C.L. Peache's Blog, page 2

This year is all about saying NO!

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you’re all ready for 2025 and looking forward to another year in this bonkers but wonderful world of ours.

I normally do a bit of a round up of 2024 ((Please no, we have heard enough about 2024! You think you get sick of editing your life story… try being us! Poor Sandra had to read Lost the Plot and reread your waffling again. I was glad to see I was mentioned in the review though. I keep telling you that you’re nothing without me!)) Okay, okay. No 2024 review… let’s look to 2025 then… ((also, this year is all about saying NO! Yeah right, unless someone offers you a Baileys or a glass of fizz! Have a word with yourself, Peachy!))

Firstly, I need to nag and encourage some more reviews for Lost the Plot ((Give your readers a chance to read it. It’s a chunky old thing!)) I’ve not managed do much promotion yet so this is first on my list of jobs. I’m going to create some reels for Instagram and YouTube and see if they generate a few sales. I was doing well and selling at least one book a day or pages were being read on Kindle Unlimited. Just goes to show, if you stop promoting for even a few days, you disappear from social feeds.

I may have already mentioned this ((Only 92 billion times… let’s have a little guess shall we… something about a psychological thriller?)) I see you’re starting 2025 with even more sarcastic attitude than usual. You are correct though. For the first time in my life, I’ve decided to step back from saying yes to things and stressing myself out when I’m overwhelmed. I’ve kept my reading goal at 52 books and I won’t be self-publishing any books this year. This year is about seeing if my psychological thriller series has what it takes and that needs my main focus so I can create my best book to date!

As you will know my Jersey mystery book, One Step Ahead is due to be published in June 2025 which is very exciting and my publisher, The Bombay Circle Press and I are planning the book launches which will be around my 50th birthday – how the heck did I reach my 50th year? ((I’m still shocked you’re not already 50!)) So, it’s likely there will be lots more celebrations going on this year, so be warned if you follow me on social media.

I’m aiming to keep the monthly blog posts on the first Friday of the month ((Yes, we’ve heard that before!)) I was thinking about doing daily blogs again when we start cruising but remembered about the ‘saying no’ and not taking on too much, so we will stick with monthly updates and extra blogs if I have more to share. ((Ignore Peachy. I will start writing some. Much more fun. Shhhh… don’t tell Peachy!))

In the boating/vlogging world. We have nearly finished renovating the bedroom. Delayed due to publishing Lost the Plot, Christmas, colds and I’m sure I can think of a few more excuses. We have a carpet now which is progress and it’s about 90% finished. There will be three or four YouTube vlogs showing the renovations. Once these have finished I’m going to see how many subscribers I have and decide if I will continue vlogging. I currently don’t make any money from the vlogs as I need one thousand subscribers ((There are 856 people who for some reason find Peachy interesting. Who knew?)) I do have a couple of wonderful people who support my writing journey as YouTube members which really helps, but I cannot continue to spend 20-30 hours a week on the vlogs with no income. That time must be spent on the new thriller and trying to find a home for the series as well as promoting One Step Ahead. We will see.

A new year brings new cruising plans and we have a vague idea of a route to travel on our narrowboat once we leave Saltisford Arm, but as regular readers of the blog and book will know, never make a plan. We might vaguely go to Gloucester, Worcester, Birmingham – not in the order but there is a loop we can do and then back through Warwick and then up to the River Soar and to Newark for a few weeks in June/July. This will mean I have a base for birthday celebrations, book publications and Newark Book Festival. Again, we will see.

Right, I think that about sums up the plans for 2025. I’m excited about the year and the adventures to come and I hope you will come along for the ride. Who knows, maybe this will be a best selling year for my books. We can but try!

Peachy ((and me)) xx

YouTube Channel – Watch our narrowboat adventures here
Bombay Circle Press – My publisher based in Mumbai
Powertheauthor – Buy me a coffee here – saving up to upgrade my website so i can have a virtual bookshop! Until then you can buy from Amazon…
Amazonlink – Fantasy, travelogues, thrillers, romance and more…
Lost the Plot – Story of our canal adventures

WOW! My busy author adventures over the last few weeks… including a book launch and new cover reveal for 2025!

And… take a breath! WOW what a few weeks it has been. I’m not sure where to start ((Ideally at the beginning as you confuse everyone enough as it is with your Yorkshire waffling)) I’m writing this as the latest storm batters the UK and the boat is rocking and the water levels rising. ((Good job you have a boat then Peachy!))

On Saturday the 30th November I ran my first ever book stall in the Buttermarket in Newark. I basically spent the day catching up with old friends as I used to live and work in Newark ((we use the term ‘work’ very loosely)) and so many wonderful friends came along to support me and buy my new canal book, Lost the Plot as well as selling a few other books. I’m not sure it would be financially worth doing if I didn’t have a new book out, but I really enjoyed the day spent with friends who also had stalls, and Alice joined me whose has her AMAZING pirate duck story in Lost the Plot.

This weekend involved a lot of travelling as many of you will know we are now moored in Warwick for the winter and mid-renovation of our narrowboat bedroom. I don’t ever recommend taking on a massive project whilst publishing a book. I don’t even have my Christmas decorations up and normally they are put up on the 1st of December – that’s how busy I’ve been! ((You should be ashamed!))

