After a gloomy day yesterday, visiting Sheila's Mum after she'd been given the bad news, a rather more active day today. Trogged down into the village to buy a paper, bread and screenwash for the Bryceland mobile this morning (actually, the bread and paper are for us, but never mind). Came back and helped with the routine tasks of checking email, chasing orders and browsing the web for trivia (it's just like work as I remember it ;-}) .
Funny how one thing leads to another. I'm a big fan of Iain M Banks the Scots sci fi author, and I'd found a few interesting bits and bobs on the web the other day. This lead me on to look for stuff about Blake's 7, the 70's sci fi TV series, and there was *lots* about that, including some short video clips of the title music, and a massive Wikipedia article. All very interesting, especially the bit that points out the influence Blake's 7 had on writers such as Iain Banks.
Today's achievement was to succumb to the temptation (= persuade Sheila) that a set of the first season DVDs of Blake's 7 for GBP15 was too good an offer to miss - thank you Amazon Marketplace. So now it's that jolly bit of waiting for the postman to come!
This afternoon we went over to a chandlers half an hour away (Midland Chandlers at Preston Brook, in fact) to get some stuff needed in a hurry and not available from the regular supplier, especially a length of single finrad. Took the opportunity to stock up on the Comastic blacking we'll need for blacking the boat at the beginning of May. See this link if you want to know what that's about. When we got there, the guy says "They rang from the yard while you were on the way, and there's this stuff to collect as well" Situation normal, then.
Back at the yard, not much to do, so catching up with this blog. Tomorrow, we have a visit from the Siviters, customers for Just Siviting which will be the next boat finished.
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Monday, 29 January 2007
Gosh it's Monday again!
After a busy weekend, we're back in the office, minding the store. It's very peaceful for a Monday, which is just as well - Sheila's just gone off for a meeting with her mother's consultant :-{ We're not expecting good news.
Saw all the kids over the weekend: Graeme and Cathy arrived first, bearing pictures of the latest scan of our grandkid-in-waiting. They're also in the middle of sorting their housing out, so it's a time of lots of life events for them. Elanor turned up in the afternoon, with a car loaded with firewood for us, courtesy of the WRG Christmas camp, birch, so very welcome, and a tray of Marston's Pedigree for me. Having a daughter who lives in Burton on Trent is very handy.
Graeme and Cathy went off to visit their granny on Saturday, and Elanor went in on Sunday, so at least she's not getting too bored in there. It's one of those situations where all you can do is take it a day at a time, and try to support each other in facing what's coming.
We'd come out of the yard for the weekend, to let one of the yard staff move his boat in to get the washing done on a shoreline. He has a permanent mooring out on the towpath nearby, so we just swopped over for the weekend. At the end of Sunday afternoon, we took the opportunity to make a short trip from Poynton to High Lane (about 30 mins cruising) ostensibly to wind (turn the boat round), but really just for the sake of the run. It meant we came back to the yard in the dusk at about 5, and had to slot her back in under a very narrow and low bridge with the headlight on. Managed it without too much grief, and reconnected to the power OK.
Some time this week we'll have to pull out again to allow the boat that's presently in the paint dock to come out, but Andy Russell the boat painter tells me that it won't be until Weds or Thurs. Meanwhile, the main job for the week wil be redsucing these birch logs to a size that will go in the Squirrel stove, so we're hoping for some decent weather.
Saw all the kids over the weekend: Graeme and Cathy arrived first, bearing pictures of the latest scan of our grandkid-in-waiting. They're also in the middle of sorting their housing out, so it's a time of lots of life events for them. Elanor turned up in the afternoon, with a car loaded with firewood for us, courtesy of the WRG Christmas camp, birch, so very welcome, and a tray of Marston's Pedigree for me. Having a daughter who lives in Burton on Trent is very handy.
Graeme and Cathy went off to visit their granny on Saturday, and Elanor went in on Sunday, so at least she's not getting too bored in there. It's one of those situations where all you can do is take it a day at a time, and try to support each other in facing what's coming.
