Samhain

I intended to give the boat a good bottoming yesterday but DD2 offered to take me shopping. As it's half term two of the dgd's came too so shopping too longer than usual.

It's important for me to start the new year with a clean house, I don't always manage it but I've done my best. It helps that we're in the marina so I switched the immersion on so I had lots of hot water all day.

I've put clean sheets on the bed, washed all the throws and blankets, descaled the bathroom and cooked slow roasted beef. 

I'll vacuum through in the morning, better late than never!

Tonight I have my candles lit (battery ones) and I'm about to burn an offering and think of those who've gone before.

Thank you for the suggestion of getting audio books from a library, unfortunately as we are classed as No Fixed Abode we cannot join a library.

Comments

 Ang, my DD's house is a new build with an endless snagging list. She has the right sort of locks but they are faulty.

Sue, that's strange, the locks would let the draft with out the paper.

Yes Chris they are decorations but not for me, I'm making them for something to do as I get bored in the marina.

Moving day.

If it's not raining tomorrow we will move back to the marina.

Once there I will have hot water on tap without boiling the kettle and unlimited use of the vacuum cleaner.

I shall also be able to tidy and dust the bedroom as we should be able to get the bedroom lights to work.

I'm hoping there will be some nice people staying in the marina but sometimes there are just empty boats, in which case it's going to be a long boring winter.

I've also cut out some felt hanging ornaments and large and small gnomes, I can't see to see they in the poor light on the boat but once on shore power I shall be able to run a brighter light during the evenings.

Three old ladies got

locked in the lavatory. Actually only one did and that was me when I was at my daughter 's house. One of the granddaughter 's managed to find a coin and rescue me.

I've felt rough for a few days, nothing specific, just a bit bleurgh and wiped out so I did very little and I'm feeling better now.

I'm having to limit my reading, I'm straining my eyes despite using the biggest font on my kindle.

I've weeded out some of the blogs I read, one in particular I feel seems to lost their grip on reality. A few others no longer write about subjects that interest me.

I've started listening to podcasts in the evening once Steve has gone to bed. I don't listen to them during the day as I can't hear Steve if he is talking to me.

Reading has always been a passion of mine and I'm really struggling to fill the hours without it. Resting my eyes also means limiting YouTube and catchup tv as I use subtitles when I watch them.

Zilch.

Today I achieved nothing, I had great plans, I was going to sort out the last kitchen cupboard. 

It contains all the crockery, mixing bowls, measuring jugs, enamel dishes etc.

I walked Beano this morning and it was such an effort, I was very unsteady and tripped a few times. I think I need to consider using a stick when my balance is that bad. There weren't many bits of me that didn't ache.

When I got back to the boat Steve was up and we hauled the boat along a few yards to make room for another boat that needed to moor up.

I transferred the food needed for today and tomorrow, from the freezer to the fridge and then made coffee. I sat down with my coffee and apart from cooking a meal and walking Beano I sat down for the rest of the day. I couldn't even be bothered to knit, sew or crochet.

I took advantage of the strong Wi-Fi signal and watched the first episode of the new series of Perez and a couple of episodes of Sherlock.

We will be back in the marina soon and the signal there is very poor so I cannot watch tv. We still haven't got a new aerial!

First frost

We had the first frost of the year last night and the stove went out over night. It's no fun getting washed in cold water in an unheated bathroom.

Looking on the bright side, I no longer drive so I didn't have to scrape the car wind screen.

I'm on childcare duties today, not that it's any warmer here, DD2 doesn't have the heating on during the day and her back door is always open so her dog can go in and out.

In the marina

 We came into the marina as Steve was worried about the solar readings.

The engineer checked everything over, there is nothing wrong it's just Steve being over anxious.

We had intended to leave today but it's been extremely windy and now we have heavy rain and possible thunder.