On Sunday 1st December we travelled back to Newark as I had my first ever book launch for Lost the Plot at Letsxcape café which is a fabulous independent gaming café in the wonderful market square. I must admit I was a bit nervous and deciding to offer a canal related quiz was a bit ambitious but it went very well and by the end of the weekend, I’d sold out of my first batch of books and had to order more, which was fantastic. The special edition bookmarks were a huge success.

I also shared a sneak preview of my mystery book, One Step Ahead based on the wonderful Island of Jersey which will be out in 2025! ((you’ve only written this so you can visit Jersey for the book launch!)) and your point is? Anyway, I hope you love the cover. I will keep you posted on the exact publication dates.

It has cost me around £500 to bring Lost the Plot alive, including the cover design, typesetting, editing, proof copies and everything else so I need to sell 150 – 300 copies to break even. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, the profit from books bought directly from Amazon are very small. I make a reasonable profit on paperbacks I sell directly but due to the size of the book it costs £3.95 to post, so unless people want to pay the postage costs as well that’s not a viable option. ((There you go Peachy. I always knew your waffling would cost money in the long run!))

My book sales direct and online have now topped over a hundred sales which is truly amazing and I am so thankful for all the support from my wonderful friends and family and with sales like this, it means that people who don’t know me are also buying copies so the marketing is working.

I have lots of marketing to do and ideas for the book over the coming months.  ((This book is not just for Christmas!)) exactly Brackets, before turning my attention to writing that psychological thriller I’ve been promising for 6 years which I absolutely cannot wait to share with you. I AM SO EXCITED to finally bring Hope and Tom into the world ((I’m a bit scared of Tom to be honest)) You’re not the only one Brackets!

Right, that’s it from me. I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and new year and I will leave you alone until after the new year. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, bought me a coffee, watched the vlogs (( Peachy forgot to mention that she’s just celebrated her 100th vlog!)), bought and shared my books. Left a review on Goodreads or Amazon and helped me along the way with encouragement. You’re the best and here’s to 2025 arriving in the not too distant future filled with more book launches, my 50th ((never… being sarcastic in case you didn’t realise)) and lots of narrowboat cruising and adventures.

Much love, Peachy ((and me)) xxxx

Click here to have a sneak peek of Lost the Plot
YouTube Channel – Watch our narrowboat adventures here
Patreon account – get early access to vlogs and you find out our plans first!
Bombay Circle Press – My Indian publisher based in Mumbai
Powertheauthor – Buy me a coffee here – saving up to upgrade my website so i can have a virtual bookshop! Until then you can buy from Amazon…
Amazonlink – Fantasy, travelogues, thrillers, romance and more…

Sneak peek of the canal book cover. Life update and the costs of self-publishing!

Hello, sorry it’s been a little while since my last post. I promise my blogs will return to their regular monthly slots from now on ((Don’t make promises you cannot keep Peachy!)) I know, I should know better but here goes with what’s been going on…

Cruising news…
We are now secure in our winter mooring in Warwick and looking forward to exploring this area. The wonderful part of living this life is being able to stay in different places and call them home. We have a mooring here for five months whilst we top up the bank balance ((I’ve notified the banks to be on high alert for robbers. I told them to make sure they peer over the counter and see if you’re lurking under them!)) How rude, that’s heightest that is Brackets! Just because I’m small. ((Well, to be fair Peachy if they didn’t see you they would hear you. Ohh I’m on fire this month and heightest is not a word.)) I suppose it’s my own fault for not putting out regular blogs, Brackets saves up all the insults.

Anyway, we have a few ideas for income streams. We are not too far away from our YouTube channel being profitable so I’m hoping by next year this should be bringing in a little income. If we don’t reach this stage then I think I will have to stop creating them because it doesn’t make sense to spend 20 hours a week on something which makes no money ((when did that ever stop you. I’ve never known someone work so hard and earn less than a farthing!)) That’s the creative life for you, it’s very hard but I was born and raised not to give up. If being unrealistically optimistic is a disease, then I’m riddled with. ((I’m saying nothing))

Canal book news…
Exciting news! A sneak peek of the WIP book cover…

The book is nearly ready… just typesetting, final editing, book cover faffing and then Lost the Plot, a diary of a narrowboat journey will be ready to sell, sell, sell. In fact, I need to sell at least 300 copies to break even which is a tall order but I’ve planned my first ever book launch and have a stall booked to sell some copies as well as marketing ideas for social media. We will see!

I think this will probably be the last book I self-publish as it’s becoming too expensive and the financial return isn’t justified. You know I do this for the love of writing, with the hope of making a few pennies but the profit margins now the printing costs have increased are just unrealistic. To give you an example…

If I sell a direct paperback copy from Amazon for £8.99 I make… wait for it… 44p! ((WHAT!)) I know, I know. For over 16 months of work! If I sell the book at £9.99 I make around £1.03 profit. It is very hard to persuade people to buy a copy of a book at those costs when they don’t know the author.

I make slightly more if people buy the book direct from me, around £2.50 and the Kindle version will be priced £2.99 and I make around £2.03 profit so all my marketing will be on selling the eBook version of the book to try and break even, which is difficult but we can but try.

