Author: Mary

Wednesday 17th February

A trip down memory lane! R wanted to visit the church known as the Cathedral of Milton Keynes so I found it on Google maps and off we went. First off, we passed MK hospital, less than a five minute walk from the boat. My last memory of here was linked to my one and only out of body experience. We moved to Deanshanger, 6 miles from MK, when we were first married and expecting our first child. She arrived very fast in the middle of the night at Milton Keynes Hospital. In fact so fast that I remember being on the ceiling looking down at her birth. She was a breach delivery and I was lucky to have her without a ceasarean being necessary. No time! She was tiny and early and popped out like a champagne cork!!

Next off we tried to follow the very simple grid system to get to the chuch but I still managed to muddle the horizontal and the vertical so that a half hour walk took nearer to 2! We passed a Sikh mosque which you don’t see very often, especially where we come from. And we did have a fortuitous break en route. I was beginning to feel a bit peckish, bemoaning my lack of forethought of bringing some food with us. Suddenly we saw a Zizzi which looked surprisingly open even though the opening hours said differently. A member of staff saw us peering through the window and came out with a menu. A truly welcome sight! We shared the most delicious vegetarian pizza, probably made more so by the quantity of cheese on top! I realised very early on in my pizza making days that, unless you use a substantial amount of cheese you are never going to emulate a restaurant bought pizza. Infact that is why I treat myself so rarely to a pizza – visions of what that cheese is doing to my internals. And I have to say, ever since my mother in law described a pizza as a cheese and tomato open sandwich!!

Fortified we continued on until reaching the ‘cathedral’ which, surprise surprise was shut. Or at least not open to the public. There was an open door but we think it might be being used as some sort of medical centre so didn’t venture in. We were intrigued to see that it was opened in 1992, 4 years after we left the area. That would explain why we don’t remember it, even though it is right next door to the main MK shopping area, which I remember very well! Or to be more precise, I remember John Lewis. If I paint the picture – we bought our first house in a small village called Deanshanger and so excited was I, I did not notice the artex on the walls that meant it was like being surrounded by a snowy icing scene from the top of a Christmas cake. We spent hours and hours trying to remove it from the walls in addition to renovating most of the house. Scenes such as nails being knocked into water pipes come to mind and the consequences thereof! I was heavily pregnant and knew noone. R was commuting to London so it was fair to say I was, when not exhausted from painting, bored of my own company. Many many an hour did I spend in JL buying things for our new home and the baby on the way. Many days I would just be looking, but it was such a novelty, after the traffic congestion of London, to hop in my bright red Nissan Micra and be at JL and this massive under cover shopping mall within a 10 minute car ride. In Surrey the ‘church’ of John Lewis has been replaced by the ‘church’ of Costco which has now been replaced by the ‘church’ of Elsan and all things boating!

James rang to talk about the boat repairs. The icy weather has delayed him a bit so we agreed to wait until after the vaccine date before we meet up. He knows our Marina well and could recommend the fastfood but said he thought it just as well the pub’s shut. Not only is the food a bit hit and miss but it sounds like some of the regulars are as well. J likes a game of darts so spying a dart board he asked for some darts and was told he is very welcome to bring his own but due to a dart throwing competition between pundits, rather than at the board, the pub had to remove all its own darts from the premises! Reminds me of our youngest moving into his big brother’s bedroom at the tender age of about 8 where there was a darts board at the head of the bed. I had hidden away all the darts and thought no more of it until the day after a friend of his came to tea. The mother approached me in the playground saying N had enjoyed coming to play but was full of fantastical tales. One being that P had got N to jump up and down on the bed whilst P tried to throw darts at the board. ‘It’s alright mum he said, because I had my glasses on and they took the hit!’. Unbeknownst to me P knew exactly where all the darts were. That story could have ended very differently! The same occasion N told his mum they had been on the trampoline unsupervised. Infact C, P’s older sister by 3 yrs, was watching but I realised how lax I became by the fourth child. Not helped when his friends were only children or top of the pile!

