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ChimneyChain

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Posts posted by ChimneyChain

  1. Hi Mark, that's my great granddad on the Fastnet and also sitting on the back of the empress. My nans in the cabin of empress as she was only 2 at the time. And they have mis- spelt the name, it's Bland. Cheers Mark

     

    Darren

  2. I've bought quite a few battery tools in the past and regretted it quite soon after. I just hated the way that the batterys keep going flat when you just needed them most. But now I don't have to worry anymore, I just opened up the tool cut out the old battery terminals fitted two wires with a plug on the end connected them to the 12v boat battery bank via cocodile clips and hey presto drilling all day long. Highly recommend.

     

    Darren

  3. Having started the engine, my wife climbed out of the side doors in her dressing gown and slippers, walked along the gunnel and fell in. She was washed 30 ft down the canal, managed to pull herself out, leaving her slippers for the fishies and then proceeded to wash all the cilt from around her toes. Much to the amusement of 3 school kids on the other side. Of course when I fell in it was much more dignified........

  4. Being a hgv mechanic i'm astounded people don't know the basics on engine servicing. People seem quite happy to spend a couple off hundred pounds getting someone else to do a relatively simple job! I know people who can't even identify an oil filter. When I tell people how to do these jobs you can see their eyes glaze over and their hand reach for their back pocket.

     

    Darren

  5. Yes it's always the 'foreign looking people' fishing illegally, isn't it?

     

    200px-Seth_ArmstrongED.jpg

     

    Well I can only say as I see. I've never heard of any thing being taken from the canal and eating and I've lived on and around the canal for the last 38 years. It only seems to have happened in the last few years when the " Borders opened " and the fact that there tanned and unable to speak any English only reinforced the fact. Darren

  6. I live on a boat around the Uxbridge area and I regularly take the boat up to Denham for some peace. The thing is I regularly see foreign looking people hanging around the M40 bridge, the river outlet and all along the river up to Denham park. They fish, catch, kill and drive home. In the last 5 years I have not seen anyone approach these people (apart from me and I'm met with a wave and a smile) and speak to them and explain the laws of our land. Even the fisherman seem to turn a blind eye, are the stocks depleting does nobody care or have I got all wrong. Darren

  7. Hello Jeannette, thanks for your post. Ive read lots of your posts over the last year or so and I've found you have such an interesting family history. I'm not sure if you've read Ronnie Woods auto biography ISBN 9781 4050 381 71? The first two chapters are about life on the boats and growing up in the Yiewsley area. I met Ronnie once whilst visiting Freddie Dyer but I was too star struck to stay! Thanks, Darren

  8. Peter. Many thanks for coming back to me so quickly, I really appreciate it. It is my Great Grandparents, Henry and Elizabeth Bland sat on Empress in the photograph you spoke of. I understand this was taken in no.7 Iron Gate Wharf in Paddington in 1913. The people on Orient are Freddie and Leah Dyer (Ronnie Woods family); they were good friends of my Grandparents. Looking at the photograph and from discussions I had with my nan, I'm almost sure that Empress was a narrow beam boat. I have a couple of lovely photographs of Fastnet with Henry steering; as you say, it was sadly broken up at Walkers in Ricky in 1949. Many thanks for your interest. Darren

  9. My Nan was born on the Sabey horse boat Empress in 1913. I have some history on my nan and her family working for Sabeys, however I have been unable to find out where the boats Empress and the Sabey tug Fastnet were built. My nans Dad was the steerer of the tug Fastnet. Can anybody help me with this? Darren

  10. Not sur

     

    For example, I have an article in a magazine dated 1984 about the "Wendover boats" (second batch), that has some excellent pictures taken before they ended up dumped on the arm.

     

    It includes photos of motors Coleshill, Nuneaton & Tarporley as well as butties Alperton, Baildon, Beverley & Satellite. and is (to me at least!) particularly interesting, as it shows the vary varied state of Willow Wrent CTS boats before their demise, in a mixture of WW & BW colours, with simplified liveries in some cases.

     

    The magazine is no longer published, but some (but not all) of the pictures are credited to Harry Arnold. As Harry was photographing our boat at Braunston two weeks ago, I know he is still very active, and would not publish his photos, even credited to him, without permission.

     

    (OK, OK, I know if I had been more awake, I should have asked his permission when I met him).

     

    Another set of 1960s photos in a 1986 edition of Waterways World are equally fascinating, if only because the pictures and words are supposed to be by Alan Faulkener, but the captioning of some is simply wrong! Again I'd love to display them here, but don't know if it would be objected to. Interestingly at least one of those photos is reproduced in a book - it's a great photo, but the caption is still visibly wrong. I'd actually like someone to identify one of the boats, which cannot be what it is claimed to be!

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