So, if you would like a paper copy then please do let me know either messaging me on my blog, Facebook or Instagram if I can get the book to you direct so I know how many copies to order to try and not have too many loitering around. ((If you get desperate Peachy you can use them on the fire!)) Thank you to everyone who is coming to the book launch and have pre-ordered a copy. It means the world. 

Other book news…
My publisher has officially changed their name to The Bombay Circle Press and it’s very exciting to be on this journey with them as they evolve their publishing house. They are focused on promoting Power of Nature and Finding Love and I’m hoping very soon to have a few pennies coming in from the book shop sales in Mumbai. ((This will decide if Peachy buys sachet coffee or proper coffee)) Don’t say scary things like that, Brackets. So, in the spirit of sharing how hard this creative life is I will keep you updated on this. ((If you spot Peachy on a cruise ship you know it’s gone well)) It’s more like it will be a picture out of the porthole in my narrowboat pretending to be a cruise ship.

I was planning a visit to Mumbai but unfortunately it turned out I would need to have many jabs which is difficult to sort when my doctor’s surgery is not local but also the time frame of jabs vs visiting and getting a visa when I have no official address has put this on pause, but one day! My publishers are hopefully visiting London in March so there are plans afoot to meet up there.

The Jersey book is coming along nicely and we are hoping to share the cover very soon which is very exciting. Next stage is book launch plans in Jersey to coincide with my 50th birthday ((Wow, you’re only 50 next year? I thought…)) stop it! Anyway, if anyone fancies a trip to Jersey in late June to my book launch and birthday celebration then I will keep you posted on dates and plans.

Okay then, that’s my news for now. As soon as the canal book is officially signed off and for sale I will let you know. Again, please do let me know if you would like a signed copy so I can organise pre-orders. ((I would buy the kindle it’s cheaper and anyone can forge Peachy’s signature!))

Thanks for reading… until next time. xxx

Narrowboat, books and life update!

We are back ((About time Peachy!)) I hope everyone is doing well since we last left you. I’ve put the updates under headings since it’s been a while. ((oh joy!))

Cruising news…

We are currently making our way back up the Grand Union Canal in what certainly feels like our return from an adventure but is not the end for this year. In November we are booked into our winter mooring in Warwick and we are planning to sneak in a few more canals so we can colour in a bit more of the map this year. The vlogs seem to be going down well at the moment but still not at the point of making any money, but if you want to keep up to date on what’s happening then please subscribe to the channel ((If you can believe it, Peachy actually remembered something whilst filming! I know! I had to whip out the smelling salts!))

We’ve had a bit of a faff buying the paint to finish the roof but we have made a lot of progress and have big renovation plans for inside the boat throughout winter if we have the funds! We receive daily compliments on The Plot which is nice as the hard work has paid off.

Canal book news…

I’ve finally, finally, finally sent the canal book to my friend who is editing it ((about time. If you stopped whinging so much you might get it finished!)) I didn’t expect it to be as tough as it was to edit the book but I had to remove over ten thousand words, add the historical content and so on and so forth. There is still lots to do but printing it out and sending it to my editor was a big moment after over 14 months of work. Sadly, due to illness, my friend can no longer create the cover for me so I’ve been faffing with options or I might see if I can commission another designer but then there is always the cost involved and printing the book has basically wiped out any profit ((You do exaggerate… authors!)) but a good cover can sell the book!

I’m currently working on creating the blurb ((A Yorkshire lass cruised the rivers and canals, fell in, cannot remember much of what happened and spent most of the time in high anxiety because of her peri-menopause. It has best seller written all over it Peachy)) You’re so rude but that’s not far off really. I also want to create a test kindle and paperback version on Amazon as it’s been a while since I’ve self-published and need to brush up on my book creating skills. Then there is the marketing to sort out and now the actual work starts with a vague plan of sticking to the late November publishing date.

Other book news…

My Indian publisher, Saga is having a big rebrand on the 4th October and I have lots of exciting news to share on this but I need to have a few more meetings to put the final plans in place but I will share this with you as soon as I’m allowed.

The Jersey book we postponed this year is still on track for publication in June 2025 ((when Peachy is 50! I know, she looks older)) but I should have the cover and various info I can share about that in the coming months.

I’m selling the odd copy of my other books but as I rarely promote them it’s not surprising I’m not recording many sales ((Anyone want to buy a book? I’m not saying they are anything special, or even good to be honest but if it stops Peachy moaning then you have a public duty… remember winter is coming so if you order the paperbacks, they will blaze bright!)) BRACKETS! Do not tell people to burn my books or any books – you’re on a warning! ((First time back in ages and I’m getting it in the neck already – I’m only telling the truth! Okay, don’t burn the books… maybe shred…)) enough!

