Happy Christmas to all my readers!

We have been frozen in here at Fradley since the third week in November. There was a brief thaw for my birthday (thank you birthday angel) but now, like the rest of the country we are back in the deep freeze.

Because of being unable to move the boat for such a long time, I was forced to complete the most disgusting task that I have undertaken on the boat so far. That of manually pumping out my black tank - known to most of you as a poo tank! The hardest part was pushing containers full of effluent all the way to the BW station where there are facilities for disposal of said excrement. I managed to do around 100 litres and I was wasted afterwards! However I can now pee and poo in peace for the next few weeks. I have a tank full of diesel thanks to 'Mayflower Graham' who sells diesel in a can. Water is increasingly becoming an issue as all the remaining taps have started to ice up and stop working. As long as I don't use my shower, I can stretch to another week before I run dry. I'm not sure what I'll do then.

I was due to drive to Sevenoaks on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas with my family but a combination of 9 inches of snow here and temperatures forecast to drop to around -10 means I can't leave the boat without risking damage to the water system and engine, not to mention a scary drive around the M25 on Friday! So, with regret I have had to cancel those plans and stay aboard instead. However I won't be alone as my friends on narrowboat Huff n' Puff have invited me to Christmas Lunch with them. Bonny will be delighted to spend time with her boyfriend!

I hope you all get where you are hoping to be for Christmas and that you receive all you want.

photos as promised

Photos rarely do a scene justice and these are no exception. I awoke this morning to a scene from Narnia! As you can see we have had a fair amount of snow and even more ice.

Bonny loves the snow and burrows her head into it, but she is less keen on the ice as she gets sore paws! At present we have ice like glass on our mooring path and so it feels like a risky adventure everytime we leave the boat. But isn't it beautiful?!

Winter Challenges and Opportunities

I can't believe it was only a few weeks ago I posted those benign autumn photos! It is suddenly winter here, as it is nationwide and everything has changed. The colours have been bleached out of the landscape and everything is beautifully monochrome - photos to follow.

It is the change in my day to day routine that really marks the change of season for me. At present the canal is frozen and no movement of the boat is possible. So instead of cruising up to the water point, sticking a hose in my water hole and then effortlessly reversing back (well, generally), I now have to barrow a couple of plastic containers across the lock either to our tap, or if it is frozen, all the way to the BW water point. Then back to the boat where, with the aid of a funnel, I carefully transfer every precious drop into my tank. If the freeze lasts for more than a week or so, this will be a daily chore and in the dark as well if it's a working day.

Then there is the business of keeping warm. At present I am using nearly 2 bags of coal a week and of course they need to be lugged down to the mooring as well as regular supplies of logs and kindling. I know some people cope with coal alone, but I find it difficult to keep the fire going all night without a log or two in there with the coal. If the fire goes out in the wee small hours, the tip of my nose usually informs me pretty quickly! Then I have to decide whether to get out of a warm bed to rebuild the fire or to leave it and risk frostbite when I get up in the morning! It has got down to -7 here at night so I have moved my bed through to the saloon, to be close to the stove.

I am still managing to get into work, although it is getting harder as our road doesn't ever get cleared or gritted. But if I don't make it in, I don't get paid and so I have to trek in somehow.

You would think it is a pretty miserable existence at present, but I do not find it so. For a start, I love the stunningly beautiful scenery, together with that special sort of silence we only get when there is thick lying snow. I also find that life focuses down to the basic essentials of survival and that relieves my mind of all the ordinary worries and anxieties that normally niggle at me. There is also a feeling of achievement in coping in the extreme weather, together with a real community feel among all the live aboard boaters! We smugly smile as we pass each other as if to say 'look at us, aren't we tough!'

I guess it is like every other part of life, it all depends on how you look at it. If I focus on my fears (like being snowed in at work - looking out of the window, very possible today) then life is hard and uncomfortable. But if I see it as an adventure and a way to get in touch with my natural, instinctive / animal self, then it is all good!

fradley pics

I thought I'd post a couple more pictures of our mooring in the autumn as it is so beautiful. I love this time of year. Yes, it can be damp, cold and muddy, but with all the hire boats gone and very few other boats moving, it feels like the canal is all ours.

It is also a treat to wander up to the junction of the two canals and pop into our local, which in my opinion is pretty much the perfect pub! This is where I will be having lunch with my whole family (almost) on my 50th birthday next month. They are visiting my mooring for the first time after a couple of nights in a cottage in the Dales, courtesy of my brother James - bless him! I'm so looking forward to the holiday cottage as I will be able to have my second bath this year!!

My friend Shirleyann sent me a whole set of new curtains and seat covers for the boat. She picked a perfect pattern and made them beautifully. Here is Bonny showing her approval of the seat covers!!


And lastly I thought you would like to see Bonny flirting with her boyfriend Bernie. He is very patient with her, but sometimes she is rather exhausting to be with, especially as he is ten years old and she isn't two yet!

rocking and rolling

I had an interesting day yesterday. On my way to work I had to drive through a bit of a puddle and on reaching the dreadfully busy A38 in rush hour, my engine started coughing like a 40 a day smoker. I knew it was going to cut out and so I tried to get off the dual carriageway. I just reached a short slip road and got round the corner when my car died half way over a canal bridge. there I was, in the rain, on a blind bend, that people coming off the A38 usually take at some speed. I left Bonny in the car and I stood in the rain directing cars around mine. The reactions were interesting. several drivers (all men) shook their fists or made other rude gestures as if I had chosen to stop there for fun! Others looked quite terrified as they swerved round me, including a coach driver. By then I was convinced it was only a matter of time before someone hit us and was fairly terrified. One man stopped to see if he could help, but with no tow rope between us, he gave up and left. after the longest 15 minutes of my life, 2 retired men in a 4 wheel drive stopped. They offered to tow me, showed me where my tow point was - no, I had no idea! I was so shaken that one of them drove my car for me and they towed me all the way to Barton Marina and wouldn't accept anything in return. I was so effusive in my thanks that I think I quite embarrassed them! So, thanks again to my Good Samaritans - you may well have saved my life, or at least my car!

During the day my car recovered from its asthma attack but the wind started to get up and by the time Bonny and I returned home, it was blowing a gale. All the boats on the mooring were rocking and rolling and the trees were bending right over. I spent some time anxiously watching the trees and wondering what would happen if one fell on my boat. However, probably due to the rocking sensation, coupled with my emotional exhaustion after the fright in the morning, I slept like a log. I woke to a world scrubbed clean and the sun creeping above the horizon. All the boats were still firmly tethered and upright and I celebrated seeing another dawn!

still happy

It's been a couple of weeks since I bought my fridge and I couldn't be happier with it. So happy that I even emailed Midland Chandlers to tell them how impressed I was with their product and service. Well, I think that if we are prepared to give feedback when we are unhappy with something, we should also let them know when we are particularly happy with their service.

