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The end of February is a time of celebration in our house – our boys born a day apart on 24th and 25th (but 9yrs age difference!) followed by our wedding anniversary on 28th. Also, being the shortest month, suddenly we are into March and the joy of the promise of spring. However this year is tempered by the events unfolding between Russia and the Ukraine which reminds me what a big place the world is and how small we are. Another area of conflict in our already battered world. My hope comes from believing and trusting in a God who is alongside us in all the suffering and the belief that one day “there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. I am making everything new.” (Revelation 21:4). It reminds me how important it is ‘not to sweat the small stuff’, to live each new day with gratitude and to show kindness wherever we can.

This evening, at the Farnham Filling Station we sang a favourite worship song of mine, the lyrics of which I have paraphrased here as they seem so apt for a time such as this:

“When all foundations have been shaken, When I’m left standing in the dark and all I feel is my heart breaking, You still reign and You’re still God. And when it feels all hope has faded, the heavy questions hit so hard, and though my soul may feel forsaken, You still …….. Though I can’t see what’s before me I know that I can trust Your heart. This one truth will be my story: You still …… When my enemies surround me I’ll trust the victory of Your cross and fix my eyes upon You Jesus, for You are God and I am not. You are good and You are faithful, as You have been from the start. You’re working all things for Your glory because You still reign and You’re still God.”

It was the last Farnham Filling Station so a bittersweet evening. It’s always hard letting go of things that have been in our lives for a long time. FFS has been a monthly meeting of like minded local christians, gathering together to worship and hear from God and then go back refreshed to their everyday lives trying to follow God’s will. A decade on and those in the leadership team feel called to pastures new. The exciting thing is what may come next. It has been a tremendous journey seeing people grow in faith and certainly for R and I it is the bedrock that has led us to this place of canal ministry, in whatever form it takes.

But back to practicalities. Before you think I’ve become holier than thou, let me tell you of my past week and how in my own strength I certainly didn’t practice what I preach! We have just had one of the most stressful jobs to do on the boat which, it transpired had to be done by me, because R is too tall! I would very much call it a ‘blue’ job and there is a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing I have managed to accomplish it but only with sleepless nights and stress leading to my short fuse very much evident in our daily life! To name it: the renovation of the integral onboard watertank!

My last blog talked about the derusting process, accompanied but not too hindered by Storm Eunice. We then had a great break away from the job, visiting very long standing friends on the Isle of Wight. Luckily the ferries were running and although they had experienced record breaking winds, by the time we arrived all was calm and the sun mainly shone so we had seaside walks and plenty of fresh air. Back to reality on Wednesday when we had to apply the first of the coats of epoxy anti rust resin to the water tank. Never having used this medium before I was ill prepared for how difficult it would be! I had been warned by R, who had worked in the industry for fifteen years, that it doesn’t stay liquid for long – it was a race against time. Then we realised that although we had used up two thirds of the resin we still had about half the tank to coat. It was like the feeding of the five thousand. Somehow we managed to make the remaining resin stretch to cover all surfaces but I have no idea how!!

Our next challenge was getting the coating fully dry before applying the second coat, which needed to be done yesterday, so that the third and final top coat could be applied today, before we left the boat for the weekend. Fortunately we had an electric blow heater which helped speed the drying process but I had to lay bin liners on the floor so that I could ease myself gently into the tank and paint without sticking myself to the previous coating! All very tricky. Luckily I had a beanie hat to protect my hair because the hat was covered in the resin from the ceiling by the time I had finished. As were my clothes. The top coat is sky blue and everywhere over the boat we kept finding smudges on the furniture and deck, which had rubbed off from my clothing, hands and feet. Luckily we had a great big bottle of solvent (similar to nail varnish remover) which we applied liberally. Eventually the job was finished (although now I have to repaint the deck floor surrounding the tank!) and I have to say I feel a great sense of achievement. I really did wonder, part way through the process, if I was up to the task and felt slightly panicked that if I didn’t do it, who would? So I had no option than to keep going even when I thought it was beyond me. Amazing what a bit of grit and determination can achieve without other available options! (For example, I still can’t lay and light any type of fire because R does it so well that I have never had to persevere – this may change if I’m alone on the boat one day and feeling rather chilly!).

A quick reassurance that we survived storm Eunice – we were touched to have messages asking if we are ok so I thought letting you know via the blog was the easiest way to do this. More importantly I hope everyone reading this was not too affected by the storm. Via our home road WhatsApp group I realise there were power cuts to contend with and I heard that quite a few trees fell, one very tragically killing a young man from a nearby town. I am always struck by the power of devastation that the weather can reek and then how quickly the storm passess, the rain or snow ceases and the sun comes out, the sky turns blue and all is calm once again. Yet the aftermath of the inclement weather can change lives permanently and in an instant nothing is ever the same.

So as I write this the rain is pouring down outside but the wind has died down and the boat gently rocks. Yesterday, my third and final day of preparing the water tank for painting (managed to fill two carrier bags of rust from the inside of the tank!), we then rinsed the surfaces with clean water and have to wait for the cavity to dry out. We put an oil filled radiator inside the tank overnight to help with this but during the afternoon we made great use of the wind by opening the fabric bow sides of Naomhòg and air drying the cavity. The only downside was the noise – it was very unsettling hearing the constant howling of the wind. It especially unnerved R as it reminded him of the days when he was landlord of a light industrial site with some pre fab buildings dating back to just after the war. He was always anxious as to how they would survive the inclement weather and how many roofs he would have to fix at the end of a storm!