Psychological thriller…

Any of you who know me ((poor you)) or have read my blogs over the years know I have the psychological thriller series loitering on my PC waiting for its day. I cannot tell you how often the characters are nagging at me and how many ideas I’ve had to enrich the story, description and the characters story arcs. I’m SOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited about this project which once I’ve published the canal book will be my full time focus for at least the next five years ((Five years!!)) as this is how many books in the series I have floating around to write. I am going to start the long journey of either securing an agent or a UK publisher for this one with the agreement of my Indian publisher. I honestly cannot wait to bring Hope and Tom’s stories to print. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Other stuff…

The project of updating the website stalled a bit with one thing and another and it’s still on the list for selling stationery and other bits and bobs but realistically I think this will have to wait until November when we have a fixed address at the marina for a few months so I can have deliveries of examples and finalise the designs for the products.

That’s it for the update before I waffle too much. I’m going to try ((Yeah, yeah!)) and return to monthly updates as there is hopefully some exciting news to share and plenty of things happening but I might break that promise if there is anything newsworthy to report ((What like Chris falling in the canal! Didn’t share that at the time, did you?))  I know, sorry!

Take care and keep your eyes peeled for my publisher’s big reveal!

From me ((And me. We are BACK!)) xx

YouTube Channel – Watch our narrowboat adventures here
Powertheauthor – Buy me a coffee here. Always gratefully received.
Amazonlink – Read my books here… fantasy, travelogues, thrillers, romance and more…

The Great Train Delay…

Well, what a day!

It’s Sunday 21st July and we check the train times as I’m due to travel up north from Kings Cross to Bentham Via Leeds but our narrowboat is moored at Roydon Marina and this meant catching the train from Royton station to Tottenham Hale and then the underground to Kings Cross.

A few days before this we’d realised that there were no trains leaving Roydon station early enough for me to catch my connection at KC as I was booked on the 10.30am train and I just presumed there would be plenty of trains as there normally is down south. So, I decided to change my train booking from Kings Cross to Bentham to a later train at the cost of £31.30. Then on the actual day of travel, as is standard in this country, trains from Roydon to Tottenham Hale were being delayed or cancelled due to signalling problems.

We decided to head to the station thirty minutes before the train was due to depart as the train kept updating as if it was just delayed and not cancelled. Finally, after much waiting and wondering as the information wasn’t forthcoming as we and others waited to see what would happen. The train finally showed as travelling past the stop with the signalling issues but just before it arrived at Roydon it changed to cancelled! Where had this train disappeared to, I do not know. Did a black hole appear? Aliens perhaps decided to abduct the whole train. The Bermuda triangle shifted location to just before Roydon station? At this point it’s was 11am and my train from Kings Cross was booked at 12.33pm and its approximately 50-minute travel by train to Kings Cross. As is also usual in this country, there was no staff on the platform to ask what to do, no offer of a replacement service. It was. Just. Cancelled.

As we are booking our Uber in desperation for me to try and catch my train, we get chatting to a couple of guys who left to get their car and they returned in a few moments and asked where we were going. They pulled over as the road is busy and one chap gets out and runs back and says they could drop us at another station, but after checking on his phone it’s too far away and there would be no way I would catch my train, but how nice of them to stop and go out of their way to help.

Chris orders me an Uber at the cost of £31.93 and throws me in the cab with his best wishes. He was going to come with me but already the travel costs are spiralling and we cannot afford to pay for him to get a taxi back to the marina and if the signals are still not working, he might not be able to get back, because at this point, who the duck knows!

The taxi arrives around 8 mins later and the driver is wonderful and is on a mission to try and get me to Tottenham Hale on time, 12pm by his sat nav, where I will have 33 minutes to get to Kings Cross underground and then to the main station. A worrying 50 min car journey later and we arrive there at 12pm dead on. At this point I decide I can do this so I leg it as fast as my pale, mosquito bitten legs would carry me. I’d had a bit of an allergic reaction to a bite, as I do and with a red, swollen plate sized lump on my leg, I power through and make it to the underground.

It’s fine. It’s 12.07pm. I can do this. I rush as quick as any person can on the underground trying to resist the urge to push people out of the way and scream – stop dawdling can manage! On the platform it’s 1 minute until the next train. Result. Only three stops and then its Kings Cross. Easy. First stop Seven sisters the doors open and people get off and people get on and the doors don’t close. Uh oh! I know what’s going to happen and sure enough they announce they are holding the train so it doesn’t catch up with the train in front.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I take a deep breath. That’s it. I will miss the train and have to get the next one and no doubt pay extra. As this point, I’m facing bankruptcy so what’s more money thrown at a ducking unreliable service. Have it all. Have. Every. Bloody. Penny. Give it to your sodding shareholders so they can buy another glass of champagne on their yacht and I hope they bloody choke on it, fall overboard and get eaten by a killer dolphin.

The doors close after a few minutes and off we go as the train whistles through the hot and loud tunnel which is probably destroying my DNA at a cellular level, my lungs are collapsing from the fumes, my ear drums shattered and I can only pray the heat can melt the fat around my middle-aged spread and at least I will get something out of this journey. My peri-menopause anxiety shifts between who gives and shit what will be will be, and overwhelming, chest pumping like an alien is about to burst of my chest and I realise why Ripley had nightmares.

I arrive at Kings cross and tried again not to side swipe dawdlers, who I can tell from the back of their heads and the way they saunter without a care in the world, that they don’t have to get a connecting journey. Where is the killer dolphin which has evolved to land life when you need it!

