Monday May 3rd

My last narrowboat blog, hopefully not forever, but until we return and have something to write about! In an ideal world that will be beginning of September. So, if you have enjoyed journeying with us, as long as you have signed up to receive notifications, I imagine you will be alerted once I resume the blog.

It’s amazing how long it takes to properly clean a narrowboat! R set too with the vacuum cleaner which needed careful attention to make the suction strong enough to work. The cooker took longer than anticipated. Luckily I had done the fridge/freezer yesterday but with cleaning, the more you do the more you see and I realised how much dust had accumulated from the stove being lit daily. Cobwebs too! Anyway by one o’clock we were ready to leave the boat and amazingly every last item fitted in the car although there wasn’t much space for me and R to breathe! We had to come off the motorway at the first services so that I could be relieved of the final bag of rubbish sitting on my lap aside my rucksack of ‘important stuff’ and a freezer bag full of food. I am not looking forward to the sort out at the other end. However much I tried to pack logically, towards the end I was just pleased to jumble things together where there was an iota of space!

I was awake early, probably my mind wondering how we would fit the remaining bags in the car! The subject of ‘grace’ was still on my mind so I decided to write about it then and there and afterwards managed a couple more hours of sleep. Once up and about we had a lot to do if we wanted to be ahead of the wind and rain forecast mid morning. After the last crumpet in the packet and R finishing the loaf as toast so we could also throw the jam pot, R walked to the car, arms full of rubbish and then drove to Willoughby Bridge. Meanwhile I steered the boat towards the marina situated before the bridge. We needed to return the boat full of diesel and the boater yesterday had said this marina offered the best price. The downside was that in a wind it was tricky to enter and leave the marina, hence our desire to get there early. R met me on the towpath, having walked towards me after parking the car and so was on board as we arrived, with the wind just coming up. It was as tricky as we had been told but there was a very helpful lady who assisted us and we managed not to do any damage to surrounding boats or get the boat caught by the wind in an impossible situation. The final mooring was twenty minutes further on and so it was with a heavy heart we pulled over. Just then the phone rang and my friend, M, from home was just letting me know she had left a pint of milk and loaf of bread on our doorstep. That was such a kind and welcome phone call!

• 

• 

So here we are trundling down the M1, happy to go at 60mph because it feels much faster. Once home I fear there will be no time or energy to write much more today so I think this is as good a time as any to say au revoir, until we meet again I hope on our next narrowboat adventure. So many boaters could not believe that we were going just as the weather improves and how mad were we to do this over the winter. I can only disagree and say what perfect timing infact it was. Yes, we have had to manage lockdown, but that gave us time to stay still. We didn’t have the joy of the pubs, but I got used to cooking one pot meals and as long as the cook was provided with a drink she was happy! We have cut our teeth on the canals with hardly any other boats to contend with. I realised, especially in this last couple of days when so many more boats were out and about, that actually I am not afeared of oncoming boats anymore! We have enjoyed all the encounters we have had with people and I am convinced this way of life is beneficial for mental health so there is much that we can do to offer support, with the boat as the vehicle. Oh, and the weather. Yes, at times very damp and chilly but we had the right clothes to keep us dry and warm. So no, I don’t think the timing was wrong. I’m ready to come home, but watch this space because the bug has caught hold and I may be preoccupied with a new hobby – boat design!!

• 

• 

• 

•