Today we were going to start the process of painting the tank, firstly with the anti rust coating. By the time we had finished reading the instructions we decided to wait for drier weather and for a clear couple of days so that we can get all the coats applied together. I keep waking up at night anxious about the task ahead. Part A and Part B of the resin needs to be mixed together thoroughly but fast because once mixed there is a window of about 20-30 minutes to apply the coating before it hardens. It’s one thing moving around a small cavity knowing you can touch the sides and get covered in rust. It’s quite another working out how to work fast without touching sides that are now wet with drying epoxy resin. You have to be a bit of a contortionist. For once I wish I was even smaller than I am or had an accomplice who likes painting and is under 5ft!

We’ve entertained, or should I say educated ourselves this week by watching a four part series on BBC iPlayer called ‘The Victim’ (2019) which we found thought provoking but also a little unsettling. I am also in the process of reading a book about the life of a German man called Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which is heavy going but well worth persevering with partly as it explains the history of WWII from a German perspective. It is also helping me to understand where the persecution of the Jews originated from, something that I always found baffling.

Peace – the rain has stopped so I can venture forth to the shower block! Alternatively I could probably get just as wet by putting on my swimming costume and standing in the rain as more is forecast later! Even the sun is now shining – so British, when there’s not alot to say to end up talking about the weather!

I’m not sure Monday was my most romantic of valentine’s days – a lot of it was spent in a small hole, 2ft by 5ft and 3ft deep – namely our boat water tank! Anyone who has ever done this job says it is a once in a lifetime experience. I had been pre-warned by watching a You tube video on ‘how to derust your steel watertank’ and even though in my book it is a definite ‘blue job’ (apologies for being sexist) in reality there are few men who can fit inside a small sized watertank, especially R at 6ft 3″! For those who are not familiar with this subject, on purchasing Naomhòg I was a little perturbed to read that ‘boats with integral steel water tanks should be painted on the inside every 4 or so years to prevent the build-up of rust’. On asking the previous owners if they had ever done this they said ‘no’, which came as a slight surprise as they have been meticulous about most of the boat maintenance. Perhaps, because they didn’t drink from it, they didn’t feel it was an issue. I meanwhile, with my vivid imagination, had visions of a rusty tank that would eventually rot and leak and we’d sink! So with the tank still dry from being emptied as a protection against freezing I suggested to R now was as good a time as any to look inside. Much easier said than done. The screws had been painted over and even after we managed to remove them the 1m square lid was firmly stuck. It required a hammer and crowbar and the extra muscle of our eldest son G, who happened to be passing en route with his fiancée to Scotland last Saturday. We did reward them with lunch, after a blowy and muddy walk to the local pub – we had hoped to take them on Naomhòg, but R decided the wind was to strong and we might have difficulty returning to our mooring (we are learning that you can’t be too prescriptive about how you spend your day on the boat – all sorts of obstacles get thrown at you).

However we were pleasantly surprised that the tank did not look nearly as dire as I had imagined, for its 15 years of age, and I resolved to set about the task of pinging off as much rust as possible with a metal scraper. Fortunately I have discovered I am not claustrophobic, nor am I too big to wiggle around inside the tank to attack all five surfaces. A very useful beanie hat with an integral light ensured that I had plenty of illumination and that my hair did not get too rust laden. The rest of my clothes bore the brunt of a very messy job so I am wearing the same ones each time I enter the dark hole to complete the task. I expect they’ll end up in the bin! Trying to work with protective googles and a mask is nigh on impossible because the glasses steam up and you can’t see a thing! However I have upgraded both mask and googles in a recent trip to Screwfix as I don’t think my swimming goggles are really up to the task! Still after two long sessions I thought I was nearly through when I made the mistake of asking someone else’s opinion. I was told to get flappers (not the 1920 variety!) on to a drill end and get the surface well prepared, which I thought meant shiny steel which would have taken me forever! Then I rang P who is going to supply the anti rust coating and the top coat, which should keep the tank good and the water suitable to drink for over a dozen odd years provided I have prepared the surfaces adequately. His advice is that I have to pop all the small rust pockets (like acne says R!) so the rusty water escapes. Then I use the flappers to remove the loose rust, leaving a pitted surface for the rust protection to adhere to. That doesn’t sound quite as difficult as getting back to the bare metal, so that’s my job for tomorrow! P was incredibly helpful so anyone reading this who has a watertank to maintain look up Specialist Coatings GB Ltd!

The job also requires a wet/dry vacuum as the watertank after prep needs to be clean and dry. I wasn’t going to bother with a vacuum on Naomhòg as the floor space is minimal and a brush suffices. Also, where do I store it – not a top priority for my precious boat space. Still, hiring one would be nearly as costly as buying one and R didn’t want to ask to borrow from another boater in case we wrecked it, so a compact K’archer arrives tomorrow. It could be useful for keeping the bilge pump area dry – R spent half an hour with a mop and bucket this morning drying the engine bay due to the plentiful rainfall over the past couple of days. Hopefully when we have our new outside cover that won’t be such a problem.