It’s 12.20pm and I will remind you my train is due to leave is 12.33pm. Well, I think to myself I have a whole 13 minutes as, for a change, the platform has been announced. Normally someone sits in a booth overlooking the train concourse watching the weary travellers cricking their necks, peering at the screen waiting for their platform number to be announced, ‘the person’ watches the sweating travellers glancing at the screen, checking their phone, looking at their luggage, wondering if they will be able to break the world record for fast walking with a case to the platform when they decide to announce three minutes before it’s due to set off.  Anyway, the person in charge of the platforms announcements today must have been feeling generous. Maybe they’d just received a notification of a shareholder bonus or perhaps the chiropractors in the local area were fully booked from all the previous travellers who had come this way and already had a healthy bonus incoming so had no need to make people wait until the last minute. Who knows. Anyway, platform 5 is the one for me. I’ve got ages.

Starbucks and a coffee and food beckons but I have 13 minutes. Interestingly our pontoon number in the marina is 13 and the ticket £31.30 and the cab £31.93 – is 3 an unlucky number for me or is it 1? I pick up some water, because at this point my peri-meri body looks like a whale which has been lathered in lard and locked in a sauna for a week. I cannot find just a normal sandwich, so grab a bacon roll. But people are bloody faffing and when I finally get the counter, I have no time to wait to have the bacon roll to be heated, so declared I will just pay for the water and have a chocolate croissant and leave the bacon roll. Somehow, due to a language barrier and my rush I ended up paying for an uncooked bacon roll I cannot eat, so that’s another £11 spent but at least there isn’t a three in it but there is a 1 so maybe that’s my unlucky number.

I leg it to the train and my mozi bite is well and truly throbbing and I wonder if I should have just called an ambulance and make them believe there is a specialist mozi bite hospital up north so they can take me to my destination. I made it with five minutes to go and climbed aboard with my uncooked bacon roll.

Someone is in my seat and very kindly moves but then I realise the seat sign says ‘available’. Oh, shit, I think. Have I done all of this, all of it, to actually find out I’ve booked the wrong train… an announcement not long after reassures me, that of course, there has been an issue with another train which was cancelled and they have piled everyone on this train and cancelled reservations. If anyone is reading this thinks I’m making it up then I can assure you, my fiction novels are just that. This is a memoir, a biography, or maybe this story will be printed about a lost author who never made it to her final destination but it is true.

People scrabble on and many nearly heated conversations about reserved seats but I settle down only for them to announce they are adding on extra stations to this journey, which is fair enough for the people whose train was cancelled but it means an extra 15 mins added to this train and I only have 15 mins Leeds before my next train at 3.32pm – those bloody 3’s and 1’s again!

I’m still without coffee and need food but at this point I’m probably delirious from my bite so once I’ve contracted rabies or something, I will content myself with eating my own arm; at least the scales will look good at weigh in next week. Then I remember the chocolate croissant.

Sitting on the train I decide to at least get the money back for the train ticket I booked through Trainline only to discover there is a £5 admin fee and they want me to return the tickets I couldn’t use because the ducking train didn’t arrive. What do they think I’ve done with the tickets????? Caught the ducking ghost train! Jumped on the tracks and stolen one of those ones you operate like from a cowboy movie? Well madam they say you still took the journey even if it’s means you’ve ended up with arms like popeye. In this day and age, they want me to pay for recorded delivery to post my train tickets… really??? Have you seen the state of the ducking Post office! Man alive have a word with yourself. I can just imagine the meeting at Trainline headquarters when they came up with that one – I bet their cheeks are still ache from laughing…

 ‘Go on add it to the terms and conditions.

‘No, I can’t, after their train has been cancelled, we are seriously going to ask our customers to send us their tickets even though we know all the trains are delayed or cancelled. We are going to ask them to then put them in an envelope, walk to the post office, pay to have them sent to us. Knowing! Knowing! What we know about the postal delivery and if they don’t send them recorded, they will never arrive and if they do, we will just shred them anyway and pretend we never received them. Stacey’s hamsters in HR loves shredded train tickets as it’s bedding. Surely, we cannot be that cruel. Even with recorded delivery you know we won’t receive them until 2090 and the ticket holder will be dead.’

General laughter and coughing/choking and the dolphins ears prick up, but sadly this process is added to the terms and conditions.

The train guard sounds like he’s been abducted from his previous job – maybe he used to be the main mental health trainer for dolphins and that’s why they are so wild and killing shareholders. Who knows, but he certainly is more forgetful than my peri-meri brain and that’s saying something but a bit worrying after the day I’ve already had for the train guard not to sound like they one hundred percent know where the train is going, at this point I will go wherever it takes me.

We arrive into Leeds only a few minutes late and I have 30 minutes so pop up to the Starbucks but my goodness you see some sights in London but I literally don’t look away quick enough when I spot a woman going up the escalator with the shortest shorts and no pants and everything, and I mean everything, is on show front and back judging by the looks on some faces ahead of me. Never mind that film Don’t look up, I’m looking sideways, down, across and any other way I can. This person was boldly going where no-one has gone before on Leeds station.

At Starbucks I think the results of my journey must be visible on my face as I dredge out the still sealed uncooked bacon roll from the bottom of my bag and as I order my cappuccino I say, ‘to cut a long story short I bought this in kings cross and didn’t manage to have it cooked would you mind?’