My fridge is quite amazing in its power consumption - or lack of it. I go to work all day, leaving it on and when I come home it has only used .1 of a volt. It is averaging 2 amps per hour which is really, really good. It is so nice to be able to watch TV with a light on and the fridge working without fretting!

Bonny and I had a mini cruise down the Coventry Canal a couple of weeks ago. We found a wonderful mooring in Hopwas Woods. It looked like an ancient woodland with huge native species trees. When the army aren't using it for their war games, it is the most beautiful place to walk, especially in the autumn. There is also a lovely pub in the village called The Tame Otter. The food there is particularly good but they don't allow dogs in which I think is very short sighted considering it is on the canal and in prime walking territory.

My friend, Shirleyann Andrews has made me a complete set of new curtains for my boat, as well as matching seat covers - all for free! How generous is that? She and her husband are hoping to come for a cruise up the Ashby Canal next April and I'll be delighted to take them!

Happy Bunny

I couldn't cope with the old fridge any more so last Tuesday I went to Willington and bought a Shoreline 12 volt fridge. It is a thing of beauty and it even fitted in my car. I used my mooring money, saved for next year to buy it, but I am fortunate to have a generous family as they are going to pay for it as a combined 50th birthday and Christmas present. So, although I'll be sending them cards, I will say a slightly premature thank you to my step mother Eileen, my brothers James, Douglas and Peter and my sisters Romy and Penny. It is also lovely as I feel they are involved in the boat now in a way they haven't been previously. I could almost take it as a sign of approval although I know that most of them think I am as mad as a box of frogs for making the decisions I have!

I had to rest the fridge for 24 hours so I only got it wired in last night and then spent a sleepless night worrying about how much power it was taking. This morning I leapt out of bed to check my volt meter and thought the fridge must not be working as all night I had only dropped .1 of a volt! But my joy was unconfined when my fridge thermometer showed a healthy blue level and even the ice box was icy! I will be even happier if I get home from work today to find the same sort of power use as that will mean my power issues are finally resolved.

As if that wasn't enough, my friend Shirleyann had decided to make me some curtains for the boat to thank me for a visit. She sent me the porthole sets yesterday and they are lovely. I trusted her to choose the material and she couldn't have chosen better! What would we do without friends or family? The Bible got it right - they are more precious than gold or jewels!

Fradley in Autumn

I haven't posted any pictures for a while so I thought I'd show you what our home looks like in Autumn...

The above picture is of Fradley Nature Reserve. Bonny and I walk round this every day - either on our way to a bigger walk in the morning, or when we return from work.

Spiders are absolutely everywhere at present but at least they make a lovely home!

One of the many reasons I love living here is that there are so many fantastic walks on our doorstep. Once we leave the back of the nature reserve, these are the sorts of views that greet us, and because there is little livestock farming, there are few restrictions on where we can walk.

Here is an Autumn picture of our mooring taken from Hunts Lock. What a great place to live!!

half full or half empty?

Having got the borrowed 12v fridge on board the boat and thinking that this will be so much better, I have been disappointed. The thermostat doesn't work so I have to turn it off when I'm away from the boat for any length of time. Yesterday I forgot and was at work all day. I came back to find my batteries at 11.7v which isn't good at all! Fortunately, prior to this they had been really well charged and so they recovered as I ran the engine all evening. So, I could choose to feel really annoyed and frustrated that yet another fridge solution isn't working out, or feel grateful that the batteries coped with my oversight.

Then on Friday I was really looking forward to having a lazy day off as I haven't been able to veg for ages. A fellow boater mentioned he had bought a machine to test the input / output of his batteries and offered to bring it to test mine. When I opened the engine compartment I found my engine bilge full of water and antifreeze. A hose leading from the engine header tank to the skin tank had split and emptied my engine of coolant. I had to go to a chandlers to buy what I needed and then, with Chris the boater's help, I spent the rest of the day with my head in my engine compartment repairing the leak and then removing most of the water from under my engine. I ended my day off exhausted and filthy.

My choice was to feel really upset that I had no rest 0n my day off, I had incurred extra expense and had burnt my ear on the engine (not many people can boast of that!) Or I could be really grateful that Chris was there to help me and even more that I hadn't run the engine with no water in it! Normally I would have turned it on before I took Bonny for a walk and so would not have known the engine was overheating, but because Chris was going to test my batteries, I had delayed running the engine and also I opened up the engine compartment and so spotted the problem.

It's been really quiet week at work. In fact on Wednesday I took 40p and that was only because I bought a packet of crisps! I find it very boring sometimes and could choose to be miserable about that and look back to the times when my work was fulfilling and exciting and when I had status and it mattered whether I was there or not. Or I could be grateful to have a job that is easy and doesn't take much out of me; a job where I have time to pass the time of day with customers and boaters in lovely surroundings. Also a job where the owner leaves me to it and I have no one telling me what to do (or giving me any praise, criticism or feedback - very good for the continuing death of my ego).

I would like to say that in each of these situations I chose to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. I would like to say this, but it would be a lie! I find it very easy to feel sorry for myself or to lose my temper and swear at the offending fridge / engine / situation. But indulging in the negative emotions doesn't, in the long term, make me feel any better and can even make me resent the life I have chosen. But when I focus on the positive (and I find there always is some positive aspect to any situation), then I am more likely to appreciate the gifts in this new life and that makes me feel happy and grateful. I just wish I could remember this as I throw my toys out again (and again) rather than some time later!

power issues resolving

Isn't it so often the case that once you get an answer to a problem, it seems blindingly obvious?
I had been trying to work out why my batteries weren't behaving as expected, considering they were new this year. I had blamed it on my old 12v fridge, which certainly was dying. Then I blamed it on my new 240v fridge which has to run in conjunction with an inverter and it is true that this was taking too much power to sustain it long term. But it was only when I talked to a knowledgable fellow moorer at Fradley that the light dawned.

There is no book to tell you how long to run your engine for in order to fully charge the batteries because it depends on so many variables from the size of your alternator, to how much power you actually use. So I had listened to various people telling me how long they run their engines for and then did similar. But what I hadn't asked was how much power they use or what size their alternators were or even whether they were usually attached to shore power or not. Chris, the knowledgable moorer, was the first to suggest that I just wasn't running my engine for long enough. I had thought that when my volt meter hit 12.8 that meant the batteries were fully charged, but no! When I started running the engine for an extra hour a day I immediately spotted that the volt meter started ticking down much slower, in other words, it would stay on 12.8 for much longer once the engine was off. I can now watch the tv for a couple of hours and only lose .2 of a volt However, Chris also pointed out that a volt meter only told part of the story; I also need an amp meter, but that costs well over £100 and will have to wait. - but all this is very exciting for me, but probably dreadfully boring to read about!!

