I've got it!!!

Having sweated my way through the last few days and hours, I am delighted to report that I have secured the mooring at Fradley and only had to go £55 over my ideal annual budget to get it. It will cost me nearly £800 less than Barton (although of course I will be using much more diesal as there is no electricity at Fradley). It is also a fixed amount for 3 years and vat inclusive so I know exactly how much I need to budget for which is excellent.
But most important to me is that there will be no more fences, gates, signs or people telling me what to do, how to live and how to look after my dog!! Yes, the practicalities of life will take more working at, but I am so sure it will be worth it.
It is not a residential mooring, so from 1st January, when my mooring at Barton runs out, my address will be c/o a friend in Devon. If you want that address, let me know.
Happy Days! I'm going to be a 'proper' boater!

aaah

I spoke too soon. At lunchtime today another person entered a bid for the Fradley mooring. I have decided on a maximum I can go to and will not go over that. So I have entered another bid and am hoping and praying the other person wasn't that keen!
It's only now that I may not get the mooring, I realise how much I want it!

3 days to go!

There are only three days left on the bidding for the mooring at Fradley and so far, no one else has put a bid in, so I am still in line to get it for it's reserve price! However I have heard that, with auctions, people generally only bid near the closing time so I have to hold my breath until 1300 hours on Monday 23rd.
I have been checking out the possibility of getting a generator to help me maintain my batteries out on the canal. It would mean I would have to run my engine less often which would save me money. However the cost of a generator that has the right specs is around £300 so I may have to wait a while as the priorities money wise are paying for the mooring, getting the boat's bottom blacked and engine serviced in January and also saving for the BW licence due in the Spring. Still, it's definitely something worth keeping in mind.
I have to say that, apart from being excited about the prospect of moving, I am also quite nervous. It is so safe and secure in the marina. I don't have to worry about where the power is coming from and life has settled into a calm routine. I also don't have to commute to work! But I have changed so much in the last year that I need to be somewhere that fits with the person I am becoming, even if that means life gets a little more difficult. When I arrived, the fences, gates and busy-ness of this place didn't bother me really. But now every time I unlock a gate or trip over yet another prohibition sign or get yet another comment about dogs and leads from the marina office, my frustration levels rise and the feeling of claustrophobia gets worse.
Out on the canal, I will be responsible for all parts of my life, from the practicalities of power and disposing of poo, to how I will settle in to this new place, learning I hope from the mistakes I made when I arrived here at Barton. It will be a new challenge but I believe it is right for me at this stage of my development. If I am wrong I only have to stay for 6 months and then, as long as I give 2 months notice, I can leave the canal side mooring and perhaps scuttle back to the womb of a marina!

cancellation of website

I've just received a call from British Waterways. They have been 'tipped off' by someone that I am running a business (The Narrow Way) without obtaining a BW commercial licence. I explained that, so far, I have had no customers and so could not afford to get a commercial licence (which costs around double the standard licence) He was a nice man and said that it's a difficult thing to set up a business with all the costs involved without any income. However, he was clear that, if I am advertising The Narrow Way, then I must, not only get a commercial licence, but also have to adhere to the same rules and regulations as the 'big boys' like the hire companies. He directed me to a website with all the rules on it and having looked at it, I'm reluctantly having to withdraw the Narrow Way website and stop offering the boat for paid quiet days.
I'm not going to waste time wondering who the 'tip off' came from, although it's tempting to speculate. Suffice to say I'm fairly gutted - particularly as my friend Maggie has spent so much time assisting me in setting it up. Thanks Maggie! I'll just have to find another way to make some money I guess.

a possible possibility of real freedom

I periodically check the British Waterways web site for moorings coming up for tender (you have to bid for them). Well, I checked yesterday and much to my surprise and excitement I found there is a mooring at Fradley Junction being advertised. Fradley is at the junction of the Trent and Mersey and the Coventry canals. It is a beautiful place, well away from the A38! It has water, pump out (for the loo) and a really good pub - what more does one need in life! Well, electricity and there isn't any of that, but more important than any of the above is that there are no fences, no stupid notices and nobody to tell me what to do! It is about 5 miles from Barton and so work would be within commuting distance by bus or cycle and it's close to Lichfield for shopping. It would be a lovely place to run quiet days from because of its peace and beauty.

So, in a fit of excitement I have put a bid in - the only one so far. It would be a not so minor miracle if I got it at the price I have bid, but then if I get it, I'll know it was meant to be and if I don't - well, ditto. If I do get it, I'll have to pay the annual price up front and then, as long as I pay up each year, it will be mine for the same price for the next 3 years.

Bonny and I visited the mooring this afternoon and even in the rain, it looked wonderful! It is opposite a nature reserve with a circular walk and the towpath in both directions offer lovely walks too. There is the pub I mentioned, but also a cafe and little shop. The mooring is on the canal and not tucked away from canal life in a marina. it is within the flight of 6 locks and so there's always something to watch!

I'll have to wait to see if I get it, but not for long; the bidding closes on 23rd November and the mooring agreement would start on 8th December! I must admit that I really hope that it is meant to be!

I haven't got a picture of the mooring, but here is a picture of don't Panic moored in Fradley woods, just above the flight of locks.

friends

Yes, Bonny is spoilt!! Here she is in my bed and enjoying a walk (off lead!) around the lake. It's hard to believe that she is already 6 months old.

I've had two visits recently that reminded me how great it is to have friends. Nigel and Jacquie from Devon happened to be driving up to Derbyshire and decided to drop in for a surprise visit - lovely. They even treated me to tea and cake.

Then Lynda, a very encouraging friend who actually leaves comments on my blog! came for an overnight stay. We used to share a house whilst we were training with Church Army in Sheffield. We haven't seen each other in ages, but as soon as we met it was as if no time had passed at all. We went out on the boat for the day. It was rather drizzly weather but Lynda was so busy learning how to steer the boat, she didn't let it bother her. She was a natural boat woman and took to it like a duck to water. It was great to catch up with all three friends and it reminded me how much I enjoy teaching people the arcane art of narrowboat operation.

Good news on the work front; firstly because my work colleague is going to Australia for a month and I am going to be covering his hours, which will really help with my finances over Christmas. Also, up to now I have been employed on a 'casual, temporary basis'. But from 1st January I shall be a proper employee with things like paid holiday days! It still only means 3 days a week, but they will be more secure days.

I hope all my readers are having a good Friday 13th!

price reduction and radio interviews

I have decided to reduce the price of a day out on my boat between now and the 1st March 2010. It is usually £100 for up to 2 people. It is now £70 for a full day or £50 for half a day, so do please spread the word!
I've just got back from Derby where, apart from getting hopelessly lost and consequently very stressed, I have been interviewed by BBC Radio Derby. It is for their Sunday morning 'religion and ethics' programme. They were particularly interested in why I changed lives from Church Army evangelist to narrowboat resident. I was fairly kind about Church Army and the work it does (Neil take note!) but less kind about my perception of where the Church's current focus lies, and how it pours all it's energies into getting people in through the front door, but shows little or no interest in those disappearing out the back door! I also talked a bit about my life pre-church as well as getting an advert in for 'The Narrow Way'.
It is likely to be broadcasted on 22nd November between 6am and 9am. For those who, for whatever reason, actually want to hear it, but don't want to wake up early, it will be on the BBC i player for 7 days after the broadcast.