Here was me expecting him to turn around and say due to health and safety or some other stupid reason he couldn’t possibly do that but I was surprised when he smiles kindly and said, ‘of course and do you want some ketchup with that.’ I won’t say my faith in humanity is restored because I haven’t lost faith in people. If you look at social media or the news as your reference you will believe this to be true but I judge by my day-to-day meetings with people and most people I come across are nice. I don’t include greedy shareholders in this obviously.

My next train is in the station and I sit quietly eating my bacon butty and drinking my coffee before getting on the train. I decide in the end to sit on one of the seats with a table so I can finally start editing my canal book which I intended to do but ended up writing up this adventure as I needed to vent.

But oh no, that’s not the case. Two blokes get on and sit next to me and plonk their large cans of stella on the table and as they did this, a notification flashed up on my phone that the train I’m on is delayed. Oh, come on! I’m sure at this point you’re thinking I’ve embellished this story or made something up, I have already confessed to writing fiction after all, but no, this is a true factual account of my journey as a travel writer on this day.

It turns out the delay is only 3 minutes in the end. I know! I know! 3 again. The chaps have some interesting stories about accidentally setting a bag on fire outside Leeds station and police running towards them. Just an accident. They offer me a can of stella as well as checking if I’m an escort. I’m not sure how to take this so style it out as banter and have a laugh with them, declining the stella because even after a day like today, beer is not for me. If they had a bottle of prosecco, Baileys or Malibu I would have downed it in one.

I wish I’d spent this time editing my canal book but sometimes you just have to enjoy what life throws at you and tell the (true) story. I apologise for using the ducks name in place of a swear words, I’ve nothing against ducks unless they are pecking my narrowboat at 4am and waking me up. Also, I’m sorry to the dolphins, I’ve only ever encountered nice dolphins but I’m sure even they have bad days sometimes.

I receive a message from my mum asking me how many Yorkshire Puddings I want with my beef dinner and do I want dinner or a bath first. Living on a canal boat means a long soak in a bath is a luxury. Message answered I sit back and watch the beautiful Yorkshire countryside pass by and as the train announces the arrival into Bentham, as it turns out, I arrive, on time.

A very tired travel writer
C.L. Peache

P.S. I do battle with Trainline to get my money back and they agree to refund the £15 but I still have to send the tickets back recorded delivery! Seriously! Thank you to LNER and Northern trains and Starbucks for an excellent service.

P.S. I’ve emailed Great Anglia as they were the ones who operate the ghost trains which don’t turn up to see if I can get my taxi money back but I fell at the first hurdle when I tried to complete an online refund and they needed an address to process – I live on a boat and don’t have one so I emailed customer service.

Following a dream…

Hello! ((About time you wrote another blog. What have you been messing about at Peachy?)) I’m trying to think where I left you; oh yeah, we’d tackled the mighty Thames! ((Great to see your memory has improved – that’s sarcasm if you don’t get it Peachy!))

It’s been a busy time since I left you as I’ve ((been on multiple holidays with another coming up!)) been away to Jersey for my birthday, been to Newark for an amazing four-day book festival. Helping to organise a festival is stressful for one reason or another but the moment you arrive on location, it’s a case of having to get on with it and deal with whatever gets thrown at you. But what a great team we all made and the first time we had all been together. The location and the fact all the festival team work on different freelance projects. It’s now two days after the festival and the only things in my inbox are congratulations and can we come again emails which is wonderful.

It was so wonderful to return to Newark and felt like I’d never left and honestly, I think it’s the closest I’ve come to feeling what it’s like to be a celebrity! I literally could not go anywhere without meeting someone I knew as well as chatting to everyone involved in the festival. Even I was talked out by the time I boarded the train bound for Kings Cross to return to the boat. ((I don’t believe you Peachy – the possibly of you being talked off is about as believable as one of your novels!)) I know, Brackets but honestly. My body, brain and mouth were exhausted. ((I’m saying nothing. Nothing.))

In cruising world, we are now on the River Lea after loitering around Brentford and various locations as we’ve been doing boat jobs which should all be on YouTube. Talking of YouTube, we are having a little bit of a pause on churning out the vlogs on a Sunday as we have now cruised a full year and I now have 102,265 words to read and edit for the canal book as well as adding in all the historical information. My wonderful and talented friend Christine is working on the cover and I have a few ideas for the book launches in November – all will be revealed.

As many of you know I’m shy ((I just spat out my Pimm’s!)) and talking in front of a group of people is not my kind of thing so the thought of a book launch where I sit in front of people and talk at them is not my idea of fun so I’m going to attempt something a bit different.

In other book news I have a selection of books in a wonderful book shop in Newark called A Fine & Tiny which is run by one of my Fosseway writing pals. Martin has set this up to showcase his own publishing company but also to promote local authors. It’s located in LetsXcape Café which is a favourite café of mine in Newark right in the heart of the marketplace. They also host the Fosseway Writing Group meetings. Martin will be launching on Instagram soon, so please do give them a follow on Facebook and if local, pop in. They have some amazing books available.

