Visitors, Gym membership and conquering the damp

I've not posted for a while because I haven't had much time. This is largely due to the huge numbers of visitors we have had over the past two weeks. I'm having problems with this because I just can't get a free day without someone or other turning up. In fact it is beginning to be quite an issue for me.

When we lived in a house we often had friends or neighbours calling round and it didn't really bother me then, so I have tried to rationalise what is different about being on the boat and how that affects my attitude. I have put it down to many issues.

For a start we get more people coming to see us because they are curious about our life style, so we tend to be visited by acquaintances rather than friends and sometimes even people we hardly know. These people seem to make the assumption that because of our apparently relaxed lifestyle, we don't have any thing better to do than sit around all day chatting and so they nearly always outstay their welcome. Last week we had to explain that we had an appointment and it was only after we had got all our things together, put our coats on and were heading for the door that the visitor showed any sign of moving and even then he complained that we were 'slinging him out' !

The other problem is that normal 'house' rules don't seem to apply. People do things they would never dream of doing when visiting people who live in houses. For instance, turning up without any notice and peering in at the windows to see if you are in, opening the hatch and just walking in without being invited, which you would never do through someone's front door in a house. The other problem is that the boat is a small space, so things that may not have bothered me in our house, like people spilling coffee, unruly animals who run all over the place including the kitchen and bedroom and un-housetrained dogs who decide to use the boat floor as a toilet, all upset me a great deal! I feel like a bit of a hypocrite on the subject of dogs, because Jack the Whippet is pretty much allowed to do what he wants, including sleeping on the bed, but he is part of the family, even though he is not our dog, so he is allowed!

Well that's my rant over with, it has really bugged me recently though, because I haven't been able to get anything much done.

On the plus side the Marina has settled down really well. The boat that I had a problem with has now left and everyone else on the Marina are lovely and understand the unspoken rules ... we all pass the time of day, but no one bothers anyone else or goes on any one elses boat. That all sounds quite unfriendly, but it isn't, it is just part of respecting each others's space.

This week, I have had a couple of free days and have caught up to some extent. I have spent the mornings practising my piano at the University and the afternoons doing boaty chores - bliss! I know lots of people who have joined a Gym as part of their new year resolution this year. Some have been delighted at the special offers they have obtained, only paying £20 - £30 per month. Well I get a superb work out most days and don't have to pay a thing! My morning bike ride up to the university is a 5 mile return trip with one big hill to climb. In the afternoon I often walk Jack the Whippet. A tree has been felled about a mile down the towpath so over the past couple of weeks, we have walked that way and I have brought back wood. The nice British Waterways workers have kindly left the wood cut up into manageable branches, so I manage to carry one branch in each hand, each weighing about 4kg. As I walk along the tow path I do 'reps' with them as you would with weights in a Gym. Luckily there is very rarely anyone on that part of the tow path at that time of day! Then when I get home, I saw it and chop it and put it away to season for a year in our wood store. I defy anyone to get a better work out than that!!

News on the damp problem..... The Dehumidifier has been amazing! Over the last couple of days we have had it running in the bedroom nearly all day and have had to change the tank (several litres worth) three times. The wardrobes are now bone dry and the damp smell has disappeared. Success! However, we do need to address the root cause of the problem, so we have a 'weather station' device in there which tells us all the information we need at all times. We noticed that the humidity goes up when I'm cooking, so we now shut the door between the kitchen and the bedroom whenever I'm cooking. There is always condensation overnight, but that is inevitable when two people are breathing in a small space. However, we intend to open a window at night to get some air flow when the weather gets a bit warmer. Apparently central heating is also not a very dry heat. We only run ours in the morning until we get the fire going, but apparently a wood burner is the best form of heat, so we will endeavour to use it more.

We will continue to monitor the situation and I will keep posting our progress, so do watch this space.

Today I walked into the kitchen and there staring at me, sitting on the bow of the boat next door was a Kingfisher. He flew off as soon as he saw me, so I didn't get a picture, but he was so close I was able to see all his colours and it was an amazing experience. We are going to attach a long twig to the bow over the next couple of days to try and entice him and are hoping to see more of him, so watch this space. I'm sure I'll be able to get a picture before long....

Al :)