Water Woman

This thread has made me think of all sorts of things that I thought I had forgotten about my childhood in Barnton, near Northwich. I have really enjoyed other peoples memories too. Some of the stuff I can remember make me feel a bit ancient, and I really don't feel it. Best not to look in the mirror!!!

Green shield stamps Coin meters for the electric Ena Sharples A time when if you told anyone you had just BOUGHT a bottle of water you would have been sectioned The national anthem at the end of the evenings tv liberty bodices Boys wearing shorts no matter how cold it was Sunday best clothes The local chemical works hooter going at 5 and hundreds of men walking out of the gates to go home.. all silent now

Beautiful sausages can be found at Webbs butchers in Northwich for anyone around that area of the waterways. WW

We used to go after school to an old herbalists shop and sit up on high stools drinking sarsparella (sp?) Four Feather Falls The 5 boys chocolate which was mentioned previously, my sister used to call it Jo's boys because it was my favorite chocolate (my name is Jo) Being genuinely excited to get chocolate or sweets because it was a treat Torchy the battery boy Going out playing for the day down the woods and no-one worrying if you did not come back till teatime Almost all the adults I knew were smokers Men in turbans going door to door selling things from a big bag The first supermarket opening in our town and us being amazed at all the things under one roof Knowing everyone on the street, they had lived in the same houses for years and years I am not exactly ancient but things are so different now - my daughter used to love asking me what we did not have when we were children that we have now... Once when I was picking a visitor up from the train station for my parents (they were in their late 60's) my daugther asked me 'is he the man who shot the video at grandma's wedding?' !!

I thought the ~Ecofan went without saying I am off to bed now so I will miss the fallout

When I first got my boat I knew that one thing I did not want was a dirty, smelly, dusty stove. The first winter I was looking to fit.... yes you guessed it... a stove. Nothing seems to beat that heat. A secondary system, as with everything, is also a plan but I would not be without my Morso Squirrel. WW

My ecofan slowed to the point it was hardly moving, after two and half winters of constant use. I found a firm on t'internet and spoke to them. I sent it off to them and they called me telling me what the problem was... they told me how much it would cost and I paid them by card over the phone. It came back two days later like new and has run wonderfully ever since. It cost twenty quid to have it sorted. If anyone wants the name of the company I will look it out, just let me know. I certainly felt it much colder down the boat without it and was glad to get it back. WW

Thank you. Once I get the other things I have to do sorted (there is a very long list) I will look at that. I would really like an efficient heating system besides my stove.

Byeckerslike, yes that was exactly it! The ear was twisted I think. Wow it is all coming back now. I remember Sing Something Simple and the Clitheroe Kid too. I think I may be a bit younger than you but that is based more on hope than fact!! I can still remember dads first car, a Ford Prefect with reg number 399 AKF. Can I remember my boat number or my current car reg? Not a bit of it. I could go on and on .....

I have an Ebby 10 on my 70 footer and on the odd times it worked it was brilliant and a great source of good heat. But over four years I have spent a fortune having it fixed, over and over. I think I could have bought two new systems with what it has cost. Now it is sitting there unused, the back end of the boat is not used in this cold weather and I am very disheartened with the heater. I have been told a number of things, the last of which was that the 10 was too big for the boat (twas in it when I bought it) and that a 5 would be fine. I think maybe the 10 could be taken out and put on ebay to make few bob and a 5 put in... I wish I were a more technical minded person and I would know whether this is a daft idea or not. Engineers who have tried to sort this heater out have had it going beautifully out of the boat and on the bench but now it just sounds like it will start up then dies a death. I would love to have a warm bathroom again. Will it be spring soon?????

The dansette record player, my mum opening the back door and our neighbour doing the same so that my mum could play 'Telstar' at full belt for our neighbour to enjoy. Anderton lift in its old guise, dead dogs always seeming to be floating in the canal, the 'times savings' clock, being allowed to stay up late to watch The Beatles on Sunday night at the London Palladium, all sitting down as a family to watch 'The Fugitive', listening to radio programmes at school and thinking it was the height of hi tec, the teacher coming round with a little collection box into which we put 'pennies for the black babies' - the collection box was a 'black baby' where we put money into the mouth (I think), the house being so cold in winter that every morning we would all huddle round the 'coal effect' electric fire which was near the 'two tone green trimphone'!!... I may have bored you enough now!

That sounds just wonderful, I cannot wait to try it.

Thank you all, very much appreciated

I have tried to use the search facility to find postings on moving a narrowboat by road. I have failed with flying colours at getting the search right. But I did end up engrossed in a very interesting thread about whether or not to turn a fridge off at night. How that came up when I was looking for moving a boat by road is anyone's guess. So I will fling myself at your joint mercy yet again and ask if anyone knows a good, reliable firm who will move my boat by road. I would love to make the journey by cut but time will prevent me I think. I am sure that, as ever, someone will come up with useful information as well as some 'stick' for not being able to search. Cheers WW

That is exactly what I do, the dongle haging over the top of the curtain towards the window. It is a bit slow sometimes but I have got used to it and am happy with T Mobile.

I have a mascerator (sp) and have always used white andrex. A few months ago I went mad and bought pink andrex, which I expected to be the same. It wasn't. It clogged up, refused to chew, and generally did not work. I had to take it all to bits (always a lovely job) and have never used pink since. I phoned Andrex to ask if there was anything in the dye that was likely to cause this. They seemed so afraid that I was going to sue them (I wasn't, I was just curious) that they sent me a standard email about their product. I dug deeper and was finally told that there was absolutely no reason why the pink ought not to disolve in the same way as the white. A bit of a mystery but I never take chances when it comes to the possibility of me having to take the toilet apart, so white it is for me.

What about those electrical devices (assuming you have 240) that plug in and give out a very rodent unfriendly high pitched noise? I have never used one but I am sure I have seen them somewhere. Apparently all rodents pack up and leave at the sound.

I have not been on the forum for a few days and am interested to see that this is still rumbling on. I will be in a situation in a couple of months that is not really of my making but that may see me fall foul of the CC rule. I have a mooring down here on the K and A ... all well and good. However, due to personal circumstances changing last year I am going to be moving 'back home' to the north west, Cheshire area. I am looking into moorings but may not actually get one before I move (working stops me from spending too much time up there) so I may have to CC for a while, or however long it takes. That means I will be single handed on a 70 ft moving fortnightly. Not ideal for me. Will I try to stay a little longer than two weeks? Probably. Am I riding roughshod over other CC'ers or those who are paying for moorings, I don't think so. I am sure that others will disagree. If anyone knows of moorings within 15 miles of Northwich that may be suitable, please give me a shout. Thanks

I could not agree more. WW

I did my first bit of ice breaking yesterday on the K and A, I was desperate for services and the ice was not that thick. But turning round was a bit of a challenge, I had a willing friend leaning over breaking up ice ... every day is a new adventure!!