MoominPapa

Presumably one of those was Mendip, what was the other? Is it still extant? Still with the FR2? MP.

Try and avoid braining MOBs with liferings, for a start....... MP.

Thanks Chris, but no need, Shitlake Shiplake did the job. MP.

Called in at Shiplake today, and everything that should be full is now full, and everything that should be empty is now empty. Not doing K&A this time, heading for Lechlade (water permitting) and then back to Oxford. MP.

We'll try Shiplake when we get there, but the Hurley locky did say that it might be full to, due to the lack of a means of emptying all the sewage facilities on lock islands. If Shiplake is no good, might have to pay in Reading. Cheers, Simon.

My information came from the lock keeper, I have no way to know which of us is nearer the truth. Cheers, MP.

The Elsan at Hurley lock is closed because it's full. Apparently, the EA have a "honey barge" for empting the septic tanks of the facilities on lock islands, and the old one has been condemned, whilst its replacement has been cocked-up. This means that other Thames facilities without mains sewer connections are likely to be in the same state, or soon will be. Do any of the Reading marinas allow Elsan disposal without payment? Cheers. MP.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for Brexit Britain, the throne descends to King Charles........ MP.

I read somewhere that when the drought broke in '76, they'd just finished installing large backpumps at every weir/lock on the Great Ouse. Not for navigation, but to get fresh water from Ely to the Bedford area for water supply. MP.

I have one of those. The first died (no start) within a year and was replaced under guarantee. Replacement is still going strong. They're pretty easy to dissasemble and get at the fuel-carrying bits. MP.

Over in the USA, where they haven't yet grown up to use proper SI units, they measure the capacity of aircon units in tons. A typical unit is a few tons. A ton of cooling the amount of cooling you get from melting one ton of ice in 24 hours. MP.

Also, if you thought getting behind a hire-boat hen-party full of newbies doing their first locks could really mess up a schedule, you ain't seen nothing, compared to a solo London floater on their fortnightly trip to the water point and a new bit of towpath. MP.

Exactly so. We worried about getting a mooring in central London before going, but didn't have a problem when we did, and are very glad that we visited. We also really enjoyed the Lee and Stort, and you can't get to those without transiting London. MP.

Perivale is a really good spot to moor. If you want to get closer in, Old Oak Common looked good. Noisy from trains, but felt OK and space available. MP.

Cheap water meter + piece of paper or thumb switches or other method of recording reading when tank is full. Gives current contents to within a litre or two, costs about £20. Cheers, MP.