Monday wasn’t all work and no play. We met a lovely couple, S and A, who we had been put in touch with by a friend who thought we would get along well. They are living on a narrowboat nearby, having returned from Africa a couple of years ago, and having a distinct message that they feel this is what God wants them to do. So they are exploring what kind of Christian ministry awaits them. I got the impression, through their amazing life story, that they have always been ‘doers’ and now they feel Good is asking them just ‘to be’. To wait and see what he has in store for them and that that is ok. So often we feel guilty if we are not achieving something every minute of every day. I think it’s ok to rest. To take time out and try to figure out what life is about. As I get older I see time as a gift and each new day hopefully has a moment when we can ‘stop and stare’. I know I spent over 40 years rushing around like a headless chicken!! Yet it can be equally hard to allow oneself to do nothing – time to think can be uncomfortable. Perhaps that is why we often have constant noise around us from a radio or TV for when we have time and silence to think, subdued thoughts rise to the surface, which we may not want to deal with. Yet I think resolving inner conflicts can be of benefit when witnessed by other people as well as a blessing to oneself.

So today we have had time to think – a day off from the watertank as the weather beckoned us to go for a walk and get some much needed exercise. It was a bit windy at times but we enjoyed walking around a local resorvoir called Draycote Water. It was £3 for two hours parking or £5 all day. We decided if we walked fast we could get round the five miles in two hours and infact did it in an hour and a half, thus having enough time to enjoy the Draycote cafe!

A month since I last updated the blog – our last visit must have been rather uninspiring not to write anything about it, once we had unpacked and settled in! I seem to remember dry cold days, warmth from the stove, with enough heat produced that I didn’t once need to cook with the gas cooker, thus being more economical. I used the stove top for everything, even improvising it as an oven by using an upturned loaf tin to encase food baking on a metal tray. We survived and there was minimal washing up! Am thinking of writing a one-pot cookbook for those mad enough to want to live in tiny spaces! We also managed to live with no running water aboard, using the marina facilities as much as necessary. Even so we were amazed at how many times we had to refill our 5L water containers – it makes one think how much we take our running water for granted and what a precious resource it is. Rising gas prices is one worry – how much more problematic if we all have to deal with a severe water shortage. Still, looking at tomorrow’s weather forecast, I don’t think that’s an imminent problem!

It was a bit of a working week, broken up with a lovely visit from our friends H and J – the very same couple we were with when R had covid and the rest of us managed to escape it, back in November. It was an icy day and we had thought to take the boat for a spin, which we did literally. Instead of a peaceful, chilled outing along the cut, as we left our mooring we watched a thin layer of ice crack all around us. It was fun to watch  but we also realised there was little point travelling further than absolutely necessary – the risk to moored boats having shards of ice crack into them is frowned upon, unsurprisingly. So we manoeuvred Naomhòg around in the marina, before mooring up again ten minutes later. It did serve a purpose though – we knew that before we could refill the water tank the boat had to face the other way as our hose isn’t long enough to reach the inlet hole. R had tried attaching two hoses together but even that plan hadn’t worked. Fortunately our shoreline electricity cable is long enough to accommodate the boat whichever way she is facing.

I had great fun en route home stopping off in London. Our daughter C had decided she wanted to make a short film having written a script and lined up all the necessary people involved – I was recruited as the catering manager! It was fascinating being behind the scenes and seeing how a film is produced. I decided I am now in awe of all those involved, simply because of how much patience is required when making a film! (apart from the catering manager who just keeps everyone happy by producing regular food and drink!). Take after take is required to get the scene just right and then you have to do it all again from another angle but that requires resetting all the props in exactly the same place and the dialogue matches. My daughter kept everything together even though for the most part she had to direct horizontally as the pain in her back was so dibilitating. Seeing the almost finished result of the film I am very proud of what she has achieved and it was great to feel part of it.

Then I returned home and had to give a Sunday talk at church on the theme of Simeon and Anna, two elderly people who recognised the baby Jesus as the promised Messiah. It was a good opportunity to give a plug for the older generation (of which I am getting ever closer!) and recognising their wisdom and value to society. Too many people have told me how invisible they feel as they advance in years. Personally I think we should have more freedom as we age to be who we really feel we were made to be, to recognise our strengths and weaknesses and to affirm others in their giftings. When my mum at 97 felt she had no purpose in life I thanked her for all her prayers – she had plenty of time to pray – lack of time is an excuse many of us use not to pray! She also retained her sense of fun right to the end of her life, giving out joy to all and sundry.

To my surprise and joy I was contacted by the husband of the retired midwife who initially commissioned Naomhòg. They had come across my blog – what are the chances of that! I am hoping one day we will be able to meet up as they told me they would love to see Naomhòg again. Interestingly, on hearing that we would like her to be some sort of prayer boat, they sent me a picture of her in construction. Sitting on her roof is an illuminated wooden cross!

