a very grand entrance

After putting up with a very temperamental diesel central heating system for years Woz and I decided that we couldn't pass on the boat with the heating the way it was and ripped the old system out, replacing it with electric radiators. They're incredibly efficient, have individual timers and work at the flick of a switch! Luxury!

With the space we've gained at the front of the boat where the boiler used to sit, we now have an entrance 'hall' where we have put up shelving for bags and shoes as we come in. It's made such a difference to how clean we're able to keep the boat and we're kicking ourselves we didn't do it three years ago.

Nate loves the new space as he is able to sit or stand on the shelves, leaning up on the counter from his elevated position. The fruit bowl however has had to find a new home.

thank dom you're here

Some of you may know I love a good celebrity spotting and have a natural attraction to all things 'TV'. Last week Woz and I were watching a new TV show which our Aussie readers will be very familiar with, 'Thank God you're here'. It's originally an Australian show, by the production company, Working Dog. Anyway, as the credits were rolling Woz and I were very excited to see a familiar name, our neighbour Dom, who is a production designer. We sent him a text to say that we'd seen his name and he responded with an invitation to go along to a filming session the following week at The London Studio's. You can imagine my excitement.

We had a brilliant night, sitting in one of the control rooms with the production and lighting team. From there we watched the filming on several monitors showing every angle captured by the various cameras, the autocue and the other various animations used in the final product. We watched as props came in and out of the room, watched on as Dom scutinised his work as each new set was unveiled. laughed with the crew at the sketches as they happened and all with the running soundtrack behind us of 'Ok I want camera 2, long shot, camera 4, cut to 8, and pan, camera 3' etc. etc. etc. Dom made us feel so comfortable there and everyone else was incredibly friendly to us too. I warned Dom that they shouldn't be too nice to me or I'd be there every week.

Afterwards, following a tour of the set we joined cast and crew on the 18th floor for drinks over looking the Thames. One of the regulars on the Aussie version, Hamish Blake, made an appearance both last week and at the filming we were at. He was brilliant, and it was very obvious he was a seasoned guest on the Australian version. I was so tempted to go up and say 'hi' (mostly just to tell my family I'd met him) but I wasn't really sure what to say except 'Hi, I'm Austrayan' and hope the conversation moved on from there. In light of the fact that I actually knew little about his work I decided not to go up and introduce myself and I think I can safely say it was best for all concerned.

google us

Since we created our live the dream site I have installed a hit counter on it, mainly so that we could monitor the site and see if anyone was looking at it and if we were getting any returning visitors.

On setting it up I thought I might as well do the same for our personal blogs, so tonight Woz and I decided to have a butchers (to use an English expression) at some of the statistics and found some very funny results.

Key word searches in Google which have led people to our site in the last month:

• banksy
• london snow march
• london weather in march 2006
• how to say st pancreas
• st pancras renovation
• st pancras international
• st pancras inside
• boring (how dare they!)
• bruges canal by narrowboat
• dishes prepared during christmas in london
• london fireworks display new years eve 2007
• boxing day going out london
• copenhagen fireworks video "new years eve"

and our favourite, 'romantic dinner london' in which we made it to number 2 of 263,000!

Who says that romance is dead after six years of marriage?!

should old aquaintance be forgot

Another New Year's Eve, another anniversary which holds particular significance for us. In a way, the three years it's been since we left Australia have flown by, and at other times it seems as though we've been gone for decades.

They say that when you've been away from your hometown or country for a long time and you go back to visit or to live, nothing will have changed. Everyone will still be doing the things they were doing years ago and you will feel that you're the only one whose life is radically different. On the contrary, on our last visit we found our friends lives had changed significantly, they'd become engaged, married, had children, bought houses, changed jobs ... all of those major milestones in life, and there's the terrifying thought that we'll be forgotten in all of that.

And now, a move that will bear even more significance to the changing face of Australia, a new government has been elected in, and the British media has taught us little about our Prime Minister except his name and that he is fluent in Cantonese .... or Mandarin ...., (or are they the same thing?!).

There are of course things we could do to keep in touch. We could listen to the various Melbourne radio stations online, keeping up with the Australian music scene and popular culture (and believe me they vary significantly), but then there's the strange and slightly off putting feeling of hearing the morning news when you're heading to bed or the forecast of clear sunny skies and a hot day when outside it is dark, bleak and cold. We can read our friends and families blogs, where we treasure each snippet of seemingly boring information or irrelevant photo, and there's always the phone, texts or emails.

So, ahead of us lies another year in which Australia and the lives of our friends and families will go on without us. The price we pay for adventure. We're excited about our year ahead and have made a great many ambitious plans we hope will come to pass, not the least of which we plan to finally travel to Africa, a return visit for Woz and a daunting first time for me. Time will tell.

Here's to another year of 'making it count'.

it wasn't me

When we first moved to London three years ago Woz and I heard about Banksy, an English pseudo-anonymous graffiti artist who has revolutionised graffiti as we know it.


Unlike other artists, who seemingly randomly 'tag' walls in cities all over the world, Banksy's work which often features rats, is satirical with anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment messages.

For a long time Banksy's work was blatantly obvious as he used a distinctive method of stencilling, allowing him to complete large pieces of work in minutes. His work opened the floodgates however as copycat works were seen popping up around London in the very streets Banksy frequented.

This one was mistaken for a Banksy (which would be worth a considerable amount of money) however it was actually sprayed by another artist 'Dbase' who has put his name to many Banksy-esque pieces of art.