As it’s Ash Wednesday we had a reflective Zoom service and then in contrast, watched ‘Vera’ and an episode of ‘Mum’. Think we only have one episode of each left to view – we can give them up for Lent!

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Tuesday 16th February

Woke up with a feeling of excitement that we were soon going to be on the move. The ice all around the boat had melted and so we were able to set forth on a reasonably sunny day with a warmth on our back we had not felt for quite a few weeks. It warmed the soul and enabled us to relax and enjoy the hour’s meandering along the canal until we reached Peartree Marina. We passed a couple of chatty chaps along the towpath, one who warned us of more ice ahead. Obviously not all the canal was ice free, especially in areas with a large overhang of trees that prevented the sunlight penetrating through. I manoeuvred into the visitor mooring while R left the boat to check in. I then had to reverse the boat in order to go into our allotted space. Quite a fiddle but eventually we were settled, very near to the roadside – looking out the window we are right next to a Chinese takeaway, which is next to an Indian, both operating – no guesses as to what we will be tucking into! In addition the laundrette is alongside so it didn’t take me long to get a couple of loads into the wash. Bliss! I realised 3 out of 4 trousers were there which meant I was on to wearing my last clean pair. Such a relief when everything is clean and dry again. The marina is run by quite a cheeky chappy, very friendly. Sadly, when I asked him about a shower block he informed me a while ago he had had to evict someone who hadn’t paid him. This person promptly put some cement down the shower and the upshot is no facilities. I had to gently break the news to R that a full-size shower was a luxury he still had to forego and so within an hour we had run a bath with our engine generated (due to travelling) hot water, which resulted in even more clothes to get washed! Somehow the day passed in a flash and we didn’t even manage a walk to familiarise ourselves with our new surroundings. A phone call from the vaccination centre at home has R booked to have his Covid vaccine on Saturday 27th Feb. Yet another logistical challenge. However I think if we make our way slowly to Wolverton, which is only 3 hours travelling time, we can hire a car very near to the canal. A quick day trip to Farnham will enable us to take unneeded items on the boat home and we can pick up our post. A slow meander through MK over next week will enable us to explore some more of its parks close to the towpaths.

Had quite a lot to do, it being Shrove Tuesday! Batter had to be made and I had a lot of veg to prepare that would otherwise soon be on the turn. Though I say it myself, I cooked up a very tasty one dish meal. Leeks, aubergine and red pepper topped with a turkey leg and then slow roasted. I had a few deli olives in oil that I tipped in to give the veg a bit of a coating and I have to say the result was well worth the wait! Infact I thought the leg would do 4 portions but we managed to devour most of it in one sitting! R then chopped the bone in half and turkey stock was made on the wood burning stove throughout the evening. Meanwhile at 1730 I played bridge with daughter C and then at 2000 I played more bridge so by 2200 I was bridged out! Had managed to eat the turkey sanwiched between the bridge but the pancakes turned into a late night snack! Another ‘Mum’ episode. Only two to go – not sure what will replace it. So good to have some light hearted humour although this episode was rather bitter sweet and emotional.

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Monday 15th February

I really thought we’d be able to move today but R met a seasoned boater on the towpath who suggested waiting a further day or so as the ice was still extensive. Indeed a boat came through the lock in the direction of the Marina where we are headed and as it broke through the ice, it produced substantial sheets of cracked ice that crashed into other boats and pushed the moving boat off course. Another boater complained that the ice damage from the moving boat scarred his newly painted boat Hull. R decided we definitely should wait to see how the canal is looking tomorrow. So off we went on yet another walk to forage for some wood and both of us carried substantial sized logs back, according to our size!

