And we're back!

Tuesday came. I'd completed all of my tasks. The new tumble drier had been delivered, installed and tested. (The old one had developed a dreadful squeal, which it made every time it was used. It was 19 years old, in which time it had been used for up to eight people's wet washing. Being that old, it wasn't worth repairing it - if it could be repaired! - and current models are far more efficient than that one. Strangely, it stopped squealing, totally, as soon as the new one was delivered!) Steve was back safely from his week of snowboarding in the French Alps, and Jess was happily exploring Iceland. We'd packed everything else we needed for life aboard Kantara. There was nothing to stop us. Off we went. The M1 did its best to delay us, but we cheated it, and came off just as the holdup had really kicked in, taking a quicker and more pleasant route to the marina.

(www.floreparishcouncil.co.uk)

We were welcomed by fine weather. Cold, yes; windy, of course. But the sky was blue and the sun shone brightly, encouraging NBs Adagio and Wreyland to compare solar panel output again on Twitter. Decent panels generate a fair amount of electricity on days like this. I was so glad it wasn't raining. There was a lot to carry from the car to the boat, and we set to work returning everything to its rightful place.

We promised ourselves that we'd not do this again. In future, we'll stay here through the winter, returning to the house just for a couple of weeks over the Christmas and New Year period. It's just too much hassle, the winterizing and de-winterizing (we had soaking wet problems again this year, replacing the water filter) and the ferrying of clothes, pots and pans and all of the other things of everyday life. We leave as much as we can on Kantara, of course, but we don't want to have two sets of clothes, two sets of kitchen utensils (Grace likes stuff which is really quite expensive, and we don't want to buy a second lot), two CD and DVD collections, two guitars, four sewing machines (we have two types) and so on. And anyway, we warm to the idea of being on the boat during the kind of winters we've had over the past five years. We're hardier now!

February 2012

I've been really glad of Twitter while we've been away. It's an excellent way to keep up with what's going on across the waterways, and what numerous friends and acquaintances are doing. The weather had been a major theme for all of the time we were away. The winds and the floods hit rivers and canals very badly. I'm still not really into Facebook. I have my Tweets copied automatically to it, which my FB friends seem to enjoy, and there's a lot of interest in our canal life amongst my ex-students and colleagues.

Some poor boater, I haven't discovered which boat it is yet, has suffered a burst holding tank, an incident which has made us glad that out only internal flooding problems have been watery ones!

Though nothing to do with our marina, I was saddened to read of the death of Pete, the skipper of NB Futurest, whose blog I've followed for years. He'd been cruising solo for 82 months. A memorial service was held at Tooley's Boat Yard in Banbury. Very fitting.

A friend of ours here had to be rushed to hospital for surgery to remove a stomach cancer just a few weeks ago. I'm glad to say he's up and about now, looking well after a successful operation, and itching to do some cruising. As we all are!

How good it is to be back. People here are so friendly; there's a real community feeling amongst us. A two-minute stroll out to the car to get something from the boot that is our shed, turns into a 20-minute chat with a moorer or three. Time is rarely an issue. It's brilliant.

2016, we're back!

Time to go!

It's that time of the year. Winter's well and truly here. Cold, biting wind, heavy rain on and off. The Bubble stove is on for most of the day, the dehumidifier is switched on at night. We've had a couple of nights when we had the Alde on on its lowest setting overnight, too. And it's almost December. Time to go.

"You're not biting the bullet, and staying for the winter, then?" asked Phil from Achernar. No, we've still not made that decision to stay on the boat for the entire year. A Christmas with the kids is still very special, so it's not something we'd give up easily. But Christmas here, in our home and with the people here, is an attractive proposition, and something we'd like to try some time.

We've packed a lot of the things we want to take back to the house, and tomorrow we'll drive back. We've chosen tomorrow in order to help Jess. Said the Maiden have a gig in Oxford tomorrow evening. Hannah and Kathy will be arriving there from Scotland, so Jess won't get the lift she usually has. She can drive. She drives well, but the injury to her knee last year, and the subsequent surgery, set her back a lot, and we'd all rather she didn't do the journey alone yet. And we haven't heard them live for ages, so we're going to drive her there, stay overnight in St Albans, and come back to the boat the next day to finish hibernating her. I still have the stern hatches to wax, and there's a number of bits and stuff we need to have with us back in the house.

David on NB Wreyland had asked me to appear in one of his vlogs. The topic is to be that evergreen debating point amongst boaters - toilets. I was to represent the pro-cassette lobby, and someone from the pump-out fraternity would be putting his argument. Unfortunately now, I won't be there to take part. It would have been fun.

Have you seen David's vlogs, by the way? They're really very good. Watch them here.

We've watched two good films this past week, both of them Australian. First of all, a DVD of a 1988 film, Emerald City. With a very young Nicole Kidman.

"A comedy of life's temptations - lust, greed and power. The city in question is Sydney, and the colour green signifies greed and envy in David Williamson's amusing satire on its film and publishing industries."

