Having been awake in the night thinking about the plight of Tom, Jan and nb Waiouru it has reminded me of how much more challenging planning to cruise the UK canals is when you're starting out from the other side of the world. We don't know many people in the UK... we aren't very familiar with the towns, roads, canals... we won't know which shops are better for buying things, and we've never heard of a lot of the stores... buying groceries will take longer with so many different brands we've never heard of... we aren't used to the UK weather.... there'll be a bit of "culture shock"... we won't be able to access our stored belongings once we fly off into the sunset... we'll be leaving behind our family and friends... but biggest of all is the process of acquiring a boat to begin the dream.
If you're buying a second hand boat like we will you can't go out on weekends and browse what's available. How much easier it would be if that were the case. We'd have a much better idea of the market in a much shorter time if we could look at boats for sale on a sunny Sunday. Instead we can only look at photos and descriptions provided by brokers and they aren't always a realistic representation of the boat.
We've had two visits to the UK that we've looked at boats for sale. The first time in 2007 was more a pipe dream but last year it was with the plan firmly in mind. There were certainly brokers with every boat just as we expected it would be from what we'd seen on the internet. But there were also many that the photos appeared to be a bit of trickery. Of course when you're selling something, whether it be a house, a car or a boat, you want to show it at it's best. There were a couple of boats that were a sad disappointment! One had exterior paintwork in terrible condition. The photos on the advertisement were at an angle that you couldn't see this. Another one had extremely shabby timberwork inside but with all the interior photos of that boat being at a distance you just couldn't see it. And another... well it just stunk! You can't smell a photo!!
Having a new boat built? Well... if the thought made me nervous before, it is now something we wouldn't even consider unless we could be in the UK during the process. We did consider the option - I have a blog post about narrowboat sponsorship. I even went to visit a boat builder in 2008 that built boats for sponsorship to discuss it and it was a tempting option. We just couldn't see how we could have a boat built for us if we couldn't go visit it and see the progress. We would want to be regular visitors, not just once or twice.
I wonder if any boat surveyors offer a service of "build progress inspections". They could inspect and photograph the progress to date before the next instalment was paid. Paying for this type of service would be money well spent!
We are two Australians who lived the dream and spent 20 months as liveaboards on narrowboat Parisien Star. Life before.... during.... and after.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
How can they live with themselves!
We want to offer our support and encouragement to Tom and Jan from Adelaide. We've been keenly reading their blog of building their narrowboat Waiouru and waiting for them to start cruising and living the dream.
I felt sick to the stomach to see today what's been happening with the building of their boat. Ben Harp Narrowboats should be ashamed of themselves.
Here is the boat as it was collected from the builder following a lengthy dispute. nb Waiouru blog
Our thoughts are with you Tom and Jan....
I felt sick to the stomach to see today what's been happening with the building of their boat. Ben Harp Narrowboats should be ashamed of themselves.
Here is the boat as it was collected from the builder following a lengthy dispute. nb Waiouru blog
Our thoughts are with you Tom and Jan....
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Pick of the week - Friendship
This boat is for sale with Whilton Marina. nb Friendship Price: £54,950
Positives : the built in shelving in the saloon is great, there's lots of cupboards, we like the blue paintwork, the layout is how we'd prefer
Negatives : there's money to be spent on a cratch and cover, it's a bit dark as there is only one set of windows - the rest are portholes, the red tiles in the bathroom make that room dark too, that toilet lid has to go!
Positives : the built in shelving in the saloon is great, there's lots of cupboards, we like the blue paintwork, the layout is how we'd prefer
Negatives : there's money to be spent on a cratch and cover, it's a bit dark as there is only one set of windows - the rest are portholes, the red tiles in the bathroom make that room dark too, that toilet lid has to go!
