roland elsdon

Paragon back on Duck

Dont go there

It's been rough there for the last 35 years. Car thefts to cottaging to prostitution. looks good on the surface from the cut but the area is bad. Used to drive that road daily whilst working 3 shift system in Milton Keynes, and there were visible issues night and day.

Theres a chimney off thaxted under the tree in that last photo stainless should be fine lost in 1991 she was 71’6” of course but zero draft at bow

From what steve is saying those with riveted boats should be maintaining frames castings and sections more carefuly than shell plating as plating is replacable where as castings are unreplicable

I took a hand grenade out of an elderly gents home when i went to assess his grandson many years ago. It was an the mantlepiece over the fire. I asked him if it was deactivated he said no. I walked to the street with it and phoned the police. Later they took a pistol away. He had brought them from the north african campaign. Pretty common the police said.

Mecca my beloved old boat . We keep saying we could buy her back but she wouldn't be the same,...

In amongst this discussion I noticed back doors on both the motor and butty are very different today's practice with an attractive ( in my view) sculpted shape to the inset centre panel, rather than the current frequent practice of flat board straight edges and pads. I wonder if there was a shelf like a soap hole built in.

No they haven't sorted it 2 good days since we got back in April. If they spent less time arguing about Eco fans and other assorted nonsense they could sort it out. It's always ' their' fault. When I go back to Oz I'm going to have to explain trench foot .. Again to my G.P. I'm blaming them.

I had friends who had a 6 month berth there due to a job contract. They liked it. They used to have rules re car parking which meant you saw boats from the canal not gastly pumped up suv’s.

Not surprised they probably ran away screaming when they got to the first narrow bit or were fed up oh hearing the hearty canal abuse when the caused jams

Yep thaxted about 1984 I recon. It was a good trick and worked but if it went wrong it would lift me off my feet. In later years thaxted said ratchet system got worn and as it went on to load would 'give' I had to revert to single pot cranking for a while. Then we got the clockwork starter...

I believe you taught me how to do this with our lister many years ago and I did it many times. However not when stone cold...then I preferred the single drop tap approach. After 16 years of hand starting the HA 2 with my left ( dominant arm) I have been left 17 years after selling the boat with a completely knackered shoulder. The investigations showed major wear to the joint, arthritis, and bursitis. I tried to blame it on part of my job, but got nowhere with that.

Bought more coal at braunston after docking for survey then headed home. On way got orders to divert to southern stratford canal, as it will be easier for you when australian family visit. Easier my a... i could sit on the mooring and use the car but no, they have booked a hotel in the boonies and expect us to ferry them around, so 2 days boat and a soggy cycle to collect the car. Anyway i digress ( unusual on this forum) the fire stayed in last night probably because it was a gazillion degrees when we moored up having been thrashing the lister with the engine hole doors shut against noahs flood. put some of the new fuel on at the bottom of hatton by the cafe ( 90 mins) the boat was 80 degrees and you had to put sunscreen and an asbestos suit on to get the kettle. So you say cleverly its the fuel, no its not nor is it a rat duck or object up the chimney i clean that out when we leave , no its a follower stove, when its over 20 degrees it goes like stink, when the lister is doing fan heater imitations it melts the varnish, but ask it to take responsibilty it folds up and says im not responsible. It is indeed the amber rudd of cabin stoves and i commend it to the skip.

I did buy more coal , but the only night the huffin and puffin crappy stove stayed in all night was the morning the sun was splitting the cobbles. Now it's cold again it goes out if not administered to every 20 mins. Last night at 0200 it was melting the varnish and the eco fan was zooming round the cabin. Slid damper a millimetre further shut, and out by 03.00 I know this because the Eco fan went hard astern and the whine and resultant cold air sucked towards the fire caused a low depression in the vicinity of the duvet. id put a Rayburn in but then there wouldn't be room in the 10 foot long cabin for the grand piano. Checked at start of post going well, by end coughing and spluttering it's only 2 feet from my arm

If it's a non movable floating flat why put the generator on the boat or am I missing something. One of the pleasures of a permanent off towpath mooring is you put the quiet gas generator on the bank,more that's what I did.

Dane came by today without Clara. Saw both together late last night on way home on bike so suspect deal done. Shame no one bought both, wooden boats as pairs even if historically not correct are rare.

Can we build a barrier at Watford keep them there

Im sure if i put a few bob on the thousand guineas ill have enough to buy it back lend me a tanner

No we priced it in groats and they haggled in florins. We got drunk on the proceeds in flagons. We put all the groats into new fangled idea called canals and made a fortune until some bloke decided to create something called the permanent way with iron horses. unfortunately later we bought into a music system called 8 track, and video called beta. Thats why we are now impoverished boat dwellers. if id kept that house im sure it would now be worth a few sovs.

I may be old and retired but not that old

Bought a house in another village which had a gas line from russia... easier as its been let out. when we sold our cottage ( 1700s) in napton we had this couple round what are they i dont like them ?’ beams they hold up the next floor’. ‘ hm dont like them they would have to go, did you get them from homebase? second question whats the big tank ‘Heating oil’ oh thats silly ill get that removed and get it from the street. at that point i asked the estate agent to terminate the viewing. they didnt come back

We looked at a house in braunston 2 years ago built circa 1995. All seemed ok . Then went to check heating. 6 by 19 kg gas bottles all attached with auto changeovers. I enquired how long does a bottle last? In winter 4 days. Made my excuses and left.

Strewth what a day, almost as warm as last week in victoria. Boated braunston to stockton. Me ocker didnt slip slap slop. Bloody boiled prawn.

Thanks for the info. When i rebuild the wiring again ) i will move the box. Itsa bit of a pain because i try and keep the engine room as it was built so anything modern is hidden.hence 2 fuses fridge and electric water heater in bat box. At least they are top quality stirling ones.