I've been vacuuming and working my way through the washing, not both at the same time, even when plugged into shore power I can either have the immersion heater on or the vacuum or the washing machine. I have worked my way through all the cupboards, throwing stuff away, cleaning the inside of the cupboards and putting stuff back neatly.

What a trollop

We're in the marina it only took just over an hour.

There were new people on the next jetty, we had a chat and their little dog came over to greet Beano.

She is a small black rescue of indeterminate breed.

After greeting Beano she turned round and reversed into Beano cocking her leg until she was sat on his face!

Beano promptly mounted her, he's never done that before.

Fortunately they have both been neutered but neither of them seen to realise this.

I'm no saint

The air was blue with muttered invective during the curtain shortening but I know so many wives who's husband's are unable to do the simplest task with out assistance.

Yesterday we had a pub lunch courtesy of Steve's brother, fish and chips, I had a small portion, it was delicious.

We caught up with news on his family and on our investment in the properties he's building. The first block of 8 apartments is finished and the apartments are either sold and occupied or SSTC. There are six more being built either side that that have just been started. He was aiming at the first time buyer market but has found that they are being purchased by people downsizing some of whom have suggested more storage space would be useful. So the next properties are being built with that in mind. We will receive the return on our investment within the next few weeks.

We are moving tomorrow, Steve thinks there may be a problem with the solar  panels so we will stay in the marina for a couple of days to get them checked out. I shall spend the two days running the washing machine, vacuum and having a shower and washing my hair without having to boil the kettle!

How to shorten a pair of curtains.

 I finally persuaded Steve to replace some of the curtains on the boat, the existing ones were dark brown and the linings were in threads. The fabric was also very bulky which meant the curtains  blocked a lot of the windows even when opened fully. The new curtains needed shortening so Steve and I discussed staying in one place for a couple of days as it would take a while.We decided to change the kitchen blinds as well, they were also brown, Venetian blinds which were a bugger to clean.

We were moored near a branch of Dunelm so went to choose some new blinds and curtains. We eventually settled on some in pale duck egg blue, pale, restful and most importantly, not brown.

We also purchased new blinds for the kitchen.

We agreed to stay on the mooring for three days, two days for me to shorten four pairs of curtains and one for Steve to fit the blinds.

On day one I cleared my knitting from the coffee table and got out pins, tape measure, scissors and chalk. I went to wash my hands before I handled the fabric. I returned to find the new blinds, Steve's drill and tool box on the coffee table, he decided to start putting the blinds up!

I offered to delay starting the curtains but no, Steve decided we would only stay one day, I tried explaining that shortening four pairs of curtains in a day was a bit of an ask, especially as he'd want help with the blinds. Steve totally refuted the idea of needing any help with the blinds whatsoever!

I cleared the breakfast bar so I had somewhere to lay out the curtains, I can't use the floor as there is no room. I also set up my sewing machine.

I unpacked the first pair of curtains.

Steve needed help measuring the window, that done I started to measure the curtains and mark the cutting line. 

Steve needed me to hold one end of the tape.

Then he needed me to move the curtains so he could spread the blinds out. 

Then he needed me to hold the fabric still whilst he cut it.

Then hold one of the brackets so it was level.

Then find his pencil, drill bit, bracket, end piece, pencil again make innumerable cups of coffee, offer constant reassurance and so on and so forth. 

Eventually the blinds were up, and it's early evening and by now we are hungry so I prepare a meal.

The first pair of curtains lay abandoned over the back of the sofa my sewing machine has been moved back to its usual place in the bedroom.

Steve looks around and comments on my lack of progress!

Not even one pair of curtains finished!

Earlier in the day Steve has received a text, informing him that his prescription is ready for collection. As we are moored near a train station I suggest we stay put an extra day and he can go and collect his prescription, he agrees.

The following day Steve sets off on the 9:15 train.

By the time he returns on the 2:20 train I'm just finishing the last of the eight curtains!

It's a pity you didn't do these yesterday like you were supposed to says Steve.

