C.L. Peache's Blog, page 34

Day Ten – On the move – Friday 28th July

It’s with regret we leave the mooring at Stoke. At the risk of being evicted we head off to hopefully secure a mooring at Holme Lock ((big spoiler here folks – they do!)) Hey Brackets, stop ruining my plan of building up the tension of the story, the… will they, won’t they make it alive? Did the pirate duck follow them up the river… ((Oh come on Peachy. Just because you’ve been receiving a load of good reviews for your books don’t go letting it go to your massive head. You bang it enough on the hatch as it is – just made myself laugh then. I really am the best thing about your blog))

Anyway, ignore Brackets. We set off and for the first time it didn’t rain! It was a little chilly at points and the river was flowing really fast which meant the engine was working hard but it managed with no problems. We were treated to a wonderful display of kingfishers skimming across the water and up and across the banks of the river. I didn’t bother trying to take a pic as they are too fast and contrary to popular belief sometimes, I don’t film everything and just enjoy the moment. ((pull the other one Peachy. As if you don’t have your iphone surgically inserted into your eye….)) don’t do it Brackets, do not do it… ((eye, eye Captain!)) you did it!

I rang the lockie and it was a smooth arrival into Holme Lock. There is some footage of this journey and the whole adventure so far on YouTube. We managed to get a mooring at Holme so that’s us sorted for a few days ((Told you)) . We also realised that the riverside festival in Notts in next weekend! Doh! ((Oh the penny finally drops)) But at least it means if we set off to Notts on Monday and make our way through we should be going in the opposite direction of everyone coming this way! Not sure what I saw about the place being busy then. Hey ho, such is life.

After mooring we enjoy a bit of chill time in the stern before I sent Chris off cycling to the pub whilst I chilled on the stern with a coffee and read an ebook which is written by one of my publishing author buddies Neerja Pawar called Eternally Single – well worth a read. It was lovely and very relaxing. When Chris arrived home, I decided that a power nap was well overdue and somehow missed the fact it was book group chat and so missed chatting with my pals! Oops! In my defence I didn’t realise it was Friday. I’ve already lost track of days.

Power nap level achieved. We had homemade pizza which was delicious and went for a walk around Pierrepont Country Park – wow, what an amazing place. We have seen a little bit of it before when we stopped this way but I didn’t realise it was so big and there was so much to do. I will pop a video on showing the area in my next vlog.

It’s 8.34pm now and the kettle is whistling in the background so it’s time to make an Ovaltine and either start a jigsaw or maybe watch a film. ((wow, what a riveting life you lead Peachy! I can barely contain my excitement. Literally the only good thing about you blogging every day is that I get to chat to my fans)) I blame everyone who keeps saying they like Brackets – you’ve created a monster! Until tomorrow. x

Miles/Distance: 3 miles
Locks: 1 (Holme Lock)
Tunnels: 0
Swing Bridges: 0
Facilities…
Toilets: Yes
Elsan: Yes
Bins:  Yes
Showers: No
Waterpoint: Yes – Didn’t use this time but i remember from last time it had very good pressure.
General: This is a lovely area near the country park. Only about a mile away takes you to the Cricket ground/Football ground/into notts and a Wetherspoons for a lovely brekkie. Try and stay as long as you can.

Day Nine – Still here – Thursday 27th July

After chatting to the lockie it seems it is a little busy at the locks ahead and Nottingham due to the festival ((they later find out the festival isn’t until next weekend. Honestly canal and river trust should revoke their licence they have no clue what’s happening and you keep mentioning it. I think everyone has lost the plot!)) Well i don’t know maybe there was a different festival on as other people were going on about it being busy! Anyway since the rest of the pontoon is empty of boats, we are going to cruise to Holme Lock tomorrow and hopefully sneak in a mooring until Monday morning and then head off to Nottingham. Every time we have come this way, we have ended up arriving into Notts on a Saturday lunch and the lock is right next to a pub. It would be nice to have it a little bit quieter although last time we went through with a trip boat and then did all the work so… result!

