Victor reckons it should leave well alone...

THE latest idea from our masters is to have a new design of lock bollard.

But I definitely reckon that CaRT should leave well alone. There's nothing so easy as dropping a couple of two underhand twists with the rope on the present bollards and the boat is well secure and the rope easily undone.

Though I all too often see boaters, alas knowing no better, tying a multitude of knots that after the boats pulls them tight are the devil to get undone.

Whatever the new bollard is to be, we can only hope it is designed with someone with a knowledge of ropes and boats but not some desk jockey who knows bugger-all about such things.

But I still believe 'leave well alone' and save some cash, that CaRT is so fond of preaching it being so short of, would be best..

Toeing the party line

I see that Damian in what I hear is called the Brag Rag is still toeing the party line as told, actually telling: 'According to the data, in the last four years there has been a 30 per cent increase in people using canals'— for whatsoever'. But we are all still waiting to hear what data!

He of course then flogging the figure of 800,000,000, as does the trust, that there are that many visitors annually to the 'canal network'.

Now the Office of National Statistics tell that the population of England and Wales at the last census was 59,642,000 (rounded to the nearest thousand). So it would seem that every single person in the country—be it adult. children, babies, prisoners, care home residents, or whatever  must visit the canals 14 times a year! Believe it? Neither do I.

Rebounded

Damian is not having a good month with his Brag Rag he giving a list of navigations—and here I quote—'that have ongoing restrictions that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend'...

Then goes on to list just about all of them! Well, 32! But what's the point?

I expect it is some bod at the trust attempting to show how much work it is doing.  But on the other hand, perhaps accidentally, also showing, just what a state the canals are in with 32 of them that you had better not use!...

I don't get it

I just cannot understand the British Museum so wanting to stop magnet 'fishing'.

It perversely telling that it has recorded amounts of historical finds from our rivers and canals, so must have greatly benefitted from the objects handed in.

But after a sword was handed in with its hilt missing that was 'fished' out of a river, it  is now urging 'detectorists', as they seem to be called, not to go magnet 'fishing' any more.

It adding that the sword would have been better left alone, it resting for ever. Assuming it was the 'detectorists' that broke it.

But who is to know if the sword was broken in its pulling out or was slung in the river by its owner after it had broken in the first place?  All the museum has done is put a stop to its finds.

I know the trust is against magnet 'fishing', quoting health and safety of course, but we saw plenty of them when last out on a cruise, so not taking much notice. Perhaps a few hundred signs are needed, eh?

Sorry, I forgot, blue signs of course!

Victor Swift—telling tales for 24 years