Festivis

I love and hate this time of year, firstly I usually get a few days off work but then so does every bugger else which, lets face it can be a pain in the arse if you want to go anywhere or have a normal life.

secondly I dislike it because everyone keeps wishing me merry christmas... NO, I don't want a merry christmas, I dont want to drink to excess, eat to excess or do anything to excess and be merry, I don't want to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I don't want to waste valuable trees on pointless cards wishing other people a merry christmas too. I wish people would stop spending money on pointless crap like if they don't have it their lives may as well be over because mum/dad/brother/sister/aunty will be sooooooo disappointed.

Does this make me a scrooge? No! especially here... and here is currently Springfield on the River Lee.

I was working on Monday the 24th so the Man moved the boat up the river a bit so we could leave our boat amongst other boats while we left it for a couple of days. Springfield is right next to Stamford Hill, Europes biggest Orthodox Jewish area. Which is great because they certainly don't go ramming mindless christian festivities down my neck. In fact I can go for a walk and not see a single sign of xmas, christmas, Christ Mass anywhere.

Ho ho ho... bloomin marvelous.

Now I already had my own little celebration on the 20th, 21st and 22nd, celebrating the winter solstice and now we have turned the corner of winter and are heading towards longer lighter days, surely an excuse to celebrate if ever there is one.

So on with the loving side of this time of year, I get time off work, and so does my family and friends. Which means I get to see them for the first time in months. Catching up with a best friend is priceless, spending some time with family, talking about all sorts of things, putting the world to rights is great.
Being in a house and having a king-size bed you would image is bliss, but for me I couldn't sleep because I had too much space around me.

Back on terra-not-so-firma, we are rocking and rolling in the wind, back in the small and cosy surroundings of our metal box ( aka narrowboat)
I feel more at home than ever. although I haven't changed my mind about selling the boat it has certainly re-affirmed how much I still want to live on a boat of some description.

I have a to-do list as long as my right foot so I shall be kept occupied for the remainder of the holidays. Although I am very easily distracted and there's a strong chance that in fact sod all will get done except for some high class faffing.

Bow Locks

Bow Locks

Email this entry | Print this entry Dec 17 2007, 07:28 PM

We moved from Limehouse up the cut a bit to Bow Locks.

The more I look at the name Bow Locks.... the more it looks like bowlocks...
you can see where im going with this I imagine...

yes, puerile mind at play I admit.

So Bow locks it is for the moment. I have no idea where we will be this time next week. Perhaps a little further north? perhaps a little bit more inside London village?

I saw a gorgeous boat in Limehouse on the pontoon where we filled up with water.
I am sooooo jealous. I want one. No, I want two, one for me and one for him so he doesn't make mine all messy with his socks and shoes everywhere.


(this is not the exact boat or exact same location, you dont get palm trees in limehouse bsin)

of course, we can all dream, so come the boat show in January at Excel, Im going to be there looking at everything I couldnt possibly afford ever in my lifetime without a lottery win.

Entry Cheshunt to Limehouse Basin

Cheshunt to Limehouse Basin

Email this entry | Print this entry Dec 5 2007, 06:57 PM

After two and a bit weeks of mooring alongside a friend the time came for us to move on to pastures new.

The kind gentleman Cliff (and his frequently visiting lady friend Dianne) on his boat Axe looked after Honey Ryder while I was on holiday and kept me company while I was home alone , he even lent me his axe, labelled Axe should anyone want to know what it was or what boat it came from...

Axe has ventured north up the river lee and Honey Ryder has ventured south of Cheshunt for the first time in weeks. Heading due south we arrived at Limehouse basin six hours after we set off. The day started with a heated discussion about, I forget what now, but the inevitable parting of ways started off early as I walked off down the tow path to speak to a neighbour and turn the lock around while He took the boat up to a turning point, smoking a cigarette furiously as he went. We swiftly made friends again when we met at the lock and the day was plain cruising all the way to Limehouse. We cruised into the darkness but as we neared Londinium the light pollution made progress very easy and we moored up at the nearest convenient spot, which just happened to be a 7 day mooring spot. Hurray!

now it seems we arrived just at the right time, as the weather turned to howling banshee gales and sideways rain. We had to devise a new fendering method to stop the boat from slamming against the quay side. The slamming effect was fraying the nerves of the dog who jumped out of bed at every boom or bang as the boat bounced off the wooden pilings. At first I thought he was too nervous to poo when I took him outside to do his natural business, but in fact its just the lack of grass that's putting him off.
yes toto, we're not in kansas anymore...

the concrete urban jungle is quite a posh one around Limehouse, to rent a flat around there you are looking at a minimum of £500 a week.

despite the concrete, the citiscape is a site to behold and ive been loving the past few days of being there. with real boats to look at through the window, ones with masts, ones with big engines, ones with beautifully shaped hulls, it makes me feel like Im really boating at last. The fact we've had some harsh weather has helped too, making the boat rock constantly, which is a real source of comfort to me. I love it when the boat rocks. Except then I remember I'm on a narrowboat and remind myself that they weren't designed to rock.

I think I might write a book, they say everyone has a book in them, well, mine might be a tongue in cheek look into the world of living on a boat, "if it floats, then surely its a boat?"

muppets

muppets

Email this entry | Print this entry Nov 30 2007, 06:17 PM

The muppets of the puppetry type, a guaranteed way to raise a smile and add a ray of sunshine to your day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wMHcpMmV9g

oh and i found out last night that they caught the little muppet who broke into my neighbours car, thanks to a nice sample of blood he left on the door.

muppet.

