For my eyes only?

This blog wasn't originally intended to be public. It was to be simply a log of our retirement life that we could use to reminisce. And we do. Often. I didn't know at the time that I could make it private, unavailable to anyone else. Then I found that others were reading it, and commenting, so I started to write it for them, too.. Readership increased, folk from several other countries joined in and... it's all history.

Unsurprisingly, the daily number of readers has dropped considerably since I stopped posting about our life with our feet under water over a year ago. Details of life in our house isn't likely to attract huge numbers of readers. So the following may simply end up being a record for us. Bear with me.

Much of our time since the last post has been spent decorating the new studio/lounge for Jess, and moving Grace properly into the room Jess has now vacated. I've been cutting back and tidying in the front and back gardens. The recently renovated pond is looking very good; the frogs are back.

We've also been decluttering our books and DVDs and the contents of a very overfull loft. We've both been writing, though I've probably given up the latest book I've been working on. Most recently I've been helping Steve and Nome to de-turf Steve's back garden prior to re-turfing. The past three storms,  Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, put an end to that for the time being, though the worst that happened to our family in those storms was part of a fence falling down in Steve and Karolina's garden, and a trampoline landing in it.

I've been trying to develop a routine of exercise for body and brain, Trying, but not being very successful. I'm not nearly as keen to go for walks as I was during lock-downs. I was doing well learning Italian, too. And exercising. It was all so much easier on the boat! Why is it not so here? Largely, I've been bored, and that's anathema to me.

 A while back, Naomi, Grace and I visited a Stamp Art exhibition in Luton's Stockwood Park. Very clever, but ultimately tedious, I thought.

Our visits to see grand-daughter Nina and to take her for a pram-ride have been too few, but very rewarding. Oh, I haven't mentioned Nina before, have I? She did appear briefly back in my Christmas post, when she was two months old. Here she is more recently, five and a half months old.

I've been a member of a few photographers' groups on Facebook over the past few years, but left each one when I found that they were heavily engaged in cameras rather than photos. It was all about lenses and settings and size, all very boring to me, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was invited to join the Amateur Photography Facebook Group Just For You. I invited numerous FB friends, and the group has grown quickly. Most importantly to me is that the pictures submitted are all about the subject, not the camera, and there have been some wonderful posts. The same man as created that FB group also launched the Narrowboat Facebook Group Just For You. Some of you may want to take a look and join it.

We do plan to go back to Kantara at last next month. We have a guy coming to re-felt our leaky summerhouse roof on the second, but after that... Fingers crossed. 

Just in case you've forgotten Kantara...

I hope I will be more interesting/interested the next time I post!

Optimistic new year!

Like most of you, I'm totally pissed off with Covid having ruled my life to such an extent for the past couple of years. Admittedly, the not small matter of my hernia played its part last year, and we might well have taken Kantara out for a few weeks or more if that hadn't been restricting my activity. But mostly it's been Covid, the lockdowns, the scaremongering, the regulations, the dillying and the dallying. It's worn us down, and we're not going to let it any longer. The hernia's been fixed, I'm fit to go, so this year we'll be cruising. We'll visit Kantara next week, just to make sure she's still fit and well. Then we'll spend some weeks working on a reorganisation of the house, and then...

 ...we'll be off! We have no plans about where we'll travel. We'll just make it up as we go along. It'll be really good for us, and might even restore our sanity! Our mental health has never before been an issue we've been forced to think about. The tranquil beauty of the waterways is the best healer.

The crippling lethargy has put my latest writing project on hold. I ran into a few annoying problems but just didn't have the oomph to solve them. If the muse has deserted me meanwhile, then I may not even complete it, and it's certainly not a very high priority as I start this new year. I have bigger fish to fry! "Those who can" can wait.

My previous books have come to mind, however, and I thought I'd run a special New Year offer on all of them as I did over the Christmas period of 2020. I can't set the price lower that £1.77 - Kindle rules - so that's what I'm offering them at. Just £1.77 each; cheaper than a pint, but longer-lasting (though it has been pointed out to me that Wetherspoons sell a Ruddels ale for £1.50, but it's still finished fairly quickly!).

Take a look, and buy them here!

Please take a few minutes to write a review when you've finished.

I hope you've all had as good a Christmas as possible in the circumstances, and that 2022 will treat you well. Don't let it all get you down!

Well, how was your Christmas?

The Christmas tree, fairy lights and other decorations went up around the house three weeks ago. The turkey was ordered for delivery on the 23rd, presents were bought, though entirely online, and all was going smoothly - though nothing like normally. Then Naomi and Eddie had Covid symptoms.

We all had to isolate. It was easy enough. Nome and Ed live in a totally self-contained annexe to the house; Grace, Jess and I had the rest of it to ourselves. Eddie's sister shopped for them, and Steve picked up a Sainsbury's click and collect order for us.