Arriving back at the boat yesterday I realise it takes a day to settle in and remember how everything works! The boat itself seemed reasonably dry considering its been empty about three weeks. I did a lot of looking into electric dehumidifiers whilst home but I think I’m going to try and get by with the type that require refilling with white flakes of desiccant. I have managed to sort my laundry dilemma. The boat is far too small for a washing machine but an electric spin drier (which can be housed in the shower and moved around) works on such low power that the inverter that converts 12v batteries to mains, isn’t swamped by it. The boat engine has to be running though so I will have to time my laundering accordingly! Ideally a launderette would suffice but I’m concerned they are few and far between in some areas. When we used to go to a holiday home in Suffolk for a month we had to do all our washing by hand and then used a spin drier, so that’s fine with me. Just as I was about to purchase one, I found someone selling their year old one for fifty quid – bargain price! His wife hadn’t got along with it so it has to go. No room in narrowboats for anything surplus to requirements. I picked it up from Coventry, only half an hour from where we are – well by car! Would take a lot longer by boat and I hope we bump into each other on the cut one day as he was very friendly – what I am beginning to understand about the boating community is how supportive they are to one another and how easy it is to strike up a conversation. All life is full of cameo moments that can enrich one’s day if we look out for them and take time to see God’s love in each other.

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.

Waking this morning to a warm house, in a big bed and with copious amounts of hot water, I try to fathom my love of narrowboats and can only conclude it is the simplicity of life aboard that attracts me along with the ever changing scenery and variety of people that cross our paths, even if only fleetingly.

Yesterday we had to ‘winterise the boat’ which sounds quite painful and is alot more stressful than just returning a hired boat to its owner. Suddenly you realise you are responsible for making sure the pipes don’t freeze and burst, that all the batteries are turned off to prevent them being flat when you next return to the boat, and that the diesel tank is full to minimise the risk of ‘diesel bug’, a condition caused by unwanted moisture in a partially full tank.

My first task was to wash our bed linen and tumble dry it so that we could store it, along with our duvet and pillows in vacuum bags. Arriving at the laundry area at the same time as N, I instantly made a new friend as he graciously let me use the useable washing machine first, the second machine appearing not to work. We briefly chatted, enough for me to learn he was from Australia, has been living in the UK for five years and is about to become a UK citizen. He knows far more about our English heritage than I do! He has a successful vlog, mainly started to keep his family abreast of his travels, but now getting alot of hits from a far flung audience. I left him to return to my chores but an hour later as the washing finished he was there having successfully fixed the other machine. This time, as the tumble dryer tumbled (he didn’t need it as his boat is warm enough all day from his log stove to dry his washing) I learnt about more of his story, how he had been living on a 24ft ‘Springer’ boat that just wasn’t quite big enough; how he shares his life with a partner who since lockdown has worked from home so N made an office in the back of the spacious 60ft plus narrowboat and that the boat is in need of a massive amount of refurbishment. He has cleverly set up a conduction system to enable the heat from the stove to travel around the inside of the boat without the use of any heat pumps. I had a brief look at his ‘project’ and he certainly has his work cut out but he was very chilled and happy with his lifestyle and excited that he was about to return to the cut, leaving the comforts of the marina behind to explore the extensive Birmingham canal network. His main challenge will be maintaining internet coverage to enable home working. His partner is incredibly busy working for a company who supply components for the lateral flow tests. That got us into a conversation about how I wished they could be recyclable, along with disposable masks. It troubles me how in the panic of the pandemic we seem to have ceased worrying about the impact on the environment the disposable PPE is having alongside the manufacture of billions of testing kits. I realise we need them but I do wonder if they could be made more sustainably. N and I exchanged boat names and hope our paths will cross – at least I can keep abreast of his adventures via his vlog. He showed me how easy vlogs are to create so who knows, you may yet get to see us in action as we travel along.

Having been thus distracted and fortified by a cup of coffee, which R also gave to a guy fixing a nearby narrowboat that appeared to have no galley facilities, we set about filling large polythene bags (not very sustainable!) with our bedding and clothes, using a small hand pump to suck out all the air. Extraordinary how small the bag became and thus easily storable in the space under the dinette. Then we filled a couple of large dehumidifiers with crystals that will absorb excess moisture from the air over the next few weeks. Finally we started to empty the water tank so that the pipes would be less likely to burst in freezing weather. We had totally miscalculated how long this would take. A good 40 minutes later we were still watching the water trickle from the taps but eventually the system was emptied and we could set about our last task of the morning – covering the stern with our ripped tonneau cover. We were pleasantly surprised to find that, even with the recent rain the extra strong duct tape had lived up to its name and was still sticking. Gingerly we poppered the tonneau in place and then as an extra precaution against inclement weather, we flung a large tarpaulin over the top of the tonneau covering. Precariously with a long piece of rope R found a way to secure this on the side of the boat adjacent to the water whilst I remained on the safety of the pontoon. I was expecting a loud splash or at the very least R to fall off the boat roof into the canal. Luckily no such incident occurred and we hope we have fully secured the tarpaulin. Only time will tell! I do feel we are rather letting the side down with our ‘Heath Robinson’ cover over the stern but looking around, there are one or two other boats looking a little the worse for wear!