Entry a one woman crime wave

a one woman crime wave

Email this entry | Print this entry Nov 27 2007, 10:38 AM

It seems as though this year is doomed to be a year of criminal activity. I feel like it is surrounding me at the moment.

At the start of the year, the boating year just after easter I had my bike nicked off the roof of the boat, that was a sign of things to come.
I bought a new bike and then two months later that was nicked too, this time from a secure carpark...
then came the car's time to be broken into and violated.

so you would imagine that the three things would stop there.

no, during my holidays my neighbours car got broken into in a supposedly safe carpark,
then a couple of days later Im sitting in the same car park fiddling with an annoying sticker on my car windscreen when one of the most beat up cars you can imagine came trundling into the car park full of young people, very suspicious looking I noticed the car had no plates and after some of the occupants disappeared off to the tow path they emerged and a few minutes later I saw them rummaging through a handbag that really didn't look like it belonged to them, so I reported it to the police once they left.
the next day my neighbours saw another car full of young people, again with no plates in th car park and that was also reported to the police...

So you can imagine my sheer delight when I arrived at my friends flat yesterday morning to discover she had been burgled while she was away for the weekend. thankfully the burgler hadnt trashed the place or even had time to clear it out completely but the feeling of being constantly violated by people who have no respect for others is starting to really get to me.

Its hardly suprising that as a nation we are becoming more and more protective over our land and our property, and are increasingly paranoid about strangers.

I dream of a day when we never need to use a lock and key again.

Entry A couple of weeks non-boating

A couple of weeks non-boating

Email this entry | Print this entry Nov 22 2007, 06:31 PM

As I near the end of my two weeks holiday, away from work, away from the man, away from all the infuriating commuting...
I have arrived the other side feeling so much energetic and full of life. I havent moved the boat at all, Im still moored alongside a friend who looked after it while I went away to the north, arriving back all I needed to do was run the engine and charge the batteries.

unfortunately with the boat along side me its created a really good metal barrier to my internet signal so tonight instead of propping the computer in a window in a very uncomfortable fashion Im sitting on the back deck with views of an amazing sky and a moon, almost full is reflecting nicely off the mirror calm water. my hands are seizing up nicely with the cold now.

This two weeks have been simply superb, I have met lots of other boaters, chatted to walkers and other passers by, so many of them seem amazed I would want to live on a boat in the winter. I remind them it's not winter yet but even so they can't understand it. I try to explain how hot it can get inside when the fire is lit, just this week I had a little experiment with coal in my fire and I nearly set myself on fire, such was the fury of the heat it was giving off. brilliant, except I was too hot all night once I went to bed. Ive never been too hot in a house before! At 5am it was still hotter than a rattlesnakes ass.

The neighbour lent me an axe to chop up some kindling, oh I want one of those now. an Axe... such good fun and great for venting any frustrations
not that I have any frustrations but it was fun anyway.

and so my holiday is drawing near to an end, I want to get as much done as possible before I have to collect the man from the airport on saturday morning. So much I had planned and so little has been done. I dont feel bad about doing practically bugger all, after all holidays are what you make of them.

tomorrow, if the mood takes me then i think I shall take the dog for a deep exploration of the local wildlife park. whats the point of mooring up slap bang in the middle of a watery wildlife haven if I dont at least go and have a look at what all the fuss is about.
although I could very easily end up by the seaside instead. yes, the seaside is a far better place to go than the local lake.

fish n chips, over looking the sea, with a dog begging at my side... now that is bliss.

clairvoyance, rose tinting and arid extra dry

clairvoyance, rose tinting and arid extra dry

Email this entry | Print this entry Nov 14 2007, 11:40 PM

Im on holiday, the kind of holiday where there are no plans, nothing to do but simply enjoy not working and having a chance to have some quality time with me.
Its been a few years since, in fact no, its been since NEVER that I had two weeks to do as I please, to do what I like, when I like because, just because.

I'm on my own here on Honey Ryder and for the first time since I've lived on the boat I feel like Im enjoying it. not because Im moving the boat, not because I even like the boat, but I think it's because it's feeling more homely and my energy has gone right back up there into the clouds since the grumpy "anti english" man I share my life space with (and most of my life energy it seems) has gone to france to do some professional faffing for two weeks and I imagine spend all the time being deliriously happy to be back in france!
I never realised a person could sap so much energy just by being in close proximity and being perpetually miserable. If I had known at the start maybe I would have called the boat, Les Miserables....

So my pecker is definitely lifted after just five days away from work and man and Ive just arrived back from a little visit to see my family so the world is looking rose tinted at the moment.

during those five days I have embarked on the start of a little bit of an educational journey. a spiritual one. well, i tried to make it spiritual but the cynical side of me kept telling the gullible side of me, "get a grip love it's just a load of old bollocks"
however, that didn't stop it being educational and Im keeping an open mind or at least trying to.
The start of this journey began by visiting a church. not any old regular christian church but a spiritualist one. it was a nice little place with purple walls and curtains and some gypsy trinkets around a small altar. Unfortunately I was left totally unconvinced by the Medium as she relayed her clairvoyance to some obviously emotionally needy people in the audience/congregation.
The atmosphere was nice though and the people seemed genuine enough. I think I need to see a bit more and visit some more churches or centres before I find the answers I am looking for.

meanwhile Im moored near to a very passionate couple, passionate and noisy. Im very happy for them, very happy indeed as they are quite a mature couple and seem to be putting the duracell bunny to shame. However it doesn't half make it seem like the Arid desert over here.