woz will fix it

During our time on Papillon, Woz earned a reputation on the Marina as the local 'Canal Rescue Service' and was often called out by friends who had encountered a problem along the way on a trip along the canal. Thankfully, the boats were not made for speed, so whilst the helpless boaters had left hours before, Woz could usually catch up with them with a quick run along the canal path, where he would climb aboard and come to their rescue. Although we are no longer living afloat we've still maintained friendships with our ex-neighbours, who still live quite close by, and Woz has often been called upon for his services.

This weekend Woz received such a call and so spent a great deal of his Saturday helping some friends through the locks at various intervals. Nate and I joined them when they got back into the marina where the four adults tried rather comically to put up a canvas structure which is suspended over the front door to the boat. It wasn't long before one, two and finally three poles had ended up in the canal rendering the remaining poles and canvas useless.

Part of his Canal Rescue package it seems is Underwater Rescue and so Woz decided he would leap into the freezing water and thresh about with his feet in order to find the poles. Above water it was all hands on deck as we tried to keep the two boats apart (so he wouldn't be crushed) and to shout encouraging words to spur him on lest he realise just how disgusting the water he was chest deep in, was.

It wasn't long before he had found one, then another. On the finding of the third a round of applause broke out from the group who had gathered to watch him as Woz emerged triumphantly from the water.


Afterwards the mud from the canal was hosed off thanks to Chris, who you may see from the photo was also in a towel from the waist down, although in order to preserve his dignity and in his words to ensure he doesn't "end up looking like Laurel and Hardy" I have not commented on why he went in and why he did not emerge waving poles as Woz had.

and so begin 'the loft years'

Well we're in. In, but a long long way from comfortable. We have boxes, plastic tubs and bags littering every inch of floor space at the moment as we slowly try to find some sort of order. The flat has the potential to be amazing, but as it is a rental property it has been fitted out with the bare minimum, to fit a small budget and with the least possible taste or creativity. As we're renting we can only do so much, but in a few weeks we hope we will have transformed it somewhat from what it was.

We're absolutely loving having a bath in the flat. For a year and a half we've had to take Nate over to the bathroom at the marina facilities, which meant carting over shampoo, fresh clothes, a fresh nappy, a towel and a toddler who refused to be held and would wriggle his way out of our grasp to walk over himself with reckless disregard for time constraints. All this in the freezing cold.

We're also loving having more floorspace. Soooo much more floorspace. In this flat we have enough room for a full sized dining table which is something we've missed for so long. Eating a meal together is something that is important to us and wasn't always possible on the boat.

So, we'll keep working ... watch this space for photos.

those were the barge years my friend

I thought they’d never end ... at times anyway. At least that’s what I’m trying to remind myself in what has been a very sad week or two as we prepare to move off the boat for good.

It’s not yet been two weeks since we wrote last and it feels like months. After much searching, a few weeks ago Woz and I found a flat we liked and put the plans in motion to move out of the boat. With our safety certificate passed, hull survey done and the flat ready within two weeks we signed on the dotted line and will move in today with the new owner moving into the boat tomorrow.

The last three years have been an emotional journey. Having reduced the boat to a shell not long after buying it and slowly rebuilding it, it has been a challenge at the best of times. I remember clearly, waking up, pushing our mattress up against the wall, covering it with plastic, retrieving a suitable piece of clothing from beneath another piece of plastic, taking a shower over at the shower block, then making my way to work, leaving Woz to continue to work at making a home for us. After work I would come home and join him, turning in for the night around 11 or 12pm, with a quick flip of the mattress down to the floor and a quick brush to the soles of our feet so as not to transfer anymore dirt and grime into the bed as possible. How we didn’t look like homeless people is beyond me.

I remember months of not having a toilet, running water, or a floor to walk on. Days that were swallowed by a perpetual list of things to do, broken only by short stays of friends and family from abroad.

Those were the days my friend …

I remember the thrill of being able to take the boat out whenever we felt like it, having a completely different view out your bedroom window if you so chose, ducks and geese meandering past, showing people the home that we’d built with our bare hands, amazing parties, being able to show friends a glimpse of a London they might not otherwise see, and the locks … oh the locks!

So, as the last chapter of the Barge Years draws to an end, we begin another chapter, in a loft apartment on another wharf just around the corner and still with access to the water (although no views).

We shall call these our Loft Years.

for a short time

Our last trip on the boat. Sigh ....

We've had a very late Winter this year and been experiencing absolutely terrible weather so it was with great trepidation and lots of coats, gloves and hats that we set out on Saturday, up and back to Little Venice for the last time.

