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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!!

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.

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.

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!

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!

For my dog loving friends, I just met Pixie, an adorable black 14 week old staff terrier, who lives on the canals with P. P’s retired from Waitrose – used to work in their wine and spirits department so she would have been a very useful friend to know! She was telling me that originally she worked in their accounts department and one night forgot to lock £6,000 cash in the safe. A genuine mistake, due to her mind being on also training up a new member of staff, and the money luckily was still on the desk in the morning.  The reason for recounting this story is because of the treatment she received from the lady from Waitrose head office, sent to investigate the matter. She basically accused P of trying to steal the money, even though she had worked as a valued member of the team for over 20 years. P was so upset she handed in her resignation and was promptly offered a pay rise from her own store manager to entice her to stay. He knew her value. Just a reminder of how important it is how we treat others and that we shouldn’t jump to wrongful conclusions without knowing all the facts. On retirement P bought a narrowboat and has never been happier or more relaxed. She makes things, such as incense burners, out of recycled bottles and other craft items and calls herself a narrowboat trader. Lockdown has hit people like P hard with lack of passing trade.  Thankfully for P, it’s more of a hobby as she has a pension, but she says she knows of many canal traders who are going out of business.

Tried out our new boots, not as early as planned, but we’ve had a dry day so far. We took a lovely walk around the lakes but I bemoaned the lack of coffee shops and wished I had thought to take a snack with us! So many walkers, you would have thought a van might have thought to find a spot to offer refreshments.  I believe there’s someone doing that around the ponds near to our home but perhaps its not encouraged in lockdown. I still would like to offer cups of tea to passers by on the towpath in disposable cups but I am unsure of the rules about this and don’t obviously want to put anyone at risk. Towpath activity where we are at the moment is scarce, but the cold and snow perhaps discourages towpath walks – noone wants to slip and fall in the icy water!

Did a batch cook up of some beef mince, lentils and lots of veg which I then split into 4 bags. 2 went in freezer, 1 in fridge and we had the remaining one for supper, doctored with Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Plan is to change flavour of each bag so that we get a chilli, a cottage pie and a bolognaise, with very little added effort on my part. Not night after night obviously. Reminds me of when R was hope alone one summer for a couple of weeks whilst the kids and I were in Suffolk. I suggested he defrosted some salmon for his supper. He found a bag of 6 pieces (brought reduced and frozen ready for a family meal together), defrosted them all and proceeded to eat them over the next six nights. How he did not get food poisoning by day 6 I do not know. And to eat the same meal repetitively – I think he eats to live, not lives to eat! Makes him easy to feed but I am seriously fed up of finding new meal ideas without the odd takeaway – it’s just too cold to go out to pick one up and there’s only so many fast food meals that are good for you!

Thinking about R and his taste buds, his bike accident left him with a much reduced sense of taste and I remember him remarking one day that you don’t know what you have until you lose it. Growing up he was happy to eat anything as long as he was full but once he couldn’t enjoy the flavours he missed the variety of tastes.

A game of bridge in the evening and then two episodes of ‘Mum’ (Britbox) finished the evening well. Mum makes us laugh out loud – not much does that. The characatures of the main players are just so real. You get the feeling we all know someone like them, just not so exaggerated. Such light relief. Mind you asking R what I did yesterday, because I seem to not have done much, I have to admit to a guilty pleasure sans R. I started watching Bridgerton, having heard so much about it and found the time for two episodes, wrapped in a blanket with a hot water bottle because it was before stove lighting time!!

It’s eventually happened! Peering out the window at 6am I see a layer of white crisp snow and decide to retreat back to bed for a duvet day. Ice on the inside of the windows confirms my suspicions that it’s going to be a very cold day so why would I want to venture out.

R has other ideas! He’s decided this is as good a day as any to sweep the chimney. This involves him on the inside of the boat fiddling around with the flue and me on the outside pushing a stiff brush up and down the chimney to dislodge the soot. Infact it didn’t take long and the snow was only a gentle flurry. So, as we were suitably warmly dressed we went for a walk heading into Fenny Stratford. Taking a left we found ourselves at a Dobbies garden centre which advertised that it had not only ‘Cook’ but Sainsbury’s as well in store. It was definitely warmer than both the boat and outside so we decided on a bit of retail therapy, in the hopes they might sell wellies, among other things. We were not disappointed, so not only did R buy a short pair but I replaced my leaking ones with a fushia pink long pair. I can’t wait now to try them out in the flooded area going towards the nearby lakes. Looking at the forecast there’s a window of sun tomorrow morning before more snow arrives in the afternoon, so we shall be up and out early!

I felt rather middle aged at my joy of buying a collapsible colander and a tea cosy. Never thought a teacosy would become such a necessity but there’s no doubt it does keep the tea hotter longer and tea seems to be a mainstay of boating life (R may disagree and say beer!). Stocking up on some fresh veg, milk and reduced bargains, such as creme caramel and almond and cherry cake, we returned laden to the boat. For us it was a delightful, unexpected outing with hardly anyone else in the whole garden centre so it felt very safe shopping for our groceries. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Dobbies – an almost empty carpark – how long will they survive?

Evening ended with an episode of Vera – only 3 more to go!