Leaving Naomhog thus suitably trussed, we embarked on our journey home, me certainly feeling rather sad at having to part company after such a brief period of time getting to know my little boat. A time of reflection on how best to use Naomhog so that we can share her to enable others to enjoy the tranquility of the waterways and how on our journeying we can listen to the stories of those we meet, giving them time to be heard and prayed for if they so desire. For us, a time of waiting and patience, a bit like advent itself, in which christians use the time to prepare themselves for the arrival of the Christ child. In the waiting there is time to pause and reflect on Jesus’s birth, of how he came to transform us so that we might live lives more akin to his, putting others needs before our own.

We plan to visit Naomhog on fine dry winter days, hopefully taking her out for day trips (visitor’s welcome) to charge the batteries and run the engine but I don’t feel up to a repeat of the damp and cold mornings of last winter! They are still too fresh a memory in my mind. Perhaps next year we will have acclimatized ourselves once again to being hardy winter boaters and we will continuously cruise the system. So another blog pause whilst we return to home life and a house that is surprisingly quiet at present. No doubt I shall do my best to upend that!

Seasons greetings to you all as we continue to negotiate our way through the pandemic, living a day at a time, by faith not fear and hope not despair. May we all look out for one another in a spirit of love and kindness, sharing tears and laughter, as we face both the joys and the challenges that 2022 may well bring our way.

I am sitting in the bow of the boat on a camping chair under the cratch cover because I am just too hot to be in the sitting area! R stoked the fire to get it hot enough to cook our pizza. (this is my own narrowboat MasterChef moment and it was an experiment that worked well!) I put a metal trivet on the stove top (having learnt my lesson earlier today heating a mincepie without said trivet resulting in an exceedingly black bottom!) and laid on that some reusable parchment paper and then the pizza. I upended a small deep metal baking tray over the top and left the pizza to heat through. The cheese melted and it was delicious and no soggy bottom ala bakeoff. Am having such fun experimenting with novel ways of cooking food on the wood burner.

Our speedy supper followed a lovely lengthy Zoom call with our friends from Ireland, again sitting under the cratch because that’s where we get the strongest internet signal. Now we are set to watch a film recommended to R by his new best friend, Mir who came on the boat yesterday with her mum and dad and we took them for a cruise along the cut. A big Abba fan, she bluetoothed her phone to the speaker in the lid of my thermos flask (what will they think of next!) and we enjoyed some nostalgic music. Mir has autism and it was her first time on a narrowboat so she was very excited until the rain came and she got a bit cold. She went inside and chatted to R and she recommended ‘Life-Size’, a film all about Barbie doll coming to life. R has tried unsuccessfully to find it so last night we ended up watching a gritty film called ‘The Unforgivable’ with Sandra Bullock. I found it disturbing, but good and it made a difference from the pink and fluffy Christmas movies we’ve subjected ourselves to recently!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Leamington Spa to find some sticky backed battery lights – some areas of the boat could do with being illuminated and I was in search of a few more bits and bobs to get the storage on the boat as organised as possible. Leamington Spa has some very attractive houses, many of them Georgian, and an extensive shopping area although House of Fraser looked incredibly dejected as shoppers looked for last minute bargains before it closes down. Another covid casualty? Carluccio’s had an outside seating area so we treated ourselves to a piece of delicious chocolate and orange polenta cake – worth every calorie and one of my five a day. I managed on returning to the boat to use both the washer and dryer without putting the money into the wrong slot machine so that’s progress!

Today after church I decided to check the engine on the boat and found the area to be rather wet, hardly surprising with the volume of rainfall yesterday and no effective tonneau cover to protect the stern. R switched on the bilge pump to remove the dirty water from the bottom of the hull (it works automatically when we are cruising along) and nothing happened although it made enough noise to reassure us that it is semi working. It may be blocked but R was unable to take it apart and I was slightly concerned seeing him fiddling in the dirty part of the boat dressed in his best Sunday jacket and tie! So that’s tomorrow’s first job – it may require a new bilge pump. I am beginning to understand why boats sink money.

Received an email out of the blue from a lady, T, who found my blog on the internet as she was googling ‘Windrose’, our boat from last year. She is hoping to buy it (I didn’t even know it was for sale!) but is concerned at the lack of paper trail with the boat. Apparently the current owners haven’t got a lot of boat information to share with T who is becoming concerned about the purchase, not only because of a poor surveyor’s report but, in addition, finding and reading my blog and all the challenges we faced. Did I think it was a good buy? Such a difficult question. Narrowboats are emotive. You know when you find the one you want (when I told this to one of our long-standing friends, he likened it to when I met R and just knew I wanted to marry him!) and really you buy on faith because you have no idea when things are going to start going wrong (could be another marriage analegy!). You hope the boat has been well maintained and it’s recommended to have a surveyor’s report but as they cover their backs constantly you have to read behind the lines of what they are actually saying. I think the best advice we were given was checking we had a solid, rust free hull and an engine that runs well.

Grateful for the dry afternoon as I had to do various outside boat measurements in preparation for the covers we are having made on the bow and the stern as they will optimise the areas of living space we can utilise. With the ‘up and over’ stern cover it has been strongly recommended we never cruise with it up – many a framework has been irreparably damaged going under an unexpected low bridge. They also limit one’s line of vision which could prove costly! However one can appreciate how tempting it is to travel undercover when taking to the helm in the wet and wind. Cruiser deck sterns are at a risk of water ingress through the deck boards as these have to be removable to allow ready access to the engine. Some sort of stern cover is therefore a necessity when leaving the boat for any length of time.

