & Mersey is Shugburough, with a variety of animals on the farm.

When I have moored for the night, I use a GPS to identify my location and make a note of it. If there is an emergency of any sort, I can easily refer to it when calling for help, unless I have fallen into the canal. I have easy access to fire extinguishers, mooring pins and windlasses should I need to defend myself. In twenty years of boating, mooring in remote areas and city centres, I have had no problems, other than a couple of occasions when a mooring rope was released.

That's all we do every couple of years. The rationale being that the baseplate is sufficiently far under water not to be affected by air/water mix and so rusts minimally if at all, blacking would be scraped off every time the boat grounds and if in a dry dock, the plinths on which the boat rests are inaccessible. I make sure that the sides, particularly around the waterline are well prepared and receive several coats of blacking.

So that I don't lose an arm or leg when out next year, which canal is The Narrowboat Public House/Restaurant on?

I saw him yesterday, working in Brixham harbour. Those boats are really chunky, I made my excuses and left sharpish.

Yes, because we don't know what we don't know, until we learn. Then I know that I don't know it.

I use a flat f/g hose and have no problem reeling it in. Much easier to store too. Only problem when filling up is getting cyclists to lift their bikes over it. Makes for some interesting conversations.

I took mine to a pet shop and swapped them for a marsh walrus.

ok ok, form an orderly queue.

No complaint there, both the retailing chandler and the distributor were very helpful.

Very frustrating. I have rewired the bank so that it is balanced, with pos & neg inputs at opposite ends and can only monitor frequently. The bank seldom drops below 12v when off the shore line and the batteries were all new in April 2010, with three having been changed one at a time in October 2010, April and July 2011. The 110Ah alternator was rebuilt last month but I think that was a separate issue as the bearings were worn, although the regulator had to be replaced too. Ho Hum!

Tell me about it!! Completely dry, within a month of being checked and found ok. I have had three batts replaced under warranty in 15 months. I check electrolyte levels at monthly intervals.

Yes, Elecsol open lead acid. Some have SG of 1190 with a holding charge of 12.6v for more than 24hrs, others SG 1220. Considering there is a 12v fridge and Shoreline freezer running, they seem to be performing adequately but every so often, the cells of one batt dry out. So far, always a different place in the bank, sometimes on shore power, sometimes when out ont' cut using alternator.

So where does the specific gravity come in all this? My four x135Ah batts seem to hold their charge but from new, when fully charged the SG has never been better that 1230 when I expected at least 1250.

Nooo, not the vice, I did that once and it made me quite sick!

My domestic line manager and I found the course to be well worth while. It covered most aspects and eventualities and gave an opportunity for practice and discussion.

I had a travel pack fail in August. Ken at Cox's was very helpful. The unit was removed and replaced inside a week. I have also used them to refurbish a domestic alternator bearing. The alternator failed a few weeks later and they were very prompt in finding the fault, (the regulator packed up), and repairing the unit under warranty, with profuse apologies for not spotting it in the first place. Highly recommended.