I'm sure friends think we're mad...

In the guest blog post I did for the CRT website a while back, I talked about the need to have on board all of those things which would be part of your life wherever you were.

"But life on a boat, just like life on the land, is more than just essentials. There are those things you'd 'really like to take'. And that list keeps growing the more you think about it. Books, CDs, photo album, DVDs... Oh, the DVD player, laptop, footspa... And the clothes! Are 'boaty' clothes enough, or do you want to be able to smarten up for the odd outing?

And don't forget the stuff of 'ordinary' life. When the day's cruising's over, or when you're moored for a couple of days in some remote spot in torrential rain, what do you do? Sadly, I've met some very bored boaters, whose only enjoyment is in the travelling. In a house, you'd have hobbies, games and other pastimes, and these bits and bobs are needed on the boat, too. The guitar, the easel and paints, the sewing machine, Scrabble, playing cards. Shame about the piano, though!"

All of which is true. The biggest problem, Grace and I concluded today, is that most of those very same things have to return with you to your house if you choose, as we have now for five years, not to stay on the boat over winter.

We returned to Kantara today. We tried yesterday, but first the M1 was in gridlock, and we avoided it, then the A5 was, too (because of the M1 problem) and we'd already turned onto it. We did a U-turn after about 15 minutes, when it became obvious that we were doing the wrong thing. Today was very much better. The weather, however, was cold and very windy.

On the face of it, we didn't really have much to do. Most of the clothing we wanted to take back, we took on Friday. All of the perishable foodstuffs. My exercise bike. Computers. But when it came down to loading up the rest of the stuff, it just went mad! And I'm sure various friends and other boaters on the marina must have thought we are mad when they saw me making numerous trips to the car, carrying sundry bags, boxes and heavy things.

And these were just those things I meant in my CRT post... Guitar, sewing machine, exercise stepper and kettle bells, artist's painting materials (for canvas and for the boat cabin), the winter clothes and footwear, Grace's best pots and pans and cooking utensils (because the ones back in the house are not the best ones!), cameras, boxed games, plants. Stuff! We even had to bring the TV with us this time, because it's gone wrong and needs to be returned whence it came. Each year, the temptation to stay over winter gets stronger!

Phil and Jackie from Archenar were a bit peeved this morning when they found water had leaked through from their galley sink into the cupboard below. They thought it had probably dripped through where the drain leaves the sink - the plug-hole - which hadn't been tightened properly.

The same sort of thing recently happened to friends of ours, but their problem was in the shower base, and the leak had gone undetected for four years. The accumulated water over that time rose in the bilges until it reached the underside of the flooring, and then soaked into it. It seems that much of the floor will have to be ripped out and replaced, and the cleaning up job in the bilges will be quite considerable, too. It's a terrible shame. Phil and Jackie were lucky to see their leak when they did.

Now I have to get the stuff from the car into the house. And find room for it! We must be mad!

Ups and downs and comings and goings

On Wednesday, we had Simon working at the front of the boat, and Roy and Lee working at the back. At the same time. Simon was servicing the Bubble stove. It had been problem-free for four years, but recently started to burn dirty, sooting up the glass in the door and, of course, the chimney and inside the stove itself.

It took Simon 3½ hours to clean the build-up of carbon from nooks and corners I didn't even know existed. He actually used a hammer and chisel at times! When he'd finished, boy, was it worth it! The stove burns really efficiently now, with a dull red and blue glow just as it should be. It's fascinating and quite beautiful in the dark. And a very effective heater, to boot.

 

Roy and Lee were here to take rather more drastic measures than they had done the last time they came to fix a leaking joint in the calorifier. It had continued to leak after their last visit, so this time they replaced some oojamaflips. Unfortunately for all of us, we won't know if these oojamaflips are doing their job until the next time we run the engine to maximum temperature. Next spring, then!

There have been some new arrivals nearby in the marina. NB Hereward arrived a few days back, and surprised us by berthing in the space Achernar left last week. We're expecting them to be back in the coming week. Perhaps they've changed their minds, and are mooring somewhere else now. And just this afternoon, NB Wreyland arrived and moored in Smudge's space. Bang goes our view from the starboard windows! But David, the new owner of Wreyland, is only staying for four days, so there will be no problem with Smudge returning.

I got an email today, informing me of the removal of this blog's entry on the UKWRS website. Apparently, it had been drawn to their attention - probably by someone whose blog had been overtaken by this one on the ranking table - that my blog isn't waterwaysey enough! It has to be "UK Waterways related". What, all of it? Always? No, they say, just most of it. I looked at the blogs of some of those who occupied the same sort of area as mine on the table. Hmmmm. Never mind. If that's the rules, it's not a big deal. I had no idea anyone took their readership ranking so seriously! I've removed the little logo which used to reside at the top of the navbar here, and now NB Kantara's place will fall lower and lower until it disappears altogether up its own absurdity!

Down four places already!

Being busy but not very boaty

You know those days when the sun's out, it's warm for the time of year, the blue sky is dotted with small, fluffy white clouds, and the air is still? The birds are singing like they're practising for the Proms, and everyone's relaxed and walking in the park? Yeah? Well, we've had none of those. We've had rain, hail, sleet and none of the snow which everyone's been on about for the past three weeks. We have had some sun. It's out now as I type, and it's waved at us in passing several times. But the wind! It's crazy! The boat's shaking most of the time, swaying, and bumping the pontoon. The water in the marina's rough. The ducks would be surfing, I'm sure, but it's too windy for them. They'd just get blown off the waves. The geese fly sideways. Swans don't even bother trying. It's windy, believe me! Phil and Jacquie of NB Achernar went out on Saturday, headed for Market Harborough. I don't envy them. The rain's been torrential, and the wind...!

We've kept busy. Me with writing, Grace with sewing and jewellery-making. She's made a beautiful necklace and matching earrings to wear at a family wedding in a couple of weeks' time. And an extra pair! Plus there have been the normal jobs which are routine in a boat. The Arrens, Karen and Darren from NB Cream Cracker, came round for the evening on Saturday. Bottles of their excellent home-made wine, a delicious meal prepared by Grace, and six hours of chat! A really good time. I wish I were Irish, and had "craic" in my vocabulary. I don't think English has one word for it. But craic is what it was. Good craic.

Last Monday, Grace and I went to see 50 Shades of Grey. The depths of depravity, I know, but we just had to. The reviews are almost universally damning, and we simply couldn't believe it was that bad. IMDB gives it just two stars. People were saying they'd walked out after just twenty minutes! No-one who does that can be relied upon to give intelligent reviews. Having seen it, we can only surmise that all of these people found that it didn't have enough naughty bits, or that the bits weren't naughty enough or something. Grace and I both enjoyed it. It was very well acted, well adapted from the book, and tastefully, thoughtfully directed. We're looking forward to the second in the series.

"When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too - but on his own terms."

That's all for now. If you want to know any truly boaty stuff, we have a leaky pipe from our water pump. Just a drip, but wet.