It's frozen over again

It’s been a while since I wrote an update, but to be honest there is hardly anything to report, but here goes anyway.

The last few days have been cold, bloody freezing at night, down to -5, enough to freeze the basin over again.

Work continues back at the house. The lounge ceiling has been removed and the driers and dehumidifiers are in place, so with no furniture, no fridge and no cooker, it hardly feels like home anymore. So the day after the noisy driers moved in for three weeks, I moved to the boat.

The ten days or so I have been here has made it my longest stay, though there are few developments. I have used the washing machine for the first time, I know, exciting isn’t it? I have also used the shower for the first time. It doesn’t mean I have been unwashed, I just got into the habit of using the free one provided by British Waterways, a rather pleasant

five minute walk away. I was really surprised at how good my shower is, much better than expected. I haven’t used the BW shower since.

Paul and Rose came over for a visit the first weekend, and very enjoyable it was too, though I missed Match of the Day as it was the first time I had used the tele since my return and the boat had moved in the winds leaving the satellite dish out of alignment. On Sunday I fiddled around with it while Paul watched, offering suggestions, eventually fixing it following advice from my neighbours on either side. As we walked back down the side of the boat, Paul said,

“I don’t know what you would do without me.”

“What do you mean, you didn’t do anything!” He just laughed.

Most of the time since then has been spent in the library as I am at last focused enough to start writing again, but it does mean there is not much to report, and even fewer pictures. I tend not to take many photos in the library, hence another mug shot.

I went for a drink with Rick, “I am terrible with names,” he told me, “I called the previous owners of your boat Oz and Sam as I found it easier remember.”

“So what name have you got for me then?” I asked.

“I haven’t yet.” I am not sure if that is good or bad news.

“There are two types of boat owners,” he went on to tell me, “those who have failed in business, and those who have failed in love.” Hmm, that made me think. I must be a natural boater as I have failed in both!

As we sat there talking I received a tap on the shoulder from behind. I turned to see a man stood there wrapped up against the cold, his woollen hat pulled down to just above his eyes, I had never seen him before.

“I know the answer to everything.” He said.

Was I about to find the meaning of life? I somehow doubted it. “Oh right, what’s that?” I asked.

“Just tell them bollocks!” Yeah, I was right.

Oz and Sam thought everything on the boat was perfect, if they didn’t have it, it was no good, everybody else was plain stupid. In reality most things on boats are down to person preference. For example, most people have a latch and padlock securing the hatch and doors at the back, whereas they opted to put a padlock through a hole in the rail the hatch slides on, stopping it from moving,

“It’s much more secure,” they told me. “Those padlocked latches can easily be ripped off with a crow-bar.”

I was never totally convinced. On Sunday I tried to break in. The padlock was placed too far back allowing the hatch to be lifted slightly, then with a screwdriver I had the doors open within thirty seconds, no damage done, no need to rip anything off. So my first modification has been made, a hole has been drilled further along the rail, now the hatch can’t be lifted and all is completely secure.

I have often heard you need to be good at DIY to be on a boat...I’m not. I am so useless I even asked Bob to drill the hole for me. He duly obliged.

When I called Dad the other night we talked about life on the boat. “What will you do when you are away from your current mooring and run out of water?” he asked, but before I had a chance to answer, he continued “I suppose you could go to a canal side pub, they wouldn’t mind giving you a bottle of water.”

“Dad, I have got a 150 gallon water tank.”

“Have you?” he said surprised. “You aren’t going to lug that around everywhere are you?”

He hasn’t visited the boat yet, and with his poor eyesight probably can’t see the pictures properly either, but I think he has a vision of me stepping out of a rowing boat and staggering down the towpath with a bloody great 150 gallon water container strapped to my back!

I love my little bike, it’s perfect for the boat, tucking away perfectly into a corner of the engine room. I love it so much I thought I would show you a little video clip of it folding. I don’t love my old camera! I discovered the microphone has broken, not that you need to hear me folding up a bike, but I thought would put a few video diaries into the blogs. Perhaps not now. I shouldn’t be surprised, the thing was falling apart way back when I was in Australia, it had been bounced over too many miles.

Hopefully, by the next update I will have got this boat moving, if only for a day trip. I’ll keep you posted.