Apologies to readers who erroneously thought they'd find a blog post all about Saltaire yesterday! I'm away at mum's till tomorrow, without my laptop charger, so drafted the post yesterday morning before my battery died. I asked Barry to work his magic on it before I return tomorrow, and he accidentally pressed 'publish' rather than … Continue reading Feeling a little over exposed on Areandare
Funtastic Facepainting
A few bonuses at Burton Floating Market
I'm posting this a week late as I got waylaid last week travelling to mum's to sort out a few things - I'm there again now after a fabulous weekend at Mercia Marina. More on that to come, hopefully before the next event on Saturday! Doing our best in Burton Splendid scenery surrounded us all … Continue reading A few bonuses at Burton Floating Market
Blisworth to Birmingham with The Doggie Boat
We had a second brilliant weekend at the Blisworth Canal Festival last weekend. The people of the village and surrounding areas, who arrive in their throngs, are extremely friendly and jovial. It didn't begin too well when Barry and I took my gazebo to the festival field to erect it on the Friday evening. The … Continue reading Blisworth to Birmingham with The Doggie Boat
A sunken boat – hopefully not an omen!
At some point during our festive gathering in 2012, Barry and I pulled a couple of swish crackers. Being only a few months before our big move to the UK, it was serendipitous and rather creepy that the gifts inside ours were a wine glass trinket each (you know the ones that you clip on … Continue reading A sunken boat – hopefully not an omen!
Brilliant Birmingham Greenways map and a journey with bonuses
I caught up with Barry and the boat in Birmingham last Monday, after an emotional weekend in Brighton saying 'farewell for now' to my beautiful, brave younger daughter. I'll miss her loads, and my mini-breaks to the seaside. It reminds me of the spirit of Gisborne, though the beaches are a complete contrast. Gisborne's are … Continue reading Brilliant Birmingham Greenways map and a journey with bonuses
Moving boats – and a return journey I never expected to make
It's been another full, fun and fascinating week for Barry and I living our 'life less ordinary'. You know the saying '... like ships that pass in the night"? Well that's been us more so than our 'normal' recently - and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Maybe that's one of the crucial … Continue reading Moving boats – and a return journey I never expected to make
Making the most of Middlewich FAB Festival
There's something magical about the Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival that impels us to return each year. Having not booked for 2016 as we'd planned to be on the Leeds Liverpool Canal, we were relieved to sneak in on a late cancellation. After another long journey, this time from Liverpool, we arrived late afternoon on … Continue reading Making the most of Middlewich FAB Festival
Floating Market Fun in Fazeley Followed by a Photo Shoot
I'm loving gathering information for our weekly 'Trading Tales' feature - we'll publish a new one every Friday at 12 midday, as long as I'm given stories to share. You won't be surprised to hear the inaugural post by fun-loving Heidi and The Pirate Boat was rather popular! With the season now in full swing, last weekend … Continue reading Floating Market Fun in Fazeley Followed by a Photo Shoot
An up and down weekend at St Richard’s Festival in Droitwich
“Stay in the gazebo or you’ll catch your death!” Adults often say the most ridiculous things to children without thinking. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this startling statement uttered by a parent of children waiting to have their faces painted. Luckily they all saw the funny side too. “Oh look. There’s death. … Continue reading An up and down weekend at St Richard’s Festival in Droitwich
Our winter plans so far
Isn't it fabulous that Barry's posting his favourite images of 2015? I'm loving seeing scenes I'd forgotten about, and remembering why we've chosen this lifestyle. The Inland Waterways contain such a wide diversity of beauty, no wonder Barry's so enraptured by it (I quite like it too!). Latest news from Mercia Sitting still at Mercia … Continue reading Our winter plans so far
Boat businesses – it’s all go on and off NB Areandare
Winter may be the time of hibernation for many animals. We may have come to a standstill in relation to continuous cruising, but definitely not in regards to 'working'. Making self-employment on/from a boat work I recently read entrepreneurs leave behind 40 hour working-weeks to find more freedom and flexibility in their life. This resonated … Continue reading Boat businesses – it’s all go on and off NB Areandare
Settling into our winter space at Mercia
We're settling in nicely to our trade mooring at Mercia Marina - you can't quite make us out in the photo above as we hadn't got the banner up when I took this shot yesterday! We're in front of the blue boat, which is behind the large white boat in the distance ... Said large … Continue reading Settling into our winter space at Mercia
Appearing on the cover of Waterways World …
Many readers will be aware before Barry was a master home brewer, he'd been a professional photographer. In fact 35 years of his working life was spent photographing weddings, family portraits, the majority of the schools on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, and a plethora of commercial contracts. He sold … Continue reading Appearing on the cover of Waterways World …
Six weeks grace – seeing a bit of boating business!
Things are beginning to calm down a little here in Worcestershire, so much so I even managed to squeeze four days and nights back with Barry from Friday to Tuesday for a taste of 'normality'. We ventured into town one evening for a Thai meal at a restaurant mum, dad and I often frequented on … Continue reading Six weeks grace – seeing a bit of boating business!
All snug and warm on Areandare – more coal and kindling would help …
We're loving our new look Areandare. The cut out of the dividing wall from the kitchen to the lounge has made a huge difference to the feel of our living area, and transporting meals and drinks is so much easier. What we omitted prior to leaving Oxley Marine, was the opportunity to buy more coal … Continue reading All snug and warm on Areandare – more coal and kindling would help …
It’s all go on board Areandare – a huge catch-up!
I'm frequently in awe of those prolific bloggers who manage to write, edit and publish a post a day - at the moment even a post a week feels out of reach. Apologies readers, there's so much going on in our lives, that blogging's slipped down the list of priorities. Dad went into a residential … Continue reading It’s all go on board Areandare – a huge catch-up!
Fourth Fantastic Festival full of fun …
Life's returned to a semblance of normality recently, as I've been back on board Areandare since Friday evening. My elder sister, Kath, covered me for the weekend so I could return 'to work'. I find that quite amusing, as the 'work' we do is so different and variable in comparison to anything I've previously experienced. … Continue reading Fourth Fantastic Festival full of fun …
Droitwich Festival a great success – now taking life one day at a time …
St Richard's Festival Wow! What a wonderful three days we had last weekend at Vines Park, Droitwich. Last year's festival we visited Helen and Andy by train on the Sunday, when they were the only narrowboat trading. Being there, moored alongside them this year, was a dream come true. However, due to the vagaries of life's current … Continue reading Droitwich Festival a great success – now taking life one day at a time …
Rogue tradesmen, a small stroke, but calmer waters before the weekend
It's been a busy few days on and off Areandare since our last blog post. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes on Facebook, they do mean a lot. The sight greeting me at mum and dad's house on Tuesday evening, were a couple of very old people struggling to cope. That afternoon, Mum had … Continue reading Rogue tradesmen, a small stroke, but calmer waters before the weekend
A super successful time at Alvecote Floating Market – thanks to RCTA
Being unsure what the next four days would bring as we moored up at Alvecote Marina late last Thursday afternoon, we’re pleased as punch (excuse the pun!) to report any expectations we had were met - and surpassed. Michael, Alison and Sandra, part of the collective of 'The Roving Canal Traders Association', organised and advertised widely … Continue reading A super successful time at Alvecote Floating Market – thanks to RCTA