Chopin and Choppin'

Over the last few weeks I have been really busy as I have had work commitments in various parts of the country. When we moved to the boat, the idea was to wind down and semi-retire and yet I seem to be busier than ever! In fairness, because I am self employed, I now only do the work I want to do, but I did fully expect it to gradually dry up. Instead, in some areas it has increased. I'm not complaining, as I enjoy my work very much!

What I have been pleased about is the greater amount of time I have to play my piano. I usually go every day to the University, who look after it in exchange for the use of it. Over the last few weeks I have been revisiting old repertoire, especially the romantic pieces that I played with such passion and zeal in my youth. It has been an interesting exercise, because there are all sorts of cautionary notes on the music, in my teachers handwriting, imploring me not to get too carried away and of course I now realise that I probably bashed them out at full volume with all the intensity of youth. I have spent the last few days reinventing my interpretation of the Chopin Ballades with the result that they now sound so much more lyrical! Old age and maturity is not all bad!!

With the weather improving, the bike is being pressed into service and since the University is on the cycle path and halfway into town, I will often make a trip to the shops after practising. This works well, because the cycle path on the way back to the boat from town follows the tow path and at the moment there is plenty of foraging to be done. The banks are full of wild garlic and yesterday I picked some lovely young leaves and put them in a salad which spiced it up beautifully. There is still lots of tree felling going on and the logs fit very well into the front basket of the bike. I will often bump into friends who are moored up at various points along the tow path and stop for a coffee. The trouble with this and indeed with life on the Marina now, is that the weather is getting better and everybody is surfacing. This inevitably this leads to long chats while we chew the fat and nothing ever gets done, including this blog! I wouldn't want it any other way though!

One major success story recently is the massive stockpile of wood we now have. We have collected so much that Phil has had to build another wood store. Everytime I go out on the tow path, either walking Jack the Whippet or on my bike, I have come back with some wood. I have spent the last few weeks busily sawing and chopping up wood and here is the result, two full stores:

 

 

They are now situated behind the brand new Bicycle shed which is one of the improvements promised when we moved to residential status as a marina. This has had a huge impact on the place which is looking smarter and tidier and we have just had delivered some really big storage boxes which look great:

 

The shift to residential status and the added expense of a mooring as a result, has kept out the people who just move to a boat because they think it is cheaper. The marina is now populated with like minded people who love the boating life for the sake of it and consequently there is a friendly and warm atmosphere about the place, which there didn't used to be.

The evenings are getting lighter and we are getting some amazing sunsets, the light at times is quite special. Phil looked out of the window the other night and remarked on the amazing colours. I managed to get out and take some photos before it disappeared. The trees appeared a bright red in the glow:

Spring really is here and there are some beautiful flowers coming out:

We are hoping to go for a long walk in the Lake District or the Trough of Bowland this week and I am hoping to see some bluebells. We will see ....

A :)



Spring on the Marina

We have had some lovely warm sunny, dry days recently and everybody has been out pottering and working on outside jobs. There is a lovely relaxed atmosphere on the Marina, but the downside is that everyone stops to chat for hours and nothing gets done!

What is really special about the Marina at the moment is that everybody gets on really well. In the past there have been boats which have caused trouble and upset the balance, but at the moment it is blissfully peaceful. This is especially good for us, because as from the 1st April, our status changed to residential berth holders, which makes us legally entitled to live on our boat. It is much more expensive because we pay more mooring fees and also are now liable for council tax. We are very comfortable with that, but in paying that price, we want to have a peaceful existence, which in the past has been jeopardised by difficult people, who have now left.

Even the animals on the marina seemed to be in lively spirits. One of the boaters was playing with an electronic car and their dog was determined to stop it in its tracks!

Spring is also evident in the wild life which all seem to be on the move:



curlew



moorhen pottering about

 

 

 

It's also lovely to see the lambs in the fields.

 

 

 

 

 

 ....... and Jack enjoyed a walk.

 

Mind you, it is still snowy on the hill tops. A couple of days ago we had a pub lunch at a riverside pub with a view of Ingleborough in the distance:

 

 

The snow can be clearly seen covering the mountain in the distance.

