If it's Thursday, it must be Stonebridge.

So I started out from Sweet Water trade mooring, my usual starting point on the canals, as it's closest to my home.

Heading North I met a boater struggling with the pump out at East Wick, his cards weren't being read. I did the trick CK taught me: opened the back and pulled out a dead BW card from the slot. But even that didn't help ungum the works.

There was trash beginning to accumulate by Wick Wood already. Hey ho.

Between the bridges at East Wick.

I carried on through Tottenham, where a heron was enjoying the towpath and the unused manual lock chamber at Tottenham Locks had been emptied of its crop of pennywort. Blimey!

In the towpath bushes, some other wildlife had made a home:

Rough sleeping between the River Lea and Pymmes Brook.

My patrol for the day took me up to Ponders End, where I made good on my threat to apply windolene to the control cabin's windows. Then I rambled back to Stonebridge.

There I absorbed quite a few complaints about the state of the services, although the showers seemed to be reasonably fine, the toilets really don't seem to be being cared for properly by CRT's contractors. The toilet-maintenance contractor person has been seen to refuse to replace toilet paper in the toilets because the dispensers are broken.

The Elsan is in a sorry state, with a nasty spray of faeces over the stainless steel. A boater commented that it needs steam washing, or pressure washing, but again this seems to be beyond the remit of the contractor. Having these facilities looking so unloved really does just encourage further decay.

Recyclables? Perhaps Not.

The recycling bins were out for collection, but I fear a similar issue to the one that prevented collection at Old Ford Lock on the Lee might have the same result (uncollected waste) here.

Containers of oil left by the icky Elsan point.

Alongside the Elsan is a collection of containers, apparently filled with contaminated waste oil. The contractors don't take this away - it has to be removed separately.

I was told it could be there because the local, Haringey Council recycling facility had apparently refused to take boaters' waste because they weren't paying Haringey council tax. This, at least was an issue I could do something about (more than just informing CRT.) I cycled down to the site on Park View Road (five minutes away by bike.) And I put the problem to the site supervisor there.

He told me there was no issue with non-payers of council tax, as far as he was concerned that wasn't a problem. He did say that there was a problem with water-contaminated oil, as it was difficult to recycle, but after talking with his boss, he said that dealing with a few containers (not oil drums!) of engine oil a week would not be problem for them.

So, if you're at Stonebridge and you have engine oil to dispose of, please take it to them at the Recycle Centre on Park View Road. If they turn you away - let me know!