Today is also our boating anniversary, this time last year we left Kings Marina after a last-minute decision in April to leave our jobs and cruise the network. I can now officially say it was the right decision and we love this life. The future finances still need to fall into place but we are booked into Saltisford Arm in Warwick for five months so we can get work there and I have a few ideas to run some writing workshops and you never know when my canal book comes out in November I might actually make some money! ((Dream on Peachy!)) The pic is us cruising past Newark Castle as we left for a life afloat.

Right, that’s it from me as I try to keep these blogs a bit shorter ((Fat chance!)). I will aim to blog monthly to keep everyone updated unless I have something to share. I have lots of plans ((One includes my merchandise which Peachy keeps promising!)) it’s on the list – I’m also creating merchandise and logos for my canal book so lots to keep me busy and a lot of work to find the best places to create and sell the merchandise.

I hope everyone is well and I will aim to chat again at the beginning of August and maybe a couple of blogs along the way depending on what’s happening.

Take care… until next time. x

The mighty Thames and looking to the future… Day 316

Sunday 2nd June – Day 316

Well, what a day and a fitting place to leave the blog for a little while! We woke up early after a disturbed night naturally thinking about the big day ahead and because we were tied up against the wall with a boat tied to us, every so often the tires banged and woke us up but no matter.

As we opened the stern door at 5.45am to bright blue sunshine and no wind, we knew it was going to be a good day to cruise the Thames. We did the final prep of moving things off shelves etc just in case, and then had a coffee and some breakfast. Just before 7am three other boats got ready to go in the lock and we wandered up along with Jon and Greta from Narrowboat Boo Boo who we travelled down with yesterday. We watched them go through and before we knew it, we had the lifejackets on and we were in Limehouse Lock!

When you get to this point the nerves are tingling ((That’s excitement not sciatica)) and there is no turning back, so it’s time to just enjoy this epic journey we have been working towards since we decided in winter to come to London.

A blast of the horn as we come out of the lock and we are on the mighty Thames and what a trip. Beautiful blue skies and no wind create the perfect day to cruise and we glide past and under in the case of the bridges up the river Thames. The trip boats which are very fast don’t start running until 8.30am so we are lucky we only have a few waves to deal with. We spot the prop sticking out the water on our friends boat!

If you want to really get the feeling for the journey then please do have a look at the YouTube vlog which should be very soon all being well. London from the river is a sight not to be missed. Everything goes as well as we could have hoped until we arrived at Thames Lock and there is no-one about to let us through. We had a look around but it wasn’t one we could operate ((Thank goodness for that!)) like on the River Trent. They normally have lockies but you can operate them yourselves.

Anyway, after trying all the numbers for the locks with no success, I resort to ringing the emergency line ((It’s always an emergency if you’re about!)) I have to say I wasn’t overly impressed that the person barely seemed to even know what the river was or much about it at all. I imagine it just must be that they have a screen with the locks etc on and they log the call but at first they couldn’t even find Thames Lock on their system! Anyway, someone from CRT rang us back and there had been a problem with the booking and they weren’t expecting us for an hour ((OH Peachy!)) hey, it wasn’t our fault. When the lockies turned up and let us through we then cruised to Brentford lock and chatted to the lovely lockie there and showed him our booking – which was correct! For some reason they had us down from Teddington to Brentford but we booked Limehouse to Brentford.

Anyway, at least we got off we had visions of the tide turning and then many problems would arise! Although leaving Brentford lock, Chris set off and there was this almighty bang and then water started spraying everywhere. Turned out a bottle of pop had got stuck on the prop, it had burst it and it was spraying everywhere! Chris got the brunt of it. The lockie said he’d never seen anything like it! So we ended our Thames trip with a bit of drama but I would rather than be at the end than on the Thames itself. What an experience and I would love to do it again! ((Your mum says absolutely not!))

Once through, we quickly moor up as the facilities are here then it’s on to find a mooring as it’s 12.15pm now and we are ready to stop and have some lunch. We don’t have to go far before we find a beautiful spot in the shade and it’s job well and truly done.

What next I hear you cry ((I don’t think you do peachy!)) As I’ve said this is the last regular blog for a while. It’s time for me to take a deep breath and evaluate my future plans as I said earlier in the week, I need to refocus.

In the next few months I will edit the canal book ready for publication. Finish my freelance work for Newark Book Festival as we get closer to the event itself. I’ve already spoken to my publisher and made the decision to delay the publication of my Jersey book. The vlogs are scheduled until the end of June and then I’m going to decide if I continue with those or not. No rash decisions on these things, just a little time off to have a think about what I want to do.

This journey we are on was always going to be a trial and error as we try and carve out a new, different way of life and at the end of the day, I need to earn money for prosecco and Baileys! ((Exactly. Priorities Peachy!))

For now… thank you so much for reading the daily blogs and giving me encouragement for nearly a year now! I hope you’ve enjoyed the adventure so far. Thanks for reading and putting up with my grammatical and spelling errors ((we need therapy!)) as I type too fast and don’t have time to edit properly – it’s real life, live as it happens lol.

