My Wooden Canoe

Here she is, having just completed her maiden voyage in March 2008 on Coniston Water in the English lake District, my beautiful, hand-made, wooden canoe Mirrormere. Named after the mystical body of water that the fellowship first encounter after leaving the mines of Moria in the first installment of Lord of the Rings. A friend with far superior photographic skills than I took the picture.

Oh, lovely! Just . . . utterly . . . lovely. No matter how 'practical' modern synthetic materials are, there simply isn't anything quite so graceful as a wooden boat.

Simply spectacular! :eusa_clap

Now that is a beautiful canoe.

That is beautiful! great job!! Over here we would call that a lapstrake hull.

Aye Mr Astor, that's what the Australian fellow who resides in Northern Ireland and built her calls it. We'd refer to it as clinker built. The hull is made from mahogany marine plywood with the stitch and glue method. The gunwales and fore and aft 'decks' being Ash in the main with a bit of Cherry on said decks. The natural wood finish is left as is inside with a sheet of clear fibreglass bonded to the inside and bottom two strakes of her hull.

Sadly, the last time I had her out which was over two years ago, I stove in two of the lower port strakes whilst going down the Brathay which feeds Lake Windermere in the north west. My paddling abilities aren't all that bad really but she don't answer well if quick steerage is required owing to her pronounced keel and the effect of the strakes. Those features make her a very easy and fairly fast paddling lake canoe though and she remains quite a dry boat in heavy weather because of her decent draught. She's currently laid up in my garage hull-up on a set of home-made wooden 'saw horses' due to the fact that health and wealth aren't all they could be to make fast her repairs.

I've lost a bit of my mojo as far motivation is concerned for getting the repairs done and going paddling since I had to give up my driving licence due to health reasons. That was the whole reson for getting a canoe - I can portage her easily enough myself, pop her on the car roof rack and off I go with a few mates. But all that's kinda gone by the wayside. Still, she's dry stored and I'll see her fixed and wet again one day. Many a good memory made in her short career thus far, though.

Thanks for the compliments, folks. Jolly nice of you all!

That is one fine watercraft!!!! Well done!

She looks beautiful - Don't give up hope Land of the silver birch, home of the beaver..... plenty of fun to be had with a spot of wild camping thrown in, eh? that's what friends are for.

As soon as I saw that a member by the name of Mr. Godfrey had replied to this thread, my thoughts immediately went all Dad's Army. I thought it was just coincidence and would be most likely rather ill-advised of me to make comic comment so when I saw your location, I nearly spat out my tea! If you pardon the disgusting picture that paints, sir. "Mr Mainwaring, may I be excused?"

P.S. do you really think a gent to be improperly dressed by the wearing of a belt instead of braces?

P.P.S. of the two, it'd be Bramley End for me - very much a favourite film of mine.

Lovely canoe and a great photo of it!

Many thanks, Tomasso. Pray tell, of whom is the photograph that is your avatar, kind sir. I should not like to meet him in any dark alley never mind the ring but perhaps the other Charles Bronson in his prime wouldn't have have much minded.

Gairdner said:

As soon as I saw that a member by the name of Mr. Godfrey had replied to this thread, my thoughts immediately went all Dad's Army. I thought it was just coincidence and would be most likely rather ill-advised of me to make comic comment so when I saw your location, I nearly spat out my tea! If you pardon the disgusting picture that paints, sir. "Mr Mainwaring, may I be excused?"

P.S. do you really think a gent to be improperly dressed by the wearing of a belt instead of braces?

P.P.S. of the two, it'd be Bramley End for me - very much a favourite film of mine.

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So you spotted how I made my user name, I have always loved Dad's army and Godfrey was the spitting image of my grandfather, both in stature and manner, noo forgetting my great aunt Dolly, who never made upside down cakes but coconut fairy cakes for my brother and I. .

Funny you mention the belt and braces as I often think of that line when I am going out.

You spotted the connection of Bramley End, eh? I did think of Major Hammond aka Kommandant Ortler as a user name ;-). It is a great film I have watched so many times, what I find amazing is Turville has not really changed since then. A few years ago I was standing on the hill just by the windmill looking down at Turville and the BBMF flew past in standard formation and a few minutes later a DC3 flew across too, Is felt like a scene that could have been taken from 60 years a ago!





Your little boat also made me think of Swallows and Amazons. Hope you have out on the loch's soon - with your little ukulele in your hand!

Haha, alas I am musically inept when comes to playing any instrument and singing. George may not have been the best of singers but I used to get told to stop singing at football matches, my voice being so bad! George couldn't half play that Uke, though - fastest right hand in the business, if that doesn't too dodgy.

Always been a big lover of the Swallow's and Amazon books and wanting to get out on the water was inspired by the series. Read most of them as a young lad then purchased the Jonathan Cape hardbacks as an adult and re-read them. Every now and then, I still pick up one and the memories come flooding back. I've even paddled the S&A's 'River Amazon' and 'Octopus lagoon' as well as landing in the real secret harbour of Wildcat Island. Boyhood ambitions fulfilled.

Loved your pictures too, thank you for showing them. I believe Turville has also been used to film certain scenes and episodes of Midsomer Murders though it shall always be Bramley end to me with Mervyn Johns smoking his pipe in the cemetery at the start.

Gairdner said:

I believe Turville has also been used to film certain scenes and episodes of Midsomer Murders though it shall always be Bramley end to me with Mervyn Johns smoking his pipe in the cemetery at the start.