Opened the midway hatch as it was so warm and got chatting to a lady walking the towpath with her teenage son, who was on half-term. I offered them tea but they declined and said maybe on their return. Then a neighbour came to tell R the fuel boat wouldn’t be through for 3 weeks, because it was stuck behind a closed lock, and did we want to share in a delivery of 20 bags. Unfortunately we will probably be on our way before it arrives but we should be able to pick coal up at the Marina.

P and her son G returned and we got into a long chat about the increased depression that has surfaced during the pandemic and how stressful some jobs are. She works in the property sector and her heart is in social, rather than private housing, and being able to make a difference to the quality of people’s lives. She would value a job that allowed her more time to spend with her son. We talked about how vital it is to find support when life is tough and reflected on the benefits of CBT. There’s a very good book called Mind Over Matter, that a friend recommended to me to read, which helps in the understanding of the various therapies available which can help retrain the mind when we are affected by depression or anxiety. I also think, whatever your belief system, reading some of the Psalms from the Bible, can bring comfort and hope. I am always amazed at the emotions covered by the psalmist and how they had feelings identical to those we face today. There’s really nothing new under the sun!

It took R quite a long time to saw the wood but we certainly have a good stack and hopefully won’t go through it so quickly as the weather is set to warm up. What R noticed while the canal was frozen was that the swans, Canada geese and moorhens disappeared, probably to the river, whilst the songbirds were still busy nearby, looking for berries off the trees. Tonight the swans were back in evidence which hopefully means we will not have much ice left by tomorrow.

Had a very amusing chat with my friend F who was telling me about her daughter C (my goddaughter) living in Germany, who is ‘walking out’. A very old fashioned expression. Apparently it is all the rage to ‘walk out’ with a potential suitor that you meet via internet dating. C decided to meet 3 different men in the same week for the first time so that she could then decide which one to have further dates with. As there is nothing to do at the moment but walk she ended up losing a stone in weight over a month from so much exercise! Wish I could say the same. Elasticated trousers and no mirror to hand is not helping me control my waistline. I’m in so many layers I have no idea what my body looks like any more! And as for wearing a skirt or a dress, make up or jewellery, all out of the window at present. There really seems very little point. R gets the smart clothing award for still donning a tie every Sunday. I think in the whole of lockdown I can only remember two or three Sundays when he hasn’t actually dressed up. At home he even used to wear a jacket as well. December 2019 we were very spoilt to be asked to go on holiday to St Lucia on a yacht. I still remember the look of amazement on our host’s face when R stepped onto the dingy in a very smart jacket and tie, whilst I was in shorts and tee shirt. We had the opposite at our wedding. We were married in the days when traditionally the bride and groom changed before leaving the wedding reception for their honeymoon. I think it was just a ruse to buy another lovely frock. I spent a long time finding just the right outfit for the occasion. R meanwhile donned an open necked shirt and looked extremely casual! Remarks were made and not even from me. Perhaps that’s why he now makes such an effort with ties!

Finished the first series of Unforgotten which was OK although R thought it a bit mushy at the end and we couldn’t quite work out all the red herrings in the plot. I never can!

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VULNERABILITY

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139. 1-4, 13

I remember being told no one has a normal upbringing because what is normal? We are all parented by parents who think their way of bringing up children is normal because it’s what they know from their own upbringing. Then you have the nature versus nurture debate – I must say I am a sucker for all the differing personality analysis whether it be Myers Brigg, the eneagram or the swedish one I read about recently based on colour coding! Not only can you understand yourself better, you can also understand your partner, family, friends and work out why they approach life’s challenges differently to you!

As we go through life our experiences, good and bad, not only can result in us masking our true feelings, but can lead to us putting on layers and layers of armour in which to protect ourselves from perceived attack. Our learned behaviour leads us to give answers we think other people want to hear, rather than being true to ourselves and what we are feeling.

