FROM LONDON TO 'ROSY'

The new gilet is near perfect. It was delivered the day after I ordered it. My only beef is that the pockets are a bit small. I was going to get a Help For Heroes (HFH) gilet, but they come strewn with HFH logos and I try to avoid logos. They were also more expensive than my choice.

The morning walks along the towing path in London got more and more interesting. The boats are moored 2 or 3 abreast with no water-point visible. I learned that the moorings are merely visitor moorings. Water is available above the lock (which, at the end of my visit, seemed to be closed, whilst lots of waterways employees were tampering with it). On the towing path there was a tent, which seemed to be home for a couple of people. At one place, on the off-side, there were a few long-term moorings.

I paid a visit to the Canal Museum, and was saddened not to find any second hand canally books in it. Rosy's library was largely compiled from the Canal Museum - I could never have afforded to stock the shelves with new books. Instead I bought 2nd hand copies - mostly from the Canal Museum - and even so, my 'Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals' (for example) set me back a tenner some 15 or 20 years ago, even though it was only the 1969 reprint, and was an ex-library book.

Later . . . . .

Our London life was very easy. We were only a 3 minute walk from the Caledonia Road, and its fine array of small food shops. Even closer was a well maintained park. Train and underground stations were within easy walking distance, and there were plenty of bus stops.

Back on Rosy, the first 12 hours were not very pleasant as her interior was damp and chilly. Once the fires were going properly, Rosy was transformed into home sweet home. Yes! I meant 'fires' plural, as Rosy boasts 2 of them. There is an old Epping (complete with its oven) in the back cabin. Then there is the engine room which is fire-less. The rest of the boat is warmed from a Squirrel stove up front, which has copper pipes attached to it that circulate through the living and cooking area, the office (which was 2 bunk beds when I bought the boat) and a bathroom. Despite the warnings proffered by 'experts', the Squirrel circulates hot water through these pipes without the need of a pump. When building the system, we (Dick Goble designed and implemented the system) took care that the out and in pipes - which are parallel to each other - rise on the way out and descend on the way back.

Our first meal back on Rosy was all out of tins, but then we got to a super-market to stock up with perishable food. I keep about 2 weeks worth of canned food on Rosy, just in case . . . .