tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49702540338002794762024-03-05T12:28:20.911+00:00Land 2 RiverA couple and a dog moved from a house to a wide-beam boatEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00112242681983528779noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-5204546786188747852023-02-21T10:30:00.010+00:002023-02-21T10:30:39.087+00:00Four and a half years into boat lifeWe have now been four and a half years on our river boat. I have truly never looked back or wished we had not done this move. But I do see us moving back to the land in the future. When that will be, I don't know. We also don't know how. In the meantime, what I can say about my life on the boat is that the winters are challenging, and it sometimes feels a burden to get heavy items and big Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Oxford, UK51.7520209 -1.257726323.441787063821153 -36.4139763 80.062254736178843 33.8985237tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-6831986006522038802021-09-30T22:22:00.000+01:002021-09-30T22:22:09.727+01:00A year later, Autumn 2021Summer is over; I feel sad. I was swimming in the Thames daily in September, and I think it did me really good. When the first cold day arrived I chickened out, though. I can't get myself to go in when the outside temperature is cooler than the water. Autumn has arrived so abruptly, hasn't it. Today we've had the stove going all day, and I'm sure it will go on most of the evening, and probably Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com8Oxford, UK51.7520209 -1.257726323.441787063821153 -36.4139763 80.062254736178843 33.8985237tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-73546732266245225192020-09-07T22:07:00.004+01:002021-10-01T13:46:34.004+01:00In The FlowI know. It's been a loooooong time, again. I think I have some kind of blockage with regard to writing. Well - here I am, with some news and reflections about our recent ventures.I just read through my last post, which was written on 17th February this year. Oh. My. God! Then I didn't know what was about to happen, just one month later: The Lockdown. Corona was already around, I now know, and I Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-82503602963619349442020-02-17T15:14:00.000+00:002020-02-17T16:54:09.845+00:00Life's Ups And Downs
Hi Peeps!
I'm resting today, as I've got a cold. No worries, I'm on the up, just taking my time to look after myself. I've heard from so many that their cold has come back several times. I wonder if it's down to them trying to get back to work or back into action too soon. I'm lucky that I can rest and take it easy, thanks to my full-time working man, who makes it all possible for me to go Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Unknown location.51.7125969731766 -1.233443272344970951.6929229731766 -1.273783772344971 51.732270973176604 -1.1931027723449708tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-71481826392497387422019-10-22T15:21:00.000+01:002019-10-23T09:45:47.612+01:00So, boatlife...
I know, I know. I really am crap at writing posts. It's because I get distracted so easily, and then I don't find the time and peace I need to write. Scattered mind and procrastination - not a very successful combination. I don't recommend it.
Anyways - Here I am. We're still living on our river boat; it's been over a year now since we first set foot on it. How's it going? The short answer is, Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-51134282060499873822019-03-09T17:36:00.000+00:002019-03-09T17:36:22.798+00:00We've Gone Off Grid
This post was meant to go out a while ago, when the headline was "We're Getting There". I had to change it to what it is now, because we got there (work wise): The kitchen is done, the canopy is on, the batteries are fixed and the wiring finished. The heating is working, and the solar panels are drawing in most of the energy we need. 😅
It wasn't a very nice time. It was Winter, and we had Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com1Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.497941600000004 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131516 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-935955451698396272019-01-28T19:06:00.000+00:002019-01-28T19:30:23.182+00:00Work SiteHello everyone,
It's been a while again. Sitting down and just writing seems a luxury at the moment. My (our) life has been so stressful recently that I feel we need another holiday.
Don't know where to start, so I will just start with the heating. It's still not working. We've had an engineer out twice and an electrician too. They came to the conclusion that it's the original wiring, and that Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-17304452918498354832018-12-04T16:27:00.001+00:002018-12-05T18:08:27.716+00:00A Not So Happy PostIt's Winter. And I'm feeling all those familiar lows that come with short, dark, rainy and cold days. I don't think I suffer from SAD, but I certainly feel a huge lift when the sun is out. But there's much more to the lows than the weather, which - of course - confronts us with heating issues. By the way - as I'm writing on my laptop, whenever I'm pondering, I look up and I see the river flowing Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com10Wallingford OX10, UK51.614898 -1.119348100000024751.4571165 -1.4420716000000247 51.772679499999995 -0.79662460000002477tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-18416754343768123552018-10-22T17:29:00.002+01:002018-10-22T19:56:52.097+01:00A Dream Has Come True
So, let me introduce you to .... Coddiwomple.