Of course I'm running without a fridge at present, but tomorrow I am hopefully swapping my 240v fridge for an older 12v one. If this works out well, then my family have generously agreed to club together and buy me a new 12v fridge as a combined 50th birthday and Christmas present.

Meanwhile, for those who are not into the technical details of my life, last week I returned to the wigwams of Wolferow to meet up with some friends for a couple of days of meditation, discussion and whisky round the bonfire. I brought an extract of a poem to share with them which reflects where I feel I am spiritually at present, so I thought I'd reproduce it here. It is an extract from a poem by Walt Whitman called 'Song of the Open Road':

'Afoot and lighthearted, I take to the open road.

Healthy, free, the world before me,

the long brown path before me,

leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good fortune,

I myself am good fortune.

Henceforth I whimper no more,

postpone no more, need nothing.

Strong and content I travel the open road...

From this hour, Freedom!

From this hour I ordain myself

loos'd of limits and imaginary lines.

Going where I list; my own master

total and absolute.

Listening to others and considering well what they say.

Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating,

gently but with undeniable will.

Divesting myself of all the holds that hold me.

I inhale great draughts of space;

The east and the west are mine,

the north and the south are mine...

All seems beautiful to me.'

power issues continued...

Just to prove that living on a boat isn't all peaceful cruising through idylic landscapes, my boat has decided to take me onto the next level of testing and learning.

I have already mentioned that I am finding it difficult to keep my batteries in a healthy state now I'm off shore (mains) power. Well, I had blamed it on my dying 12 volt fridge. It took me a couple of months of nursing the fridge before I could afford to replace it, but only with a 240v one. That means (for the uninitiated) that I have to use another machine (an inverter) to change the 12volt power coming out of my batteries to 240volt that the fridge (and TV) works on. This machine also takes power to work.

Once I got my shiny new fridge and settled down to watch TV in the evening, I quickly discovered that power flowed alarmingly out of my batteries and within a couple of hours they were down below 50% charge - which is not good for them. Within a week, I found myself sitting in the dark - worried about even putting a light on - and crying with frustration and anxiety.

My real lesson through this though was not about managing power, but managing priorities. I could choose to have the fridge on (at least some of the time) or the TV but not both and neither for any length of time. You would think the choice was easy, but it wasn't. On the evening when the power consumption was really bad and I sat in the dark, I realised how much I use my TV to stave off any feelings of loneliness. During the day I never notice the fact that I am alone, but at night, especially as the evenings are getting darker and on this day, the rain was coming down, I suddenly felt very isolated and alone. I also felt quite scared - not of the Bogie Man, but of my vast ignorance when it comes to the inner workings of my boat and the feeling that it's all down to me.

In the morning, as is usually the case, nothing looked quite as bad. I also was reminded that I'm not alone as one boater lent me a cooler box to use and offered to swap my 240v fridge for his older but servicable 12v one when he returns from being away. Another helped me wire the cooler box in and a third couple from my mooring - who have become good friends, lent me their sympathetic shoulders to cry on!

I think the biggest lesson to take from all this is that I need to face my fears and issues rather than distracting myself from them by using TV or hobbies or alcohol. None of these things are bad in themselves and I'm quite happy to indulge in them all some of the time, but I've got to learn not to rely on them to hide from the more difficult parts of life.

It seems to me that this living on a boat lark is all about letting things go and travelling light. I've already let go of things like the security of having a house and the support of being part of society (mains power, water etc provided for me). I have given up lots of possessions because firstly of the downsizing from house to boat and then because of financial circumstances. This is just another giving up and although all these letting go's have been painful or difficult, I believe they have all been good for my soul and that's the important thing!

last photos

Sorry about the delay in posting the last photos of the cruise - the reason was power issues, but more of that later. Here are pictures relating to my last post...

This is the Gatehouse to Shugborough Hall and a lovely view to wake up to when moored at Tixall Wide on the Staffs and Worcester.

I couldn't resist just one more picture of Tixall Wide - one of my top three mooring sites so far!

As we left Great Haywood and cruised the last leg of our journey, we pass very close to Cannock Chase. You can just see the woods and hills of the chase rising in the distance.

Home at last. This was the lovely sunset that greeted us when we returned home. The view is one I wake up to every morning and is seen through my bedroom porthole!

I mentioned power issues. I have had to learn a lot about battery management since living here at Fradley and being off shore power. I got myself a meter that tells me exactly what is happening with my batteries 24 hours a day. Thanks to that, I discovered that my 12 volt fridge was dying and taking lots more power than it should do, whilst not keeping my food very cold. Buying another 12 volt fridge was way too expensive for me (around £500 as compared with £120 for a comparable 240 volt fridge.) So with help from a generous friend, I bought a 240 volt fridge which is A rated for energy efficiency. I was very excited as I expected not to have to run my engine nearly as much as I would be using less power. Well, much to my disappointment that has not proved to be the case. In fact the new fridge is taking more power than the old one, although the insulation is better and it actually works which is an improvement on the last one. But I'm having to run my engine just as much and having to keep my inverter on 24/7. Oh well, at least I won't die from food poisoning!!

slower and slower

We left Norbury Junction the next morning and wended our way back to the splendid mooring between bridges 7 and 8 on the Shroppie. We arrived just after lunch and were fortunate to find a space on the mooring rings. Having moved at an increasingly snail like pace, we ground to a halt entirely here and stayed for 2 days. I walked, sunbathed (no clouds in the sky for both days) and chatted to the other boaters. One couple in particular were very friendly and had a great Staffie dog called Wallace, whom Bonny fell totally in love with. They played together for hours.

I was wholly into holiday mode by now and had no problem vegging out for 2 days. It also helped to rest my muscles before facing the run up the Staffs and Worcester to Penkridge with all those locks. We left the Shroppie with some regret - I will definitely return and highly recommend it as a cruising destination.

We cruised for about 6 hours and stopped at Gailey Wharf for the night. This is situated at the top of the lock flight running into Penkridge and is a lovely mooring; lots of rings and a good little shop, as well as water and rubbish disposal. However it is close to the motorway (M6) which chased us from here, all the way past Penkridge, roaring and snarling as if threatened in some way by this alternative and so much more civilised water road.

I think the locks had shrunk since we last passed through as they didn't seem half as scary on our return descent. It was harder work though as I didn't meet another boat for the first 4 which meant setting the locks myself and closing all the gates after me. This means balancing 'Don't Panic' in the tail of the lock, climbing back up to close both gates and then slipping my way back down to the boat, hoping she hadn't taken off up the canal without me!

The weather on the Staffs and Worcester took a turn for the worse and it was a very soggy dog and crew that tied up after a long day, past Penkridge. I was going to stop in the town but then remembered that England were playing in the World Cup that night and so thought discretion was probably the better part of valour and instead tied up uncomfortably close to the M6. I didn't mind though because I knew the next day I would be back at Tixall Wide and this time we were stopping for 2 days!