I woke up feeling a bit ‘meh’; as in I wasn’t really feeling it. Not that I wasn’t happy but some days you just wake up and feel ‘meh’. Often you can try and find some reason for the feelings but I’ve found the best thing to do is to do something to distract those feelings before they take hold. So, we decided to get out and cycle to the nearest Aldi to get a few bits. It was another chance for me to get used to the electric bike and by the end I was feeling fine.

We need to return to the marina in Newark to collect as few things and Chris’s parents very kindly came to pick up and then we had an amazing lunch at Southwell Garden Centre – highly recommend if you’re in the area. The food was all homemade and delicious.

I don’t know if you’ve seen the little video I put on about ‘Is this the end?’ where I made a joke about Chris and I deciding we had enough of each other and were splitting up. He was taking the kayak and I was keeping the boat. I thought I’d made it clear it was joke but obviously not as a few people thought it was real! Ooops. Just to be clear if we ever decided to split up, family and friends would know before I would ever put it on social media. Also, we are coming up to 25 years together and as long as Chris keeps feeding me and making me cappa’s I cannot see that changing .

We don’t get back until late afternoon so it’s just the usual faffing and making tea. ((I’m surprised you keep getting new subscribers to your blog. I mean it’s not exactly riveting information you’re sharing is it? Unless people are using it as a sleeping tool – they start reading and are so bored they fall asleep?))

It’s our last night here as tomorrow we are going to move on and see if we can get a mooring at Holme Lock so we intend to get up early as if we cannot stay there, we intend to cruise right through and past Nottingham and perhaps try to get a mooring at Beeston or Trent Lock. I told you we keep changing our minds about where to go and what to do.

The picture on the blog was taken at 9.54 pm and as I was watching TV there were some bats flying right outside the window. Very cool. If you love nature, I highly recommend boating life. We are treated to a nice display on the river tomorrow. Although just to add to that; if you don’t like spiders then don’t get a boat. Just don’t.

Until tomorrow x

P.S if you want to see pictures or videos of our adventures then head over to my Instagram page or YouTube.

Day Eight – Stoke – Wednesday 26th July

We were up early and decided to seize the day as we needed some water, so we ((That royal ‘we’ again)) swung the boat out into the river and let the river’s flow gently take us back to the lock area where the water point is. We were surprised how well it worked and we were soon making toast whilst we waited for the water to fill. The lock is right next to a weir so it was important that the river flow or wind, which turns up on the calmest day when you decide to move a boat, didn’t catch us at the wrong time. Our boat is not made for rapids! The time it takes to fill up varies greatly depending on the pressure of the water and how often we fill the tank and obviously the size of each boats water tank but it can be anything from thirty minutes to an hour’s job to fill the tank with water.  

Job done we cruise back to the moorings. We have been the only ones here and other than a few narrowboats cruising past who we think are going to the Riverside Festival in Nottingham we don’t have any neighbour’s on the pontoon which can fit about 3 boats obviously depending on sizes. ((The festival which is not on until another weekend you remember. I tell you what Peachy. Your boat The Plot is so apt for you in so many ways!))

We are going to speak to the lockie tomorrow as I’ve seen on social media that boats have already double moored in the area so our plan of leaving and hanging around Nottingham for a few days might have to be revised. We have nearly run out of time on these moorings but ((I’m here for customer support and complaints if required Peachy)) as far as we are concerned if there is plenty of space for other boats to moor and barely anyone moving on the river then I don’t see a big problem overstaying if needed.

It’s a bit of chilled rest of the day for me as I set myself up on the stern for some writing and reading whilst Chris finally gets his kayak inflated after turning the boat upside down to look for a pipe – you honestly wouldn’t think you’d be able to lose things on a boat but you can.

It’s been lovely seeing all the amazing feedback coming in for Finding Love and Power of Nature, it really makes all those months of hard work worth it and hopefully by the time you’re reading this my books will be in some of the bookshops in Mumbai ((You’ve already mentioned this Peachy!)) I know but it’s exciting!

