Weekend - end of......

Why do weekends go so quickly! My apologies to those who have complained regarding my lack of posts over the last week! You know how it is, work being so busy and all that, in fact, last week, on 4 evenings, I either had to go back to school for an evening meeting or was late home due to an over-running after school meeting. This weekend has been lovely though and I still have the cratch open now at 8.30, (although will shut it as soon as I've finished this!)Just had to completely re-moor the boat due to a big old thumping boat going past as break neck speed. I would 'name and shame' but it was a boat belonging to a friend of mine, (although her son was steering it and she wasn't on board!!) My friends from NB Four Winds, (Crick show boat this year and profiled in Canals and River magazine - May 2007) are now moored in Brinklow and stopped for a chat as they passed by this evening. I must say, it's a stunning looking boat and it was nice to have some familiar faces around this, my new home patch of canal. Next weekend, being a bank holiday, I plan to go down to Braunston for the weekend and back, with the plan being to return to INSIDE the marina on the Monday evening!OK, now it's getting silly! I have resorted to washing the fire extinguishers in readiness for my Boat Safety Inspection tomorrow! Things like this always tend to bring bad news for me, so my history as taught me, and I am worried of the same outcome tomorrow. I did get a phone call this evening from Julia on NB Even Balance to wish me the best for tomorrow, (although the main call was for more general reasons!) Tomorrow's post will bring either good or bad news - watch this space.Reading the Canalworld.net Forum this evening and I was saddened to read yet another post from someone who is interested in living on a boat. It reads like a comedy and would be laughable if not so common in these days: 'I was finking of a boat to live on and wondered what type I should get. I have seen this nice cruiser which is a bit like a narrowboat but a bit wider and wondered if it would be good. Where can I moor it? Please advise' The post went on to say, '....I did look at a caravan but couldn't live in a caravan park all year round so thought of a boat....' Why, oh why do so many people think the waterways are little more than housing estate over-spills and what future is there for the history, heritage, knowledge and maintenance of our canal system if more and more people buy cheap boats simply to live on with little or no interest in the infrastructure they are sponging off of. OK. rant over! I was heartened to see the somewhat 'curt' replies from other forum members, although have to confess that the forum seems to develop unwanted tangents into the world of cheap housing with some member's attitudes, at times, giving away their true colours! Call me over-simplistic, but I would never even consider indulging in the finer debates of golf without having ever stepped foot on a golf course, let alone lifted a club. Mind you, the same argument could be applied to other areas of the waterways given BW's new passion for encouraging marinas to spring up everywhere up and down the system - how long will it be before we see new marinas appearing, developed by unscrupulous 'business' people with little or no knowledge, (let alone interest,) in the fascinating history of the past or understanding of the closeness and very specific etiquette of the way of life of those they serve?