It's an odd film, but funny and entertaining. John Hargreaves looked and acted like David Tennant. That was odd.

Then, at the cinema, we watched The Dressmaker.

"A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong."

This was really good. Funny, poignant, tragic. Kate Winslet's also in Steve Jobs, showing at the moment. We're going to have to wait for that on DVD, I think.

Unusually, we had lunch out twice this week. And at The Moorings both times. The first time was on one of the dry, sunny days, and Grace and I walked out to Crick along the footpath/towingpath route to enjoy a tasty meal and a couple of pints. Since we were going to be walking back, we didn't fancy having the three-course Christmas lunch. We thought we'd be feeling too heavy! So we drove out yesterday for that. A three-course meal for just £9.95, and extremely good value for money. Very tasty. And it's a lovely place to eat at.

Follow that boater!!

I follow a number of fellow boaters on Twitter, and read a number of narrowboat blogs, as well. It's fascinating to follow their exploits, and I learn a lot from them, too. One such tweeter, newly started, is David on NB Wreyland. He also produces an excellent vlog (video log) of his new life on board. The videos are extremely well produced, and the story they tell is a good one. I recommend it, especially for newcomers to canal life, or those considering it, but it's really good entertainment for all. Visit David's vlog at cruisingthecut.co.uk, and follow him on Twitter @CruisingThe Cut

NB Wreyland

I'm not going to single out just one or two boating bloggers to recommend, because there are far too many of them and I wouldn't want to try to rank them, but there's a fairly comprehensive list to be found at Boaters' Blogs.

I was chuffed yesterday to receive an email from Odette Myall, the Digital Content Editor for Canal & River Trust, asking me if I'd contribute to the guest blogs on the their website. She's given me a few subjects to choose from, but she's only allowing me 400 words (!!!) and you know how verbose I can be!! I told her the discipline might do me good...

The stove is alight...

...the boat's warm and snug, the drinks are hot and there's fresh cake to be eaten. It's one of those days. Grey and gloomy, wet and windy ever since we woke up, with no promise of changing for the better for some days. So we're in for the day. Dry and cosy. Like most boaters, I should imagine. I have to fill the water tank, so that'll be a wet task unless I can find a suitable break in the rain. It's tipping it down at the moment.

NB Wreyland arrived back yesterday, but has been sent to a different berth, just up the pontoon from us. A shame, but we do have our decent view from the starboard windows back again.

In grim weather the other day, we went to see The Martian 3D.

"When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney, presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission."

I loved it. I wasn't expecting to, but I did. The 3D is effective, but not intrusive. The storyline is simple, but full of drama and tension. The acting is brilliant, and the direction first class.

We missed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty when it was on the big screens a few years ago. Zoverstocks sold it to me for under £2.

"Walter Mitty, an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl, and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue."

Until recently, I've not been keen on Ben Stiller. I'd only ever seen him in "silly" films, playing silly roles, and I found him tiresome. In this, he was great.

Hmmm... we now have a blocked drain in the shower room. We still need water, and it''s still precipitating. I need to be busy!

Feeling restless

I'm getting twitchy. Some days, the weather's dreadful, and I'm happy to be here in the marina. But some days, or some parts of some days at least, the sun's out, the sky's blue, and I'm wishing we were out on the cut. I've washed the boat, tidied the engine room, painted the chimney cowl, been for walks. And felt restless. RCR engineers will be servicing the engine next week, and I'm paying for an additional 20-point inspection this year, too. A bit like the MoT for the car, but without the legal requirement. I'm looking forward to having that done.

Writing this, I'm sitting at the table, opposite Grace, who's copy-editing and proofreading my book. It's quite unnerving! She's silent, though she does manage the occasional smile. She's laughed, too. And she makes notes from time to time, things she'll bring to me later for my consideration, correction, re-writing or deletion. It's important to me that she does this, and I'm very grateful to her, but it is an anxious time! I'm hoping to publish the book on Kindle (I've dropped the idea of Lulu) in about four weeks.

On the subject of my book, don't forget "A Friendly Guide to Exam Success", written for GCSE students, and already available on Kindle. And do remember that you don't have to have a Kindle reader to access these books. An app is available on the Kindle Store, for PCs, tablets and smartphones.

I went for a stroll along the canal the other day. I know this stretch so well, but I never cease to enjoy its simple beauty, especially in the autumn.

I mentioned a while back the arrival of NB Wreyland in the berth next to us. It turns out that new owner, first-time boater David is @CrusingTheCut I've been chatting with on Twitter for some weeks. He never said anything which suggested he was going to come to Yelvertoft, and it was purely by chance that he moored next to us. A strange coincidence! He's just announced that he'll be spending winter here. He had intended to go to another marina. He's out on his first, short solo trip at the moment, thoroughly enjoying himself! And he will, for years to come, I'm sure.