The promised rain arrives later in evening but after dinner we go just for a little walk in the woods near Stoke lock. It’s so atmospheric walking through the woods – it reminds me of being a kid ((surprised you can remember that far back without having regression hypnotherapy Peachy)) the smell of the rain, trees, plants and damp soil – wonderful.

Cannot believe we have now been cruising a week! Where does the time go? Other than the few issues we have had, it’s certainly been the relaxed start we wanted where we never intended to go too far so we could process this adventure and settle in. We have changed our minds a few times about the direction to go in but think we will probably stay local for winter as we have various things which were pre-booked in August and September so makes sense to be somewhere we know and near train stations.

Right, that’s it for the first week. I hope you’re enjoying the blogs. I was only going to blog for the first few weeks so let me know if you will be sick of them by then or you want me to carry on past that point. x

Day Seven – Stoke – floating pontoon – Tuesday 25th July

I have a little bit of a lay in as I had a late night.  Chris faffs about doing boaty jobs and I eventually get up and help with the cleaning of the boat. Then it was our first big walk to the supermarket. Butties made ((well, it’s not as if anyone could expect you to go more than 10 mins without food Peachy!)) we walked a little way along the river path until we found a nice bench overlooking the Lagoons here, before going back down to the path to carry on our journey, although we were stopped in our tracks by what we think is an outlet pipe. There were steppingstones or slabs to get over but there was an interesting smell coming from the water and it was a little too high and smelly to risk falling into, so we double backed and went back where we’d eaten our butties and followed the path around the lagoon until we found a suitable way back down and finally we made it to the shopping area.

This was one of those weird moments. It feels like we are a million miles from Newark but actually only maybe a 20 min drive! We have driven to this shopping centre on the outskirts of Nottingham possibly hundreds of times and here find ourselves after walking along lagoons, under canopies of dark woods, over troll bridges and through beautiful fields. I know how I would rather arrive here.

We pick up some essentials from Morrisons and enjoy a cappa outside Greggs – Chris has a free one so we decide to opt to buy a coffee. I have a free coffee voucher for Costa which is over the road, so it’s my choice next time.

We are absolutely knackered when we get back and sink gratefully into our seats after I think roughly 5 miles. I love this kind of tired. Not the kind where you get home from work and you’re either physically or mentally knackered to do anything of interest. This seems like such a more natural tiredness. Since leaving work and starting this life I’ve never slept so well. I just hope we have the means to keep this lifestyle going in the future ((Well, you only need to write a best seller Peachy. I mean what are you messing about at! Now your books are actually in real life book stores maybe you might make more than a chocolate coin!)) I’m trying Brackets. I hope it works!

Nothing else to share other than we could happily stay here forever. I think I might have to revise my estimation of doing the canals and rivers in the UK from 4-5 years to 10-15 years at the rate we are cruising them. We love this slow pace of life. I didn’t get chance to update this yesterday so I’m currently sitting on the stern in my very comfy chair my mum bought me for Christmas, with my laptop and I can well and truly say we are living the dream… now just to make another coffee… until tomorrow…

Through the power of time travel or some such shift in the time space continuum ((You mean your blog is about a week or so behind where you actually are? Dramatic! You authors!)) My book Power of Nature is finally making it’s way into book stores in Mumbai. I know I might have mentioned it once or twice but it’s a big moment in my author life. The link is above if you‘re not planning a flight to Mumbai anytime soon then you can still buy it from Amazon or direct from me if you message me and would like to buy a signed copy. x

p.s. Apologies if you spot any spelling mistakes, missing sentences, grammatical errors or anything else which makes you wince. Due to the limited time frame to live the life to have content for these daily blogs and then to write them, i don’t have time for a full edit.

BIG NEWS!

Allow me a little interruption in the narrowboat adventures to bring you a piece of exciting news which I’ve been desperate to share. As you will know if you follow my author journey I signed a multiple book/novella contracts with Saga Fiction a few years ago. This was a new venture for all of us. Originally they had a digital app but have branched out to eBooks, paperbacks and finally to now selling their/my books in bookstores across Mumbai where they are based. It’s huge progress for such a new publishing company and I wish them every success because they work so hard.