The mooring angel was with us again as I found a prime mooring site waiting for us at Tixall Wide, overlooking the gatehouse and a family of herons. (Pictures to follow) We had some lovely neighbours of both the human and canine variety. Bonny also learnt to swim as the Trent River flows alongside the canal here and as the hot sun had returned, we both took a dip and I held her as she experienced being out of her depth for the first time. She swam well but doesn't really enjoy it. She loves the water but likes to feel the land beneath her feet.

We moved the next day just round the corner onto the Trent and Mersey as there was much needed shade overlooking Shugborough Hall. We were joined there by Graham and Jan and their boat Huff n Puff, as well as Bonny's boyfriend, Bernie the Westie. They live on our mooring at Fradley and it was lovely to see them.

As we moved off towards Rugeley, I was a little sad to know this was the last leg of our voyage. I had been worried that I would so love cruising that it would make me dissatisfied with our home at Fradley, but actually although it had been great being out and about, I was also looking forward to being back at a mooring that was mine and was there waiting for me.

We spent our last night at Kings Bromley, before pumping out, filling with water and diesal at the marina, and then skipping down the Fradley lock flight - so easy after some of the big locks we had encountered. Bonny was getting very excited and looked rather concerned as we cruised straight past our mooring. But in order to be facing the right way for our next pump out / diesal, we needed to travel to Alrewas in order to turn round and finally after 18 blissful days, tie up at our home mooring. Bonny celebrated by running the entire length of the mooring barking hysterically, just to let everybody know she was home!

Since returning, I have been planning our next cruise, but I am in the happy situation that I love being out cruising but I also love our mooring and so, as they say, it's all good!

Thank you for showing such an interest in our travels - I shall be posting the last lot of photos from our cruise soon.

a few more pics

This is my mobile veggie patch! I have been growing lettuces, carrots, spring onions, tomatoes, radishes and herbs on my mooring. They wouldn't survive 18 days without water so I took them with me on my roof. The only problem was that the higher the tomato plants grew, the harder it was to see over the top of them! This is our mooring in the middle of nowhere as mentioned in the last entry. Bonny is a mere dot on the tow path!

We saw these strange beasts near Norbury Junction. They look like a cross between ducks and geese and are the colour of turkeys!! If anyone can identify them, please let me know! Here we are at Norbury Junction. Hopefully my next entry will cover the remainder of the cruise, before I forget it!

part 3 - The Return - in stages

I felt much more relaxed on leaving Market Drayton, as at least I knew what was in front of me as I retraced my wake. The weather, which at the beginning of my journey would have suited Noah and his ark, had steadily improved and as I left Market Drayton, the sky was blue, the temperature was climbing and all was right with the world.

We skipped up the Tyrley lock flight, without unfortunately pausing to take a photo . The only challenge at these locks was presented by water gushing out at great speed from about 3 feet up the cliff wall as we approached the bottom lock. This had the effect of pushing the boat to the left, spoiling my line to enter the lock. The only way to negotiate the lock entrance was barreling through at speed and hoping I had judged it correctly. Fortunately I managed it with my paintwork intact.

Next we faced the infamous Woodseaves cutting for a second time. I felt more anxious on this return trip as I knew exactly what was coming! This time the fates were not so kind as I met 3 different boats coming towards me, two of whom decided that I would be much better at reversing than they would! On the first occasion I managed to back into what was laughingly called a passing place, which I would describe as a mere niche in the cliff. The second time the boat approached was on a bend and my reversing skills were tested beyond their limit. I had to grab my rope, jump over 5 foot high nettles onto the tow path and stern haul her to the gap. I was unbelievably grateful to the final boat when its skipper waved me forward as he neatly slipped his boat into the undergrowth which concealed a passing place. As the light returned and the canal widened, it felt a bit like escaping from the River Styx!

I moored about a mile on, near absolutely nowhere, for a late lunch. After giving Bonny a well deserved run, my appetite for moving on waned and since we were no longer on a timetable I decided to stay for the rest of the day and explore the countryside. It was a lovely feeling not being under any time pressure. The rest of the day was spent mooching about and sunbathing whilst sipping a cold glass of wine - perfection!

One of my more inspired ideas came in handy the next morning. It had got really hot and Bonny was finding it difficult on the roof, but really didn't want to go below. Before I left I had thought about this and had brought the weighted bottom of my parasol, together with a large golf umbrella - a gift from my golfing brother. I popped the brolly into the parasol base and Bonny had a shady area to lie in. The only downside was that the brolly was just a bit too tall for some of the Lilliputian bridges which meant I needed to remember to whip it out of the base before we reached each bridge. I only forgot once, but that was enough to almost dislodge both the base and Bonny from the roof - my brolly hasn't been the same since.

By this time, we had slowed to an absolute crawl and after only 3 hours cruising I tied up for the day back at Norton Junction to enjoy doing absolutely nothing, bar watching the water world go by!

pictures for part 2 of the cruise

I know it is a little odd posting pictures seperately from the narrative, but I am tending to write when I have nothing to do at work and then wait till I'm home before posting the pics. Anyway, here are a few more...

This is the old wharf of the Cadbury's factory when all the sugar used to be brought in by boat.

This is Mary looking down the Mighty Shelmore Embankment near Norbury Junction. It may not look very mighty, but the next picture shows the view from one side of it...

This is an extraordinary bridge at the entrance to the Grubb Street Cutting. As you can see, it has an old telegraph pole built in under the top span. The bridges on this part of the Shroppie were very impressive - tall and old!

Here is an even taller bridge - so tall that you may not be able to spot it!

I will be writing about my solo return trip soon!

Part 2 of the cruise

We reluctantly left the beautiful mooring by bridge 7 and travelled on through the increasingly remote and beautiful countryside of Staffordshire and Shropshire. A brief stop for water at Wheaton Aston gave Mary her first testing moment as she momentarily lost control of her steering and only missed a moored boat by a cigarette paper (as we used to say in a more free speaking era).

Bonny had by this time well and truly found her sea legs, so to speak. She took her position on the roof right at the bow, rather like a hood ornament. She hardly slept during the day - there were just too many intriguing smells wafting past and occasionally the maddeningly exciting sight of a squirrel leaping from tree to tree, just out of reach, above her head.

So we drifted on at 3 mph, lockless now, at until mid afternoon when we reached Norton Junction, via the Shelmore Embankment. In the Nicholson Guide this is described as 'The Mighty Shelmore Embankment'. Mary and I were just a little cynical about how mighty an embankment can be, imagining some sort of largish ditch by the side of the canal. However we were put in our place as the land fell away on one side and then the other, revealing views reaching to The Wrekin (a large hill near the Welsh Border) on one side and woods on the other that seemed to sink into the ground so that we were level with the treetops. Mighty indeed! Norton Junction proved to be an ideal mooring spot as it was not only very attractive but had a shop, tea room and pub! So tea and ice creams followed by a pub supper was the order for the rest of the day.