Comments

Thank you for your comments.

Our boat is 60ft by 10ft. I had to stand a long way back to get all the boat in the pic.

The living area is 50ft long, it's divided into kitchen, living area, bathroom and bed room.

Moved again

 We moved less than a mile but we got a pump out, filled up with water and bought gas, £60.

We are now moored outside the supermarket.

We will shop twice a day to fill the cupboards up and then move on again.

We then moved here under the willow tree.

It's a beautiful place but Steve doesn't like the leaves falling so we are off again.

Our new neighbours

 

At last

 Chris, it's the opposite bank from the towpath side.

We have new blinds and curtains, pale duck egg blue, I'll post pics once the creases have dropped out.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

 The towpath has recently been resurfaced, it's wide and flat and a lot of people use it.

Because of the resurfacing it's noisy when people walk past.

It sounds like someone crunching celery.

It was quite disconcerting to start with but we're used to it now.

A visit to the laundrette

 It's easy enough to run the washing machine, I tend to do it when we are travelling as it saves draining the batteries.

The difficulty is in getting large items like bedding dry.

We visited the local laundrette, wow, haven't things changed.

No need to search for coins to feed the machine, contactless payment is accepted. No need to take powder or fabric softener as the machine is preloaded with these.

All the bedding is now washed and dry for just £10.

Beano wants to go back again as the staff member on duty gave him a huge dog treat!

The best I've seen.

 I've seen many funny comments about the problems with Facebook and WhatsApp. My favourite is a comment from a friend.

She posted "Thank you Facebook and WhatsApp, until yesterday it had been an age since anything went down on me!

 

We often see this boat when we are travelling along.

Dont poke me

Keth I bought them from M&S, they were about £20, but so warm and safe.

 I finally managed to collect Beano's prescription this morning, it's taken ages to arrange. A weeks worth of phone calls trying to arrange a telephone consultation. Then finally a text saying an appointment had her made for 10:30 . We arrived today to be told there was no trace of the appointment, the implication being I'd made a mistake. I showed the text on my phone and I finally saw the vet, collected the prescription. £158 for 3 months, I shall try to get a paper copy next time and order online.

We walked back through the park where Beano met up with a deerhound and a Rottie. The Rottie got a bit over enthusiastic and poked Beano with a paw the size of a dinner plate. Beano did not approve and chased the Rottie round a few times but eventually they played together nicely.a

KFC for breakfast!

 No, not me, Beano.

We we're mooching along on his morning walk when I realised he was crunching on something. He gave it up without too much of a struggle, it was a chunk of KFC. I know this because there was a full tub of it along with two plates, a bottle of ketchup and assorted empty drinks cans and bottles.

I collected it all up and placed it in a nearby bin, much to Beano's disgust, he really couldn't understand why such largesse wasn't shared with him!

I often collect rubbish when I'm out for a walk, the strangest item I ever found was a pair of foreceps!

Comments

 That's sad Briony.

One of my sons in law was not treated well by his parents, he's never really got over it.

My mother did have a favourite child, a long list of them, either one of her pupils at school or a neighbour's child.

When my children were little my mother couldn't understand why I was always cuddling them she'd never done it to me so why did I do it? She often asked me this. My dad wasn't particularly demonstrative either but I knew he loved me.

Favourite child.

 Were you a favourite child?

Did you have a favourite child.

I was my father's favourite but not my mother's even though I'm an only child!

I was very lucky I didn't have a favourite child.

Once they were teenagers mine used to say that my favourite child was who ever hadn't pissed me off that day.

They all knew though that when they did something spectacularly stupid I'd always have their back.

New slippers.

My new slippers,  I have a very high arch so I've already snipped one of them so I can get my foot in. I really like the ones that come up to the ankle as they are warmer.

They have a sole with a rubbery feel as I find them safer. The hard plastic ones are hardwearing but very slippery.