To Read or Not to Read.

I do not buy waterways magazines as a rule, because they are full of adverts, but a friend on NB Harnser told me that we were in the December edition, so I shelled out £3.50 to buy a copy of the Waterway's World magazine. Page 50 there we are, a small photograph and a small write up, which sadly had the wrong information in it. Because I had shelled out £3.50, I felt the need to read the magazine from cover to cover, just to justify the outlay.
The last time we bought any canal magazine was when we were looking at having our boat Hadar built and when we wanted to buy our secondhand boat Misty Lady to live on. Since then there has been no point in spending money on something we do not need. But today I made an exception.

I was saddened to read about the tragic death of Olympic rower Andy Holmes. Weil's Disease is such an awful thing and does not discriminate. Between 50 to 80 cases of Wei's Disease are reported a year and if it is not treated promptly it can cause death. Symptoms are similar to the flu. I have only known one other person to die from Weil's Disease and that was equally as tragic. Weil's Disease or Leptospirosis is transmitted to humans by contact with the urine of rats, cattle, foxes, rodents and other wild animals.
Most boaters or people who come into contact with river or canal water know they should cover all cuts and abrasions. That is also why swimming in canals is not a good idea, because swallowing potentially contaminated water could cause Weil's disease. It is advisable to wash ones hands after using the ropes which may have been in the water, or when delving down the weed hatch. All precaustions should be taken and if anyone experiences flu-like symptoms after contact with fresh water they should see their doctor immediately.

There are some interesting pieces in the December Edition of Waterway's World. If you love to find out about the history of the Waterway's you may like the new Black Country History Website. You can search through the archives for photos and the history of the Black Country.

It was wonderful to read that Otters are on the increase. They are to be found now on every waterway in England. To think they almost became extinct in 1970's. But now with them making a comeback, maybe just maybe I will be able to tick them off my wish list. I have a wish list of things I want to see whilst on the waterway's and Otter's are one of them.

Although I have not bought a magazine for a number of years, it has been nice looking through Waterway's World. I saw some familiar faces on the Jam 'Ole Run piece and boat photographs I recognised, these included Ilford an FMC butty owned by Roger Fuller, who built our boat.