None of us is vaccinated, so Naomi and Eddie's symptoms were very mild, and their temperatures were back to normal by day six. The PM hadn't announced that Christmas together had been banned, so, after our compulsory test results - all negative, of course - we all emerged from isolation on Christmas Eve, and our friend Michelle set off to join us. Steve, Karolina and Nina arrived the next morning.

Nina had just seen her first Christmas tree. I think she was impressed.

For the first time in very many years, we didn't go to Church on Christmas morning. Some folk are very wary of the unvaxxed, and we didn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. But the day went on otherwise as normal; a lot of chat and laughter, a wonderful dinner, crackers (each of which contained a number relating to a bag that contained an eighth of a jigsaw puzzle which  we created together after the meal), presents distributed from under the tree, and various games. All accompanied by much laughter.

The jigsaw puzzle

Some while after a late tea, we all headed for our beds, tired (especially Grace, who had done most of the cooking) and very happy.

Boxing Day requires a good walk. Ours this year was in the late afternoon. Naomi knew that barn owls were to be seen at dusk in the Heartwood Forest, a short drive from home, so just before sunset, off we went.

The owls put in no appearance, but the walk through increasingly thickening mist was very enjoyable - and much needed!

So, how was your Christmas? Please, tell us about it in the comment box below.

Christmas 2016 on board NB Kantara

Some of you might find this boring

I started this blog with the intention that it would be simply a record of our life after retirement just for us. A log to look back on in the ensuing years. Then I started to get readers from all over the place, and it stopped being that diary, and became public. That was fine, of course. I was chuffed that so many people were interested in what we were doing.

Today, however, may be less interesting to some of you, but this post is written purely to remind us in future years of the fascinating major work being done currently in the canal just outside our marina. My last post included part one of the series of videos made by Alan Davies of My Narrowboat Venture fame. This one has parts two, three and four. There will be more.

I do hope that you find it at least mildly interesting!

We're all trapped! (video and photos)

I don't know if the idiot boater got back into the marina before work started. You remember? The one who asked if this massive two-month work could be delayed so that he could enjoy more time on the cut? (The nasty side of me hopes he's still out there, waiting to return home.)

What I do know is that work has started, and all boats in the marina are now locked in. A fellow moorer has posted on his vlog, My Narrowboat Venture news on the start of the project, and he'll be keeping us informed throughout. It'll be rather interesting. Thanks, Alan!

As for us, boating is still a distant memory, and all we have until we get out there next year is our photos. These are from our trip down to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Bancroft Basin was magical.

We moored close to Shakespearian heroes and villains.

We investigated the River Avon. Maybe we'll cruise her one day.

At night, our neighbours were brightly illuminated.

Night-time always makes reality special.

We were there at a time when the basin wasn't very full.

We couldn't leave without seeing an RSC play - Arden of Faversham at The Swan Theatre. Brilliant!

It's a trip we thoroughly recommend.

Winterising, testing, and looking forward

We paid a visit to Kantara yesterday. What with all of the conflicting weather forecasts recently, and the distinct possibility of a plague of spiders and/or flies such as we've experienced before when we've been away from her, we thought it best to go and give her a bit of TLC. Furthermore, we'd been alerted by Neil, the marina manager that something unusual was about to happen.

Not far from the marina exit onto the canal is a culvert carrying drainage pipes under the canal and down to lower ground on the other side. The CRT are scheduled to repair this, and that requires the installation of dams on either side of the work, and the draining of the canal water between them. This will take around five weeks to complete, starting on Monday, and a large team of workers.

In the unlikely event of either of the dams failing, our marina would empty, along with the rest of the summit stretch of the canal. To prevent the marina from being affected by such a disaster, a barrier can be created across the exit using stop boards. These are lowered one onto another into slots at either side of the exit. We think the barrier won't leak! There was a team of moorers out with Neil yesterday, practising the procedure.

Neil had to do a walk around the marina recently to find out which boats were still out on the cut. There were only two. Having already sent out an email to all moorers some time ago, giving advance notice of the works, he contacted these two again to make sure they were aware that they would have to stay out if they couldn't be back before the end of Sunday. One of the boats said there would be no problem, they'd be home in time.

The other one asked if the work could be delayed for them, so they could stay out longer! 

Back on Kantara, there were no spiders, webs or spider poos, nor flies. All we had to do was run the engine up to cruising temperature, (thus checking oil pressure, the cooling system and battery condition), top up our mains electricity meter, put the greenhouse heater on the bed base, above the calorifier (water tank), and switch it and the dehumidifier on. Water pipes had been emptied the last time we were aboard. All was ready for even the coldest weather. The roof was suffering from green algae, but we weren't inclined to clean it in the inclement weather. It would only grow back again in a couple of months. I felt bad about it, though.

Since the marina pond is to be cut off from the canal for some time, there is a possibility of the water level rising and falling with the rain or evaporation. To allow for this, we lengthened our mooring lines some three feet or so, allowing her to rise and fall freely. We hope it'll be enough, though there will be several friends keeping their eyes on her for us.

And so, home we went. See you next year, dear old Kantara!