Boat Type | Traditional Style Narrowboat |
When Manufactured | 2005 |
Length | 57 |
Hull Manufacturer | Jonathon Wilson |
Plating Specification | 10/6/4mm |
Flat, V-Hull or Keeled | Flat |
Fitted out by | JR Joinery |
Cabin Height | 6' 2" |
Number Of Berths | Four |
Fixed Berths | Fixed Double |
Additional Berths | Double Dinette |
Engine Make | Beta 38 |
No. Of Cylinders | Four |
Keel, Water or Air Cooled | Keel Cooled |
Gearbox Make | PRM 120 |
Diesel Tank Capacity | 40 Gallons (approximately) |
Source of Hot Water | Calorifier via Central Heating & Engine |
Central Heating | Mikuni Diesel |
Solid Fuel Stove | Stovax |
Water Tank Capacity | 120 Gallons (approximately) |
Material used | Stainless Steel |
12 Volt Lighting | Yes |
240 Volt Landline | Yes |
Inverter | Sterling 1800 watt |
Generator | No |
Batteries | 3 Domestic & 1 Starter |
Type Of Toilet | Pumpout |
Bath Fitted | No |
Separate Shower Fitted | Yes |
Vanity Basin Fitted | Yes |
Make & Model Of Cooker | Vanette GG2200 |
Separate Hob | Vanette 4000/2 |
Microwave Fitted | Yes |
Make & Model Of Fridge | Shoreline |
Gas, 12 volt or 240 volt | 12 Volt |
Insulation Used | Spray Foam |
Types Of Wood Used | Oak |
Window Types | Hopper |
Materials Used | Gold Anodised |
Bulls Eye, Pigeon Box or Houdini Hatch | None |
Exterior Doors | Steel Front & Rear |
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Lunch with a boaty friend
I've been a bit lazy with blogging lately - work and renovating! I haven't had much narrowboat stuff to blog about either with being sidetracked from my research. I'm finally getting into a routine with my new work arrangements so plan to get back on track.
Last week I had lunch with Diane, from Gypsy Rover AU. She's back in Australia for a few weeks. It was lovely to see her again and especially nice to talk to someone who is living our dream. I drooled over her photos from the last 3 or so months. I want to go!!!!!!!!
Last week I had lunch with Diane, from Gypsy Rover AU. She's back in Australia for a few weeks. It was lovely to see her again and especially nice to talk to someone who is living our dream. I drooled over her photos from the last 3 or so months. I want to go!!!!!!!!
Friday, 8 July 2011
Recipe - Greek nutty biscuits
Mick isn't a sweet tooth and I don't need sweets so I don't have a lot of sweet recipes! But, occasionally I stumble across something that I think he'll like. A friend gave me a plate with a few nutty biscuits she'd made and they were really good. Mick liked them but he said he'd prefer to not have them dipped in icing sugar. I asked her for the recipe and now have it jotted down on a piece of paper with very abbreviated instructions. I've made them twice now and they've worked out well.
Now I have no idea what these are called but I think they are a variation of Greek biscuits shaped as crescents.
Makes lots.
Now I have no idea what these are called but I think they are a variation of Greek biscuits shaped as crescents.
Makes lots.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g butter (chopped)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp grated orange rind (I use double that amount)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups self raising flour ***
- 2 cups crushed nuts (a mixture works best - almonds, cashews, macadamias, walnuts... any!)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Extra icing sugar to dust them
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
- Cream the butter, orange rind and icing sugar.
- Mix in the egg and the egg yolk.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients (except the extra icing sugar) and add to the wet mixture.
- Mix it well and form it into a dough.
- Press the dough out flat (I make it between half to one centimetre - my instructions don't say).
- Use a glass to cut out "bites" from the dough. Put aside the first piece you cut out because that won't be a crescent but then keep taking cuts that should then be a crescent shape. When you complete a row start again. Put scraps together and press flat to make a few more.
- Line a tray with baking paper and lay crescents on tray with a small space between for spreading. It make 2 trays.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or just colouring.
- While warm, roll them in icing sugar on a plate. (We don't do this - we cool them and then just dip the top in icing sugar and brush off excess so they aren't so sweet.)
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Work, work, work
I've had a fairly relaxed 3 months since I finished up at my very long term job in Melbourne. With between 6-10 hours per week doing a couple of little jobs we've kept afloat but we're not saving anything. It's been a busy time anyway with getting the house ready to sell and packing up but I wasn't quite sure where I'd go from here.
I had coffee with "the nice boss" a few weeks ago. He's been under a bit of pressure of late with two more accountants resigning since I left. He asked if I'd consider coming back to just do his work. Noooooooo!!!!! Actually I said I'd think about it and I would possibly consider doing his work if I could do so from home. There is no way I want to work in the office again. Too stressful.
Mick and I talked about it at length. I've been happy and definitely relaxed in recent weeks. Would it be possible to go back to doing that work without getting stressed? And more importantly, would it be possible to avoid getting dragged back into doing work for the stressful boss. We've tried this before and it didn't work. He just seems to know which buttons to press... a bit of emotional blackmail. I've just worked for them for too long. Eventually we came to the decision that I should give it a try. If I lay down the terms and stick to them rigidly, maybe we can make it work.
I discussed it all with Mr Nice Boss and we came to an agreement. I'll go to the office on Mondays to collect work and return and review completed work. No stress. I went in last week to meet the IT guy at the office and he set up my remote access on my laptop. I'm all ready to go.