The first book to be published and distributed across the stores was Varun Gwalani’s – The only way out is death – amazing book and due to the success, this has been followed by Neerja Pawar’s – Eternally Single and now I’m excited to announce Power of Nature will joining these fabulous books and will be available in selected bookstores in Mumbai which I will share as they arrive in the stores!

I’m going to have to rely on the fabulous Saga Fiction team and readers in Mumbai to share my book out in the world until I will hopefully visit myself.

I have worked extremely hard to get my work to this point. It turns out the 5 am starts before I headed to work and the midnight writing to get a book finished or the social media uploaded has paid off. I’m very lucky to have so much support from my friends, family and readers to get me here – THANK YOU!

Don’t worry if you cannot make it to pick up a book. Power of Nature is available in eBook and paperbook format to order from Amazon or you can buy a signed copy direct from me – whilst stocks last – not many left and it’s difficult to get new stock delivered to a boat! Just message me if you would like a copy – I will at some point add to my website or via Instagram shop if I work out how to do it!

I might just treat myself to a little bit of Baileys to celebrate this fabulous day. x

For those who haven’t read Power of Nature here is the blurb…

For fans of the No. 1 Sunday Times Bestselling Crime Thriller The Woman in the Window!
—
A woman with an unreliable memory and a haunting past.
—
“Excellent, relatable characters and a gripping plot that builds with every page.” – Mukul Deva, Author of the bestselling suspense novel Lashkar and The Ravinder Gill series.

“I read the book in one sitting, it was that GOOD!”- Christina McComiskie

Going on a mystery spree with The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and The Obsession by Nora Roberts? Add Power of Nature to cart and make it a hattrick!

From British author C.L. Peache comes a thrilling new whodunnit told by an unreliable narrator. Power of Nature by C.L. Peache promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Harriett loves the solitude and healing power of the beach. As she settles into a new life, she cautiously tries to forge new friendships. When the handsome stranger on the beach strikes an unusual friendship with her, Harriett is almost convinced she has left her traumatic past behind. But, the discovery of a body on the beach sends her life into turmoil. Harriett is now questioning everything and everyone around her—even herself.

Because Harriett has a secret. Her traumatic past means she cannot trust the memories of her earlier life. As suspicions around the death body arise, questions are asked and investigations are being made. And Harriett is caught at the centre of the storm.

Will Harriett’s past ruin her future forever? Will her memory return? Will love and the power of nature heal her past traumas?


WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

“The more you read, the more shocking details reveal themself…I read the book in one sitting, it was that GOOD!” – Christina McComiskie @christinaluvs2read
“The story building is top-notch, and the author’s writing grabs hold of the reader’s attention.” – The Indian Book Club
“Power of Nature by C L Peache, a very interesting thriller read which will keep you on the edge till the end.” – Avani Reads, Book Reviewer
“The book starts on a beach, and what could be a better beginning than that?…The story building was top-notch, and the author’s writing held the reader’s attention.” – Smriti, Book Reviewer
“Have you read #verity or #remindersofhim by #colleenhoover? Reading #powerofnature gave me almost the same thrill, goosebumps & loads of shocking surprises!” – @noorthebookworm
“I wish I was actually at the beach when I read this one! Great combination of mystery and also discussion of healing, personal trauma and the power of our own memories.” – Paulina (@bookphile_belle)

Day Six – Gunthorpe to Stoke Baldolph – Monday 24th July

11.49
Today is moving day for boats and the pontoon all but empties as one by one the boaters move on. It seems 10 am is generally the acceptable time to get out and get on with the day. Chris swings the boat out as well as he can as the river is flowing quickly after the rain the last few days. We are glad we decided to stay put until today.