We'd come out of the yard for the weekend, to let one of the yard staff move his boat in to get the washing done on a shoreline. He has a permanent mooring out on the towpath nearby, so we just swopped over for the weekend. At the end of Sunday afternoon, we took the opportunity to make a short trip from Poynton to High Lane (about 30 mins cruising) ostensibly to wind (turn the boat round), but really just for the sake of the run. It meant we came back to the yard in the dusk at about 5, and had to slot her back in under a very narrow and low bridge with the headlight on. Managed it without too much grief, and reconnected to the power OK.
Some time this week we'll have to pull out again to allow the boat that's presently in the paint dock to come out, but Andy Russell the boat painter tells me that it won't be until Weds or Thurs. Meanwhile, the main job for the week wil be redsucing these birch logs to a size that will go in the Squirrel stove, so we're hoping for some decent weather.
Labels:
Higher Poynton
Friday, 26 January 2007
Adolescence is better the second time around
Strange, this business of working again, after a fashion - weekends once more have meaning. High point of this one will be seeing both Elanor (daughter) and Graeme and Cathy (son/daughter-in-law). Less good is the reason - looks like Sheila's Mum, their grandmother, is pretty ill, and may not be with us much longer. At 86 it's not a surprise, but still very hard for Sheila.
Meanwhile we continue the good work at the yard, meeting the couple having one of the current boats built, and doing various bits of order chasing and taking phone calls.
New book arrived today, Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint's Trunk by Christina Hardyment, an account of chasing up the real people and places behind the Swallows and Amazons books. Must be part of growing old, this revisiting stuff from your youth, but it's surely fun. Adolescence is so much better the second time around! Have also just discovered the Iain Banks Forum - I'm a longtime fan of both his sci-fi and non-genre novels.
Not sure if I'll get a chance to post anything over the weekend, so see you Monday.
Meanwhile we continue the good work at the yard, meeting the couple having one of the current boats built, and doing various bits of order chasing and taking phone calls.
New book arrived today, Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint's Trunk by Christina Hardyment, an account of chasing up the real people and places behind the Swallows and Amazons books. Must be part of growing old, this revisiting stuff from your youth, but it's surely fun. Adolescence is so much better the second time around! Have also just discovered the Iain Banks Forum - I'm a longtime fan of both his sci-fi and non-genre novels.
Not sure if I'll get a chance to post anything over the weekend, so see you Monday.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
Happiness is an empty toilet tank
There's a whole branch of academic psychology (positive psychology) devoted to the study of what best leads to life satisfaction, happiness in other words. Now, I'm all in favour of this, in fact at one stage I was involved with these people myself, but the great thing about life aboard Sanity is that it all becomes much simpler. We have three tanks on board, fuel, water and toilet, and keeping the two of them full and the third empty is one of those themes that runs through our life.
Sitting in the Braidbar yard as we are at the moment, we're using very little fuel, just what the Eberspacher central heating unit burns first thing in the morning, and at the end of the afternoon (to give us hot water for showers and washing up). We still need to keep the water topped up, but there's a hose reel within easy distance, so about every third day we run it out and refill. The macerator toilet normally fills the tank in about two weeks, but we're spending so much time in the Brycelands' house, that it's going to be more like three or four before it neeeds pumpimg out again.
Thus, at the moment, we'd be pretty happy, if it wasn't for worrying about Sheila's Mum, and of course the kids (no matter how big they get, you can always put in some quality worrying time about the kids.)
The real answer to happiness in general, by the why, goes something like this, I reckon. We all have personal skills and strengths, and working out what these are and using them is a great antidote to feeling useless and gloomy. Furthermore, doing things for other people is a boost to morale and self esteem. So.... use your skills and abilities to benefit other people, or in a social cause you believe in, and you'll find that life seems a lot better than it does just chasing money and possessions.
There's a lot more about this at these websites, for those who are interested. The European Network (for academics) and Authentic Happiness for everyone. There's a Wikipedia article, as well.
Sitting in the Braidbar yard as we are at the moment, we're using very little fuel, just what the Eberspacher central heating unit burns first thing in the morning, and at the end of the afternoon (to give us hot water for showers and washing up). We still need to keep the water topped up, but there's a hose reel within easy distance, so about every third day we run it out and refill. The macerator toilet normally fills the tank in about two weeks, but we're spending so much time in the Brycelands' house, that it's going to be more like three or four before it neeeds pumpimg out again.
