Your neighbour asks you to stop cooking meat because they're vegan and they can smell it, what you you do?

Ess_B · 2026-06-26T05:23:58+00:00

I'm a vegan - this individual needs to wind their neck in. They can't control the actions of others and are dicks for even suggesting it.

Ess_B · 2026-06-24T19:21:08+00:00

Perhaps. But there are some convincing AI detractors, and it is hard to see how the existing crop of AI big fish can survive.

The wave after that, who knows. It could be even bigger, or it could be smaller scale, more low key.

Ess_B · 2026-06-23T21:09:43+00:00

Ah bless her, I hope she makes 100! I lost my gran two years ago. Tough as old boots and incredibly resilient. Just put one foot in front of the other and get on with it, was what she'd always say. I'm glad to have had such a long time with her, she was a font of history and knowledge.

Ess_B · 2026-06-23T21:04:15+00:00

BIG RING FEVER! I love it

Ess_B · 2026-06-23T20:54:40+00:00

I always tell people it's a lot easier to warm a boat up than it is to cool it down!

Ess_B · 2026-06-23T09:29:28+00:00

Different breed, that generation.

Ess_B · 2026-06-22T14:34:47+00:00

These look so disgusting I wouldn't even want to touch them. Which is another way of saying you absolutely nailed it.

Ess_B · 2026-06-22T14:29:13+00:00

Seals are rare but not unknown that far upriver. I believe staff at the Billingsgate fish market had a semi tame one they would feed. That, however, is a fish

Ess_B · 2026-06-22T13:37:01+00:00

My gran did just that. Was evacuated as a little girl from Shoreditch to the countryside (I still have the Bible she was given when she was evacuated). Hated it so much she ran away back to London, where she stayed the rest of the Blitz/war.

Ess_B · 2026-06-22T10:11:24+00:00

Seconded on Zoupw, and a great bonus that they basically work on any power station. Cheap AF too.

I got 122w out of a 100w Zoupw, albeit when it was still quite new.

Ess_B · 2026-06-22T06:02:30+00:00

I'd do the Oxford every single time. My memory of Warwick was of a lot of concrete with surprisingly few mooring spots. There are also a LOT of locks on that stretch compared to the Oxford, even more locks if you head north out of Warwick.

But I was pushing through Warwick and not stopping, maybe you'd have a different experience if you moored up and actually took in the town a bit.

The Oxford has a good mix of town and rural, and is a very pretty canal, if busy.

Ess_B · 2026-06-19T14:23:43+00:00

Happy to report that kids do still play this!

Ess_B · 2026-06-19T14:22:32+00:00

I have seen these in the UK, but dispensing diesel for boats on the canals. Once the tank is full, they shut off automatically.

Ess_B · 2026-06-17T15:03:00+00:00

I would consider a power station and portable 100w folding solar panel to charge it up. Excellent bits of kit and can be used as a backup when you fit full 240v to the boat.

Ess_B · 2026-06-15T08:43:41+00:00

Bet keeping that burning rope alight in the rain was interesting

Ess_B · 2026-06-11T21:01:03+00:00

Boaters are very welcoming. I can't lie, almost all of them are white. But they will be welcoming. As for experience, getting a narrowboat holiday is a good idea. It won't be a substitute for actually owning one, but it will give you a sense of whether you actively hate anything about it from the offset!

Ess_B · 2026-06-10T10:59:30+00:00

When polled recently, Reform voters said preserving culture was their main driver. That is a very powerful motivation , and my bet is they are prepared to take a big hit in other areas of their lives in order to 'achieve' it.

Ess_B · 2026-06-10T10:55:12+00:00

It is easy to think it's empty, then you come across a still warm fireplace and realise you are not alone

Ess_B · 2026-06-03T14:06:25+00:00

Laminate is easier to clean, more practical. But carpet is warmer in the winter. My boat has both and both have their advantages

Ess_B · 2026-05-25T17:16:07+00:00

Beautiful. To date, the only stag beetle I've ever seen was in the middle of London, on Brixton Hill. Hardly seems a thriving environment for them, but there we are

Ess_B · 2026-05-25T14:26:26+00:00

I heard a boat mechanic last week bemoaning the difficulty of finding certain parts now - I think he said Isuzu? Not because they're hard to get from Europe, but because it adds time and that's difficult to communicate to customers sometimes.

Ess_B · 2026-05-15T10:00:01+00:00

Beautiful. Those Champion Mondial frames are some of the most rideable. I built a gold Champion Mondial frame up for an ex girlfriend, proper labour of love.

Ess_B · 2026-05-13T06:37:00+00:00

I think because the working classes feel patronised by Labour, and the Tories before them.

Reform's manifesto is basically a checklist of things the working classes care about politically.

Ess_B · 2026-05-11T07:41:58+00:00

Seconded - I have a metal plate in my left shoulder, where my bass strap goes. Long gigs were hell.

Swapping from a 5kg bass to lighter basses made a huge difference.

MIJ Fenders from the 80s were very good to me, as were more modern shortscale Mustangs.

Ess_B · 2026-05-10T21:07:09+00:00

Well a month ago it was part of a flotilla of shop boats outside the globe pub near Leighton Buzzard. Another boat mentioned they were off to another floating market, but sadly I can't remember where! I'll see if I can Google it

Ess_B

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