The other issue we are discovering is battery power, or lack of it. Our fridge keeps flashing at us and there was disappointment this evening when my gin had no ice! Not wishing this to become a habit I am bowing to the boaters who feel solar power is a necessity for keeping a fridge working effectively when cruising is limited, as obviously the engine has to run to enable the boat batteries to charge. Having said that, the sun has to shine to activate the solar panels so installing them is not a winter priority!

Blue skies and sunshine, we are off on a day trip to Shugborough, the National Trust House close to the canal but so much faster by car! When we were there a couple of months ago they said it was worth a Christmas visit so we will meet up with H and J and enjoy one of her infamous picnics – I am well prepared in many layers as there’s a bite in the air.

It’s been a busy week kitting out the boat in the most practical ways possible. Reusable sticky hooks have become my best friend – so clever, if you want to move the hook you just pull the sticky bit clear of the hook and reposition. The downside is that I have to remember which door various kitchen implements are hidden behind and then hope when washed up they get put back in the same place. I could be doing a lot of searching! Online shopping is also invaluable, finding stools that can double as side tables, fire irons that can be hung on hooks. Just have to make sure we don’t lose the goodwill of the marina reception by using them as a repository.

Our trip to the Midland chandlery at Braunston was a highlight of my week – how sad is that?! I never knew there were so many useful things I could buy for a boat and how long I could browse and chat about the merits of different toilet systems with the very helpful sales person, a boatlubber herself. However what I was chuffed by was going to the Braunston marina and meeting L who can make us a couple of circular rails to circumvent our stove pipe so that we can hang clothing to be dried or, in the summer, use the area for hanging outer garments. L told me he has had the same idea for his boat, just not got around to executing it yet. So satisfying utilising all the heat and ergonomically using the space.

We need to replace the tonnau cover on the stern as it has ripped along the seam and is so brittle it’s impossible to sew. Without it the engine area will fill with rainwater and in heavy rain the water will also come inside the boat through the doorwell. A disadvantage of the cruiser style open deck but outweighed by being able to be sociable when cruising the cut. Seeking advice we have had to try and repair the tear with duct tape and prior to leaving the boat we will fasten a tarpaullpin over the tonnau. Fortuitously the weather was drier yesterday than predicted so we got the duct tape in place, now we have to wait and see if it holds.

Returning from Braunston to the marina on Wednesday, I was reminded that not every day is sweetness and light on the water. R started the day out of sorts as I discerned from the clattering and banging going on in the galley, not helped by his boiled egg being so undercooked he then tried to fry it. Not sure the result was terribly successful. Small niggles can escalate when there are just the two of us and there aren’t many places to hide! He is contending with a post covid cough and a searing on his middle finger from a metal mug used to heat the milk for my coffee so I should definitely be more forgiving. Luckily he bounces back to good humour, probably far quicker than me and so the day improved. It was bitterly cold and steering the boat along the cut for two straight hours had me chilled to the bone even through my many layers of clothing. Operating the three locks, just prior to our marina to assess how difficult they are, soon warmed me up and gave R a break from lock duty. The recent heavy rainfall had helped the water level to rise so we encountered no empty pounds. There is an art to manoeuvring the boat backwards into her berth. Complicated by windy weather and because she is situated behind another boat on the same pontoon, you have to squeeze between the narrowboats on the adjacent pontoon so there is not much room for error. R is much more adept at this than me and managed to guide Naomhog safely home without the air turning blue.

With a measure of trepidation we entertained our first supper guests, not quite knowing how successful I would be at producing a meal for four especially as I decided to do all the cooking on the wood burning stove with the addition of my ‘wonderbag’ to keep the risotto hot once cooked. Desert was an apple flan and I was pleased with the success of heating it on the stove covered by a stainless steel bowl! All was edible, thankfully, but the best part of the evening was getting to know our new friends, C and J, who coincidentally have a narrowboat moored 50yds from us and they are parents of friends of our daughter. Being much more experienced boaters than ourselves, we received many helpful tips and are hopeful that C is going to come and explain to us the intracasies of getting the TV working by the careful positioning of the aerial and retuning the said TV.. He even has an app on his phone which helps with the positioning of the aerial! Having spent the first 30 years of our married life without a TV it seems a strange priority to have now but in the past we’ve been more readily distracted by having people around to keep us entertained.

Much later the same day:

Would you believe by the time we got to Shugborough the rain had set in and it was noticeably fresher. We did enjoy the decorated trees followed by the said picnic in the back of the car – accompanied by steamed up windows, the careful balancing of hot coffee from a thermos, cheese and ham sandwiches and mini cold sausages which Pluto happily devoured. All very British! We did bow out early and forgo an afternoon walk which meant en route back to the boat we had time to call in on R’s uncle and aunt in central Birmingham. They have recently moved to a high ceilinged Georgian terraced house in the city centre which is full of character and whose four floors are connected by a narrow spiral staircase providing ample opportunity to keep them both fit.

