Some reflections on 1990 This is a summary of what we were doing in 1990, written as a reflection from twenty-six years later, and based on diaries and photographs from the time

Peter: Whole year was in the Moorfoot building in the centre of Sheffield, still trying to sort out the computer systems for Training and Enterprise Councils, mostly a stream of dull meetings, with occasional leave to watch the Crucible's Snooker finals. Some entertainment in heading for an 'important' meeting in Inverness and plan was to fly from Manchester to Edinburgh, connecting to another plane to Inverness: which was cancelled before leaving Manchester, but in time to divert to an Aberdeen flight while embarassing British Airways into arranging a car-for-five to get us to Inverness. Hence or Otherwise it was a funeral car. Pedestrian progress to Inverness slightly enhanced by close-passing of the well-known Scottish hamlet of Boghole, source of a

famous bellringing controversy on whether the name was proper for a bellringing method, and subsequently renamed 'Looe'. The important meeting was wholly overshadowed by MrsThatcher's morning resignation and we all adjourned to the hotel to watch her last performance in the House of Commons in the 'No Confidence' debate, initiated by the Opposition some days before in order to consolidate Government backbenchers' into keeping her in office until the General Election, which they expected her to lose. Return small plane from Inverness elivened by last-chap-aboard causing a gullible Adrian to sweep-up his coat-and-papers from last passenger seat for him and then inconsequential weather-and-Thatcher chat eventually ended with aforesaid chap's "I suppose we won't get anywhere unless I fly this plane" - which he proceeded to do.

Elaine: Manufactured a boatwoman's bonnet which had a public outing at the IWA national Festival in Gloucester: comments seemed favourable so wore it most of the return trip to Middlewich. Still working at Rotherham Council in Drainage, and driving through the traffic each way each day. A few theatre visits occupied afternoons or evenings "Evita" at Sheffield City Hall "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" at the Palladium in London, "Wait Until Dark" at the Alhambra Bradford, "Charlie and The Choclate Factory", "Wizard of Oz", "Iolanthe" in Sheffield.

Iain: Lydgate Middle School occupies schooldays, with sometimes complicated arrangements for the evenings, half-terms and other holidays: the simplest of evenings is with a next-door-but-one-neighbour. Friday evenings are Badgers - St Johns Ambulance junior section. Swimming on various evenings. Christmas party at Moorfoot. Joined aged parents on a sponsored boatpull for ringing restoration at Walkley, pulling a fifty foot boat from the top of Tinsley Locks to Sheffield Basin. Also on a walk on the restorable part of the Rochdale Canal to view progress with the locks. Pictures with tabard, lego, paternal grandfather, boatpull, donkey, ...!, lockgate.

Canalling: Firstly a week's trip Braunston to Oxford-and-back on a seventyfoot boat with just us (Peter Elaine Iain). nbGreatBritain was irritatingly broken-into while the crew were walking around Oxford. Whisky and a computer-game were the main losses and the police were sympathetic if not helpful. Hence or otherwise, just past Banbury, we slid on the mudded inside-of-bend and only much-reversing avoided crunching a plastic boat moored on the outside: its owner was much-practiced at shouting at boats almost hitting his boat, named, as you do, Hi There Dinky".

Our second trip to Gloucester for the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) August Bank Holiday rally needed more planning. A small-ad in IWA's national magazine for some cost-sharing-crew, without saying who we were or where we lived, received just one reply from Steve, who lived in Sheffield just a mile away. On a short diversion to Bradley Workshops, moored boats and, more annoyingly, a new gate-under-bridge made it impossible to wind a seventyfoot boat; on a Sunday there would be no British Waterways staff around, either to unlock the gate or object if we unscrewed its bolt heads. But this was unexpectedly a Monday, and a rather bemused BW chap resolved to add some weld to the bolts to protect them from future intrepid seventyfooters, fortunately in a reasonably goodhumoured way.

Above Upper Lode Lock on the River Severn, the river below was in its occasional tidal state and seventy boats queued above, including eight breasted to one another with the inside boat secured to the bank: which they decided to cast off from, and the block floated towards the weir, until each boatboat successively analysed the problem and each peeled off, rather like an air display. When the tide and lunchtime were compliant, fifty-odd boats were locked down, with ours ringing handbells at the front. Another boat was breasted because of engine difficulties, and when the front rope came off, the rear one was released by the engined boat. We rescued the now-floundering boat with a super throw from the roof of Beech.

Ringing: Handbells on a Sunday evening, and extended the set with another eight bells to make 27. Otherwise continued an established pattern; St John's Ranmoor for practices and Sundays, the Southampton University Dinner in February and the Whirlow Grange training course in July, interspersed with a couple of ringing outings, Yorkshire Association meetings and other bellringing dinners.

Peter was (unusually) persuaded into two peals, one with a Ranmoor local band. The Fat Cat pub was the justification for a peal of fellow drinkers at the Cathedral, and although not ringing, the writing of the plaque for the pub wall probably took longer.

Text:Peter©2016 Pictures:Peter©1990(scanned 2016) Layout:Peter©2016