|
Peter: was sacked from
trustees'
meetings by Inland Waterways Association members, in an election after ten years in the job. These were my daily tweets in a long election period, most of which refer to my waterways blog, which itself often reproduces my views on a continuingly relevant waterways issue from an article previously published in a waterways magazine.
For the period of the elction the blog was rebranded at the top with an invitation to members to support me in the election. Which in the end, they didn't (he says grumpily). |
|
|
|
Go on - click on some of the links below ! The articles are more fun than their format here. Similarly the tweets looked more inviting in their standard twitter format as on the left. |
|
7 July
Here.
The Inland Waterways Association looks likely to have an election among our members for trustees this autumn, and this is my invitation to all our members to support me.
8 July Here. I wrote this blog in 2010 about navigational journeys on the Inland Waterways, and it's still relevant today. 9 July Here. Island House has announced that there are five candidates for the IWA trustees' election. Let's leave it to the other candidates to introduce themselves: my blog here is about why we have an election this year. 10 July Here is an election broadcast about the first of the themes in my election statement: campaigning. Recorded at Victoria Quays in Sheffield. 11 July Here. Following on from my election broadcast about campaigning: keeping the canals OPEN is a theme I first blogged about when C&RT was set up, and it's still important today. 12 July Here. A boating interlude on Fulbourne. Reached Bathampton (K&A) this evening and heading for Bristol tomorrow 13 July Here. continuing our boating interlude on Fulbourne. Reached Bristol Floating Harbour this evening and heading for Bath again tomorrow 14 July Here. Today tuned both to cricket's World Cup Final, and navigating from Bristol to Bathampton. Here is the first disruption to an earlier 2019 trip when Navigation Authoriy is also not concentrating wholly on its job. 15 July Here. Continuing our boating interlude on Fulbourne, I wonder if richness and subtlety of English is captured in the translation to pictograms. Which instruction is for which direction? What does bottom square add? 16 July Here. On a Fulbourne boating interlude from Seend to Bathampton on Friday, Bristol Docks Saturday 13th, Bathampton again Sunday. C&RT email complained of 48-hour mooring at Bathampton being overstayed. _sigh_ 17 July Here. Government is to end use of red diesel in boats. How best for IWA to campaign against the ECJ ruling? And, as a least-bad option, to return extra tax to Inland Waterways benefit? 18 July A conference invite says "69% of charities think that their trustees are lacking digital expertise". My modest attempts started many moons ago; we've work to do to leave the 69%. 19 July Here. I wrote about the fraught 2018 National Annual General Meeting, for West Riding's January Milepost. Very few Branch members had been able to attend, to hear about the Festival of Water or the national accounts 20 July Here. On a lighter note to yesterday, Navigation Authorities often have problems with locks 21 July Here. More seriously, an emergency closure on a canal with high demand in the holidays is best avoided. 22 July Here. This dredged bike looks almost pedallable: London dredging yields lots of dockable (Boris-)bikes and the newer undockable ones. Guardian article today. 23 July Here. 1991 Brussels research visit to EU. Met young Telegraph journalist named Boris who said EU works because "ClubMed" countries ignore rules they hate. Where's he now? Highlight: ferry reversing into lock in Hull. 24 July Here. recruiting new C&RT volunteer lockkeepers is more than half a day's training and a new teeshirt: how to improve gender diversity? 25 July Here. successful campaigning in Scotland shows that good arguments well presented can yield worthwhile progress for the Inland Waterways 26 July Brilliant then-and-now cityscape pictures in the Guardian showing the transformation of our canals: brilliantly presented. 27 July Here. the hot weather reminds us of preventable drownings on our inland waterways. 28 July The Observer's special Canal supplement today: excellent to have it in print. Leave your copy in the dentist / hairdresser / library to spread the word. 29 July Here. Discussions across the towingpath between navigators and house dwellers don't always work as well as we would wish. 30 July Here. I wonder who has noticed the change of meaning of "thrift"? When used as a mnemonic for saving canalling water? 31 July Here. how a Voyage into Ireland can challenge the community in Sowerby Bridge to repair its iconic artwork 1 August Here. investing in the resilience of the network will give a better return for our inland waterways than renewing all the signs. 2 August Thinking of all the people in WhaleyBridge forced to leave their homes. C&RT need all the resources they can muster to help, and to fix ToddbrookReservoir. ) Second thoughts on the TV advertising expenses for their "Well-B" campaign? 3 August Here. the 'wellbeing' agenda for Canal and River Trust fails to emphasise the primary responsibility of being a navigation authority. 4 August Here. a reminder to navigation authorities in charge of tidal waters that their signs need to be visible and accurate to maintain the safety of their navigators. 5 August Here. we all need to find new ways to attract new navigators to our inland waterways. 6 August Here. paddleboarding (standing up or not) is a new way of attracting young people to the inland waterways. Sheffield Basin hosted an introductory event: Every basin should have one. 7 August This is my second election broadcast about the second of the themes in my election statement: membership. Recorded sitting on my sofa in Sheffield. 8 August Here. this is a summary of Branch activity during my chairmanship and Elaine's, who took over when I became a trustee. So far there are no volunteers to succeed us. 9 August Here. this is a summary of our tidal rip to Denver and the Festival of Water at St Ives August Bank Holiday 2018. Off tomorrow to bringulbourne some of the way to Waltham Abbey for this year. 10 August Replying to a tweet: "CRT Customer Service @CRTContactUs: That's us for Friday! Have a lovely evening, any issues to 0800 4799947 please. Amy & Yvonne.", they didn't mean *any* issues. Sadly Canal and River Trust Customer Service don't know what service they are providing. 11 August Here. Ascended Caen Hill flight today. Why do we have our towingpaths separated from the navigation by head-high navigation for miles? The canals near Milton Keynes aren't like this. 12 August Here. comparing Festivals of water and looking to Watham Abbey at the end of the month. 