As ever, we start cruising and then the rain arrives. Thank goodness for our cratch covers which at least keep some of the rain off. They are great on the river but once we arrive on the canals we will probably have to cruise without them as the bridges are too low for us to fit under, but we will see. They are the best items we bought for the boat. It’s like having two conservatories on the boat and gives the boat a real sense of space and so handy especially when raining. It means we have somewhere to take off muddy and wet clothes and boots without messing up the main living area – a real asset on a boat.  

Once we arrive, we need to do the usual fill up with water etc so we will just have to wait and see what room there is. Two other narrowboats left ahead of us but I’m not sure where they are intending to make home for their next stop.

12.12
Just wacked my head on the bloody hatch again! ((I’m not laughing. I am not laughing! I will not say anything about it knocking some sense into you. I won’t!))

21.56
Just had time to finish off the blog today. We’ve been for a few walks in the area and then I’ve spent most of the day uploading/downloading/sorting photos, blogs, website and adding behind the scenes content to my Patreon account! ((Oh great. So the idea is people pay you to share thrilling behind the scenes content and see the vlogs early before they go on Youtube? I mean come on Peachy. Honestly you authors live in a dream world! Who wants to see you baking bread on the boat… actually it did smell pretty good. Although it was more the case of the disappearing bread the way you two demolished it))

Anyway, one of the walks crossed paths with the lovely lock keeper. What a delight it was to talk to her about her 25 years narrow boating with her husband; to now her hotel boat holidays and looking after the locks. There are some really amazing people who have lived interesting lives and I’m thankful I get to chat with some of them. Now I really want to do all the canals NOW but also slowly because I don’t want to rush lol.

It’s pitch black outside as I type this and I wonder at anyone across the river who can peer in and see me typing. I’m sure there is some kind of story I could get out of that one. ((Something like the night of the living dead or the swap monster went through their minds I would imagine))

For now. It’s goodnight from me. I’m going to catch up on some tele and chat with friends online before slipping off for hopefully a good night’s sleep x

Miles/Distance: 4 miles
Locks : 1 (Stoke Baldolph – lockie operated)
Tunnels: 0
Swing Bridges: 0
Spent: £0
Facilities…
Toilets: Yes
Elsan: Yes
Bins:  Yes including recycling (had to get rid of that Bailey’s bottle somewhere!)
Showers: no
Waterpoint: yes
General: Lovely lock and well-tended.

Day Five – Gunthorpe – Sunday 23rd July

Today it’s started a bit better weather wise with some blue skies so we decided it was time for wash day but before that we went for a visit to the Elsan as you do.

We tested our little twin tub when we were in the marina but this is our first proper wash. It honestly is exciting, it’s like going back to simpler times. I often think with the invention of all these things which supposedly make our lives better, does it really give us more time? Not in my experience. Imagine all those days you would have spent per week washing even before the simple twin tub machines, do most of us really spend that time doing anything more productive when we can just shove our washing in machine and do something else? This new adventure is certainly making me thoughtful! ((Get off your soapbox Peachy!)) Sorry, this life does make you realise how complicated and stressful life has become.

Washing done we figure out how to hang the clothes to dry in the stern  – careful not to have my pants dangling in the wind for the whole world to see. I mean who wants to go on a lovely, peaceful walk along the river, taking in the beautiful scenery and then glance over to see a massive pair of pants swinging in the breeze – no thank you! ((I am saying nothing Peachy. Nothing. But if the police come knocking on your hatch I didn’t report you and your pants))

After a bit of leisure time on the boat we decide to cycle into Lowdham to get a few supplies. It’s my first time on an electric bike and I really enjoyed it. Despite the assistance I knew I’d cycled as my legs were a bit shaky when we finally made it back and we only did about 5 miles. Other than walking, which we have to be careful of as Chris’s ankle has seen better days and the old fracture of my hip plays up if I do too much ((You two are falling apart!)) this will be our main mode of transport for the shops, unless we order a delivery but we did stock up the boat before we left so only need to top up with things like milk etc. ((by stocking up you mean you filled the boat with coffee, beer and Baileys right?))