Let me tell you a story. A couple of years on from R’s accident we went on holiday with about four other families. I was at a very low ebb, feeling like I had 5 children instead of 4, and was just exhausted. One night, I broke down, feeling like I couldn’t go on and that life was not worth living. In retrospect, all very normal considering the pressures I was facing at the time. However a few years later one of the couples went through an acrimonious divorce and my friend S, asked me if I would accompany her to court as a supportive friend. Her husband at court, took one look at me and declared that, owing to my feelings of despair a few years before, I was unstable and not a reliable person to be speaking on behalf of his soon to be ex-wife. What did this teach me? That some people have long memories and are waiting to kick you down! Yet I see vulnerability as essential if I am going to connect properly with someone else. Indeed I would say before R’s accident people probably thought I was rather unapproachable because I didn’t look like I had many problems of consequence so wouldn’t be a good listening ear.

I think showing our vulnerability, in a safe space, enables us to connect more effectively with others, to listen and empathise and actively support. No one likes to think they are coping with life less well than someone else. The truth is, unless we are superhuman, we all have down days, days when we struggle and can’t quite see the point of everything. Being able to share those thoughts, removing our ‘coping masks’ and showing our vulnerability enables others to do the same. But offering your vulnerable side to another person is a precious gift that should not be abused by the receiver. I learnt my lesson from the story above. Not everyone on that holiday was a safe pair of hands in which to let down my guard. It also taught me to be extra careful with the confidences people share with me. We all have our fragile moments and as grateful as I am to my very good friends who are prepared to listen to me, I am also immensely grateful that I can talk to a God who knows me inside out and from my very beginning.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
Psalm 139. 14-18

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Sunday 14th February

Valentines Day. I got a lovely card from R – he’d had to cross out ‘birthday’ and change the words but the sentiment was there. All I had for him was heart shaped pasta! And we did start the day with heart shaped crumpets covered in nut butter and banana – delicious!

The cold still prevailed as we went walking for an hour at midday. Any hopes that the temperature may have risen by then were dashed, not helped when I discovered that I had two right handed gloves in my pocket – quite tricky I discovered to wear a right handed glove on the left hand! Greggs was open so R treated himself to a pie whilst I had a flatwhite from their automatic machine. I had to say it was a delicious cup of coffee and I reflected how snobby I am about a bought cup of coffee having to be made by a barista. Sometimes the coffee is better from a machine that has great tasting coffee beans programmed to the perfect strength! And it was hot enough!

The afternoon passed quickly by as I concentrated on writing a sermon for next Sunday’s morning service at our home church on ‘the pain of rejection’. (that’s the subject, rather than a threat!) The plan is that I will deliver it live from the boat whilst the Zoom service is in progress. Be interesting to see if the technology works. As a backup I have also prerecorded it and feel relieved that I managed to get it finished in one afternoon. I never can tell how many hours a sermon is going to take to put together. It starts with a lot of rumination and then lots of jotted ideas which somehow need to be disseminated and put into a semblance of order, all the while bearing in mind what points you are trying to get across, in a relatively short space of time – Zoom attention span is limited!

Fell into watching a detective series called ‘Unforgettable’ which we found engaging enough to watch 3 episodes on the trot! They were interspersed with a couple of video calls, one rather surreal one with our son in Mexico en route to the States for work. And then a rather late, but very happy call, with my brother and sister in law, to wish her Happy 70th Birthday. I mention the time because we had a half bottle of champagne ready to drink for Valentines Day which i thought it would be nice to use to toast my sister in law, therefore we needed to be on the call with her. As the evening grew on I did wonder if I would get my celebratory drink – R by then was on to whisky mac so unconcerned!