Yes, you've read that right. To coddiwomple = to travel in a purposeful manner to a vague destination. We love that word, we did from the first time we heard someone use it ("....coddiwomplin' around...."). It's kind of unbelievable that no-one had yet registered it with the Environment Agency. We secured it nearly a year ago, and now she's Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com7Wallingford OX10 8LZ, UK51.623459399999987 -1.139674199999944951.61853039999999 -1.1497591999999448 51.628388399999984 -1.129589199999945tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-23890295225774254672018-09-10T15:10:00.000+01:002018-09-10T17:15:19.145+01:00Day Five of River Cruiser LifeI feel so tired. I haven't slept enough or properly for 4 nights now in a row. It's taking its toll. The bed is hard, and I don't have space to move around, and my back and neck are killing me. Concentration is still okay, yet, my eyes feel like wanting to close. I might just have to take a nap, like Jack, but can't yet. It must be fab to be a dog, especially mine.
Today we're moored at the Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-11114306112013679492018-09-09T10:12:00.000+01:002018-09-09T10:12:16.552+01:00A New Life BeginsThis post will be in diary style:
7th September, 8am
After a very busy day yesterday, cleaning up the house and getting all remaining things out, we moved into Nirvana II (Birchwood, 25 feet long) around 18.30. My youngest daughter came round, and we had a Chinese takeaway, a drink, and we played Rummy. Was lovely. The night was quiet at Wilsham Road mooring in Abingdon, but it was Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com5Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-90661926314483222042018-09-05T11:36:00.000+01:002018-09-05T11:36:49.458+01:00The move is onLast Friday we finally exchanged contracts, and this coming Friday we complete. We are happy, excited, exhausted and so looking forward to everything to come. Right now we're still in a bit of moving chaos, although we've pretty much emptied the house of all furniture and most appliances, and we've put most of what goes onto the River Barge, into storage.
Our belongings in a box
We're moving Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com3Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-11611840992239470062018-07-30T13:32:00.000+01:002018-07-30T13:32:18.633+01:00In LimboHello fellow boating enthusiasts and followers of this humble li'l blog.
The sale of our house is still seemingly going through (our buyer has started filling our shed and garden with stuff), yet, it's the not knowing that is causing some stress, in me anyway. Our buyer is looking at exchanging contracts on 8th August. But we haven't heard a peep from our lawyer or our estate agent. It's really Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com1Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-53245396037573809762018-06-25T09:12:00.001+01:002018-06-25T10:32:29.381+01:00MovementWe've accepted another offer 😃. Unfortunately, we had to go down with the price again, but that made it possible for a formerly interested person to finally make an offer. This time it's looking good, and we see this going through fine, hopefully within the next 6 to 8 weeks, which takes us to mid/end August.
Only the garden is difficult to leave behind
Every day, I've been walking along Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-45643299676183395052018-06-07T12:46:00.001+01:002018-06-07T15:30:53.562+01:00StagnationIt's the beginning of June, and we still haven't sold our property. In case you didn't read my last post, our sale fell through Mid May. We were devastated, it really hurt. After that and a few weeks without house viewings, we felt we had to go down with the price even more, and we've had several viewings since. Most of them went well, and some of the people are really interested and are Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com2Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-41336895035396357802018-05-16T15:29:00.000+01:002018-05-16T15:29:26.194+01:00Being Bold to Be Bald for "A Band of Brothers" (ABoB)I'm going bald!
Our house sale fell through (yes, devastating!!), so, I thought I needed some distraction. And here is what I'm going to do:
On Sunday 20th May at 12:00 pm (London time) I'm publicly getting my hair shaved off, on Abingdon-on-Thames Market Square.