The last day of Mary's cruise came all too soon as we left Norton Junction (I had already decided to stop here again on my return journey) for Market Drayton where she had left her car. This leg of the journey really raised our pulses as we entered the innocuous sounding 'Woodseaves Cutting'. This was an amazing engineering feat in the 18th century, where 'navvies' (navigators) cut straight through the middle of a hill for a mile and a half using only hand tools and animals. Obviously they didn't want to do any more than absolutely necessary, so they only cut enough room for one narrowboat - just! The cliff sides of the cutting towered above our heads and we brushed vegetation on both sides of the boat. As we penetrated further the trees met above us and so it felt like navigating a giant green tunnel. We rather expected to see Amazonian creatures swimming below and perhaps Tarzan swinging above! What really brought the sweat to the brow was the possibility of meeting another boat, as there were only occasional passing places dug out of the cliff. However the flow of the universe was merciful on this occasion and we passed unimpeded, both of us as high as kites when we reached the end of the cutting unscathed.

From there it was a straight forward run into Market Drayton via the impossibly picturesque Tyrley flight of locks. Finding a mooring in town was remarkable easy but it was a little harder to say goodbye to my sturdy crew as I walked with Mary through town to her car. It is amazing how fast everybody seems to travel when not on the cut. Even the pedestrians seemed to be moving at top speed and as for the cars, well, I was very pleased to retreat back to paradise after a pit stop at Netto's for essential supplies.

I then had a decision to make. So far the journey had felt like quite hard work as we were working to Mary's timetable and so had to reach first Penkridge and then Market Drayton by certain times. I had passed several places that I would have liked to stop and explore had we had the time. I also found cruising with no locks actually more tiring as I found standing in one place, hanging onto the tiller for hours on end quite a strain. Whereas if there are regular locks, one has a chance to stretch one's legs and use different muscles. So I decided that, rather than continuing on and struggling down the Adderley and Audlem flight of locks - 20 locks in all - only then to turn round and climb them again, I would instead turn at Market Drayton and amble back.

Pictures and Part 3 to follow...

pics of cruise story so far

This is our first mooring near Kings Bromley marina. very isolated with lots of Rhodedendrons.Second pic of King's Bromley mooring - I love being the only boat in sight when I moor, but this was the only time it happened on the whole trip.

This is Tixall wide looking towards the Gatehouse of Shugborough Hall.

This is my first mate with my best mate! You can work out which is which. I think Mary is looking very relaxed considering she hasn't that much experience at steering a narrowboat.

This the point we turned off the Staffs and Worcester and entered the Shropshire Union - very exciting!

More pics after part two! By the way, if you click on the pics they get bigger!

The Great Cruise Part 1

Sorry for the long pause between posts. We have been off on our cruise up the Shropshire Union Canal and then when we reurned, Bonny finally got spayed and is now recovering.

I will be posting photos of our cruise but they will have to wait as I am not on my own computer at present.

We left in the rain on Monday 7th June from our home mooring at Fradley. The first day was only as far as King's Bromley, where we moored among the Rhodedendrons overnight before going into the marina to pump out, diesal and water. There is something immensely satisfying about taking on the liquid you need and getting rid of that which you don't! Tuesday was the only day when it rained without ceasing. So I dripped my way from Kings Bromley to Great Haywood where we moored at Tixall Wide on the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal. This is a beautiful spot where the canal widens into a lake - made in the distant past by the occupants of Shugborough Hall in order to improve their view!

The next day we faced our first challenge - deep locks. The first one was 10'2" and as we approached from the bottom, the gates looked like the very entrance to hell! It's funny how quickly we adjust to things though as, on our return leg, having done many of these locks, I looked at this one and wondered what all the fuss was about - it wasn't that big! It was a hard cruising day this day as I needed to reach Penkridge in order to pick up my friend Mary that evening and there were a fair few locks and miles between Tixall and Penkridge.

By the way, I have learnt a really helpful way of knowing how long a stretch of canal should take to cruise single handed. I count the number of miles and add that to the number of locks and then divide by three and that gives me the number of hours it should take. So, for example, if there are five locks and ten miles between two points, then 5 + 10 = 15 / 3 = 5 hours. It turned out to be remarkably accurate.

Mary had her own journey to make to reach the boat which included dropping her car in Market Drayton and then being on a bus that broke down, followed by another bus that got caught in a mega traffic jam, so she was relieved to finally reach Penkridge and join me in the pub for a late supper!

The next day I set off with human crew! Just as well, as I wanted to get all the way through to Wolverhampton and turn onto the Shropshire Union Canal before stopping for the day, as I much prefer to moor in the countryside than in town. Mary and Bonny did really well as we cruised non stop for six and a half hours, finally stopping between bridges 7 and 8 on the Shroppie. This is a wonderful mooring. A voluntary group - The Shropshire Union Canal Society - go around installing mooring rings in lovely rural locations on this canal, unheard of on our stretch of the Trent and Mersey. So we had a secure mooring in lovely countryside, with fantastic walks for Bonny through ancient woodland and farmland.

To be continued...

simple life and smiling

I watched the second episode of the programme I was talking about in my last post. Two things from it: The vicar took to the road with no money and begged outside shops for food and knocked on people's door for a bed for the night. I felt hugely uncomfortable watching this and realised that I have too much pride to beg and that my ego is still in control of most of my responses.
The second gem was that he had noticed that most people seemed to be afraid of being approached by a stranger; in fact fear and suspicion seems to be society's default position. Peter said "In a world of frightened people, always be the first to smile". I am aware that I generally wait for people to smile at me first before I make contact with them. If I do smile first and they don't respond, then I feel really irritated. On reflection I realise that a fear of rejection is at the base of this, driven by my ego. So, for the last few days I have been grinning like a maniac at everyone I pass. Most people have responded, if a little nervously. I have also noticed that, when they blank me, I am no longer irritated. I think it is because I have decided to do this and having done what I set out to do, I am satisfied and so their response is less important. I wonder if more people smiled or greeted each other, would we become less afraid of strangers?

On another subject entirely, I took Bonny to be spayed on Monday morning. I had spent a sleepless night worrying about it, had starved her for the operation and had got up very early on my day off to get to the vet on time. I bade her a fond goodbye and left her there, only to have the vet phone within 10 minutes telling me to return. It transpired that Bonny was in the midst of a phantom pregnancy and so couldn't be spayed! She is producing milk and everything. I knew my dog was clever, but I didn't realise that she would find a way to wriggle out of her operation! So, anybody want to buy a phantom Cairn pup? They don't take up any room and eat very little!
I have to take Bonny back on Friday for a check up and then, if she is over it, she will be spayed next week. If not, then I will have to wait till after our cruise and possibly until after her next season. Oh the joys of dog owning!

The simple life

Thank you to all of you who have been getting in touch. I didn't realise how many invisible 'followers' of this blog existed and I feel very affirmed!