We took a group of friends along for the ride, some of them veterans, and others new to the experience. The weather was kind to us and we made it all the way through the four locks and safely to a pub for lunch without getting wet. On the way home we were met with relentless drizzle but thankfully no downpours.

Nate slept both there and back, first on my shoulder at the back of the boat, and later on Bec's lap. It would have been nice for our last trip to have been on a sun drenched day, with lush green surrounds rather than the grey winter landscape but unfortunately we've had the last of our Summer days on Papillon.

What next? A yacht on the Mediterranean? That could work.

right behind you

just the two of us

On Saturday morning Woz helped one of our neighbours, Dom, take his boat down to the local boat painter around the corner. Dom hadn't taken his boat out since last Summer so he called in Woz to help him out. We've taken our boat out too many times to count, particularly in the last few months as the end to our 'barge years' draw to a close.

The exterior of Dom's boat was in a particularly bad condition so it will be a complete transformation when it comes back ... although he's still not sure what colour. Plenty of time for that though!

busy bees

Life in our household is very busy at the moment. We have an endless list of 'to do's' which seems to be added to daily with a comparative few being ticked off. There's the boat safety certificate and everything we've had to do to make sure it's up to scratch, the hull survey, booking tickets and everything else that comes with it for our trip to South Africa and Kenya in April, trying to find a place in a nursery for Nate, and then there's finding a place to live which to date has involved countless hours of scanning the internet, as yet, in vain.


The sale of our boat is coming along nicely, well frightening close actually. We haven't agreed a date we will move out as we're yet to find a flat to rent, but with the new owner having sold her flat and staying on a friends living room floor we're obviously keen for it to happen a.s.a.p.

there were three in the bed

Well it's official, after three years we now have cabin fever. They said it would happen, and actually we didn't think it would take this long, but three years down the track, with the end in sight, the boat all of a sudden seems to have gotten smaller. Nate's toys seem to be bursting out of his toy basket, our clothes out of our wardrobe and even the kitchen cupboards seem to have shrunk.

Only we still don't know where we're going next ...

no fixed address

It never fails to amaze me how much of a spectacle a narrowboat passing through a lock becomes. Add to the equation a flashy modern boat and a cute toddler and crowds are drawn, infinite in number and unrelenting in their stare.

This afternoon I had another disturbing phone call from Woz. This time he and two mates had taken the boat out to Paddington. I was of course planning on coming home and relaxing but once again, a familiar conundrum presented itself. How is it that I can go home when indeed my home is not at home at all?

The answer today lay in the number 29 bus where I jumped off at Camden Lock to meet Woz, Dobs and Martin. Our past experience of Camden has been either passing through on the underground, an exercise which results in only a brief interchange with Camdenites, or to pass through via the canal, where the younger Camden crowd come face to face with the lock, and almost with ourselves. Venturing through Camden High Street on foot on a warm sunny afternoon however is an entirely different scenario. Pushing a buggy through the immense crowds who are knee deep in Doc Martens, clothed in black and sporting multi-coloured mohawks is an experience not to be forgotten and certainly one that left me feeling out of place.

I finaly met up with the guys at the lock, where millions of visitors (no word of a lie) photographed and recorded us as we passed Nate over the railings, then the buggy, then me.

I don't get it ... Boat goes in, gates close. Boat goes down, gates open. Boat goes out again. It's not that exciting.

But still they stare ...

mooring anyone?

What a rollercoaster ride the last few months have been.

On New Year's Day we had a phonecall from someone who had seen our site and was interested in viewing the boat. We'd only listed the boat a week or two before, and over the busy Christmas period so we hadn't anticipated much interest. We acted immediately and scheduled the viewing for later that afternoon. What a great start to the year!

The viewing took two hours as the enthusiastic couple questioned us on every detail and inspected the boat inside and out, getting very excited in the process. They left us high as a kite with full intentions to buy the boat. We then stopped taking viewings and put everyone else who contacted us on hold. A fortnight later with great reluctance they came back to us, regrettably unable to finance the purchase and terribly disappointed.

So were we.

But not for long, with viewings back on the cards our second intersted buyer came along. He too loved the boat and after a quick 20 min early morning viewing before work he too set off to organise the finance on the boat. A week or so later, he had bad news for us, and once again, our hopes were dashed.

I'd like to say we were very level headed about it all but in all honesty we had a few dark days there when we realised that the hard bit wouldn't be finding someone who loved the boat, but finding someone who could finance it. It really felt as though we'd never find anyone.