Until next time… from me, ((and from me)) xx

((Peachy will still be posting on Instagram and Facebook so I suggest you block her if you also need a proper break! I’m quite sad it’s all over. Someone pass me a tissue… maybe i should sneak in a few takeovers… shhhh don’t tell Peachy!))

Journey to Limehouse basin – Day 315

Saturday 1st June – Day 315

We are rudely woken, well I wasn’t as I was awake at 6am creating vlogs, by another boater cruising past, then revving the engine because they didn’t want to go through the tunnel and then reversing and bashing into our boat and Narrowboat Boo Boo. These things happen but generally the accepted time is cruising from 8am so if you do crash into someone boats it’s not daft of clock!

Our neighbours we up and as they set off to get some water whilst we get ourselves ready and by 8.15am we are in the first lock of 8 today as we make our way to Limehouse Basin and hope there is a mooring spare! ((What’s going on with these moorings?)) There is a bit of an issue with CRT and boaters as CRT want to make London more accessible to people like us. Apparently people don’t want to come here because of the problems with moorings and to be quite honest, unless you moor on the Paddington Arm and crank it through Little Venice to the other side of Victoria park or want to double or triple moor with someone then you won’t get a mooring unless you pay to use one of the CRT ones.

We don’t mind paying. It was £25 per night in Paddington Basin and £35 at Islington Eco mooring which is the ones we have just left which for the centre of London is cheap but as a boater who has been living here for a while I understand why they feel they are being pushed out. I don’t think there is any easy solution which will please everyone. But with the society we have if you use something you have to pay for it and unless they don’t use the any facilities, they still have their boat on water which is managed by CRT and if they didn’t manage it then it probably wouldn’t be suitable for a boat! Like i said i don’t know the answer to this one. ((That’s count for most stuff really Peachy))

Anyway, off we go and after lots of locks, cruising and chatting we arrive at Limehouse Basin and manage to get a mooring and Narrowboat Boo Boo moors alongside us.

I then decide its time for a power nap whilst Chris takes down the cratch covers as we decide we don’t want them flapping around and checks the engine etc ((What whilst you’re sleeping!)) I said I would help but I needed a nap after being up at 5.

Once I’m up and coffee drank I started faffing around moving things which could fall and break then we wander to the shops to get some supplies. When we get back a cruiser boat is heading out the lock so Jon and Chris wander up to watch and Greta brings out the fizz. Then the boys come back and we spent a pleasant time chatting on the stern until it’s time for tea and to pop in the boat and wonder about tomorrow. Day done. Last day tomorrow folks and then the blog might be quiet for a little bit! ((Promises, promises!)) x

Camden Locks! Day 314

Friday 31st May – Day 314

We wake to a drizzly morning as it’s time to finally do the Camden Locks! . First up it’s Little Venice for the planned boat services, that done and it’s through Maida Vale tunnel and onto the Regent’s canal! ((Which Peachy only just realised as she went through it!)) we pass very large mansions, London Zoo and all the other iconic things to see before we arrive at Camden Lock!

There doesn’t seem to be anywhere obviously to moor, so we glide to the lock gate and pull the boat in. As I’m setting the lock with thankfully only about 50 people watching. On a nice busy day there will be hundreds!! A lockie turns up and once The Plot is in he wanders up to the next lock leaving me to close this one.

It’s windy as well as drizzly today so the boat ends up on the wrong side of the lock. There is no option but for Chris to throw me the rope and for me to pull the boat over so he can leave the lock. My Yorkshire muscles ((You go Peachy)) do me proud and I yank the boat over knowing many people are watching me and I can not mess it up. When I’ve done a bloke watching said ‘WOW’ haha. Then it’s out the lock, close the lock and the scary people watching, lock done and onto the next lock.

I’m really impressed by the next stretch of locks, they are easy to do and once I’ve relaxed I really enjoy them. It’s mixed weather with the rain stopping and starting but we are soon through the locks and then it’s Islington tunnel which we get through in a blink of an eye and before we know it we are moored at Islington Eco-mooring and find our pals Jon and Greta on Narrowboat Boo Boo. We have a good old natter with them and plan to do the locks and journey to Limehouse basin together.

Chris and I take an interesting wander around Islington and get some shopping and another big day ticked off the list.  They really are coming thick and fast now! ((Similar to you but you’re a bit slowly generally!)) Day done. Until tomorrow. x

Just another cruise… Day 313

Thursday 30th May – Day 313

It’s a bright blue day as we crank it along the Paddington Arm and make it to the marina where we top up with fuel. They say it’s good to have a full fuel tank and water tank as it makes the boat more stable on the Thames.

Tank filled, we wind the boat ((Turn the boat)) around in the marina entrance. This is a no, no when boating normally but Clare who sorted the fuel out from the marina said we were okay to do it. It’s a little tricky but we get there in the end and we cruise to find a mooring not too far away where we settle for the night ahead of doing the Camden locks tomorrow. We are about a thirty minute cruise away from the Little Venice facilities which then lead onto the Regent’s canal which will be a new stretch for us. We will aim to get through the locks and to our booked mooring at Islington Eco mooring.

We are certainly glad we booked the moorings in London as we didn’t see one free one until we got far past the other side of Victoria park on this busy stretch and we really didn’t want to moor next to people we don’t know. Day done. Big day tomorrow! x