A phone discussion about the merits of solar panels, a much more successful visit to the on site launderette and then grilled salmon on the wood burner completed the day although R did insist on us watching one of those schmultzy Christmas movies set in Brooklyn New York which was more like a modern day Barbara Cartland story. I was going to liken it to a Mills and Boon romance but it definitely was not X rated enough!

A wet start to the day in more ways than one. Returning to the laundry with my recently acquired tokens (and half price milk because I cheekily asked for a reduction when I saw the sell by date was today!) I once again put the token in the wrong coin slot on the wall, this time the one next to my washing machine so I had to move my sopping washing into the other drum, wetting the floor in the process and no sign of a mop! Then I discovered there was still water in the first machine. My used disposal able coffee cup from yesterday was luckily the only thing in the nearby bin so I transferred the water by the cupful to the sink, thus making the floor even wetter – at least the next punter won’t be wondering why there was 2″ of water left in the washing machine!

It was wet and a bit windy but if we never travel in the rain we won’t be going many places and we have good waterproofs. The boat batteries needed a good charge and I wanted to return something to the chandler’s in Braunston. What could have been a ten minute car journey only took us four and a half hours by boat!! The reason soon became clear. As you exit the marina, immediately there is a flight of three locks and as it was quite windy the boat was veering to the left accompanied by driving rain. I suggested to R this might not be quite such a good idea afterall but he thought we should at least go through one lock and then return to the marina. We entered the lock and it filled with water but instead of R opening the gate he suggested I got off the boat – he wanted to show me something. I was rather surprised to see a widebeam and a narrowboat both beached on the mud in the pound (pond) above, leaving a narrow shallow course of water between the two locks. A bit like the reverse problem of wondering if a puddle in the road is too deep to drive through! Until the water level rose we were going nowhere, so R went off to let in 3 or 4 locks worth of water by opening up the sluices of the upper locks, making sure the pounds above were not drained in the process. R met up with a boat coming down the flight of locks so assisted him through the shallows but all this took quite some time. Meanwhile I tried to find a number for the CRT to let them know about the low water levels. Having been thus distracted I was alarmed to see Naomhog at least 7ft below ground level, yet all the sluices and gates were closed. Images of her stuck in the mud at the bottom of the lock flooded my mind. Fortunately R came into view and I waved at him like a maniac to get his attention. Far calmer than me he explained one of the lock paddles was faulty thus continually letting out the water. By now the boat was back to the level of the water on the other side of the bottom gate so R opened the gate and I reversed out. Another twenty minutes of refilling the pounds and all was well, including a brightening in the weather so we decided to continue to Braunston, a good decision as the afternoon sunshine enhanced the beautiful autumnal colours. Murders of crows (rooks?) circling leafless oaktrees and gathering in the bare branches was an uplifting sight.

We weren’t quite sure where to moor up for the night as Braunston itself is a junction meaning we could go in three different directions. What we didn’t want to do was find that we were unable to turn the boat when we want to go back to our marina in a day or so (very windy weather forecast tomorrow so we may just sit tight) which meant a reckie was in order.

Leaving Naomhog, we trudged along an extremely muddy potholed towpath, R almost slipping into the canal at one point! Dusk was falling as we got chatting to a boater who was just leaving their mooring to move slightly further along the cut. P had horror stories to tell and not many a good word for the CRT who she feels wastes money and doesn’t prioritise the right issues. Over the past 13 years she has seen such changes that she’s going to sell her boat and buy a campervan to travel around Europe, as many of her boating friends have done. The final straw came in 2020. She had booked a passage through a long tunnel in the North (some tunnels you can only go through with permission so that boats don’t collide) in preparation for getting to the Midlands to start a new job. Just before the tunnel were some locks which had been closed with no prior warning, due to a lack of water. Infact, P told us, this was poor management by CRT as these locks are fed by their own reservoir. If the CRT had restricted the movement of boats to one or two a day, traffic would have freely flowed, instead of which they closed the flight for seven weeks and a backlog of over twenty boats caused an additional waterflow problem. As a result P lost her job, her income and covid has hampered her efforts to find alternative employment. This led to a bout of depression and the decision to quit the waterways. All a bit depressing to hear when you have just bought a boat a few days previously! Lots of surprises though – she has three sewing machines and an interlocker on her boat, a table 8ft by 4ft, so that she can upcycle her copious supply of denim jeans, to make bags to sell on Etsy. She then plans to make cratch covers – very enterprising on a boat only 6ft wide! On reflection, I think it hardly surprising she has fallen out of love with the boating way of life. Perhaps a decade of living fully aboard is hard work, especially if you have a job that necessitates you not being held up by stoppages. In all walks of life our plans can be thwarted and changed and it is our attitude towards new challenges that may determine how resilient we become and thus how content we feel. Having been busy and task orientated for so long, it is a welcome change to start most new days with no set agenda, trying to live in the moment and be exited by what lies ahead and the people we may meet. Trusting our time to God!

