Updates on boaters, cool canals, poor canals and moonwalking,

It's that time of the month again, and BW has issued the July 2009 Boaters' Update newsletter.

It's been a monthly publication for over two years, and I find it rather good - a great summary of the important things for canal users.

Contents this month include the new Cool Canals guidebook on special discounted offer.  I'd never actually heard of Cool Canals until now.  But I'm sure that's OK with author-photographers Phillippa Greenwood and Martine O'Callaghan; I'd be surprised if they've heard of me either. 

Also listed is the latest Annual Report & Accounts from British Waterways - 90 pages of sheer (albeit necessary) tedium, alleviated by some very nice design.  They've made a real silk purse out of it. 

The micawberish bottom line on the UK waterways last year: 

Annual income:  £223.3 million
Annual expenditure: £296.2 million aught and sixpence.
Result: Misery

But the thing that really caught my eye was the 25th Anniversary of the Blisworth Tunnel restoration.

Now, call me a curmugeon, but am I alone in getting fed up with all these contrived and unnecessary anniversaries? 

I can understand the moon landing anniversary this weekend - although 50 would be a better one than 40.  But it was, after all, BIG history, perhaps being seen as the most significant event of the 20th century.  (War notwithstanding.  I fear men will never leave this planet again, but they will sadly continue to kill each other).   And probably half of the remaining 9 moonwalkers will be dead in ten years.

But the 25th anniversary of a tunnel repair?  I mean, c'mon!   Would that it were the only over-celebrated milestone, but anniversaries are everywhere these days, have you noticed?  

Make a note in your diary for March 2029, which is the 25th anniversary of the reopening of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct after its recent major overhaul.  I wrote about that event here.

Only last year I was tempted - sorely - to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this blog, but managed to hold myself.  But next month is the sixth anniversary of www.grannybuttons.com, and that's an odd-enough birthday to celebrate.  I plan to do it by going across the Wash.

But a last point about the Boaters' Update.  It really ought to be a blog.  I mean, each of its items would make a great blog post - all of them would, wouldn't they?   How about it, Mr Waterscape?

Comments

[Andrew Denny]

Bad dog, Andrew! No walkies for you today!

[Lynda Payton]

How can you say the 25th Anniversary of Blisworth Tunnel isn't worth celebrating? It was closed for 4 years and completely severed the canal system in half. It took a lot of campaigning to get the government to stump up the cash to enable BW to repair it and it was a major engineering achievement. Imagine what would happen if it failed again. Where would BW find 17 million in today's money?
Shame on you!!!

[Roger]

Perhaps I should celebrate the 30th anniversary of taking a wooden boat (10ft long) through Blisworth tunnel armed with a headlight powered by a car battery?? Only a brave soul would do such a thing considering the danger of being sunk by passing narrowboats!