Now wouldn't it be nice if this arrangement worked out well and I could continue doing this work on our narrowboat!!
I had coffee with "the nice boss" a few weeks ago. He's been under a bit of pressure of late with two more accountants resigning since I left. He asked if I'd consider coming back to just do his work. Noooooooo!!!!! Actually I said I'd think about it and I would possibly consider doing his work if I could do so from home. There is no way I want to work in the office again. Too stressful.
Mick and I talked about it at length. I've been happy and definitely relaxed in recent weeks. Would it be possible to go back to doing that work without getting stressed? And more importantly, would it be possible to avoid getting dragged back into doing work for the stressful boss. We've tried this before and it didn't work. He just seems to know which buttons to press... a bit of emotional blackmail. I've just worked for them for too long. Eventually we came to the decision that I should give it a try. If I lay down the terms and stick to them rigidly, maybe we can make it work.
I discussed it all with Mr Nice Boss and we came to an agreement. I'll go to the office on Mondays to collect work and return and review completed work. No stress. I went in last week to meet the IT guy at the office and he set up my remote access on my laptop. I'm all ready to go.
Now wouldn't it be nice if this arrangement worked out well and I could continue doing this work on our narrowboat!!
Update 5/7/01 Cruising miles
A couple of additions to the cruising mile averages. Do correct me if my assumption of the beginning months are incorrect!
nb Lazy Days 2773 miles since end June 2008 - 77 miles per month
nb Jandai 1298 miles since Mar 2010 - 86 per month
THE LIST SO FAR
nb Northern Pride (2009) - 180 miles per month
nb Gypsy Rover AU - 120 miles per month
nb Gypsy Rover NZ - 100 miles per month
nb Jandai - 86 miles per month
nb Epiphany - 80 miles per month
nb Lazy Days - 77 miles per month
nb No Problem - 67 miles per month
nb Rock'n'Roll - 55 miles per month
nb Lazy Days 2773 miles since end June 2008 - 77 miles per month
nb Jandai 1298 miles since Mar 2010 - 86 per month
THE LIST SO FAR
nb Northern Pride (2009) - 180 miles per month
nb Gypsy Rover AU - 120 miles per month
nb Gypsy Rover NZ - 100 miles per month
nb Jandai - 86 miles per month
nb Epiphany - 80 miles per month
nb Lazy Days - 77 miles per month
nb No Problem - 67 miles per month
nb Rock'n'Roll - 55 miles per month
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Up the road
We settled on the purchase of the house we bought up the street on Thursday. A bit of a non-event when you aren't actually moving immediately. Plus, we already had the house keys so nothing much seemed to happen except the solicitor rang and said all had gone through, and we now have a new loan.
Mick has finally relented to taking Fridays off again. He did this for several years while we renovated but had slowly slipped back into working the whole week. Now with a new project he's decided to work a four day week again. Friday morning saw him up bright and early, rushing through breakfast and off up the street. I rushed to get dressed so I could take a few photos before he started destroying the place. Every time I intend to take photos of the houses we've bought before he starts but when he's on a mission there is no stopping him. Luckily this time he had to pull down a section of the tumble down front fence to allow for a large rubbish skip to be delivered. It gave me a chance to take a few photos.
By lunchtime one of the chimneys was down, the old slow combustion stove was out and the living room and kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off. I went back and forth between home and the new house while running errands, ordering things, making phone calls. Saturday was another busy day - the carpet has all been removed and the wall between living room and kitchen is almost gone. We had an inspection by prospective buyers at our place so I rushed around tidying and cleaning and took the dogs (we're dog sitting for my brother and his girlfriend) up to the new place. There was a fair stream of curious neighbours and other town locals wanting to see what we'd bought and what we planned to do with it.
This list of what is to be done at the house has grown a little. Mick has decided he wants to fit out the walk in pantry now rather than when we return from England. We're going to have it like a little butler's pantry with a window, a sink and benchtop with cupboards under. It will be great to have somewhere to keep electrical kitchen appliances for easy use without them being in view. We're also going to buy a new hot water service now as the old one is the sort that's in the ceiling and the water pressure is terrible.
As if he hasn't enough to think about right now, Mick came home late yesterday afternoon saying he's worked out where we can have our walled garden when we come back from England! Goodness, that's a way off! We haven't even left yet!!