As we were making our way out to go to the shops another boater said something along the lines of ‘I admire people who are brave enough to completely ignore the weather report and just get on with it’. My reply was, ‘if you wait for the weather, you will never get anything done!’
Now let’s dispel any picture you’re building up of me. I am the kind of person who would spend their whole lives indoors either reading, writing, doing a jigsaw, faffing, watching tv and drinking coffee. I am not a natural ‘outdoor person’ more I must be sort of forced into the situation of being outside and when I do, I absolutely love it. That’s what I like about this life you have to be outside quite a lot, be that cruising, faffing with ropes, going to the shops on foot or by bike and not in the comfort of a heated seat in the car but I genuinely love it when I’m out in nature and it’s why this life works for me.

Later on, I’m faffing at the dinette ((do you ever leave that dinette??)) when the promised rain arrives with a vengeance. Soon we are rushing for bowls and pans to collect the water which is pouring out near the duck hatch. We do need to add some silicone but it was more that the rain was so heavy and directional the channels couldn’t get the water off the roof quick enough and so inside it came! We left the bowls there overnight just in case.  Only day 5 and already the little challenges have been mounting up but that’s life.

Not much else to report from today. Tomorrow, we plan to move on to Stoke Baldolph lock if there is room, if not we will crack on to Holme Lock.  

P.S. Fingers crossed the first vlog should be live on YouTube today if you fancy a watch. I’m going to try to put them on a Sunday but not promising as I don’t want to feel like I have to get it done. click here if you want to watch it and please do subscribe (it’s free) and also a thumbs up/like would be appreciated.

Also tomorrow exciting news is coming about my book Power of Nature... it’s currently available on ebook & paperbook.

Spent: £5.20
Blacking: £100.00 deposit (we have booked the boat in to be blacked at the end of august and so had to pay the deposit today)

Day Four – Gunthorpe Floating Pontoons- Saturday 22nd July

We’ve woken up to a miserable morning as the weather has come out in force but we couldn’t be cosier on the boat as we planned – as much as you can plan when cruising to stay anywhere on the rivers and canals. But we are set for a couple of nights to see out the dodgy weather. This also fits with our plan of staying as long as we can in each area to enjoy and explore.

Today it’s all about sorting out the videos for the vlog, writing this blog, editing, getting videos uploaded and downloaded which is tricky with not having the best signal. In between all this, a walk when the rain stopped for a little while and Chris baked some bread which I’ve shared a little of on our Patreon account which we will add a few behind the scenes videos we won’t share on social or we will share on our Patreon page first, which will also have our YouTube videos previewed a few days earlier.  

We go for a few walks in-between the showers. It’s funny really, if this was a normal working day I would probably have gone to work in the rain and come home in the rain without the chance to sneak in a little walk, as for some reason it’s slightly frowned upon to just walk out of work when you feel like it. ((Well, it’s not like you haven’t got form for doing just that Peachy.)) I know but it was totally justified at the time – they learnt a valuable lesson in life that when you push an employee too far they are quite within their rights to leave. ((actually you’ve done it a few times thinking about it)) I stand up for myself what i can i say! Anyway, where was i… it’s one of the biggest benefits when your timetable is your own; when the rain clearer or slows you can get outside and enjoy what the world has to offer and even on days like this there is always something to see.

That’s it for today. ((What? that’s it? That is literally all you have to say?)) Yes, it’s just been a nice chilled day and nothing much to report. Tomorrow we end up with more water in the boat than we would like! ((Oh.. i like it. Keep the punters hooked…)) Erm, don’t call my readers Punters, Brackets. That means something different. Sorry everyone. Until tomorrow. x

Day Three – Hazelford Lock to Gunthorpe Lock – Friday 21st July

8.30 am

I’m chilling out doing a few social media posts when I hear a familiar noise coming from the shower pump! It’s all hands to the deck and our new system of ‘knowing where everything is’ has worked well and we soon have a torch and screwdriver to hand with a hammer lurking in the background if we encounter any serious issues.

