Hi, Your comments are always most welcome
Hi,
I have just read through a few pages of your blog. I have been getting very motivated to something like you are doing. My wife and I are in then 'infancy' stage of fact finding etc before taking the plunge(is that the right word!). I shall continue following your blog!
I am retired and my wife soon to retire. We want a complete change but know that it is a massive change in lifestyle.
Take care,
Pete
Hi Sue
With regard to the chains that are giving problem in locks, These chains are there for Health & Safety reasons according to the E.A. in case people fall in the lock they have something to hang onto. keep up your exellent website it makes very interesting reading.
regards
Ken
Peter and Ken Fairbairn ----------
Peter, Many thanks for your comments. Yes it is a huge change of lifestyle, but I wouldn't change this for anything you know. Such a wonderful life, I am very lucky! 
Ken,
Yes someone else said that, but there are no chains in the locks on the main British Waterways system, and some of those locks are larger than a few on the Ouse. There are ladders to get out of the locks if someone falls in, so I still can't see what advantage there is in having chains.
Glad you find the blog interesting, thanks.. I will try and keep going, I usually find something to write about each day or so..
Sue 
Hi Ken,
How long you been on the canals now? I am sorry if I am putting questions in the wrong place-- let me know if I am please.
Is the narrow boat your permanent residence. If so how do you manage to get mail and get NHS/doctors etc.
When we make the plunge we want it to be our permanent residence.
regards,
Pete
Peter, I am not sure if Ken will come back to you or not.. he didn't say whether he had a boat or not!!
I will answer that question for you briefly.
You do need to have a 'permanent address' One where your bank statements will go, driving licence, passport and more importantly the electrol roll.
You need to be on the electrol roll to be able to get any credit in this country, and you need to have a bricks and mortar address for the bank etc.
Post can be sent to a Post Office by relatives for you, and doctors can be visited anywhere by signing on as a temporary patient. It is better to stay with the doctor you have and maybe visit him once a year or whatever he wants, that way your records are in one place.
You can take your medical records with you and present them to any doctor you visit, but this will end up costing you, because the temporary doctor will charge you for updating your records before you take them away with you.
Hope those bits help. Do visit the canalworld forum, then link is in the left hand column of this blog, there is a lot of information available there, and lots of people who will answer any questions you might have.
But you can ask questions here too, I will try my best to answer..
Sue
Hi Sue
I read your blog with interest, and the loaf looks fab. I never had much luck with my breadmaker.
Anyway, the thing I am curious about is the image on the laptop screen behind your fab loaf. Do you have some kind of GPS thingy?? If so, would be interested in details?
Many thanka, and hope the rain stops for you.
Debbie
Debbie -----------------
Hi Debbie,
Yes the breadmaker is making a loaf in an hour, and is turning out loaf after loaf consistantly now, I am well pleased.
The GPS tracking on the screen is from www.waterexplorer.co.uk, and that tracks No Problem when she is on the move. I am experimenting with it at the moment.
Sue
Hi,
Following your experience, we've just bought a breadmaker - same model - and it's wonderful! Thank you!
Boat is next on the list
Dee
Dee, Get a boat, far better than a breadmaker you know!! 
Sue
We're definitely tempted. Biggest stumbling block for me is what would I do with my massive collection of books - can't bear to part with any of them 
Have you tried the marmalade cake recipe? It's wonderful!
Dee
Dee, Hey Dee that is easy, and a cheap way out of putting lumps of concrete on your boat.. hey use them as balast!!
I jest.. What sort of books, are they a special collection?
I had a record collection of over 4,000 albums and 45s, it broke my heart to see them go, but I wanted No Problem as my home and that was more important to me..
I gonna try the marmalade cake, I'll let you know!
Hi Sue,
Ballast! Why didn't I think of that?
I'm kind of addicted to books. I'm a writer, so reading is very important to me. Most of them are fiction, but I have hundreds of non-fiction reference books.
Did you try the cake? We did one with black treacle instead of golden syrup, and added a dash of ground ginger. It made a lovely parkin