What a great way D had celebrated. My brother had suggested to their daughter, A, the people her mum would like a chat with and A had contacted them all and arranged time slots. She then set up a Zoom with 4 screens, one for the Birthday girl, 2 for her children and one for the guests, who changed every 10 minutes. A bit like speed dating, instead you’re reminiscing over your friendship of anything up to 70 years duration! Must have been rather tiring but what a lovely idea. Earlier in the day their son, who lives nearby, dropped off a food parcel with all the food prepared for their celebratory evening meal and instructions for my bro as to how to cook it. Then they had a family Zoom meal sharing a similar menu! (although daughter A and husband, living further away with no access to food parcel, made do with a great big steak instead!). D had had a wonderful birthday and once again I reflect on the wonders of technology. If you were to have a great big party with all your special family and friends attending you probably would not get the same quality contact time with each person that D achieved yesterday. And she had no post party clearing up!!

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Saturday 13th February

Today, Heather has revolutionized my life by teaching me how to talk to the screen so that the text will appear rather than me typing with one finger! It is trial and error and I am having to speak very slowly and clearly!

The canal is icy and the air feels colder than yesterday. Nevertheless we felt it was a good day for a picnic so we dressed up warmly, filled a thermos with hibiscus tea (good for the blood pressure and absolutely delicious!) for me and beer for R and headed to the nearby lake with wraps filled by R and chocolate biscuits. Often R is very frugal with his filling but today they oouzed with humous and cucumber and were a very welcome addition to the bracing walk. We normally go out without any sustenance but a hot drink makes such a difference, added to the fact it reminds me of mum and dad. Thermos’s were part and parcel of any outing. I can still remember sitting on the backseat of our car one Dorset holiday and a thermos tipping over without the lid properly secured. I spent the rest of the holiday having my buttock regularly dressed for the burn, with the dressing being attached by sellotape. Some memories are never wholly forgotten!

Returning to the boat I had a very encouraging conversation regarding setting up a zoom support group in our local town for parents with their first babies. I think it must be so difficult to navigate your way around the plethora of conflicting advice available online – so many opinions, leaving young mums confused and anxious as to whether they are doing the best for their baby. The usual support networks of meeting other parents in the same boat and building friendships is not available at present. If our church can do something to help alleviate the problems arising from the pandemic restrictions and support mums in the community I think it could be an exciting venture. A friend of mine, a retired GP, is keen to help me facilitate a group and A, the new mum I spoke with today, is going to ask around to enquire of her friends if it would interest them or anyone they know. When I think back to the stress involved getting myself and our first baby out of the house in time for a specific event, I see the advantage of a Zoom gathering. Mums connecting but in the comfort of their own homes. As life gets easier and restrictions ease, they can then arrange to meet, say in the park, or for a coffee, but I actually think Zoom technology could have its place in those early fraught days of parenthood.

If you read yesterday’s blog, I mentioned a journalist called Katherine Whitehorn. My brother has just informed me that her maternal grandfather was a great friend of my grandfather, both Presbyterian ministers. Such a small world! I also like the fact she wrote a cookbook in the 60s for those living in a bedsit, with just one gas ring. Could really do with a copy on the boat!

We had a lovely evening chatting as a couple with two other couples, but in separate Zoom calls, so in each call as a four we were really able to catch up on news. It also gives an opportunity in a safe space for things to get aired that might otherwise be simmering under the surface. Often the issues can be diffused through laughter and understanding of shared experiences. We retired to bed feeling uplifted after good humour and supportive chat reminding us why keeping good friendships nurtured is so important, especially in a lockdown.

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HOSPITALITY

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” …
Hebrews 13.2

I was challenged by this verse last Sunday when tuned into the Radio 4 morning worship which was coincided with the Chinese New Year. Thousands of refugees from Hong Kong are planned to come to the UK within the next twelve months (obviously complicated by the pandemic) and hospitality is needed to help them settle. So the challenge is, ‘what is my response’ and ‘what can be done to help?’ Being away, in the midst of Covid restrictions, I don’t have a ready answer but it did get me thinking about what it means to offer hospitality.

