JUNKFEST: The annual Beaulieu Boat Jumble takes place in Hampshire this weekend with thousands of boat owners expected to arrive from all over the country hoping to pick up a bargain
For all those suffering the annual problem of what to put underneath the tree for their boat-obsessed other halves, here are some suggestions – some to be taken more seriously than others…
Patricia Eustace’s life has been very closely tied to the River Thames. This charming 86-year-old has spent all her life living beside the river – 60 years in a lovely house overlooking Shepperton Lock – and she was one of several readers who responded to my invitation to share their memories of learning to swim in the Thames.
As regular readers of this column will be aware, I’ve often expressed doubts about the Environment Agency’s decision not to replace resident lock keepers on the Thames and to rent out their empty houses to the public.
