c c

just remember, that came out of your mind.

I know I shouldn't ask but as I have been reading this with interest, the question keeps arising - why have an historic boat if you want 17grands worth of electricery luxury aboard? And if you do have all that kit, how historic then is the boat you want to protect? The old Basic Boat policy is good for us (even if for reasons not even they understand, they won't insure a butty when towed!).

Will do sir. Delay due merely to us still working on Angel - and it keeps raining............. Thanks for that, I now have no excuse. Thanks also. I have combined the two lessons Turned out not to be so 'orrible as Sandy got us a great price and installed it in another boat. Thanks Pete - more history - Badsey is still pretty cool

Thanks to Dave and Alan for posting the pics. One day I will get the hang of it. (on the website the pics get larger if you click on them). And yes - updating that website is one of my NY resolutions

Once again defeated putting a pic on here but if you go to www.badseys.co.uk and choose History of Badsey you will see a set of pics, two of which show the restored engine going in through the removed roof. You will then spot the ladder in place and in the other pic, the holes that the ladder fix into. Hope that helps.

Just got back from a trip away from computer so missed this. You should easily turn 41ft above bottom locks without coming close to Badsey (thanks for the concern though lads), or any boatyard boats, but let us know when you are there (01788 567600) and we'll run out to make sure you're OK.

Thanks Alan - only joking - I'll make sure you have a non-music banter area - in fact our bar is always completely music free - the bands will be outside in a marquee.

Thanks for pointing out that calendar so that I can include our Hillmorton event for 15th August in it, as Mr Fincher seems not to judge us worthy of inclusion in his.

A desperate explanation: Does it have an oil sensor which cuts it after a temp is reached that has thinned the oil to a suspect level? Test this thought by checking oil level (and suitable type of oil).

Agree - I think Firemans hose was used (rather than garden hose).

In old Mock Turtle Soup recipes, one ingredient often listed that is not in yours, is Savory. Could 'Say' be the authors local shortened kitchen version of Savory (pronounced Say-vor-ee)

Say is possibly a kitchen term which may be of French or German origin. Do you know about what year was that written?

"top" = "upper" as you said - "emptying". Except we let water in at the top. My point was actually about the lack of fish.

precisely...........

The top pound at Hillmorton Locks was empty this morning. Not unusual as the recent repairs to the top locks are effective and the bottom locks still leak. What is startling is that I remember some years back when the bottom pound was empty that a whole stack of fish of all sizes were flapping about trying to survive, and it was rewatered in time for them but today, I could not see any sign of any fish of any size. In fact there was no signs of any life at all in the water. It can't be overfishing as some minnows would surely escape the hook. Can't be Zander eating them all or there would be some well fed Zander flapping about. Is it chemicals from farmland?

Can you not put the pics on here?

OK - WE'RE JEALOUS NOW

I filled my old 20ltr Jerry Can at two petrol stations over the last month with no objections. I don't think anyone has mentioned so far that the can is also on sale all over the place e.g. Srewfix £19.99

Before any more repeats of the witty Will Shakespeare repartee, the RSC performances we saw were Loves Labours Lost and Loves Labours Won (As You Like It). Both were great. (and if you have the pleasure of going to this theatre, forget the expensive restaurants and try the Fish&Chip Shop opposite the basin by the theatre - best we've ever had.

Grandmother speaking:- Used the shaft to try to clear behind the gate in both the locks that held us - nothing found. CRT chap got it back further, to free us the second time, by pushing down on the balance beam which lifted the gate enough to clear a known obstruction underneath it.

Well we got back to Hillmorton yesterday from our annual month-long cruise on Large Woolwich Badsey, and were very pleased that we joined in the closure consultation as described above. It turned out to be a blessing as it made the decision for us to complete the Avon Ring in a clockwise, instead of anti-clockwise direction. We entered the South Stratford Canal heading south and promptly got stuck in the first lock. Not because the boat sides were not chained in enough but because the exit gate would not open wide enough to let us through. We needed that last 2 inches and with three people pushing on the balance beam we got through. The same thing happened at the third lock down but after five minutes of shoving, a following hire boat complained about being held up. We got them all to push the beam hard to unstick us and reversed out to let them through. Found a couple of CRT staff clearing the bank lower down but they said we would never get to Stratford and should go back, and they went off in their van (which proclaimed the strapline "its yours to enjoy"). Telephoned CRT and a little blue tug appeared with three more CRT staff. Hooray - help has arrived, we thought. But the went by saying no one had mentioned us to them and we would not get through and they went on their way. The a CRT Customer Relations lady appeared and said we would have to pull the boat back to the junction through the locks and go another way. She stated that we must be the only ones who did not know that you can't take a Woolwich down the Stratford Canal. But she did call back the first two to help us pull Badsey back to the junction. SO that is a total of Six CRT employees on the scene who were adamant that it is not possible to take a Large Woolwich down the Stratford Canal (despite others having done so in the recent past.) We went back down the Hatton Flight having been made to feel totally guilty for trying to reach Stratford by boat and for holding up the mighty boat hire trade. We moored in Warwick and went to the RSC by bus to enjoy the performance we had planned. We were also so glad that we did not go round anti-clockwise as we would have to had go back down the Avon and up the Severn again. We are therefore joining the Avon Navigation people to help the campaign to get the upper Avon navigable to Warwick. I must add that the volunteers on the Hatton Locks (where we spent so much of our holiday) were wonderfully helpful.

Sat 15 August 2015 - Hillmorton - Free fun event to mark 175th anniversary opening of duplicate locks and 225 years since full opening of Oxford Canal.

We would love to go as we are (not by choice) very close by - but having spent the past week going up and down Hatton Locks due to Badsey being denied passage through the South Stratford Canal, I think that what I have to say would also be denied.