Last weekend we scheduled a third viewing ... she offered and the process began again. Things don't feel like they're on hold this time though as we've been busily exchanging emails and paperwork. Having given notice to British Waterways, if things go ahead we could be moving in as little as a month ... but where to?

According to our poll, our readers think that we should opt for a bigger boat. We're still searching, and should a mooring come up we'd love nothing more.

Anyone got a mooring up their sleeve?

slightly different from yesterday

like sunday morning

camera shy

Every man and his dog was out walking along the canal today. It was our first trip out since last Summer and somehow over the Winter months we had forgotten the amount of attention boaters receive when stopped at the locks. Everyone was looking into our boat, watching us working the lock and taking photos. Their unrelenting stare proved a little too much for me at times (ever the wallflower) and I realised I'd have to get used to it again, sort of like soft winter feet walking bare in the dirt again after months of socks and boots. At least that's what we did in the country!

gothic city

Those who have travelled with us through Camden Lock on a sunny day will know it is known for it's masses of young gothic revellers, loitering around the lock, sitting on it and generally seemingly unaware that it is used for anything other than a meeting spot for other paleskinned, dark haired friends.

On a winter's afternoon it was staggering (no pun intended) to see how many were out and already hitting the bottle. To me it seems such a waste but then maybe I'm just getting old.

Spot the odd one out.

have boat will travel

What to do with a gorgeous sunny Saturday? Invite friends over and take the boat out. At least for a little while ... all too soon our home will no longer be ours.

Today Lindsay and Delilah came over for lunch and we took the boat out for a short jaunt along the canal towards Paddington. Nate loved every moment (well at least the ones he was awake for).

everybody needs good neighbours

sundrenched

Basking in the morning sun. Hard to believe we're not even half way into February yet.


The forecast snow not only didn't arrive but in fact the sun shone most of the day and has done for most of the week. At this rate our deathly pale skin might even get a bit of a glow about it.

conversations on a wednesday afternoon

Woz: "Hey, where are you?"

Em: "I've just picked Nate up from Linda's and I'm on the bus coming home, why?"

Woz: "Because I just wanted to let you know that I'm at St Pancras lock"

Em: "Ok cool ..... why are you there?"

Woz: "It's a beautiful day. I wanted to take the boat out to make sure everything was running ok after the weekend. It's fine."

Em: (a little confused) "Ok great .... so where are you now?"

Woz: "At St Pancras Lock. I should be home by the time you get there"

Em: "Right, (starting to dawn on me) and where's the boat?"

Woz: "At St Pancras Lock"

Em: "Uggh! Well it better be back when I get home because I'm tired and cold and I just want to go home and if you have my home then I can't go there can I?"

Woz: "Don't worry, I'll definitely be home by the time you get there"

Em: (with desperation) "Please, please, please be there when I get there!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is it just me or is it a bizarre concept that someone can just take my house away while I'm not looking?

carpe diem

Today was a gorgeously sunny, mild and spring-like day and so this afternoon Woz and I decided to take the boat out. Now that the boat is on the market (and we have someone who is very interested in buying it) we're not sure how many more chances we'll have to take it out and so we decided to seize the day and invited Dobs and Bec to come with us.


As we moved out of the basin the thrill of 'home on the move' returned to us and re-ignited our passion, stirring up thoughts of 'what are we doing?' and 'we must be mad to give this up!'. Nate seemed to be experiencing it to a whole new depth too and it was so much fun watching him, watching his home, moving down the canal.


The excitement was short lived. We weren't the only ones to relish the opportunity and so when we arrived at the first lock we had to switch the engine off to wait for three boats passing through. By the time they had moved through the lock we couldn't start the engine again and found out that our battery was flat.

We then began the slow journey home, being towed alongside another boat heading our way.

Oh well ......

happy days

Woz has taken this week off work and wont return until January 2nd. We're hoping to have some lazy days together, mulling around, hanging out with friends and checking out what's going on in London.

This morning we've had yet another sleep in, this time snoozing while Nate played with his new toys. Then we headed out for a walk to Coram's Fields so that Nate could get some fresh air and run around. We wandered slowly home checking out the flats in the local streets and talking about where we want to live. It's fun dreaming but we're not looking too seriously until we find a buyer for the boat.

As far as the sale process is going we've had loads of hits on our website with many returning visitors, and have a viewing lined up next week. It's strange to think that they could be the very one to buy our home and that our life on the water could be over. Who knows what 2008 will bring?