Puffer

Interesting, CrushedVamp. I'm not sure what we can make of the statistic that '47% of men have tried on what is considered feminine clothing at least once in their life'; that seems low. It very much depends upon what type of clothing, in what situation and for how long. Briefly popping on a woman's hat or coat for fun or masquerade is not the same as donning underwear or a skirt or dress - or shoes. If you include the 'pantomime' aspect, I suspect the trial percentage is much nearer 100. Your wife loves heel and you admit to trying them too. Was she aware of this and would she approve if you wore them, in public or not?

Tom Rolt (who was an inspiration behind saving and using Britain's canals for leisure) originally had a petrol engine (ex-Model T Ford!) in his narrowboat Cressy in 1936. And he was not alone in using such an engine, although they were never common - horsepower generally gave way to diesel. Some shorter narrowboats are powered by a petrol outboard motor because a diesel engine would take up too much space. Whilst a 'marine' diesel engine is obviously ideal, there are many engines of the road vehicle type; my brother's narrowboat uses a British Leyland engine of the type fitted to a light van. Yes, the 'pop pop' of a Lister (or similar) diesel is quite distinct and certainly reminiscent of the African Queen. A Btitish 'narrowboat' is so called (and built) so as to be able to cruise on the narrowest canals, a nominal 7'0" wide, with the boats a couple of inches less. The canals were made narrow at the locks, bridges etc to save cost and water, but obviously had to be wide enough in most open stretches to allow vessels to pass. By no means all of British canals are 'narrow'; many are 'broad' - wide enough to take quite large barges and similar craft, although of course such commercial traffic has largely declined. Yes, the usual narrowboat drive is by a directly-driven prop shaft with a simple speed/reverse lever control. Simple but effective.

There are also a few (very few) historic narrowboats that have steam engines, and some with petrol (gasoline) engines. In fact, any sort of power can be found, although I have yet to come across rubber-band drive! As Shyheels says, diesel is the norm, with the typical engine being identical to that used in a motor car. When travelling on (or alongside) a canal, one sometimes hears an approaching boat with a strange engine sound - usually indicative of a non-diesel.

As you say and as I well remember, the second half of the 60s was mostly about various styles of boots and sandals, many of which I admired. But Cali said that he 'loved the heels', although heels of any height or slenderness were noticeably missing from footwear of that period. Perhaps what he really meant was that he 'loved the footwear'.

The 1960s were a period of much change on the fashion front. What heels was it that you loved from that era - the stilettos ubiquitous until c1965 or the low and boring styles that came in as the mini skirt gained in popularity? Surely not the latter?

Happy anniversary! You prompted me to discover my own length of servitude - 20 years and counting. Makes me feel really ancient. You can easily alter the font; the 'Font' button is on the top row at the right. I too am not keen on sans serif for text, but am usually too lazy to alter it - but this time have done so to my preferred Times New Roman, 16pt.

I've caught up here rather late in the day but, as most of you know, I try to promote accurate and consistent terminology. Although I would agree with the view that Gige's boots (13 Nov pic) are merely 'slim' heeled, I have little doubt that many (including manufacturers/retailers) would describe them as being 'stiletto', as that term is so often lazily mis-applied to almost any heel that is fairly straight and not an obvious block or wedge. And melrose's attractive shoes (18 Nov pic) certainly have the stiletto look about them - and the 11mm width is borderline, as he says, and looks (to me, anyway) as though it is thinner. I would certainly expect most folk to call them 'stilettos', even though a true stiletto heel is (or should be) slimmer, as would be obvious if placed alongside the pictured shoe. Gige's query was essentially about the acceptability of wearing heels that are truly high and/or slender. He must make his own mind up about that but there are enough wearers here to give him the reassurance he seeks. And, as part of his overall carefully structured look, I have little doubt that (say) 4" stilettos would be fine, assuming that his intended activity permitted them on grounds of practicality.

The soles are smooth, but not slippery. I have not experienced any potential for losing traction or footing when wearing my identical pair in wet or dry conditions. But I would not advocate walking on ice in anything like these.

These would do the job, and fit you too! https://hhplace.org/topic/25705-brand-new-asos-recite-boots-uk1112/

You are right on all counts. I'm certainly aware of the brick or other protrusions or gripping aids that assist lock beam movement, but equally there are places where a slippery but soft or grassy surface exists and when a boot heel would aid traction. I have slipped when wearing the sort of rubber soles that one would typically find ideal for working boats and locks, or even in wellies with a cleated sole. Some work boots can be lethal if they have a smooth sole too. I doubt there there is any one shoe or boot style that is ideal for all canal applications - working the boat and the locks and walking the towpath.

Having myself often been crew on a UK narrowboat, I would consider that a cowboy boot or similar with a heel that can 'dig in' a little would often be an advantage when working lock gates. It can be difficult to get a grip on the ground when literally putting one's back into moving a gate beam and (as cowboys found when roping steers etc), a boot with a heel gives a better anchor. I agree however that 'high' heels would be a hazard in most other canal pursuits.

I have said elsewhere that your shoes look to me to be 'lilac' (which has a pinkish tinge) rather than a true 'mauve' (which is more purple). Without being able to see them 'in the flesh', am I wrong?

Which reminds me that Whitby (on coast of North Yorkshire, for those unfamiliar) is known for its 'Goth' atmosphere, mainly due to the Dracula legend. And there are Goth weekend events on 1 - 3 November, doubtless following-in from Halloween. Even when these events are not on, Whitby is a popular place for people in Goth clothing, which will surely include some extreme heeled footwear, with long points, buckles etc.

Lilac maybe? Not too easy to see with glossy patent but it has a lilac/pink hue.

The further north one goes in the UK, the more heels are seen. And I would expect OTK boots to be popular in York as it tends to get flooded frequently!