I am raising awareness for the wonderful charity "A Band of Brothers" who mentor young troubled man and give them a better chance Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-53211775225714192962018-03-05T22:05:00.002+00:002018-03-05T22:13:51.609+00:00Life Is About To ChangeAs some of you know we've been looking after young people in leaving care - so called Supported Lodgers. That was my way of earning a living. The latest lodger, 17 years old, was with us since October 2017. I felt very warm towards him and cared a lot. Just over a week ago, we had to discover that he had stolen my debit card details and had tried to buy items online amounting to over £1,200. We Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com4Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-6592550752123807272018-02-04T13:49:00.000+00:002018-02-05T10:05:42.634+00:00PatienceHello Followers of our Blog,
It has been quiet with regard to our house. We recently had a very good offer, but it was withdrawn the next day. The Lender had an issue with our house having concrete walls. Very strange! So many houses in this area have been build this way in the 60s, and we never had a problem getting a mortgage. We've had no viewings since last week, which challenges my patienceSilviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-41820833966157856352018-01-07T15:01:00.000+00:002018-01-07T15:01:04.497+00:00Hanging in thereI know, I know - we haven't been exactly good at keeping you all updated. Well - it was Christmas. But I admit, I also couldn't get myself to write a post, as there is not much news, still. We're waiting for the house to sell. Had 2 viewings this week - no luck. We're basically getting on with more research, talking to people who've done it, finding websites where boats are sold or hired out and Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com2Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-80078898114619623082017-10-05T21:43:00.000+01:002017-10-05T21:43:57.112+01:00The Caterpillar Is Very HungryI know you don't see much of us here (even less of Ewan than me), but we're just having such a busy time. I'm building up my business as a life coach and group facilitator, and Ewan is in a full-time job, being a radio DJ and a very committed member of "A Band of Brothers" in Oxford (they're looking for men to volunteer, by the way). But we also have been meeting 4 Estate Agents within 1.5 weeks Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-91521729361458144672017-09-19T12:37:00.000+01:002017-09-19T15:21:19.402+01:00Summer Break Is OverHello devoted Followers,
We've been quiet. I know. I do apologise! It has been a roller coaster Summer for us. We were far too busy to write blogs; and also enjoying any available sunshine.
Our dream had been on hold for a bit, as we had to get a wedding, two holidays and a crisis out of the way. But it's alive, and we're still on track.
IMPORTANT:
If we can get any chance at all to live on a Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com1Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-48682277339681545972017-08-03T09:54:00.000+01:002017-08-03T20:47:50.981+01:00Half a day out with Paul and Carol
Last Saturday we were warmly welcomed on Paul & Carol's barge "La Finisterre" at Abingdon Lock. First we were greeted by their super sweet dog who gave us a huge smile (honestly! - she does show her teeth when she greets you!). I wish I could show you a picture of that. 😁
What a lovely couple! We had a beautiful time with them, chugging up the Thames to Sandford Lock and back. We Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com2Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-2559419282307983842017-07-27T14:08:00.001+01:002017-07-27T14:08:16.529+01:00Parents, Clothes and LodgerWe've done it. We've told Ewan's parents. What a big relief! The first response wasn't too uplifting. But after explanations and expressing our dedication, as well as showing mum some of the amazing wide-beam houseboats online, she softened into it. We've got their blessing. That's what we needed.
It feels even more real now.
My parents ... to come .... but not yet. I expect mine to try and talk Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-567812753145576352017-07-22T16:56:00.000+01:002017-07-22T16:56:40.915+01:00The rain, our parents and stuffWe have a date with Paul and Carole - Yey! They will welcome us on their boat and we'll have a good chat about moving from the land to the river. We're excited 😀
Right now, there is not much more to report. Only that we have got rid of some stuff, have put things on Ebay and have contacted a friend to help us with the repair of the kitchen tap.
But we haven't spoken to our parents, yet. ComingSilviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com5Abingdon OX14, UK51.6555466 -1.265938199999936851.4979421 -1.5886616999999368 51.8131511 -0.9432146999999369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970254033800279476.post-76596559449702833102017-07-12T15:39:00.000+01:002017-07-12T15:39:09.231+01:00Good OmenLast Saturday we went to a birthday bash at the Brewery Tap in Abingdon and it took no more than 2 minutes before Ewan was introduced to Paul and Carole, houseboat owners for 14 years on the river Thames in the Abingdon area. Ewan was chuffed when he realised that Paul was the brother of one of his mates who had just recently told him to have a chat with them. The world is such a tiny place, Silviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06121525232515714995noreply@blogger.com0Abingdon OX14, UK51.67078 -1.287952899999936651.631392500000004 -1.3686338999999366 51.7101675 -1.2072718999999366