Field Notes & Stories
Bob’s Leather
I thought Bob was offering me a carrier bag of leather scraps. He came back the next day with six or seven enormous trays of the stuff … and, unknowingly,...
Bob’s Leather
I thought Bob was offering me a carrier bag of leather scraps. He came back the next day with six or seven enormous trays of the stuff … and, unknowingly,...
The Chimney That Came Home
More than three years after I accidentally pushed my stainless-steel chimney into the North Stratford Canal, I’d pretty much accepted it was gone for good. Then a dredging team found...
The Chimney That Came Home
More than three years after I accidentally pushed my stainless-steel chimney into the North Stratford Canal, I’d pretty much accepted it was gone for good. Then a dredging team found...
Looking for the People History Missed
Historian, performer, former nurse, boater and an undisputed authority on compost toilets, Kate Saffin has a talent for uncovering the people history has overlooked - and bringing their stories vividly...
Looking for the People History Missed
Historian, performer, former nurse, boater and an undisputed authority on compost toilets, Kate Saffin has a talent for uncovering the people history has overlooked - and bringing their stories vividly...
The Book Swap at Hillmorton Locks
At Hillmorton Locks, a cardboard box of donated books gradually turned into something much bigger. I stopped to find out how a simple book swap, built from recycled scraps and...
The Book Swap at Hillmorton Locks
At Hillmorton Locks, a cardboard box of donated books gradually turned into something much bigger. I stopped to find out how a simple book swap, built from recycled scraps and...
A Conversation with Rex, Volunteer Lock Keeper,...
Waiting for the tide at Brentford Tidal Lock, I spent an hour with volunteer lock keeper Rex watching the Thames slowly return. We talked tides, aircraft, retirement, volunteering and the...
A Conversation with Rex, Volunteer Lock Keeper,...
Waiting for the tide at Brentford Tidal Lock, I spent an hour with volunteer lock keeper Rex watching the Thames slowly return. We talked tides, aircraft, retirement, volunteering and the...
Living with a Lister
I didn’t choose a 76-year-old Lister JP2. She simply came with the boat I fell in love with - and nearly put me off buying her. Four years later, we’ve...
Living with a Lister
I didn’t choose a 76-year-old Lister JP2. She simply came with the boat I fell in love with - and nearly put me off buying her. Four years later, we’ve...
How Not to Reverse a Narrowboat (a true story)
Silly me for thinking it would be a simple task to reverse to the services! There are moments in boating when you know, almost immediately, that a perfectly reasonable plan...
How Not to Reverse a Narrowboat (a true story)
Silly me for thinking it would be a simple task to reverse to the services! There are moments in boating when you know, almost immediately, that a perfectly reasonable plan...
Somerton Deep
My first completely single-handed boat trip was going beautifully … until a side hatch door dropped into the canal at Somerton Deep Lock. Cue a bikini, a magnet, an audience...
Somerton Deep
My first completely single-handed boat trip was going beautifully … until a side hatch door dropped into the canal at Somerton Deep Lock. Cue a bikini, a magnet, an audience...
Three Seconds on TV. Considerably Longer in Rea...
Three seconds on television sounds wonderfully simple. The reality involved a narrowboat, a film crew and rather more chaos than anyone watching would ever know. A true story!
Three Seconds on TV. Considerably Longer in Rea...
Three seconds on television sounds wonderfully simple. The reality involved a narrowboat, a film crew and rather more chaos than anyone watching would ever know. A true story!