Always one step ahead, Banksy visited the graffiti and put his own stamp on the work, a signature rat with a spray can confessing 'It wasn't me'.

coram's fields, bloomsbury

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?

thames views near putney bridge

angelic

boxing day

This morning after another sleep in we woke to a beautifully sunny day and then the five of us headed out for a walk along the Thames,through Bishops Park and then for coffee at a little coffee shop close by where we sat and chatted for hours.

Back at home tonight Woz and I are sitting by the fire, bellies very full from the last few days of indulgence (and I dare say a few pounds heavier) and yet we continue to eat - a chocolate orange which was just begging to be eaten. I have a feeling we may be making a few New Year's resolutions next week, but until then, we're going to eat and be merry!

and so this is christmas

Woz, Nate and I spent Christmas in Putney this year, staying with friends from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day.

On Christmas Eve we were invited to drinks at Linda and Sanjay's house where we devoured mince pies, mulled wine and ....... curry! (Sanjay is Indian and over the years his very English wife Linda has mastered the art of traditional Indian cooking passed on by her mother-in-law). Nate absolutely loved the party as most of the people there had kids and brought them along. The adults gathered in the kitchen where we chatted over traditional Christmas music with lashings of Bollywood, and the kids ran riot in the rest of the house. We had a great night!

After the party we travelled home with Bec and Andrew (Dobs) who we were staying with for Christmas. With Nate being the only child in the house and being totally unaware of the excitement of the day, we all slept in until quite late, had a leisurely breakfast, exchanged presents and then got to work preparing a traditional Christmas dinner, led by Dobs.

It was mouthwatering. A huge turkey, covered with rashers of bacon, baked with pigs in a blanket (sausages wrapped in bacon) and stuffing balls (it's not as common to stuff the bird with stuffing here as it is to simply serve balls of stuffing, cooked in the roasting pan with the meat). We had parsnips roasted in honey, carrots soaked in ginger beer, brussel sprouts served with red onion and chestnuts, Yorkshire puddings and potatoes roasted in semolina and goose fat. To top it off was a gravy made from scratch with ham, vegetables and cloves of all sorts of things!

Dobs did an incredible job cooking the elaborate feast for eight, co-ordinating the timing of each dish and cooking each one to perfection - hard to believe it was his first attempt.

merry christmas to all and to all goodnight!

Christmas Eve, you've got to love it. All the anticipation of the day ahead, Christmas Carols playing (or Christmas Songs as they have here), baking, wrapping, the pitter patter of tiny feet totally unaware of what is to come, and food glorious food!

We'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from Woz, Nate and myself and hope that it brings all the joy and laughter it should.

Here's a little Christmas wish especially from us, we've been practising for a while, so we hope you like it ... (and special thanks go to the little elf who put us on to it!).

Merry Christmas!

jack frost

We've had clear sunny days for the last few weeks and frost most mornings but today we woke to find the basin covered in a thin layer of ice. With Nate locked down in his high chair eating porridge I headed out with the camera with the intention of photographing the ice and got a little distracted capturing the world around me.

This Winter feels to be the coldest we've had yet and the chilly days seem to penetrate to the core. It has taken every ounce of energy on my behalf in getting out of the boat during the day, preferring to hibernate in the warm. Nate doesn't seem to mind the cold and will happily play at the park for as long as I will let him but my time frame is getting slimmer and slimmer.

Winter in London brings an incredible array of delicious aromas; the smell of chestnuts roasting on the street, mulled wine, and the minute we step through the gates into the basin, the smell of coal fires burning brightly. A sweet smell which once you step into the boat, permeates everything and like a warm pair of well worn slippers says, 'I'm home'.

deck the halls

mid morning frost

This week we've had chilly days of around 5 or 6 degrees, and brilliant blue skies which has made it feel about 2 degrees. Every morning we've had a layer of frost and have had to take extra care not to slip getting out of the boat, especially on the early mornings when I leave for work in the dark and the frost isn't visible.

This morning, when I ventured out at 9.30 to take Nate to playgroup the ground was still laden with frost and it appeared as if it had snowed. All the roofs on the boats were covered and glistening sparkly white.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Fingers crossed for snow!

for sale, enquire within

Well, it's official - Papillon is on the market. After almost three years on the water we have decided to return to terra firma. We have loved living on the water and are sad to be giving this lifestyle up but have simply run out of space with a little boy who is growing by the day, and dare I say it, if number two comes along we simply wont all fit.

It has been a long process getting to this point. We have looked into selling our boat and buying another to put on our mooring, but with only another 10 feet of space we were not sure it was worth the bother and expense. We've also looked into Dutch barges, and even entertained the idea of buying one in the Netherlands and bringing it across the Channel (ever the adventurous types) but the problem of a mooring in Central London for a Dutch Barge defeated us.

So, the search is now on for an affordable flat in Central London that offers close proximity to a park for Nate and enough rooms to house us. We will stand our ground! We will not be driven to suburbia!

In the meantime, we're marketing the boat ourselves, and have designed the flyer below, and a website accompanying it with further information (to stop us going around the bend answering the same questions). Although a good amount of our readers are in Australia, we thought it wouldn't hurt to post the information up for those of you in London who might either be interested yourselves or know of someone who might.

Live the dream!

home

More photos of the new look 'Papillon'. A striking difference from what it was.

right back at ya

Although we have loads of windows in the boat, they're all well above Nate's line of vision. Our bedroom window however, is his window to the world. Standing on our bed he can see out into the basin and watch the boats coming and going and the variety of wildlife that swim past the window.

Woz took this photo using his zoom lens from another boat across the water. I love this shot because it captures Woz's reflection and Nate imitating him by putting the phone (which he knows has a camera in it) up to his eye to zoom back at Woz.