The Seed of an Idea

I guess like for lots of people life has been a struggle for us, constantly working hard to make ends meet. Well, we’ve had enough of the millstone that’s called a mortgage, enough of having to share our space with a lodger, with not having the freedom to do as we want when we want. And on top of that, government cut backs are threatening my earnings.

I’ve spent all my life living in proximity to the River Thames and the Oxford Canal, seeing the many various crafts and lifestyles, while walking dogs along the towpath. I've been wondering if one day I too could take on such a way of life.

I’m married for the second time, and Silvia has similar thoughts. But at 6’2″ tall we kind of assumed that the boats would mean a life of stooping for her. Then, about a month ago, we had the opportunity to see inside a wide beam barge, and to our surprise there was a clear 6 to 8 inches above her head.

From that point our dream was starting to become reality ... at least in our minds.

The Plan is to sell the house and buy a wide beam barge (or Dutch barge). It's July 2017 now, so, if we started today we could be moving onto the river mid winter, assuming it would take about six months to sell, find and buy the right boat, move it to Oxfordshire if necessary, and get settled in. Oh, and there is the contents of the house to think about, we have so much ‘stuff’ - we’ll need to down-size our belongings, find a home for the hens. Jack the dog will come with us.

So, the idea behind this blog is to publish the progress of our move from Land to River.

We’re definitely in the research stage at the moment, so, are looking for help, advice, information anything really that makes this dream come true. Please, if you’ve done this journey yourself and have some wisdom to offer, do get in touch.

Just writing this to the world - feels like a start.

Ewan