1. Kitchen and dining with loungeroom to the right.
2. The kitchen.
3. Loungeroom.
4. Pantry.
Mick has finally relented to taking Fridays off again. He did this for several years while we renovated but had slowly slipped back into working the whole week. Now with a new project he's decided to work a four day week again. Friday morning saw him up bright and early, rushing through breakfast and off up the street. I rushed to get dressed so I could take a few photos before he started destroying the place. Every time I intend to take photos of the houses we've bought before he starts but when he's on a mission there is no stopping him. Luckily this time he had to pull down a section of the tumble down front fence to allow for a large rubbish skip to be delivered. It gave me a chance to take a few photos.
By lunchtime one of the chimneys was down, the old slow combustion stove was out and the living room and kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off. I went back and forth between home and the new house while running errands, ordering things, making phone calls. Saturday was another busy day - the carpet has all been removed and the wall between living room and kitchen is almost gone. We had an inspection by prospective buyers at our place so I rushed around tidying and cleaning and took the dogs (we're dog sitting for my brother and his girlfriend) up to the new place. There was a fair stream of curious neighbours and other town locals wanting to see what we'd bought and what we planned to do with it.
This list of what is to be done at the house has grown a little. Mick has decided he wants to fit out the walk in pantry now rather than when we return from England. We're going to have it like a little butler's pantry with a window, a sink and benchtop with cupboards under. It will be great to have somewhere to keep electrical kitchen appliances for easy use without them being in view. We're also going to buy a new hot water service now as the old one is the sort that's in the ceiling and the water pressure is terrible.
As if he hasn't enough to think about right now, Mick came home late yesterday afternoon saying he's worked out where we can have our walled garden when we come back from England! Goodness, that's a way off! We haven't even left yet!!
1. Kitchen and dining with loungeroom to the right.
2. The kitchen.
3. Loungeroom.
4. Pantry.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pantry |
Saturday, 2 July 2011
The good, the bad, and the ugly
I had a comment on a recent blog entry about looking through rose coloured glasses. That isn't how the author put it but it is what the comment has reminded of. On holiday you do tend to see just the pleasant aspects of a place and when you get home you remember the nice things and gloss over the negatives.
Although we all tend to rave about how friendly the canal world is I'm sure everyone would have a story of an unpleasant experience. And... boaters do tend to need to leave their canal haven and venture out into the real world to buy groceries and other necessities. Every country has its own "good, bad and ugly" and it's true that we need to be realistic about what to expect when we get over there and buy our narrowboat.
I recall reading a story of a woman who moved to the UK. They settled into their new house and the next week she saw the lady from the house next door as she was walking out to her car. She went and introduced herself and asked if the couple next door would come for dinner the following week. The response was "No thank you!". Wow, that would take the wind out of your sails! Now, I'm not saying that everyone must be on "invite to dinner" terms with their neighbours, and I'm sure there's many a time you'd rather just say no and that's it. But surely a polite excuse? Maybe another time? We're really busy at the moment? I'll let you know when we're free?
The blog comment has also reminded me of what we thought was a rather funny thing on my visit to Finland for a family reunion in 2008. It was a clear reminder of how different cultures and your upbringing can shape the way you see things. The Finns take life seriously. Now, don't get me wrong, they do have a sense of humour, and they are friendly and happy with their lives but they smile when something makes them genuinely happy. Smiling as a greeting or acknowledgement is something they see as being a bit artificial. Hearing "have a good day" from a shopkeeper would seem to a Finn to be fake friendliness. You might say that to your friend but not a complete stranger.
One of my uncles (my mum is one of ten children) also came from Australia to the reunion with his wife, and I don't get to see them all that often. He is nearly always smiling, laughing, teasing. It was lovely for us to spend some time together and he enjoyed teasing me about old childhood happenings. He was just a teenager when I was born and as my mum was the eldest of the 10 children and I the first grandchild, I spent the first 5 years of my life with 9 doting aunts and uncles. So there was quite a bit of laughing and smiling from the Aussie contingent over the reunion weekend. He was had a smile on his face the whole weekend!
After we got home, one of my aunts spoke to one of her cousins in Finland and asked what everyone had thought of my uncle. The response was "No comment!" They thought he was altogether way too happy, smiling and jolly.
I told this story to a young Finnish second cousin of mine who is currently spending time in Australia. She nodded knowingly... yes, they would definitely think that smiling and laughing like that is over the top. She said she's really enjoying the friendly, laid back Aussie attitude. "Everyone seems so happy!" she said.
So we smile at the person next to us in a queue as we stand there waiting, our shopkeepers and checkout operators might say "have a good day" or "enjoy the sunshine" when you're leaving, we might even laugh out loud with a total stranger if we've both seen something funny and catch each others eye, and here in our small country town we wave at any neighbour that drives by when we're out in the garden - even those we don't even know the name of. Strange? Artificial? Over the top? Gee, we only get one shot at life. Why take it so seriously? That person you smile at, wave at, laugh with, might be having a terrible day and you might just cheer them up!