Those of you who know R and me know that we have an open door house sort of policy, which we both grew up with and we love nothing more than fellowship around a table laden with food and friends, or strangers! Lockdown has been very quiet and strange in that respect although I haven’t missed the quantity of washing-up that used to pile up when we had large gatherings, which over the years was relatively often.

Talking of strangers reminds me of when a friend of mine, before sat nav and google maps, decided to cycle the length of Britain and only had a small window of time to do this which coincided with very very wet weather. After a couple of days she entered a small village shop absolutely soaking, to buy a new map as hers had disintegrated in the rain and she was on the point of returning home by train as her spirits were so low. The owner of the shop took one look at her, offered her food, a bed for the night and dried all her belongings. The next day, fortified by the unexpected kindness of a stranger, she continued on her way and completed her cycle ride.

Inspired by this story, not long after, we were walking into our town for a meeting one evening when we spied this amazing vintage motorbike with sidecar, a la Wallace and Grommet. A lady was sitting on it and across the road her partner was enquiring at the local hotel if they had a room for the night. I suggested to R that we offer them a bed so he went to the man and said that if they were waiting for us at 10pm on our return from the town they could come and stay with us for the night. Low and behold, two hours later there they were! Asking if they had sleeping bags they started rummaging around and I realised they were buried deep in their side car so I told them not to worry and made up a bed for them. We then had a couple of really interesting hours chatting to them. They were professors from a university in southern Germany who had been visiting Cornwall and were en route home. They left very early the next morning, refusing breakfast, which made me grateful they hadn’t had to spend a fortune for one night in a hotel not even staying long enough for food!

Our other hospitable story involves 5 photographic students from India, studying at our local university for a month. I happened to be in the church office when a request came through for urgent accommodation as the university had no space for them. We ended up having all 5 and what joy they brought into our house for that brief time. Such that when we were asked to do the same 18 months later with a further 4 students, we readily agreed. The students were from differing areas of India and we know if ever we were to visit we would receive a warm welcome. Reflecting back on all the various students, au pairs, lodgers we have had over the years, we realise they have enriched our lives and we have probably gained more from them than they from us. A blessing indeed.

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Friday 12th February

I am really getting thin on the ground for news. The canal is still frozen so movement on the canal is sparse – not even the occasional narrowboat passing to get to the water supply and Elsan. We were surprised to see that the swan had not moved from her position on the ice since the previous evening and when at last she did skate away, she left her imprint on the ice which you can just make out in the photo.

I have been asked to do a talk at church on ‘the pain of rejection’ so I spent a couple of hours thinking about the subject and jotting down ideas. I normally write on a laptop but in the absence of that I either will write it out by hand or type it with one finger into my phone, just as I do with the blog. It really is very slow! We are waiting for the ice to melt so that we can move to the Marina, which is also next to the nearest laundrette. Our pile of dirty clothes grows larger by the day. Reminds me of an obituary I read recently of a journalist called Katherine Whitehorn who was the first female journalist employed by The Observer. She obtained notoriety in the 50s by calling herself a slut and not for the usual reason – she was referring to the fact that sometimes she was so disorganised that she ran out of clothes and had to resort to rummaging through the laundry basket using the sniff test to find the cleanest dirty thing to put on! We are not far off that on the boat I sometimes feel. Certainly if the weather forces us to stay put until Monday we will be running short of a few bits and pieces!

Our exercise today took in the small Sainsbury’s at Dobbies garden centre and then I went into Aldi whilst R waited patiently outside in the cold. However hard I try I just can’t rush Aldi – I think its the excitement of the middle aisles just not knowing what you may find! Heart shaped crumpets and heart shaped pasta coupled with a bottle of bubbly means we can celebrate Valentines Day in style, although I haven’t got R a card. Not much else on tomorrow – I can always make one!! I was also tickled to get a bottle of Gin called ‘Quick’. Sadly missing the ‘e’ but enough to remind me of a good friend with a similar name. When I came out the shop R had a rucksack full of coal which he had spied outside Iceland and had purchased whilst I had taken my time in Aldi. I had little sympathy for him having to carry it home as I had kept suggesting we get more sacks so as not to risk running short when the bad weather sets in. The passing fuel boat means coal is delivered to the door, or prow as they say, and it was recommended we purchase a lot of bags back in December! Now the ice is here it will be a while before a fuel boat passes but all is not lost as we should be able to stock up in the Marina.

