Bringing the boat into The Angel, Islington on Saturday was such a joy. The weather was sunny and warm and we were joined by our friend Lu and her dog who had come on our Paddington to Angel trip in July, so knew the ropes. Lu and R did sterling work at all the locks, whilst I just helmed in comfort! There wasn’t much traffic on the canals but there were plenty of spectators at all the locks, which made it a bit embarrassing when we realised a paddle was still up at one end when we were trying to fill the lock. Fortunately that mistake happens rarely – it is possible for pounds to be emptied by the misuse of the lock paddles enabling the water to run continuously through. You do feel a bit of a charley when you do something amiss. I still occasionally try to open the lock gates the wrong way, pushing instead of pulling. It’s a lack of concentration, which leaves you feeling rather stupid, especially in front of a crowd!
There were a couple of enthusiastic CRT volunteers chatting to people outside Victoria Park, engaging them to come and help look after the waterways. It is lovely to see how many people walk the towpath, enjoying the landscape which differs greatly from the bustling nearby streets. I am amazed by how quiet the towpath is overnight. Moored up in Islington, in the dead of night, we could be out in the country! My main concern is the frequent tinging of bicycle bells as cyclists speed along the towpath expecting pedestrians to move swiftly out of their path. They assume their bell will be heard whereas in reality some walkers are genuinely hard of hearing and some have headphones in place. If R is walking behind me and a cyclist is behind him, although I may hear the ring of the bell, I then have to guess whether R will move towards or away from the towpath edge and it’s not helpful if we move in opposite directions.
I got chatting to one of the CRT volunteers and when mentioning we were trying to run our boat as a prayer boat she thought this an excellent idea but wondered how anyone would know? My homemade bunting banner, made of waterproof fabric, had got rather curled up so I was trying to flatten it out under the weight of our anchor! I retied it to the side of the boat and am wondering if anyone will stop and chat or even notice it as they walk past. I need to dress up warmly and sit in our covered stern area reading a book – I don’t think anyone will actually knock on the door of they can’t see me!
Not that we have spent much time on the boat. It’s such a great opportunity to walk the streets and revisit old haunts of our youth. We found Myddleton Square, the flat we lived in when we first married, and went to an afternoon service on Sunday in the church that sits in the square. I cannot believe I never went into it before – surely if it had been open 35 years ago I would have gone there each Sunday? What’s not to like about a church you can reach in less than a minute. Our front doors were almost opposite each other! I think perhaps it was not in use then – a conondrum I would be interested to solve. The congregation were very friendly and hearing we were on a boat, introduced us to a young lady who had recently sold her narrowboat, but has an uncle who is a member of the St Pancras Cruising Club. She put us in touch with him, recommending that we go along to their Wednesday night social, where we will be pleasantly surprised at the price list – the best value pint in the locality. Having just paid £8 for a pint of beer in one of the Islington pubs, R is definitely up for the invitation!
Chapel market was fun to walk around and there was a lovely farmers market on Sunday morning where I indulged in some organic West country camembert. I drew a line at a small piece of vegan flan that was £6.50 a slice! Even accounting for inflated prices, one flan would net about £40!!
Lu had recommended we see Prima Facie, a live stream from the National Theatre. Spying a Vue cinema on Saturday afternoon I wandered in on the off chance there might be something of interest to watch. Prima Facie had one showing at 1830. I can’t say we enjoyed it. I had to walk around for an hour to decompress but it was superbly acted and certainly made one think. I was left reflecting on our responsibility to ourselves when it comes to the amount of alcohol we consume because, obviously, once we lose control of our senses, we become very vulnerable.
A few years ago R and I tried ballroom dancing – it was my way of thanking him for supporting me in all the Scottish dancing we have enjoyed over the years. Daughter Ho, remembering this, gave us tickets to a tea dance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Booked for last Monday, it was one of our reasons for getting to London beforehand. Little did she realise how unsuccessful our ballroom career had been. The first lessons, we missed a few, so by the end of the year, having not progressed, we decided to retake the beginner’s class. R was very good but I just never got the hang of it. By the end of year two, our friends were streets ahead of us and I just couldn’t face either repeating the beginner’s class or attempting the intermediary. Covid hit and our illustrious ballroom dancing ground to a halt! To be a fly on the wall, watching the footwork of those who can dance was a revelation! R, rightly decided, we should not join the throng. It would be embarrassing and we’d bump into other dancers. I did slightly regret that we hadn’t looked at YouTube to remind ourselves of a basic waltz or quick step (and I did remember I actually rather liked the rumba!) but can you imagine trying to practice on a narrowboat!! It was worth the visit just to see the beauty of the opera House.
We’ve had family come to visit since we’ve been moored here. A neice with her toddler, seemingly fearless of the water, so watchful eyes needed as we strolled the towpath. Then a cousin who I walked the Brighton to Eastbourne Macmillan challenge with a few years ago. For 26 miles we didn’t pause for breath, chatting continually. It was similar today. Although we didn’t walk so far, we certainly found a lot to talk about!
Our boat looked dinky moored alongside our companions on Saturday – a couple of widebeams and two 70ft narrowboats. We booked our mooring in advance and can stay up to a week. Run by the CRT, we have electric hookup, a watertap nearby and I even noticed a pumpout as we went through one of the nearby locks, so all mod cons! No fires allowed or running of the generator but as we have a small electric heater that isn’t a problem. We also have blanket hoodies to keep us warm. Not much of a fashion icon though! I noticed a big change in neighbours. The present boats are smaller, older, not so neat and tidy on the outside. It’s great to observe the constant changing of the boat’s around us and imagine the differing stories of the people within.
NarrowboatTLC 