Although we all tend to rave about how friendly the canal world is I'm sure everyone would have a story of an unpleasant experience. And... boaters do tend to need to leave their canal haven and venture out into the real world to buy groceries and other necessities. Every country has its own "good, bad and ugly" and it's true that we need to be realistic about what to expect when we get over there and buy our narrowboat.
I recall reading a story of a woman who moved to the UK. They settled into their new house and the next week she saw the lady from the house next door as she was walking out to her car. She went and introduced herself and asked if the couple next door would come for dinner the following week. The response was "No thank you!". Wow, that would take the wind out of your sails! Now, I'm not saying that everyone must be on "invite to dinner" terms with their neighbours, and I'm sure there's many a time you'd rather just say no and that's it. But surely a polite excuse? Maybe another time? We're really busy at the moment? I'll let you know when we're free?
The blog comment has also reminded me of what we thought was a rather funny thing on my visit to Finland for a family reunion in 2008. It was a clear reminder of how different cultures and your upbringing can shape the way you see things. The Finns take life seriously. Now, don't get me wrong, they do have a sense of humour, and they are friendly and happy with their lives but they smile when something makes them genuinely happy. Smiling as a greeting or acknowledgement is something they see as being a bit artificial. Hearing "have a good day" from a shopkeeper would seem to a Finn to be fake friendliness. You might say that to your friend but not a complete stranger.
One of my uncles (my mum is one of ten children) also came from Australia to the reunion with his wife, and I don't get to see them all that often. He is nearly always smiling, laughing, teasing. It was lovely for us to spend some time together and he enjoyed teasing me about old childhood happenings. He was just a teenager when I was born and as my mum was the eldest of the 10 children and I the first grandchild, I spent the first 5 years of my life with 9 doting aunts and uncles. So there was quite a bit of laughing and smiling from the Aussie contingent over the reunion weekend. He was had a smile on his face the whole weekend!
After we got home, one of my aunts spoke to one of her cousins in Finland and asked what everyone had thought of my uncle. The response was "No comment!" They thought he was altogether way too happy, smiling and jolly.
I told this story to a young Finnish second cousin of mine who is currently spending time in Australia. She nodded knowingly... yes, they would definitely think that smiling and laughing like that is over the top. She said she's really enjoying the friendly, laid back Aussie attitude. "Everyone seems so happy!" she said.
So we smile at the person next to us in a queue as we stand there waiting, our shopkeepers and checkout operators might say "have a good day" or "enjoy the sunshine" when you're leaving, we might even laugh out loud with a total stranger if we've both seen something funny and catch each others eye, and here in our small country town we wave at any neighbour that drives by when we're out in the garden - even those we don't even know the name of. Strange? Artificial? Over the top? Gee, we only get one shot at life. Why take it so seriously? That person you smile at, wave at, laugh with, might be having a terrible day and you might just cheer them up!
Pick of the week - Helmsman
It's been a while since we've put up a pick of the week. Life's been busy! So here is one from ABNB (they really do seem to have great quality boats for sale). nb Helmsman This one looks like a lovely boat.
Positives : great timberwork, radiator covers, really like the cratch with glass front and clear plastic "windows", neutral colour scheme
Negatives : no dinette
Price: £56,000
Length: 57ft 1in
Builder: G&J Reeves
Fitter-out: David Golding
Year registered: 2006
Style: Trad
Safety Certificate: BSS 2014, RCD issued 2006
Engine: Beta 38 diesel
Plating: 10/6/4
Last blacked: Dec 2010
Fit-out materials: Headlining, cabin & hull sides lined in oak-faced ply with hardwood frames. Floors carpeted except oak laminate to galley & bathroom.
Insulation: Spray foam
Headroom: 6ft 2in
Berths: 2 : 6ft 7in x 4ft 0in perm double, extends to 4ft 7i
Mains Power: Landline, Sterling 3000W pure sine wave inverter
Cabin heating: Eberspacher diesel c/heating > 4 rads, s/f stove
Water Heating: C/heating + engine > calorifier
Water tank: 200gall (approx) stainless steel
Cooker: Spinflo hob 7 Vanette oven/grill - gas, Belling 700W microwave
Fridge: LEC 4cu ft 12V
Washer/dryer: Candy Aquamatic washing machine
WC: Vacuflush electric flush wc to remote cassette
Shower: in tiled cubicle with doors
Other: Sky digibox & 19in flat screen TV
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)