The regular Friday afternoon Zoom call got us wondering if we could do a wine tasting together whilst apart. The challenge would be getting hold of the same bottles since geographically we are spread out with differing supermarkets. Amazon locker is an option for us, those yellow metal boxes you see often outside filling stations and I did see them at Dobbies today, but too late for us to make use of. Eyebrows may be raised if we ask for a delivery direct to the Marina. After all, a wine tasting calls for quite a few bottles. On rereading this I am beginning to think it not such a good idea with only 2 participants for all that wine. Especially with the season of Lent coming up. I did suggest to R we gave up alcohol but that did not go down well – his regular whisky is a big treat at the end of the day. Small pleasures I think are essential to getting us all through this latest lockdown. Am hoping he may give up the cigarillos instead. Being a weekend smoker, lines become blurred for R as every day is a Saturday! Another pleasure for some, I discovered on the Zoom, was face cream and other such lotions and potions. Again I realised how feral I am becoming on the boat. There’s only one mirror, I look in it as infrequently as possible and once I decide to go to bed I do so without delay and needless to say I slap onto my face whatever is to hand. I am sure this relaxed attitude will be evident when we next manage to see one another face to face!

We started watching the new Tom Hanks Western ‘News of the World’ which reminded R of an old John Wayne film with a similar storyline. I must say it’s a good few years since I have watched a western (in childhood I think there wasn’t much else on a Saturday afternoon apart from sport!) and this one, although good, seemed particularly long. We still have the final 40minutes to finish as my eyes just got too tired. Screen overload.

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Thursday 11th February

Ice on the canal has us frozen! What a relief we moved the boat yesterday for water. We turned on the engine early to get some heat in the boat as I had a Zoom at 10am for an hour. Wrapped in a blanket with a hot water bottle, I attended a Zoom all about the prophetic. Christian prophets have attracted much publicity this past year, especially in America, prophesying about political outcomes and also in respect of Covid. My own interest is far more localised – how we can hear from God and share positive words or pictures with others to offer God’s encouragement and hope in a dark, lonely world. Still amazes me that we can meet each other from any corner of the globe to share thoughts and ideas without having to leave the comfort of our armchair! We do actually have an armchair as well as a long three seater sofa on the boat. I tend to use the armchair as a depository for my excess clothing depending on temperature and coolness of extremeties, much to R’s frustration. He likes everything hung up or put away whereas I think I might need it again later in the day so what’s the point?!

Timing our walk by the weather app, we walked along the towpath after lunch and were surprised to see the ice was still intact. It certainly confused the moorhens and swans who were gingerly trying to move around. One Swan looked to be asleep just beside our boat. There was also a log sitting on the ice in the middle of the canal which looked rather strange! Detouring away from the towpath in search of a postbox we found ourselves in a delightful village, I think called Wroughton. A beautiful church and many thatched cottages in among the usual plethora of modern houses which we associate with MK. Returning back along the towpath we found a lot of wood which we carried for a good half mile – good for the bingo flaps!

Back on the boat I kept warm, until the stove kicked in, with some Joe Wicks exercises. If I am going to regularly help carry the foraged wood I need to keep my strength up! It’s a new take on ‘taking the dog for a walk’ – how much wood we can find and carry adds immense pleasure to a walk that might otherwise just be a walk!