13 August Here. the new bright-blue Canal and River Trust signs are making a rapid takeover across out waterways. The fun is to find the really old ones still in place. 14 August Here. Let's remember the important northern inland navigation of the River Tyne. Visitors can have an excellent day of travelling toward the sea or inland from Newcastle. 15 August Here. the strange advertised opening hours at Wigan Locks can strand navigators at top or bottom waiting for almost four hours for someone to unlock a padlock. 16 August Here. a reminder that not only navigators are interested in our underground waterways infrastructure. 17 August Here. A reminder of the importance of Big Boats to Leeds Waterfront. 18 August Here. mooring signs threatening charges of £150 per day. Do the canals need to be like a downmarket carpark? 19 August Here. reflecting on where staircase locks are open for only some of the day. 20 August Here. passing two narrowboats inside wide tunnels can be more confusing than it needs to be. 21 August Here. reflecting on whether canals should close during the summer holiday for routine maintenance, when repairs cost less. 22 August Here. with the HS2-review in the news today, let's reflect on the efforts already used by the project. All for nothing? 23 August Here. remembering that it's possible to see interesting waterways from t'middle without having to buy or hire a boat. 24 August Here. from the IWA Festival of Water at Waltham Abbey: remembering our tradition of August Bank Holiday events. 25 August from the IWA Festival of Water at Waltham Abbey, many thanks to those who attended the hustings this morning Here. A discussion about the 2016 AGM when the members decided to give all IWA decision-making to the trustees directly. 26 August Here. remembering that it's possible to float around interesting cities and see them the middle of the waterway without having to buy or hire a boat. 27 August Here. from the Staffs and Worcs Canal near Tixall: canal signage is not always as clear as it is supposed to be. And having more tries doesn't always help. 28 August Here. remembering that it's possible to navigate the Chichester Canal without transporting a boat there. 29 August Here. considering the discouraging restrictions that make it difficult to navigate to Sheffield. 30 August Here. on navigating on a namesake in Scotland. 31 August Here. wondering whether Canal and River Trust are giving up our heritage for publicity gains 1 September Here. on the four year closure of the Springs Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. 2 September Here. the (almost-) inland waterways sometimes host basking seals, and there is an excellent public trip available to see them. 3 September Here. London's Olympic Waterways are not as welcoming to navigators as they ought to be. 4 September Here. an excellent value trip-to-the-shops with a sideline in navigation. 5 September Here. more boats could enjoy navigating the tidal River Trent 6 September Here My Illustrious Namesake, then IWA Vice President, gave the (probably mythical) inland waterways inhabitant Nessie the scientific name Nessiteras Rhombopteryx, genuinely to help protect the species. Others found the anagram "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S", and the Guardian today is wrong to imply Peter was part of a joke name. 7 September Here. Odd C&RT sign at Sutton Stop Lock (Hawkesbury) - 6" drop and narrow lock isn't 1000 bathfuls, (4, maybe) and having waited half-an-hour for another boat, what do you do with it? You couldn't make it up. 8 September Here. remembering 50 years ago, and longer. Barbara Castle and other politicians of stature had the vision to see a future for the inland waterways. 9 September Here. a few thoughts on all those boats moored in London. 10 September Here. A towingpath sign on the Ashby canal. Two boatlenghths along it's normal mooring for fourteen days. Why do C&RT allow the new marina to charge? There are charges in Llangollen as a special case, to limit demand. This one is an unwelcome development. 11 September Here. some reflections on whether to take part in filming for television programmes. 12 September Here. some challenges of navigating the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. 13 September Here. an example of the vast effort required to understand how water flows in extreme conditions. 14 September Here. remembering that using the Bridgewater Canal with a C&RT licence is more restrictive and more expensive than once it was. 15 September Here. navigating remote parts of the inland waterways network can be easily acieved on some public trips run by volunteers raising money for canal restoration. 16 September Here. recalling a discussion of canals with a Grumpy Boater four years ago, I wonder whether any of the issues of poor standards and waste of money are any better today. 17 September @waterwaysworld Oct2019-p55 Guide to the River Derwent shows navigation all the way to Stamford Bridge. But Environment Agency closed Sutton Lock in 2014. Sadly a long story, but no prospect of reopening in near future. EA's closure of Sutton Lock on River Derwent in 2014 has trapped some moored boats above the lock and below, it is now so overgrown with vegetation that local boaters consider it unnavigable above Cottingwith Junction. Pictures are from 2015: 1 2 3. 18 September Here. to navigate remote parts of the inland waterways not (yet) connected to the main network, it's a good plan to help raise money for more canal restoration by supporting public trips run by volunteers. 19 September This is my third election broadcast about the third of the themes in my election statement: leadership and organisation. Recorded at Knostrop on the Aire and Calder Canal. 20 September Here. with FIVE days left to vote: reflecting on my article "How (not) To Sign a Commercial Navigation Closure", we need the navigation authorities to ensure safety when contractors are working on our waterways. 21 September Here. With FOUR days left to vote: Brilliant day for Sheffield Waterfront Festival, with lots of people and lots of (free) activities. Well done @CRTNorthEast for organising it all. 22 September Here. with THREE days left to vote: remembering that visiting London and seeing the river from t'middle can be a turn-up-and-go service. 23 September Here. with TWO days left to vote: reflecting on accepting invitations to be a guest speaker. 24 September Here. with HALF A DAY - until 2pm - left to vote: important then to reflect on the history and importance of goats in operating canal structures. 25 September Here. Reflecting on whether the paddle pawl difficulty is improving this year? |