About five minutes later and calm has returned after topping up the swear jar. Something or other got stuck. For those who have read my blogs or watched my YouTube vlogs will know this isn’t our first rodeo with this shower pump! I’m quite impressed we have made it to day three before anything has decided to break – I think this is probably a new world record. ((Ohh let’s contact The Guinness Book of Records and see if we can break a boating record!))

Anyway, it’s back to calm and tranquility as we go for a wander up to the facilities and see if the lockie is on yet. Alas the lockie is nowhere to be seen. After loitering around the lock as I sit and upload some social media as I suddenly have a strong signal. The one thing which has surprised me about being a writer is how much time I spend doing everything other than writing! Well, I suppose technically I am writing a post to promote my books but still. Good job I love social media. We walk back to the boat and do a bit of faffing – as I have said before if you’re not a faffer I don’t recommend you buy a boat. The best thing to do in any situation when boating, is faffing!

It’s somewhere near reaching 10 am so we are going to attempt to cruise. Once we get through Hazelford Lock there is a water point so we are intending to top up the water. We have decided that whenever we come across a water point we will fill up. It might be that there is another one not far but what if we arrive at that and it’s broken or boaters are queuing up. Start as we mean to go on and fill up at every opportunity. ((Wouldn’t want you to run out of water… I mean what would you drink?)) Exactl… ((Prosecco, Rum, Baileys…)) alright! I’ve got to admit i haven’t touched a drop of fizz since I went out with the marina lot and discovered the swaying of the boat has a negative result on the stomach!

10.55 am

Sitting at the Dinette with a coffee. Well! We set off at rather a quick rate as we realised someone else was going through the lock and it makes sense not to empty and fill massive locks like the ones on the river Trent multiple times if you can share it. This resulted in me untying the ropes at the bow thinking Chris was ready when actually he was trying to sort a worrying squeaking noise from the engine bay! Rookie mistake not to check he was ready before I untied. With the bow drifting alarming into the middle of the river we cast off. The plan was to stop for water on the other side of the lock anyway so we decided we ((You mean the Royal we don’t you Peachy because you nothing about engines do you?)) would tackle the problem on the other side.

It was a little tricky in the lock – I would suggest if you come through here on a narrowboat you use both the bow and stern ropes to hold the boat in place otherwise the bow will drift out into the middle of this very large lock. This lock has risers which you can tie the boat to inside the lock rather than chucking your rope up to tie up on the lock landing – I’ve shown them before in a previous blog.

We filled up with water, Chris tightened the fan belt which seems to have solved that issue. I saved a caterpillar and then it was off we go again. Chris forgot to put on the tiller ((HA HA – really Peachy are you two even cut out for this adventure?!)) but we soon solved that. This morning has proved that we have not tuned into to our routine of casting off and cruising. However we both remained calm(ish) and solved the issues.

It just goes to show that when I share these idyllic pictures and videos and it is exactly that at that time but as with everything in life there are stresses and problems to solve. I don’t think the stress free life exists and to be honest, how boring would it be to live just a monotone happy life all the time. I think the up’s and down’s, the challenges and trials are what makes life so interesting. ((I will remind you of that when you have your head stuck down the weed hatch one day dragging out an old pair of pants that have stuck around your propeller!))

Right… off we cruise to Gunthorpe to hopefully empty the Elsan.

14.18

We’ve been moored on the floating pontoons for about 40mins. We were lucky to get one right at the end near the bank so all nice and safe as it looks like we have bad weather for the next few days so we are staying put.

We managed to empty the Elsan at Gunthorpe which, whilst we are grateful to have the facilities they weren’t the best or cleanest we have seen. But hey ho. It did the job as they say. Our first cruising vlog will show what I mean. ((Oh the joy of it. On that alone I will immediately subscribe to your YouTube channel for the riveting video of the Elsan!))

That’s us for the day. I’m going to chill, do my jigsaw and listen to my audio book. At 3.30pm I going to chat via the power of Facebook with my book group.

Until tomorrow .