 

 





 

 

The pub is right on the riverside and often the front entrance is inaccessible when the tide is high. It's local name is 'snatchems' because, in the 17th century trade ships used to come up to the port and on going back out to sea again were often short of crew, so would stop at this pub and 'snatch' drunk men before setting sail across the Atlantic. These men would then be pressed into service. Poor chaps, imagine going to the pub for a nice drink one evening and waking up the next morning on board a ship far out to sea and being told you were now employed by the merchant navy!

 

We are travelling south tomorrow to visit my Mother for a few days, so I won't be posting until I get back. 

 

Al :)

Marina Life

We woke up this morning to another beautiful day of sunshine. We had loads to do, so set about divvying up the chores. Phil drew the short straw - he had to drive out to a local village where our son is buying a flat, to take all the documentation for the mortgage. I was left on the boat to just tidy up.

Jack the Whippet came to see me very early on and ended up staying, as T his owner wanted to go into town. As soon as I started to tidy and wash up, Jack wanted a walk and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, so I ended up on the towpath and of course at this time of year many boats are out and about and I know most of them. By the time I had passed the time of day with the owners of several boats, it was mid morning and I knew I had to crack on.

Our neighbours had arrived at their boat for the day, when I got back to our boat and there were also many other weekend boaters about. To cut a long story short there were all sorts of groups of people on the marina chatting in the sunshine and I just couldn't resist joining them for a good old catch up. Before I knew it, Phil was back and I had done nothing! But there is nothing better than standing around chatting about boats with like minded people over a cup of tea and currently on the Marina there is not a single person who I don't enjoy socialising with - they are a great bunch.

All this is very good because as from 1st April we are officially classed as residential and therefore legal 'liveaboards'. This costs us more, but the advantages outweigh the extra cost. We have a post code exclusive to our boat, we can now install a landline for phone calls and we contribute to the local community by paying council tax, so no one can accuse us of not paying our way!

The day was finished off in perfect style by a visit from both our sons together! We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and it was so satisfying to spend a happy lunchtime together as a family because we are all so close, in sharp contrast to my memories of my childhood.

We hope to have a walk soon, but due to the Lake District showing warnings of snow and high winds, we are having to look elsewhere and everywhere else nearby is boring by comparison!

Will keep you posted

Al :)

Snow at Easter and boat maintenance

We woke up this morning to ice on the canal, covered in a light dusting of snow.

We had planned to go for a walk in the Lake District, but following an avalanche warning on the news, we decided not to risk it and stayed on the boat to do some spring cleaning. This has involved, not only wiping down the whole boat inside to clean off sooty deposits from the fire which have built up all winter, but also taking out the windows and double glazing to wash the gap between the windows. No sooner had we taken out our first window, (and been met by an icy blast of cold air!) than it started to snow! Only light billows which wouldn't settle, but still amazing that it is so cold at this time of year!

On venturing outside, I bumped into one of the weekend boaters down at the end of the jetty. It is quiet down there because nobody lives aboard. There is also a small patch of land next to the end boat and he mentioned that he had seen a mink scratting around a few minutes ago. We crept around the end boat and managed to see it, but it spotted us and took off along the ice on the canal at a rate of knots!

The spring cleaning is just one of the regular maintenance jobs we need to do on the boat. There are other more vital things which must be done for the boat to run smoothly, for example the yearly water filter change and the bi-annual chemical clean of the toilet cassettes. Water purification tablets need to be dropped into the water tank also on a regular basis and at this time of year the chimney has to be swept at least every few weeks.

There are less frequent but more important things that we also need to do such as actually getting into the water tank and cleaning it out by hand every two or three years. We will do this next year when we lift the boat out of the water to clean and black the bottom. Our boat safety certificate is due next year and we will not be allowed to use the boat, let alone live on it without this vital document, so all these maintenance chores must be done.

Well, there is a bit of useful information for anyone who is thinking of buying a boat!

I'm on holiday for two weeks now, so hope to post again soon.

