Crick

I've been watching the weather forecasts for the last few days of this week. That's why we went to the boat show at Crick yesterday. The forecast for today and tomorrow has been for lots of rain, with yesterday marking the last fine day of the present run of warm weather. I think the children were bored. Cathy and I were not. A little frustrated at having to spend an inordinate amount of time in the childrens' area. Next time we go to Crick, I think the children will be staying at home. All the same, we each managed to look at some narrowboats. Syncopation's builder was there with the current boat Tonantron II - due to be finished during the next couple of weeks. Needless to say, we both had a look. Here I am peering into the engine room of the Mel Davis show boat. The tiny guy is wondering when we're going back to the ice cream van:





















If you look very carefuly in the top right hand corner, you can see the stern of Tonantron II,the boat mentioned above. I've enlarged it below
















Among many exhibitors I think AS.Bikes may have won the fight for the folding bike supplier slot.
This costs £139 :

















16 inch wheels, aluminium frame and six gears wrighing in at 14.5kg.

This is the Brompton:



From the dazzling array of custom-fit brompton options, the basic bike comes in at around £560. This for the steel frame and six gears. Without suspension. All weighing in at 11.5kg. Granted, the Brompton is far more likely to be repairable because the manufacturers will likely still be available for comment in 20 years time. And I think the Brompton folds about four inches smaller. For over £400 saved, I'll take the slightly larger folded bike.

We're Getting a Dog

Probably. Well, certainly we're getting a dog, but now we've got a date for it's possible arrival. For a long time the plan has been to get a dog, but we've been in no rush to get one. My sister and her partner have a number of dogs, all working Springer spaniels and one of them is pregnant (probably), due about 6th June. Springers are use gun dogs - I've seen my sister's partner 's dogs at work. They flush out the game from thickets and fetch fallen birds, even dispatching the ones that are only winged. They love walks in the countryand are good swimmers. Well, we live in the country and we've commissioned a narrowboat so I think our dog will need to be at home tramping the towpaths and swimming in the canal as well as being a good family pet.

Publicity

This month's Canal and River Boat magazine has a feature on Montseny, the boat completed by JM Clarke in June 2006. I would include a link but there's no web site for the magazine.