Blogs, not dogs

I’m very grateful for all this canal blogging malarkey. When I’m stuck at home having to do mundane stuff like work, the various blogs give me a good old fix of vicarious cruising. Top marks to all those who stick with it for my and others benefit!

The grand-denny of them all, of course, is Granny Buttons. I don’t always agree with Andrew and not every posting floats my boat but you can’t fault the man for his commitment nor for the quality and consistency of his blog. The time and effort needed to winkle out each story and reframe it for his audience shows true dedication to the cause, and his photographs aren’t half bad either.

By his own admission, Granny doesn’t much like cruising logs but I do, especially when they’re in the hands of a good writer or entertaining host. With the return to land of the Snecklifter duo, my first ports of blog call are usually Bruce’s Living in Sanity, Sue’s No Problem, Derek and Dot’s Gypsy Rover and Geoff’s Seyella’s Journey. They’re all engaged in genuine continuous cruises and are generous in inviting us along for the ride. They post regularly and offer up plenty of useful info for those following in their wake.

I also enjoy the weekly bulletin from Balmaha with Mo’s self-deprecation invariably raising a smile and always try to tune into Jo Lodge’s Hadar blog. Her enthusiasm and zest for her new journey with husband Keith is remarkable and joyous.

And then there’s the incipient sibling rivalry courtesy of the Edwards brothers - Khayamanzi Andy and K2 Steve. Andy is a long-standing liveaboard and blogger who has this boating lark pretty much sussed; Steve is a blogger and not quite yet a liveaboard, although that will change very shortly when he takes possession of a very tasty Mel Davis tug. They’ll be near neighbours in Brinklow Marina and I’m looking forward to the brotherly blogging war.

Finally, there should be a mention in despatches for other personal faves Contented Souls, Ten Bob Note, Black Bess, Marmaduke, Epiphany, Zindagi, Bendigedig, Skyy and last but not least, Derwent6. Those guys' bounce and energy would power a small planet!