Returned to the boat this afternoon after nearly three weeks away and it certainly takes some adjusting! Sitting atop the roof was a beautifully painted metal trough filled with flowers, a gift which we will treasure from S and G. Whilst away we have had two lots of friends using Naomhòg so she has continued to travel around the canal network and it’s fun to read the logbook as to where they’ve been and the adventures they have had. S and G arrived at the boat by train having left their car with us. This enabled us to drive directly to them without them having to get the boat to a pre-set destination and it was rather fun not knowing where the boat would be until the very last minute. Fortuitously they moored right outside a rather lovely pub that even has a small grocery shop where you can buy bread, milk and other basic essentials. As the nearest food shop is a mile down the road this is very helpful now that we no longer have our car nearby.
Quite depressing how much stuff we arrived with. Trying to travel light is harder than you think. I had the added complication of bringing summer clothes to the boat having forgotten how much clothing I had left behind previously. So we have rather a lot of clothes aboard all of which need storing until one of us takes the winter woolies home! Having just celebrated a birthday I also had some gifts to bring back, such as hard back novels, chocolates and toiletries. All very welcome but once again initially needing a home, whilst space is at a premium. It is all too easy to forget what is already on the boat and thus bring further unnecessary supplies. Car-less, we have to organise our essentials or risk running short of necessities, such as toilet paper, haha! Three weeks at home spoilt for space – if the boat is teaching us anything, it is how to be tidy!!
We’ve had a very busy time. From Naomhog we stayed a night with our friends in Cheshire before going north, close to Fort William, for our son’s wedding. A truly joyous occasion. Blessed with sun all week, in very typical Scottish fashion, it rained all of the Saturday, only for the sun to shine again on the Sunday!! It wouldn’t have been an authentic Scottish wedding any other way!!
Retuning south we visited Bromley to see Barry Humphreys in his one man show. Fond memories of my mum who loved Dame Edna so a bit of a trip down memory lane. Our car is still in need of the door being repainted so we returned it yet again to the garage and took off to St Mawes via train and ferry. It was a great way to travel, even at a bit of a distance. Armed with books and films the journey flew by and we then had three lovely days with our friends, enjoying the visual delights and plentious eateries of the cornish coast and all it has to offer, including a very steep hill that winded me the first time I walked up it. Not many hills on a towpath!! Thankfully muscle memory kicked in so I was taking it in my stride by the time we went home! According to my mother in law, guests and fish stink after three days – a good maxim to follow!
Both weekends we were in Farnham, happy to catch up with lots of friends so we have now returned to the boat for a rest! However nothing is smooth sailing so we have a couple of issues to sort. A few tiles popped off the wall behind the stove, which hasn’t been used in our absence so not sure why they should be loose. More worrying G said the engine started cutting out whilst idling at locks on Saturday – something we will have to look into pronto, although at least we now have breakdown cover in place!
NarrowboatTLC 