Enough of philosophy! A very inviting looking pub bedecked in Christmas lights and a big sign saying ‘gin pub’ tempted us to moor nearby, but not so close that we would be bedazzled. However getting there proved problematic as the bridge to it was further along the cut and the incessant rain was a dampner. Internet in the boat was strong, enabling us to Zoom with the family to wish our eldest daughter a happy birthday. I still find it amazing that we can connect together all around the world – Jamaica, Spain and even on a London bus (admittedly being rather silent!), whilst we are in a tin can! With the pub out of the equation I set about trying the boat oven: roast chicken and a brown rice pudding (didn’t have any pudding rice so substituted short grain brown!) using dried figs for sweetness and a touch of cinnamon. I was spurred on by my short-dated milk and my mother’s voice ringing in my ears that you don’t put an oven on for baking just one thing! The wood stove had sufficient heat to boil the vegetables and I even made chicken stock which is slowly simmering in my Wonderbag (suggest a google if you are perplexed!). It will be interesting to see if that works! I was also delighted to see my milk kefir had thickened during the day proving that you don’t need warmth for the kefir seeds to ferment. My kefir has accompanied me on all our recent travels so I am chuffed to have kept it alive. Not sure that pleases R. Another strange substance his wife is feeding him. A couple of years ago it was green porridge but thankfully that fad has passed!

A Christmas movie finished off the evening but it was a bit too smultzy. For those of you who are unaware, there is a channel devoted to showing at least four different American produced Christmas movies a day! By the way we solved the bed issue last night – when R got up in the night I just moved across to his side of the bed so he didn’t have to clamber back over me. That way I am on his left and right and he spends a proportion of the night fully stretched!

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What a comfortable night with the new mattress topper and the king size duvet. However I throughout our married life have always slept on R’s left. Now we have a challenge because the right side of the bed has a cupboard at the foot whereas on the left you can hang out your feet – quite an advantage when you are 6ft 3″ on a 6ft long mattress. So I tried sleeping on the left but last night we reverted to our usual bed position and R slept diagonally. He said it was fine, the only concern being a night visitation to the small room when I awoke to find him half straddled over me and the floor, not quite sure what limb to move to get out of his uncomfortable pose! Perhaps I just have to learn to adapt.

I have been like a kid with a doll’s house, playing around with everything to find the ‘right’ home. So satisfying finding solutions for small spaces. We’ve put the table away on the wall where it fits perfectly preferring to use a smaller picnic table with only the two of us. This folds away leaving us a little more space to move around and maybe encourage me to restart Jo Wicks for the over 60’s before I seize up altogether! I bought some resistance bands a few months ago but needless to say they are still in their packet as I have no idea what to do with them! Back to tabletalk – R was concerned as to where my coffee cup would go after supper so today I have found 2 stools, one that will double up as a side table and one I can use in our cabin for my early morning tea! In my search I found a camping armchair, padded for comfort with an extra high back. I think that’s R’s Christmas present sorted!

Getting the washing done has proved a bit of a challenge as the tumble dryer seemed to be full of clothes but no one around to claim them. I waited patiently for a couple of hours and then decided enough was enough so removed and folded them before putting in my damp clothes. In my absent mindedness I then fed half my tokens into the washing machine, not the drier! The Scot in me came to the fore and I went to find more washing so as not to waste my two pounds. Only problem now is the electricity tokens ran out before the cycle ended and the office is shut until tomorrow! We are fortunate though to have an actual airing cupboard on the boat which gets toasty warm when the engine is running – how convenient is that! I am now on the lookout for a spin dryer that we have enough power to actually run. It will have to live in the shower but small price to pay so that I always know I can wash out my smalls!

Our boat batteries are running a bit low – indicated by a light on the fridge flashing indignantly so we are going to go on a little trip tomorrow to Braunston and maybe even Rugby. The weather is set to rain hard on Tuesday so it depends how hardy we are feeling as to whether we stay a couple of nights away from hookup and marina comforts. I’m learning alot about batteries and engines. This afternoon found me topping up the engine coolant with antifreeze and also the radiator water.

In the car we passed a pub on the way to church that we called in on our way home for internet and my Sunday sherry. (Impressed that they stocked it – not many do). I realised it was the same pub I had walked to from our boat in April when moored at the top of the Napton flight. It’s so strange marrying up the geography of where we are. It had been a very strenuous walk just to get some supper – the nearer pub to the flight, the Folly, was unfortunately shut at the time.

Going to church we were welcomed like long lost friends because they remembered us from our visit six weeks ago when we were awaiting DayDream. (The day I also broke the CoOp’s frozen yogurt machine – we cruised slowly past just to make sure it now looked to be working, loathe to show my face!) One lady at church, P, told me she is involved in a week long Christian rally at Napton next Easter for caravaners and only yesterday had remarked that she would love a narrowboat to give little cruises along the cut during the week. I think that sounds an excellent idea so I may have a part to play and once again the timing feels like a Godinstance. It really excites me to think how Naomhog may be used in all sorts of ways. P’s daughter who has special needs was very excited by my Christmassy sparkly gloves, given to me by a friend in Farnham before we left home in October. Today was their first outing as I feel Christmas really is just around the corner. I suggested to P that she bring M, her daughter, to visit us this week and we may be able to go on a little jaunt along the cut. M was super excited by this idea so I hope the weather plays ball – it looks set to rain for most of the week.