I watched the first episode of a new series on BBC2 last week called 'How to live a simple life', presented by a lovely, though barking mad vicar called Peter Owen Jones. If you didn't see it, I would recommend a look. The first episode explored our dependence on 'things' and money to give us status, self esteem etc. He had a go at living with no money at all. Next week he's taking to the road a la St Francis of Assisi and I assume will be begging.

The reason I mention it is that it rang bells for me as it touches on this new life I am creating. I too was fairly dependant on 'things' and money. My things mostly had to go when I downsized from a 3 bed house to a 50 foot narrowboat and sorting out what had to go was a painful but cathartic experience. In fact, I described it to people as similar to the feeling you get, having been constipated for a while, having your first really good dump!!

However my ego only really got involved when I started running out of money. Friends and relatives generously gave me gifts of money and I felt, although very grateful, also like a charity case or beggar. I hated receiving - I much prefer to be the one giving. That sounds very virtuous (better to give than to receive) but virtue had little to do with it. It was more about pride and control. If I am the giver then I have the control - I choose what to give and who to and I can feel superior over the poor person / cause I am giving to. That makes me then feel proud of myself. But here I was, feeling like the underdog and I really struggled. It made me recognise that having money meant much more to me than merely keeping the wolf from the door. It meant I was in control of my life. It meant I was worth something and it meant I was secure.

Coming out of the other end of that experience, I realise that I had swallowed the lies peddled to us by the 'consumer society' ('because you are worth it!') I am not what I buy. Security is a myth - money won't stop me getting sick, dying of a stress related illness or getting run over by a bus. It won't buy me status or self esteem because the genius of this retail world is that it keeps us dissatisfied - as soon as we buy what we really thought we needed, something else is then held up as the goal. The real goal, I believe, is to keep us working longer and harder than ever (good for the economy - as if the economy is more importan than the quality of people's lives), then they encourage us to spend all our hard earned money on stuff we don't need and that won't bring lasting happiness and if we can't afford the latest thing, then we are encouraged to go into debt, which will then drive us to work even harder and longer in order to keep ahead in the financial race. The mythical reward held out for all this effort is a prosperous retirement - a sort of secular Heaven. But this is also a perversion of the truth - more and more people aren't reaching retirement in any sort of health to enjoy it because of the stress filled, work obsessed lives they live. If we do manage to reaching the finish line in one piece we find a) they have moved the line (I now won't get my state pension until I am 67 - 7 years later than I was originally promised) or b) our pension fund has shrunk through no fault of our own and an old age of poverty beckons.

So I am trying to reject all those glittering promises and not so subtle threats and instead to live a life free of slavery. Yes, I am working, but I am only working enough in order to live simply. Of course, if you love your work; if your heart leaps with excitement at the prospect of Monday morning; if work fulfils you, then there is no need to slow down - but most of us are not in that happy place. When working I try to consciously look for what is good and joyful in it - sometimes just a smile from a customer or seeing the sun shine through the willow tree will do it. Then, when I receive my pay, I live to a budget. It sounds boring, but I find it helps me resist the blandishments of the advertising industry - if it's not budgeted for, then I can't buy it. Of course my budget includes the important things like having a drink with mates or having enough diesal to go for a cruise etc. I don't listen to or watch adverts and I only go to the shops if I have a list - it stops impulse buying. It all sounds a bit dull, but it's not. Instead of relying on shopping / money to make me happy, I have freed up lots of time by only working 4 days a week for things that really bring me joy - walking with Bonny, meeting strangers and having time for a chat, sitting and watching the birds and the bees.

I could go on, but I've already gone on so much that those who encouraged me to continue with this blog might now be regretting it! I guess what I am saying is that I have discovered rather late in life that it doesn't cost much to live a content, peaceful and joyful life - but it takes a lot of self discipline, ego killing and truth seeking to find that life!

OK

Thanks to some lovely feedback both on this comments page and via email, I have decided to continue to write this blog. I do enjoy posting photos and perhaps if I widen my writing subjects a bit, I will recapture the buzz of writing it! Also I look forward to writing about my cruise in June when I will be exploring the Shropshire Union Canal by way of the Trent and Mersey and the Staffordshire and Worcester canals.

Meanwhile I saw my first ducklings and first bluebells of the season today - late due to the dreadful winter. here they are:

I am looking forward to May 6th - no, not because of the election - liars all - but because it is Bonny's first birthday. I can't believe she has grown up - it seems only weeks ago that I was posting my first photos of this little scrap of a pup! I am not looking forward to 17th May as, reluctantly, I will be taking her to the vet to be spayed. I agonised over the decision, but it is the only sensible course of action. I shall worry until I have her home safely again!

to continue or not?

Bonny and I went out for a 4 day cruise last week and tied up on the first day between Fradley and Kings Bromley. This is the mooring and as you can see, spring has finally sprung! When we returned the field to the right of our mooring had changed colours from a rather dull brown to this rape seed glory!The title of this entry relates to whether I should continue to write this blog. I haven't written for a while because I have been too busy living to remember it! I also find I bore myself a little bit with it sometimes. I also don't know whether it is worth it to anybody else as I receive very little feedback (except from Lynda and my unknown Chinese friend!) I suppose I have lost sight of the reason for doing it. To begin with I started writing a blog to advertise my new 'Narrow Way' venture, but that went the way of all flesh. Then I was writing it as a sort of diary as I struggled through the mooring saga. It also helped me feel less alone whilst I was homeless! Additionally I found it an easier way of updating people who were interested, rather than writing to all individually (the lazy way of keeping in touch!).
But now I am settled at my lovely mooring. I am working for 4 days a week which means I am finally solvent financially and I suspect life is going to be quite calm for a while. (I know - how's that for tempting fate!?) I'm not sure I'll have much to write about. Although in June Bonny and I are going on our first proper cruise up the Shropshire Union canal and possibly completing the 'Four Counties Ring', so it would be good to write about our experiences - possibly.
Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts about whether I should continue to write or not, please let me know!

settling in to our new mooring

I haven't written recently as I have been busy settling into the new mooring and generally enjoying myself! However, my conscience got the better of me so I thought I'd share a few pics of the mooring...
This one is looking towards Hunts Lock, the bottom lock of the Fradley Flight.

The next is the view across the canal - there are fields both sides of my boat.

This is the only access to the mooring. As you can see it's a pretty narrow path which leads to the lock which I then need to cross before reaching the towpath. Therefore the most important piece of equipment here is a wheelbarrow!

The last picture shows how well Bonny is settling in here. She loves being able to mooch about on the grass and now knows where she is allowed to go, so a lot of the time she is off the lead which is lovely for her.

There is a risk of me becoming just a little suburban as so far I have bought a container that doubles as a bench, a fat ball holder for the many birds here and a couple of pots to grow veggies! However, I still love going out on the boat so I think I will retain the gypsy spirit - at least I hope I do! But it makes such a huge difference to know I am returning to a space that is 'mine'.