Thus, at the moment, we'd be pretty happy, if it wasn't for worrying about Sheila's Mum, and of course the kids (no matter how big they get, you can always put in some quality worrying time about the kids.)
The real answer to happiness in general, by the why, goes something like this, I reckon. We all have personal skills and strengths, and working out what these are and using them is a great antidote to feeling useless and gloomy. Furthermore, doing things for other people is a boost to morale and self esteem. So.... use your skills and abilities to benefit other people, or in a social cause you believe in, and you'll find that life seems a lot better than it does just chasing money and possessions.
There's a lot more about this at these websites, for those who are interested. The European Network (for academics) and Authentic Happiness for everyone. There's a Wikipedia article, as well.
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Day Two
Gosh, this is exciting!
Life would be pretty quiet at the moment, doing the keeping the Braidbar office ticking over bit, were it not that Sheila's Mum, our last surviving parent, is presently in Macclesfield General being investigated for a lump on her pancreas. No firm diagnosis yet, but of course you always fear the worst in these circs. At least while we're here we have the use of the Bryceland's car and can visit her regularly.
Otherwise it's a matter of replying to the odd email that isn't actually junk, taking the odd phone call that isn't ditto, and looking after the boat in the usual way.
One of the great things about living aboard is that we can do the whole housework bit in about 45 mins once a week. Houses are much more work.
Had some snow this week, so here's a pic of the yard looking wintry:
That's all for today, folks
Life would be pretty quiet at the moment, doing the keeping the Braidbar office ticking over bit, were it not that Sheila's Mum, our last surviving parent, is presently in Macclesfield General being investigated for a lump on her pancreas. No firm diagnosis yet, but of course you always fear the worst in these circs. At least while we're here we have the use of the Bryceland's car and can visit her regularly.
Otherwise it's a matter of replying to the odd email that isn't actually junk, taking the odd phone call that isn't ditto, and looking after the boat in the usual way.
One of the great things about living aboard is that we can do the whole housework bit in about 45 mins once a week. Houses are much more work.
Had some snow this week, so here's a pic of the yard looking wintry:
That's all for today, folks
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Opening remarks
Hi folks
This is my first foray into blogging, so I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. I live on board a canal boat or narrowboat called Sanity with my wife of 35 years, Sheila. We've got a website, www.nbsanity.net which has loads of stuff about the boat and our journeys so far in her in the three years we've been aboard.
I'm planning to use this space to share thoughts about our lifestyle, and indeed life in general, and to let people know about cruising plans in the immediate future.
At the moment we're not going anywhere, 'cos we're working for the people who built the boat, Iain and Luisa Bryceland, looking after the office while they take a month off to visit New Zealand. We're moored in the yard on the Macclesfield canal while we do this. We can't move about a lot during the UK winter, anyway, as various bits of the canal system are closed for maintenance.
In March we'll head South for Alrewas in Stafordshire, which is where we have our family doctor and dentist. After the six month check ups we'll then go to Stone, also in Staffs, to put the boat in a drydock and reblack her bottom.
I guess that's enough for the moment. While we're here, we can use the web a lot, thanks to a broadband connection. After we leave, it'll be a case of posting one or two days a week.
This is my first foray into blogging, so I'm not sure how it's going to turn out. I live on board a canal boat or narrowboat called Sanity with my wife of 35 years, Sheila. We've got a website, www.nbsanity.net which has loads of stuff about the boat and our journeys so far in her in the three years we've been aboard.
I'm planning to use this space to share thoughts about our lifestyle, and indeed life in general, and to let people know about cruising plans in the immediate future.
At the moment we're not going anywhere, 'cos we're working for the people who built the boat, Iain and Luisa Bryceland, looking after the office while they take a month off to visit New Zealand. We're moored in the yard on the Macclesfield canal while we do this. We can't move about a lot during the UK winter, anyway, as various bits of the canal system are closed for maintenance.
In March we'll head South for Alrewas in Stafordshire, which is where we have our family doctor and dentist. After the six month check ups we'll then go to Stone, also in Staffs, to put the boat in a drydock and reblack her bottom.
I guess that's enough for the moment. While we're here, we can use the web a lot, thanks to a broadband connection. After we leave, it'll be a case of posting one or two days a week.
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