Al :)

Wildlife

Although it is still very cold and the canal is frozen every morning when we get up, there is a real feel of spring in the air and we have had some lovely bright, fresh days.

I always know we have turned the corner from those dark, depressing winter days when I hear the first song thrush. It's not much of a song at the moment, it's all a bit croaky as he practises his scales ready for a full recital in a couple of months time, but that performance is well worth waiting for!

I took Jack for a walk a few days ago in my ongoing pursuit of wood and the male mallards on the canal are starting to look extremely handsome as their plumage becomes bright and gleaming ready to attract the females. The sap is definitely rising!

We have experienced some amazing wildlife sightings recently, although since we put up the Kingfisher stick there has been no sign of it. However yesterday I was cooking tea and just happened to look out of the kitchen window as an otter surfaced under the jetty and started munching on a fish he had caught. He was no more than 3 feet from me and I shouted to Phil who also managed to see him before he dived and swam away. What was really sensational about it was that the sun was setting and there was a beautiful red light on the canal. The otter was silhouetted  against a really gorgeous backdrop with the sun a ball of red fire in the sky. If I had had the camera handy I think it would probably have been an award winning picture!! As usual though I never seem to have it there when I need it.

Here are some of the stunning sunsets we have had recently:



 I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

There seems to be a lot of tree felling going on at the moment and I often come across wood by chance! Yesterday I was at a house near the power station giving a one off consultation lesson and afterwards Phil and I decided to take the opportunity to have a short bird watching walk while we were there, as the bird life is usually interesting so near the estuary. We came across piles of gorse and willow which had been cut into manageable logs, so having been given the go ahead by the local wildlife ranger to take some home, we threw a few logs into the back of the car and I'm now pleased to say that the wood store is finally full again:

We won't be able to use any of this wood until next year as it will take months to season and dry out, especially the willow which is a very wet wood. We are particularly looking forward to burning the gorse, as it apparently burns very hot so we will get a cracking heat from it.

I have been really busy in the last few weeks and have an exceptionally busy period coming up, with lots of new music to learn because I'm playing the piano for kids who are taking their exams. I'm also working away soon for a couple of weeks, so posts will probably be few and far between, but I will try and post more frequently than I have been, even if it's very short snippets of boating life.

We are rapidly moving towards residential status and there is going to be a lot of work done on the Marina to improve the facilities, so I will be posting about progress on that front. From April we will be paying more for our mooring as a result, but it will be worth it to be legitimate (we are not supposed to live on our boats here).

I will keep you posted ....

Al :)

Sunshine and Wood

I have just read my last blog. Oh dear, what a rant! I feel slightly ashamed of myself for being so churlish and inhospitable. In my defence I think I have been a bit miserable because of the awful wet and dull weather we have been having lately.

I was very cheered yesterday to see bright sunshine for the first time in ages and the days are getting longer. All of a sudden, all is well with the world and I am feeling much more charitable towards other people.

We were looking after Jack the Whippet for the whole day yesterday, so we decided to incorporate a lovely sunny walk down the tow path with some wood collecting. Bringing back two pieces of wood a day was not really efficient, particularly in view of the fact that there is so much there. So Phil drove the car down and parked it on the bridge nearest to the wood pile and Jack and I met him there having walked down the tow path. We filled several sacks with it and also put some very long branches on the back seat. Phil then drove it back while Jack and I walked.

Here is our haul:

 

 

We were really frustrated about only seeing the kingfisher fleetingly the other day, so we have set up what is supposed to be a Kingfisher magnet! A long stick which they like to land on and possibly fish from. I have attached it to the jetty opposite and we have a good view from our galley window, so fingers crossed:

 

 

 

We have had marginally more success with owls. We went out owl hunting the other afternoon and saw a grand total of four! However they were all too far away to get a decent photo, two of them we saw from the car, so the photos I took were very blurred:

 

 

We won't give up though and I'm determined to get a close up shot with the new camera lens I bought in Malaysia.

 

Today we have been entertaining some very old and very good friends and I have to say I really enjoyed their company. Now it is time to watch the rugby - here's hoping that Wales beat France ;)

 

Al



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 :)