Canal

'The Slowness Of Cows'.

I can only find one reference to this dating back to the end of the second World War. This quotes a slightly derogatory remark referring to women's contributions to the the war effort. It was taken from a book written by an author called Emma Smith in her book 'Maidens Trip'.
(See Extra)

'In 1943 Emma Smith joined the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company under their wartime scheme of employing women to replace the boaters. She set out with two friends on a big adventure: three eighteen-year-olds, freed from a middle-class background, precipitated into the boating fraternity. They learn how to handle a pair of seventy-two foot-long canal boats, how to carry a cargo of steel north from London to Birmingham and coal from Coventry; how to splice ropes, bail out bilge water, keep the engine ticking over and steer through tunnels. They live off kedgeree and fried bread and jam, adopt a kitten, lose their bicycles, laugh and quarrel and get progressively dirtier and tougher as the weeks go by'.

Sounds quite an enjoyable read.

I hope everyone is enjoying a great day and having fun. Take care.
Clive