Friday, 14th January 2022

Covid strikes again and plans change in an instant! Returning home from an afternoon meeting on Monday I was greeted outside our house with the news that our son P had arrived, gone straight to his room and done positive covid test, so what next? Decided we would leave the house as soon as we could get the car packed (having waited a while for the virus to dissipate in the hall and landing with the outside doors open!) and return to the boat a little sooner than planned. A few engagements had to be postponed but fortunately there is little in the diary at present, it being winter and still advisable to meet outside in airy places! However our return to the boat had been mainly weather dependent and with rain forecast early in the week we had thought to arrive Thursday morning with the sun shining. I booked us into a Travelodge near Bicester, forgetting that Premier Inns had far more comfortable beds! Nonetheless they made us very welcome and we were in prime position to visit the Bicester Village outlet centre on Tuesday – an unexpected bonus, where I was fortunate to find an outfit for G and M’s forthcoming wedding. Every cloud has a silver lining! It rained gently for most of the day so we were in no hurry to get to Naomhog. Another night in a hotel, slightly more comfortable than the Travelodge but no hot food because the chef was isolating! So a picnic of pot noodles and Mr Kipling apple pies sufficed with fresh fruit on the side! The pot noodles were the only food I could think of that would warm us up even though I have spent years telling my children not to touch them! R is partial to a ‘Mr Kipling’ – another food usually banned in our house for being too much pastry and not enough filling! To top it off we had Oatsosimple for breakfast. Not the healthiest of choices in a 12hr period. We did discover coffee bags though, like tea bags but obviously filled with filtered coffee and they tasted great!

Wednesday morning a frost and gentle mist greeted us on waking but by the time we arrived at Naomhog the sun was shining and blue sky welcomed us back on board. The tarpaulin had held up well except for a big pool of icy water weighing down its centre so our first task was to find a bucket and scoop the water out. Then it was a bit of a fiddle undoing the string holding the tarpaulin in place but eventually it was off and we surveyed the cratch cover – a sorry sight to behold. Thankful that the tarpaulin has kept the rain out we eagerly await our replacement covers because until they arrive, every time we leave the boat for any period of time we are going to have to attach the tarpaulin which is a hazardous operation!

We bought with us a new rolled up double mattress (Costco finest!) so removing the old one from the boat was a priority and there was even a skip nearby for quick disposal. I’m impressed at the ease of changing such a bulky item and how, because of being vacuum packed the Costco mattress easily fitted through our very small front door. We’d left a heater on to prevent, we hope, the pipes freezing (as well as emptying the onboard watertank) and although our bedding and clothes were cold, because they had been stored in plastic bags, they did not feel too damp. The boat batteries needed a charge so we ran the engine for a couple of hours. R soon had the stove lit and by Wednesday evening we were settled and warm.

Thursday saw the making of our new mini table where we had to attach a base to a tabletop that could then sit on a post. This involved the air turning a bit blue as DIY never turns out quite as smoothly as anticipated. Well worth the effort though as we now have a bit more space to move around our sitting area.

We have no water in the tank and are surviving with 5l reusable water bottles and a nearby outside tap. (which this morning was frozen so not much use!) There’s a washroom nearby for showers etc. I decided on waking to borrow some of R’s manly spray deodorant as I knew it was above the bed, little realising there was also a can of spray shaving foam! The resultant mess from applying the wrong can, along with limited water, meant that the day started rather messily!! Thank goodness for wet wipes! It ended well with the inauguration of my new pressure cooker – a must on a boat if you want to reduce your gas consumption. I was a little in fear and trepidation of this latest galley gadget – memories of pressure cookers in my youth came to the fore and I had thought them rather dangerous. However things have moved on apace and this new compact model from Lakeland Ltd proved to be a joy and delight. The only downside is the necessity of now eating turkey curry two nights in a row so as not to be wasteful!!

Today the promised sun never materialised as it just couldn’t break through the fog. The ice on the canal reminded us of our winter exploits a year ago! We did manage a circular walk that ended up over three hours long, hampered as we were by sticky clay like mud underfoot for most of the walk. We also realised reading an ordance survey map is not condusive to marital harmony! Still the trek exhausted us and we felt like we had benefited from a good workout. We also enjoyed a couple of interesting sights….

We seem to have a few more neighbours in the marina. We met a lovely couple today who have, post retirement, been traveling the canal network since last June. She is Malaysian, not far from Kuala Lumpur so we had a chat about the church my grandfather got built there just over a century ago. It has become a national historical monument and is deep in the heart of the city surrounded by sky scrapers. The main reason it survived being demolished to make way for more tall office blocks was because, although my grandfather raised enough money to build the church, he could not afford to buy the land. So St Andrew’s stands on government land, rented by the church and cannot be touched by developers. This couple, due to changed circumstances, are in the process of selling their boat and returning to Malaysia. They had hoped to complete the entire canal network, a goal I wouldn’t mind setting for myself – only time will tell if it is achievable!

The internet connection here is a bit of a challenge but I managed to connect with my regular Friday afternoon group on Zoom followed by a Trickster bridge session with my daughter. Finally R and I watched a beautiful funeral service which took place in December – the mother of one of our friends, who suffered a severe stroke before covid and then faced a challenging couple of years. The tributes were heart warming and a reminder of what a blessing it is to have a loving family surrounding you. It is also testament to the nature of the one who has died, that they inspire such love because of the life they have led and the relationships they have nurtured over many years.