Boring?

What can I say? I'm boring! Almost as troubling, though, is that I'm not bored.

Digging my way through the heaps of history in the attic is... fun! We've visited Ikea no less than three times since we hibernated Kantara. Ikea!!

Another time, I've been fascinated by the town of Baldock through which I wandered while Grace gave knitting-machine lessons to a woman who gave her in return a knitting machine she had going spare. Grace used to write knitting machine patterns professionally some decades ago, but never actually produced anything for herself. I posted a "Wanted, knitting machine" notice on Freegle, and this lady came up with the "swap you" scenario. A very good outcome!

 Baldock's Howard Park

A few days later, we attended "The Wisdom House", an evening of very inspirational chat by Rob Parsons, founder and director of  the amazing charity, Care for the Family It was the best £7 I'd spent for a long time!

Does anyone out there remember The Strawbs? They played at the nearby Harpenden Halls (where Jess works) last week, and we went along. We were never great fans, and they didn't convert me to their music that night - part of their 50 year celebration tour - but there's no denying their consummate skill and musicianship. Our main reason for going was to support Said the Maiden, who played a thirty-minute supporting set to open the show. It was a great fillip for them, adding this band to the other big names they've supported over the past six years or so - Lindisfarne, Fairport Convention, Clannad, Dave Swarbrick, Fisherman's Friends as well as some big Folk acts - Jim Moray, Megson, Martin Carthy and Cara Dillon.

The Maidens went down a storm with the Strawbs aficionados.

So this is who people paid to see...

...and this is who they got as an added extra!

I'm still not a Strawbs fan, though.

The weather's really lovely today, just what autumn should be like. The problem is that rain is forecast for tomorrow, and I'm helping with a Messy Church event - lots of small children, silly games and a live mock-up of the traditional nativity manger scene, complete with animals! In the rain! 😟

I certainly won't be bored!!

One reason for preferring Kantara...

...(apart, that is, from the massive difference in the amount of decorating and maintenance that has to be done in a house, compared with the boat) is the amount of stuff that nutters like us accumulate over the years!

Clearing the clutter seemed like the natural thing to do once the decorating was finished, and we knew it had to be done some time. But it's been too easy to put it to one side and forget it while we've been spending most of the year on Kantara, and, now that we find ourselves in frenetic decorating and making good mode, it seems like the best time to get stuck into it. Strike while the iron's at least tepid.

As I type, Grace and Jess are doing a sterling job in Jess's bedroom. We did ours yesterday. And the day before. A good start has been made in Grace's studio/office/workshop, which has for years been the "temporary" resting-place of a host of objets d'arts (and other invaders) not of Grace's creation.

My main task has been in the loft.

Lofts are evil. They swallow great piles of things that they think are going to be useful and used again some time in the far-distant future, and then they contrive to make you forget they're there. Which, of course, isn't really helpful because when the time comes that some of this hoard of stuff could indeed be used again, you have no idea they even exist.

Recycling centres are not evil. Except in the matter of their opening hours, which rarely coincide with my frequent and immediate need. (The staff there roll their eyes when I drive in, I swear.) Charity shops likewise (though they're too polite to roll their eyes there). Fortunately, both are just minutes away. Freegle and Freecycle are brilliant, and loads of the stuff  has gone to the homes of folk who haven't yet cottoned on to the malevolent nature of their lofts (where all of these items will ultimately, and inevitably go).

Amongst all this frenetic clearing out we have made time for a bit of  respite. Fireworks in Verulamium Park were a must - we haven't been to that event once since moving onto Kantara. As always, it was superb.

Then there was an unplanned visit to Baldock, to take Jess (much too tired to drive safely) to a Said the Maiden gig at The Orange Tree. That was a very good night out, too. A pleasant surprise was being approached by a young man who introduced himself as Andy, a fellow and mutual Tweep who comes from a boating family and has read my books. He now follows Said the Maiden, too, and came to this gig because they make several appearances in those books, and the venue was close enough to for him to go and give them an ear. He tweeted later "Great to meet you. It was a brilliant evening!" It was indeed brilliant!

Then... back to the sorting out! Except on Wednesday, when we return to Kantara to put a coat of protective wax over the Roses and Castles panel, which didn't get treated before because of the rain. Fingers crossed for this time!