The Toad in the Hole

I saw the email this morning, deleted without opening and headed over here expecting to find the forum had been hacked

They could, but it isn't usually a speedy process. I was involved in a couple of largish projects and it was several months ( maybe over a year) between initial enquiries and approval. There is EU money available, but that appears to be a different discussion (the govt won't apply?) An emergency appeal is appropriate in this circumstance, but I still think the wording of the specific email is, at best, open to misinterpretation

I suppose my biggest gripe is that it isn't an appeal for flood hit communities, its an appeal for C&RT (who I appreciate will have to find a lot of money that wasn't in their budget for these repairs) It' not the principle I object to, it's the wording

I don't usually have a lot of time for the C&RT knockers here, I'm generally quite supportive, but the latest fundraising email is really grinding my gears. I know a few people who's lives have been turned upside down by flooding and top of their priorities is not a nice walk down the towpath. And frankly, the language of this appeal is a bit disingenuous. Maybe I'm over reacting, or maybe it's just the use of the word "community" in the context of a national charity, but I'd expect an appeal for a disaster hit community would be for temporary accommodation, repairs to schools etc. Ah I dunno. Maybe it's just sense of perspective failure on my part.

I moor at chick. Have done for years. I really like it but I don't live there, and its location really suits me for walking/ climbing as well as the boat. The Boathouse is really nice now, good food and beer. The marina have always been good for work etc and the pontoons have been improved recently. You could always just go for a winter mooring at llangollen

poplar is really hard work - used for matchsticks because it burns slowly, also for old cart brake blocks for the same reason. Chestnut smolders rather than burning brightly,IME, but I've never tried it in a stove.

I think the Llangollen is a special case. It's very busy in the summer, it's quite narrow, and has a very high proportion of people who have never set foot on a narrowboat before. As an example, queues of over a dozen boats are relatively common at New Marton locks and queues of 20+ boats not unheard of, and these are the locks that see peak numbers of new boaters because of where the hire bases are. New boaters, moreover who that aren't sufficiently interested or engaged to come on a canal discussion forum and argue the toss. It causes delays because it's a new experience. A lift bridge is a new experience, and you frequently meet people who are completely polaxed by the idea of a mechanical bridge. Add in an unnecessary additional new experience there will be further log jams. Remember a significant number of boaters on the upper llangollen can't cope with the idea of one way traffic over the accy. Yes, that sounds harsh and there are plenty of experienced, competent boaters out there - hire and private - , but I still maintain that the Llangollen is a special case when it comes to numpties. Don't get me wrong, the advantages of mooring here far outweigh the potential problems for me, at least, but we do have to recognise them none the less. And I'm arguing about something that isn't even happening........

I'm pretty sure that the issue (and I believe it's being removed) would have been the sheer volume of boats on this canal, and the higher proportion of first timers on the Llangollen

I hope this does get reversed by spring as there are always a huge number of brand new inexperienced boaters on this canal, and this is not something they will have come across, and they won't want to do anything complicated like swapping keys. It'll be a severe bottleneck.

The situation with blanket peat moorland is slightly more complicated than the description in your article, but there is a strong core of truth. The big issue is with historical gripping (drains) which sends the water off the moor as quickly as possible to promote heather at the expense of other species, however the old canard of peat being like a sponge isn't quite the case either- peat in many ways behaves like concrete, with water running straight off. Healthy peat has very low hydraulic conductivity- most of the apparent absorbsion is via pipes, or underground cracks in degraded peat. To reduce or attenuate those destructive spikes in flood hydrographs, stopping the intensive management of grouse moors is a start, but needs to be coupled with other changes in management, such as removal of sheep in favour of lower intensity grazing or the cessation of grazing alltogether to promote a larger vegetation structure including scrub and trees, particularly downslope away from the peat dome. This will slow down runoff, hopefully removing the damaging extreme spikes - higher river levels for longer, but without the damaging short term extreme flows. However, extreme events are just that, and these measures need to be coupled with both engineering solutions and a re-evaluation of how and where we build, but that requires a change in attitude by planners, house builders and most importantly the prospective inhabitants.

I know sod all about engineering. I can at a push tinker with my engine and change the oil, but 30 seconds conversation and you'd know I was a hopeless bluffer. My research degree is in upland hydro ecology relating to peatland and subsequently I've done a lot of work in the Pennines on water, and more pertinently carbon transfer in upland peat. I've read a lot of papers relating to carbon and the influence of peat degradation on atmospheric co2. I still wouldn't pretend to be an expert on the relationship between climate and carbon, but I'm getting there. One of the things I've learned is that you're engineer friends are not alone in having fixed opinions outside of their discipline. I've had conversations about climate change with guys who work at CERN and they are still essentially bull******s outside of their own discipline, but I think partly because it is so high profile, and partly because it isn't science you can replicate between the hours of 9-5 on a lab bench, non environmental scientists think it's somehow hazier than proper science. It isn't.

Have a real one from me. As someone that used to be "frontline" in an environmental charity (ie actually doing stuff), I've a lot of respect for fundraisers. They get a hard time from people who want every penny spent on their pet project without realising that everything else falls apart without them carrying on raising money day in day out to pay for the postage and the photocopier. I lost count of the number of people who'd stop me and say "ooh, you're doing a really good job", but I bet that never happened to them, and it bloody well ought to.

I use a portable log burner when I'm camping in the winter (this sort of setup, though I don't know the person in the blog!) http://www.katyroberts.co.uk/articles/tentipi.htm Because I've got a log burner at home and on the boat I'm very aware of CO, but although there are lots of (justifiable) warnings about gas appliances and camping, I've seen very little about it for this stove. Oddly enough it's the first thing people ask me about when they are poking about in my tent- you think gongoozlers are a problem on a narrowboat, you should try having an unusual camping system! FWIW I have a CO alarm I take camping, and because the chimney is big and come apart every time we pack up I don't have a problem with it getting blocked, but I'm still surprised that none of the literature etc flags CO up. I suppose in a way that's reassuring - traditional tents are practically airtight, and gas burners are horrible, especially those briefcase type things.

got an Angela Hartnett beef and butternut squash stew cooling on the hob as we speak - destined for tomorrow nights tea - letting it sit for 24 hours really develops the flavour. Beef is the last of a Lincoln Red box I bought in the summer. http://www.tauntonlivingmag.co.uk/?p=4775 The book is really worth getting

only from Chirk, so clear of the planned stoppage

thanks. No word from C&RT, but last time we had a good blow there were a lot down. I'm hoping for a quick trip at the weekend down to Llan

Don't suppose you've heard anything of trees down on the rest of the Llan? Specifically the bit west towards Wales? heard it was a bit blowy last night....

This happens on the Llangollen all the time - I think it's just uncertainty and inexperience. Have seen similar behaviour from private boats as well, so not just a hire thing

This is the kind of event that nightmares are made of. You should be very proud of yourselves, but please don't dwell on "what if"s. I could see that it would be very easy to brood after the even

The Attenborough Nature Reserve is worth a visit, if birdies and the like are your thing. The cafe at the visitor centre is good, but a good walk from the nearest moorings.

October 'till after Christmas the leg beyond New Marton through to Llan can get very leafy. lots of trees makes it very pretty with the Autumn colours, but lots of trees = lots of leaves