Miles/Distance:  4 miles Lock: 2 (Hazelford Lock & Gunthorpe Lock– operated by key or the lockie)
Tunnels: 0
Swing Bridges: 0
Money Spent: 0
Facilities… Toilets: Yes. But the men’s was out of order and the female toilet you needed a code rather than a key. I think you can ring or get from the lockie. Since I wrote this we’ve had a notification to say the toilets are out of order due to vandalism – honestly what is wrong with people!
Elsan: Yes (bit grim but useable)
Bins :  Yes
Showers : It says there is showers but couldn’t open the doors to check.
Waterpoint: Yes – from Newark direction you go through the lock and then the water point is on the right hand side.
Mooring : The floating pontoons are gated so nice and safe. I reckon you can fit 7 or 8 boats obviously that all depends on the sizes! No electric or water points on them.
General: It’s about a 30 min walk to the train station and local shops at Lowdham where you can catch a train in Nottingham or Newark.

Day Two – Staying put at Hazelford Lock – Thursday 20th July

We wake up to the sound of a flock geese flying over and I think, ‘that’s strange’ we don’t normally hear that in the marina. It’s usually the sound of ducks drilling against the side of the boat or as in Newark’s case; the sound of sirens. I honestly never knew there were so many emergencies in Newark which required sirens pretty much constantly throughout the day. They are one of those sounds which are really annoying to anyone not needing them but an absolute relief and welcome sound to the person that needs them. It doesn’t exactly make for a quiet life though.

It’s 9.30am now and after a nice coffee in bed, catching up on social media with my intermittent signal and a read of my kindle book; The Tomato Runner by one of my writing buddies Mark Smith. I snigger to myself. Mark has an amazing sense of humour and also a very clever way of describing poignant and thoughtful situations with humour but you as the reader still feel the emotion of the scene. Very good. Highly recommend you click on the link and treat yourself to a copy.

Where was i? ((it’s 9.30…)) oh yeah, thanks Brackets. I’m at the dinette ((You’re always at the dinette!)) writing this blog whilst Chris faffs in the engine bay and makes sure it’s all ship shape ahead of a big clean and little thoughts ((I’m saying nothing!)) of this adventure keeps popping into my head. We have to figure out how we make this work financially over the years to come but already I’m determined we will!

***  (interlude)

In the break from doing my jigsaw and listening to my audio book – The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse – this is the third book in the trilogy and it’s excellent! It’s the first one I’ve listened to as the rest I’ve read on kindle and the narrator is excellent. It really makes a difference to the quality of the book. Another one I would recommend ((Wow! It’s almost like you’ve been released to read again with this new lifestyle)) 100% Brackets! I’m loving it.

After a walk around the beautiful wild area of Hazelford Lock we got stuck into sorting the roof. Chris made some roof boxes for the solar panels to sit on – I confess we are slightly worried about any low bridges but ((You will cross that bridge when you come to it! Yes, yes! Moving on!)) well technically we will go under the bridge but anyway we will solve that problem when it arises. It felt good to get it all sorted and tidied ahead of cruising tomorrow.

The mooring here is for 48 hours so our time is up, although to be fair there are plenty of spaces free so I don’t suppose anyone at CRT’s will immediately raise our boat out of the water and ban us from the waterways if we stayed a little longer. ((The keyboard warriors might come for you though! Fear not Peachy. I will protect you!)) Thanks Brackets, I declare you my new customer service, feedback and complaint department across all my social media platforms. ((OMG this is going to be so much fun!))

I’m typing this up to the delicious smell of a butternut squash curry cooking. We’ve also made a butternut squash soup at the same time for tomorrow’s lunch. Now we rely on solar and the engine for our electric and gas for cooking we are finding ways to cook smarter for our meals.

I’ve had a few moments today where the realisation of this new adventure we have embarked on is actually real. We don’t 100% know where we are going or where will winter this year or if we will just cruise throughout and now that finally the stress is lifting the thoughts and feelings of past experience and future memories are floating around my mind.

Don’t worry all the blogs won’t be as long as this one! ((sorry, what was that? I nodded off…))

Money spent: £0