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Yes is has been, it also was used as the setting for the vicar of Dibley, Goodnight Mr Tom, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and plenty more I would guess. However it is Bramley End to me too and always will be. i should have got my wife to take my photo in the same spot, with my pipe too maybe this summer. Plan to visit the Laura Ashley hotel in a couple of months, the tennis club used in School for scoundrels, hard cheese!


I often re read Brendon chase by BB great book and there's nowt wrong with Georges singing, oooh mother! I keep a CD in the car and on my MP3 player so he has my vote and I have toyed with the idea of trying to learn the Uke Well, I'll go the foot of our stairs!. Films; keep fit and No limit are two of my favorites by George so sir I applaud your choice for your avatar too.

Jolly good that you managed fulfill your ambition of landing in the secret harbour of Wildcat Island would like to see more photos when you next get her out.

Terry Thomas, that loveable rogue! Hope you get there and enjoy it, sir.

My other favourite Formby sayings from the films and music are, "Haha, never touched me!" and, "Get away, get away!"

There is, what is described on YouTube, a skit with George hamming it up as a tenor vs Giuseppe Verdi (Joe Green!) and ending the piece with something about black pudding. My daughter often sings it followed by a fit of the giggles. Here it is, Alexander's Ragtime Band:

[video=youtube;PllyMQ9lXlc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PllyMQ9lXlc[/video]

Perhaps you've seen it already?

Oh, and thanks for the friendship request - most humbling.

Graeme

Gairdner said:

My other favourite Formby sayings from the films and music are, "Haha, never touched me!"

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LOL, yes, I like that saying as well. Drove my mother mad with oooh mother, still do. My brother and I used to say I thank you in the style of Arther Askey - the ghost train not sure why we just did.

Thanks for the music link, not heard that before.

The Ghost Train. And we come back round in a circle: it having been a play written by Arnold Ridley as you will know.

I can only take so much of Arthur Askey and yes, the, "I thank you", is very funny when properly done in his manner.

Another particular favourite of mine is Will Hay whom I regard as an absolute comic genius far eclipsing Askey and any of the notable actors in the much later Carry On series. His sidekicks were also particularly brilliant and the perfect foil for Hay although he later abandoned them. Like the late Clive Dunn, Moore Marriot was fabulous as a man made up to be much older than his actual age and Graham Moffat was just plain funny in his own right. A comparatively short life was Moffat's however. The first I heard of Oh Mr Porter was in the almost forgotten war film, The Password is Courage when Bogarde, Lynch and the others start up the song whilst sabotaging a passing German munitions train. It wasn't until much later, after I'd seen my first Hay film, Ask a Policeman that I realised where the song was likely to have come from. Those two titles, together with Where's that Fire? are my Will Hay favourites and if you haven't seen them, I recommend them as essential viewing.

Going back to that Formby 'skit', the Black Pudding ending is hilarious!

A' the best,
Graeme

Will Hay, oh yes I have watched my DVD set so many times, Oh Mr Porter, great film I remember watching at the Saturday morning cinema club as a kid in the 70's, that and ask a policeman are my two favorites to watch although boys will be boys is a close run call. The only one I am not to keen on is Windbag the sailor. Yes it was a shame about Moffat died quite young really

I know what you mean about Askey, can be rather silly at times for my taste but I do like the ghost train not just the Rildely connection, again watching it with my brother also the one where he thinks he has excalibur. Not to keen on Norman Wisdom either for some reason although I do like the Bulldog breed, again watching with my brother as a child. I miss that Saturday afternoon black and white film that would be on BBC 2 or that run of Charlie Chan, the Gay Falcon or Rathbone's Holmes that would be on a Friday evening.

Two films I found rather amusing although I only discovered them about 10 years ago, two videos of pound, Love on the Wheels and falling for you. They feature Cicely Courtneidge & Jack Hulbert. Talking of Jack Hulbert I really love the song All over the place by Tommy Trinder, who sings it in Sailors three with Jack's brother Claude, not quite Formby but a nice little tune. Perhaps you could whistle it when out in your beautiful little craft!


[video=youtube_share;oIEkYEpOWrA]http://youtu.be/oIEkYEpOWrA[/video]
What do you think of Rutherford's Marple? I am quite fond on them but I think that my be because she reminds me of one of my grandmothers!, God bless her soul.

Talking of war films I went to see the Dam Busters a few years ago on the big screen, I found it really moving and even though it is a mono film, the sound when the engines roar as they pulled the lanc in a climb, had me on the edge on my seat and just as good as a modern film!!!.

If am right in thinking of your location, have you though of reenacting the bridge scene from the 39 Steps? my favorite version is with Kenneth More but I do like the original. Last year when I was taking part on the Tweed Run we cycle past a police man and it made me think of the scene where the cyclist go past before a chase scene.

Absolutely gorgeous canoe.
Regarding Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple, the movies are great fun, but her Miss Marple is very far from Agatha Christie's character. Dame Agatha always said she thought Joan Hickson was the perfect Miss Marple.

I agree with Agatha, Joan is Miss Marple and the BBC series is a great piece of drama, I have them all on VHS, seems waste and shame to replace them with a DVD, maybe one day. The period is done quite well and not over acted. I like the latest versions too but they seem to lack something Joan had and brought to the role. Rutherford plays Rutherford but I ilke that about her so they will always be in my film collection.