My afternoon Zoom (busy Zoom day!) was very applicable as I joined a group of people discussing where we get our identity from – is it linked to how much we do and achieve or can it come from our just being? And in that being, can we draw closer to God and recognise we are his children? Applicable for R and me as we age and slow down and take ourselves off on a narrowboat for 6 months! I was watching a new chick flick film just out on Netflix tonight and was taken by one line basically saying ‘if you live at so fast a pace how can you see what’s in front of you’. For years I lived on a run, forever thinking about the next thing to do and not really appreciating the moment I was in. It’s a challenge for me to stay in the moment accepting boredom as a choice. Appreciating silence and sitting with one’s inner thoughts is not always easy. We are so used to a cacophony of sound all the time, if we so desire. It reminds me of long stretches of boredom growing up in a village with few children around and certainly no after school activities! I spent hours swinging on the swing in our garden. Once I could read I got lost in the world of books which is a pleasure I still enjoy and sometimes wonder what life would be like without them.

R joined the physics lecture on Zoom he has been enjoying over the past few weeks whilst I wrote my blog. I have come to realise that there are some things I just do not understand, Einstein’s theory of special relativity being one of them and that’s OK!

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Wednesday 10th February

Started the day with a Zoom ‘Breathe’ chat. A get together of a mix of people just wanting some company. We used to meet weekly at St Andrew’s Church and would combine art, food and chat. Now we are just able to chat but hopefully the time will come when we can gather together and enjoy being creative as well as sharing a meal again. This morning one of the group was reminiscing about the fun and friendship she shared over 35 years as part of a caravan club. Not dissimilar living to a narrowboat and certainly the same basic life challenges of finding food, water, waste disposal etc. It reminded me of the first caravan my parents owned in the early 50’s, before my day! But my older brother and sister remember travelling to Norfolk in the caravan and en route there was a puncture. Dad parked up in a lay by, left mum in the caravan and returned home with my siblings to get a replacement tyre. Meanwhile mum awoke in the morning to knocking on the caravan door and a line of truckers, thinking she was a tea van, in search of breakfast!

There were many caravan stories but I remember the last caravan coming to rest in our garden to be used as mum’s dried flower studio (she pressed bridal bouquets and made pictures out of the dried flowers). It had hardly arrived when there was an enormous storm and a tree crashed through the middle of the caravan wrecking it! No more caravans after that!

Trust our water tank to be empty on one of the coldest looking of days. We had no choice but to reverse the boat through the lock. R was all for doing it in the morning when the snow was falling but I persuaded him, after looking at the weather forecast, to wait until after lunch, when the sun was due to shine. I had to go and hunt for my glasses which for some strange reason i have not felt the need to wear for the past 3 days. Although bi-focals, I can see the telephone screen perfectly well and it hasn’t seemed a problem not seeing clearly in the distance. Perhaps because I no longer am driving a car! Felt the need to find them before steering the boat though! Sure enough, a blue sky emerged and we managed without any blue words emerging to reverse the boat through an expansive layer of thin ice, to the lock and then the water tap. P and Pixie the dog were there so we had a brief chat whilst R sorted the Elsan. Refuelled and refreshed, it was a doddle returning to our mooring, although a palaver for a lock that only moves water a depth of 11inches and yet also has a heavy swing bridge to manoeuvre every time a boat goes through!

It was such a beautiful afternoon that we locked the boat and walked in the direction of all the big stores, such as IKEA. It looked open but I think there was just a click and collect option. A bit further and we arrived at the MK football stadium and an enormous 24hr Asda Wallmart. The food section was open but the majority of the store looked closed off. The near empty carparks everywhere brought home the impact of this lockdown on the retail sector. Adjoining the stadium was a cinema and string of restaurants, all closed. There was still a fair amount of traffic to dodge as we crossed the dual carriageways. Made trickier by returning home with some long and slightly cumbersome foraged wood!

Watched a 1980s Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine film, called Mona Lisa, which was rather gritty and sad. Also amazing to see how much London’s skyline has changed in 40 years! And no mobiles, just bleepers and telephones and very cumbersome computers!