My challenge now is to learn to live with contentment. All my life it seems I have always been striving for something - looking for that which would make me happy and then, having found it, becoming discontented and looking for something else. In some ways I have thrived on overcoming difficulties and battling to make my own way in the world, but now, it seems to me, it is time to practice being content with the life I have chosen. And this new phase in my life really was chosen by me without outside influence. Every other major decision I have made about the direction of my life were influenced by my need to please others or my need to escape an intolerable situation. My decisions, it seems to me, were driven by the unhealthy part of myself whereas this one seems to come from a good and whole place. Still, I have been so used to looking to the next problem or next opportunity, that it will take some practice to relax and fully be here.
But it's a lovely challenge to have in a place that feels pretty much like paradise!

mooring - a post script

Sandie the mooring officer came to see me today. The very good news is that BW is refunding my mooring fees between 8th December and 1st March. Not only that but they have reduced my mooring fees for the next three years as they judge this mooring to be worth less than than the amount I was paying for the auctioned mooring. The difference is just over £300 a year!!!

The not such good news is that the owner of one of the boats I moved has made a complaint. Apparantly he is complaining about having to move at all, rather than the fact that I moved his boat rather than BW. He apparantly has visited his boat and hasn't touched the way I tied it up, so he obviously hasn't got a problem with that. He just thinks that someone else should have moved rather than him! Sandie said I shouldn't worry about it. It is clear in the mooring agreement that BW can request boats be moved at any time. She also said she would back my actions as I had waited a reasonable amount of time before taking action.

I'm really glad I did take action as it seems that neither of the boat owners were planning to move their boats any time soon and I could have been sitting on visitors moorings for months more!! It's just a shame that I seem to have a stroppy neighbour - I hope when I meet him, I can build bridges, so that we can get on.

But the best thing is that both Bonny and I absolutely love our new mooring!
Lastly a message to the nice person leaving comments about my blog. I love to hear from you, but unfortunately I can't read Chinese - if that indeed is the language you are writing in!

The First Day of Spring

It is the first day of spring, the sun is shining and I am finally on my new mooring!!! See picture...
I had left Fradley with BW promising that when I returned the mooring would be available. So I went off to Burton to get my boat's bottom blacked and engine serviced. While she was in dry dock, Bonny and I spoiled ourselves by going to a dog friendly guest house in the Dales (Bentley Brook Guest House - I highly recommend it!) I had my first bath in over a year - bliss! Bonny and I walked until we were on our knees and loved it! It was still snowy, but that didn't stop us. Here are some snaps...

One is Carsington water - looking like a scene from the arctic! Then there is Thorpe Cloud and the third is Bonny in her element!

We returned to Burton last Thursday to find the boat all done, so we moved her back to Fradley on Friday. It was a wet and windy day which made for some pretty hard cruising. I had a friend who helped but it was still really tiring and stressful - especially since I didn't want to bash my new blacking. By the time I arrived in Fradley I couldn't wait to tie up at our new mooring, but when I got there, the two boats still hadn't been moved along to make space for me. I was absolutely gutted. I felt what little patience I had left suddenly snap and so I left 'Don't Panic' on the lock bollards and dragged Charlie (my helpful friend) over to the mooring. We then moved both boats ourselves. They only needed to shift backwards about 10 feet and I made sure I tied them up securely - even using one of my own mooring chains on one of the boats as it had to move away from a mooring ring. I then emailed BW to tell them what I had done and asking them to contact the owners and tell them. I really hope I don't get any grief from them, but I just couldn't face waiting any longer.

So here I am on my new mooring. It is lovely - looking over fields in both directions. There are some lovely people here and I even have excellent reception for my phone and dongle. Bonny is fairly exhausted after such an exciting week but I know she is going to love her new home.

So this lengthy saga appears finally to have come to an end. It's been an enlightening time and I feel I have learned a lot through the experience, but I'm very glad it's over!

And now Spring is coming...

more patience required

I may have been a little optimistic in my last post. I really thought I was on the verge of moving to my new mooring, but now another week has passed and I am still moorless! (I don't think that is a word, but it's the closest to homeless that I could get!) I am trying to convince myself that the reason is that I still have lessons to learn from this experience, but my patience has run out like sand from an hour glass. Not that my running out of patience will affect anything one way or another, only my reactions to events.
I am sending weekly emails to British Waterways and Sandie, the moorings officer is sending lovely sympathetic emails back, but still no mooring. Still, when I pointed out I had paid a full 2 months now for a non existent mooring and would expect BW to either refund that money or add the time to my mooring permit, she did not argue, so I guess I should be grateful that I have been able to moor for 2 months for free. Well, I'll be grateful when I actually receive a refund!

Next week I'm off to get my bottom blacked at Shobnall (Burton on Trent). In case you think I have an extreme medical condition or possibly am doing a reverse Michael Jackson, I hasten to add that it is a protective coat of tar based paint applied to the bottom of my boat! With an engine service as well, it will cost me £500 or so. However it is so worth it, as, if you don't look after your bottom, disaster will surely follow!

I've just paused from writing as I have received a visit from a kind boater. He had heard I was looking to buy a wooden pallet to keep my coal off the roof of the boat (not good to have it lying directly on the steel as it can cause rust). He has found one exactly the right size, brought it up for me and won't take a penny for it. Isn't that kind? He is my second angel of the week, as Jan - she of the Hunt's Lock mooring - has also visited to tell me where I can buy a replacement toilet (don't ask) much cheaper than any shop. This is one of the best things about boating - there is still a real sense of community - particularly among the live aboards - and people, even strangers, help each other. It is a timely reminder for me that my blessings in this new life far outweigh the curses!

progress at last

The mooring epic, as it now is, might just be coming to an end. As last reported, there were two sites identified for me to make my new mooring. One was just below Shadehouse Lock in the woods and I loved the look of it, but it needed dredging. The other was below Hunts Lock (both at Fradley Junction) in a line of boats, only accessible by crossing the lock and going down a very thin path. I had set my heart on the first option and Sandie Dunstan, the mooring officer, said that it should be possible to dredge it, but it might not happen for a few weeks. So I have been mooching about on the visitors moorings on the Trent and Mersey and Coventry canals waiting for a dredger.

Then, earlier this week, I was informed by BW that the mooring would not be dredged because of a backlog of 'important' work. I was fairly gutted, especially since to access the Hunt's Lock mooring would mean several boats having to move up to create a space for me. I really didn't want to go somewhere where I had managed to upset the neighbours before even arriving!

