Back on the narrowboat

We came back to our narrowboat this week. We stayed a few nights in the marina, checking we had everything we need, and then set off to one of our favourite moorings – Tixall Wide, on the Staffordshire and Worcester canal.

Tixall Wide is a beautiful place. When the canal was built, the wealthy landowner would only allow it to go through his estate, so long as it looked like a lake. Now, nearly three hundred years later, the fancy house is long gone, but the lake remains. It is home to all sorts of birds, including a couple of pairs of kingfishers, which I am hoping to see.

It is also a perfect first trip out from the marina in Stone because it is just four hours away. That is long enough to properly test the boat and the engine to make sure nothing has broken over winter, and it is short enough that if there is a problem we can limp back.

The good news is that we have not found any problems so far, and the work we had done while we were away seems to have been done well. The engine has been serviced and the rocker head gasket replaced. The shower has been regrouted and sealed. A fuse for the batteries has ben replaced. And we have a lovely new front button fender. The only issues are an ageing Webasto water heater that we will have to replace soon, and a joint in the central heating plumbing that leaks in cold weather.

I was itching to come travelling again and I have loved it. The canal locks feel a little stiff but that is probably caused by my windlass muscles needing to be built up again. The dogs have settled straight back in. Lulu in particular likes to sit on the rear deck and watch the world go round.

Right. Tea won’t cook itself. Pork chops cooked in stuffing tonight, with baked potatoes, cabbage and carrots. Traditional hearty food for narrowboaters in February. It is good to be back.

February 28, 2025 2

Are families like fish?

Benjamin Franklin said that “guests, like fish, start to smell after three days”. Last weekend we had both sons and girlfriends staying with us for just over three days. Did they start to smell?

Firstly it is worth saying that I had the very best time, with the whole family. For various reasons we were not together at Christmas. We saw Tin and Cheryl at New Year but we have not seen Rob and Alessa for months. It felt very special to be all together at our new house in Lancashire. We went for walks, played games and ate so much food, from amazing onion soup at a fancy French gastropub to foot long eclairs from St Anne’s Pier.

The boys got on well, with fewer arguments than normal. And Cheryl & Alessa are both our favourite girlfriends/fiancées ever. In some ways they remind me of Mandy, because it is very clear who is in charge, and they suffer no nonsense from their menfolk, while staying kind, generous and patient to our many foibles.

So did the guests start to smell? Tin took me to one side on our final walk on Beacon Fell, before they set off for home. He said “I know you have had a wonderful time this weekend Dad, but if I said to you that we had decided to come back to the house now I know your face would fall.” He is right. Mandy would have been very happy, but that was not my plan. And as readers of this blog know, I do love a plan. Later this year we are hoping to spend a week with each couple in the Outer Hebrides, so I have no problem exceeding the 3 day rule, but only if that is the plan.

So no, they did not start to smell, but maybe I did. I love it when we have visitors. And I love it when it is just the two of us.

Do you feel the same or do you just love being with friends and family?

February 20, 2025 1

What is luxury?

Mandy and I spent a couple of nights this week in our favourite hotel – Swinton Park in North Yorkshire, For us this was total luxury.

For a start, the hotel is a castle, owned by the Earl and Countess of Swinton. We were upgraded to a suite, and when not in our room there are multiple reception rooms with open fires and sofas to lounge around. There is even a Billiard Room with a full sized snooker table. There is the formal Samuel’s Restaurant and the more relaxed Terrace, both serving amazing food. On the second night we shared a Cote de Boeuf which was simply perfect.

As well as the hotel, there are extensive grounds with woodland, a deer park and lakes to walk the dogs. And a large Spa has pools, saunas and a steam room, to wash away the troubles of the world. I was even given a personal history tour of the hotel with someone who has been working there for 40 years and knew just about everything about the estate.

We have returned much relaxed and ready for our next adventure. But I wonder if this would be luxury for everyone. The rich and famous must live like this all the time. I wonder if luxury for King Charles is to kick his shoes off and watch Coronation Street with beans and toast on his lap. I wonder if luxury for Bill Gates is a day with no meetings.

I am not sure I would like to live in such opulence all the time, but for a couple of days it was my luxury.

I am a lucky man.

February 14, 2025 0

Am I too boring to write a blog?

I was thinking about what to write this week and realised that the highlight has been a visit to the dental hygienist. I wonder if I am becoming too boring to write a blog. I know some of my fellow retirees, including my wife, will say that this is part of what retirement is about. As well as providing opportunity to do exciting new things for which I would never have time when I was working, it provides opportunity to chill, relax and enjoy a slower pace of life.

I do understand the argument. I have read a couple of books this week, after it was pointed out to me that I never read anymore. I know that Mandy really loves sitting in a corner, doing cross-stitch and watching NCIS. I have no problem with others slowing down. But it is not the person I want to be.

I see myself as a lucky young retiree, enjoying the adventure that life provides. That is why I love being on the narrowboat. That is why I loved spending a month on trains in Europe. That is why I want to go back to the outer Hebrides for a month this autumn. There is so much to do!

And maybe I am wrong about the hygienist being the only highlight this week. We had my god-daughter Kelsey to stay with her mum, my friend Marion. We found a local upholsterer and spent a happy hour with him, looking at options for our dining room chairs. I went for a walk with my brother in law to see the snowdrops in Lytham Hall. I have cooked Baklava for a Greek meal with my cousins tonight. They may not be the most exciting things for a blog, but they have kept me busy.

But I still want to find a new adventure for next week. Slowing down is for old folk. And I ain’t old.

February 7, 2025 0