So I moored up on the visitors moorings at Shadehouse to enjoy it while I could, whilst waiting for Sandie to contact the boaters and get them to move to make space for me. I was not a happy bunny. Then, yesterday, as I was pottering about in unaccustomed sunshine, a lady came past and stopped to chat. She was a lovely person called Jan and she and her husband have been moored at Hunts Lock for the last 6 years and love it. She made me feel really welcome and said the other boaters shouldn't mind moving up to make space for me as they only spread out after another boat left. She said people are friendly and helpful to one another whilst still giving each other space. She also has a little Westie dog and no one has a problem with it. Jan chatted to me over a cup of tea on my boat for most of the afternoon and when she left, I felt so much better about mooring there, I was very grateful.

Hopefully I will be able to move there soon as, come Monday, I will have been paying for a mooring I haven't got for a full 2 months. I have pointed this out to BW and have asked for a refund or an extension to my mooring permit. I guess how long it takes rather depends on where the boaters who will have to move their boats live and when they can come down to move them. I am so glad all this has happened in the winter, because had this been happening during the height of the season, I would have really struggled to find visitors moorings to stay on for this amount of time.

I am also grateful for the lessons I am learning through this - lessons of patience, and trust that it will all work out as it should. I am also getting better at understanding that my home is my boat and not the piece of land I happened to be moored to. This takes quite a mind shift as most of us are so used to our homes being a static point; a piece of land; a particular place. But as I grow into the idea that my boat is home, it gives me an increased sense of freedom. I can moor anywhere and still be home. I can hold lightly to the need to have a place that is mine and instead I can regard the whole canal and river network as being, in some sense, home. It also means letting go of another security; another thing that I thought I needed to keep safe and secure.
It's scary but liberating!

episode 10000 of mooring saga!

I haven't posted a pic of Bonny for a while so here she is just before we left Barton Marina. She is 8 months old now and is testing her limits in every way. If I say come, she goes, say no and she does it, etc. But she is a wonderful boat dog; totally fearless and loves nothing more than chasing squirrels on the tow path.

The nice lady from BW came to visit this week. We looked at two possible alternative mooring sites for me at Fradley. The one I would be happy with is silted up and needs dredging. BW's attitude seems to have softened as Sandie was very apologetic about all they had put me through and said that she would do her best to make the mooring habitable. She said she would see if they could, not only dredge it, but cut back the rampant vegetation and put a couple of mooring pins in. Meanwhile she has said I can stay on the visitors mooring for as long as necessary. Of course 'seeing if they can do it' is a long way from actually making it happen, so more waiting...

Meanwhile yesterday, after 23 days, I finally managed to move my boat in order to pump out my toilet tank (Oh blessed relief) and fill up with diesel and water. It took a 5 hour round trip and so I need to factor that into my life. I was a little anxious coming back as, with boats moving again, there was no guarantee that there would still be a space on the visitors moorings at Fradley. There was on this occasion, but the sooner I have a permanent mooring again, the better.

Fradley pics

I've been using lots of words recently, but not so many pictures, so here are a few of Fradley in the snow. The first shows a little of how thick the ice is on the canal at present. The lumps lying on top are around 4" thick.

The second is the beautiful sunrise that Bonny and I see most mornings on our walk before work.

The last is the view out of my window at present!

Oh, and good news - thanks to boaters working together yesterday, we managed to join 4 hoses together, stretch it across the frozen canal and water all the boats in this pound. What a relief! I had my first shower on my boat this year to celebrate! (Note, I have showered this year - just not on my boat!)

arctic life and message to the snoop...

Well, I'm still alive! As anyone who lives in Britain will know, it has been snowy and freezing since before the New Year. In fact I last managed to fill up with water on 30th December. All the boats are now frozen to the spot and I am reduced to using two 5 litre containers to fill up with water at work every day. Diesal wise I'm fine at present and I can get coal and wood from a friendly boat moored at Fradley. My loo tank is getting full (I know, too much information), but I have a porta potty that I can use. I have had to start sleeping in the saloon as the back cabin gets too cold by morning, but that's OK.
I've had to alter my working hours to 10-4, rather than 9-5 as the road from Fradley is snow and ice covered and I have to wait for some of the 4x4's to use it before I can get through. I also don't want to risk the return journey in the dark, hence leaving at 4pm. I get paid less of course, but at least I feel safer.

I write this blog thinking that I am writing to my friends, but an incident today reminded me that anyone can read this - not all with kind motives! So... to the person who read this blog and then made an anonymous phone call to Barton Marina and complained to Lorraine that I am using the showers without paying (5the January blog), I have a message for you. Firstly, get a life! Secondly, I am actually using the BW shower at Fradley, using the word marina was a slip of the keyboard and thirdly, thank you, you did me a favour, as Lorraine and I had a good chat and cleared up a misunderstanding between us. We also expressed sympathy for the sad person who has nothing better to do than to report on other people's blogs and toiletry habits!! I wonder if you are the same person that reported my autumn conversation with friends about fences and rules to the marina office? If so, please come and see me in the shop and tell me in what way I have upset you.

Happy New Year!

I hope 2010 is a great year for all of you and I hope nobody is too cold at present!
It's icy and snowy here and it is impossible to move the boat to get water or diesal. However, I have bought myself a generator (thanks to generous Christmas contributions from my brothers James and Douglas), which means that I can charge my batteries and therefore have power even if I run out of diesal. I have coal and wood to keep the woodburning stove going, although I have been shocked to find that I am using over 2 bags of coal a week. Water has been trickier as I need to fill up every week. But until a better solution presents itself I have bought two 5 litre bottles of water from the supermarket and I think that if I fill them every day at work and take showers in the marina, then I should be OK as long as I'm careful.

The mooring saga has entered a new phase. I have moved off the chains as on my second day there I slipped trying to board the boat and bruised my leg quite badly. The other boaters here say the mooring is not safe and that's why no one uses it, except as an overnight visitor mooring. I have moved on the visitors moorings opposite and it is bliss. I can now step, in a lady like way, on and off my boat, rather than launching myself into space and hoping I land in the boat. I am also back in daylight which is nice and since I am now above ground, I don't have dogs peeing against my windows!! Bonny loves it too, a bit too much as she has discovered how easy it is to get off the boat! I have had to chase her around the nature reserve on a couple of occasions.

British Waterways know I have moved off the chains and 'Rob' has said that they will see what they can do to sort the problem out. I obviously can't stay on the visitors moorings forever as there is a 48 hour limit on them and even if I was allowed to stay permanently on them, if I moved the boat to get water or diesal or to go on a trip, the likelyhood would be that there would be no space for me to moor on my return.

Spiritually, the experience has been very good for me as I am learning to let go of the security of having my own space to be in. I am also practising enjoying the present moment - ie the pleasure of being moored here today, without worrying too much about where I'll be moored next week or next month. I say I am practising - that's because I'm not that good at it yet! There is also something quite elemental about my major concerns being heat, water and power. It is putting all the other things I fret about into perspective. It is also amazingly beautiful here- especially in the frosty mornings, and so peaceful after having been moored next to the A38.

So, today, all is well! I hope it is also well with you.