Well, What A Year That Was!

 Finally got around to another post!

Well, 2021 flew by, I can't keep up with how fast time is going! It was a fabulous year all be it a bit restricted but lots of nice things happened for me regardless!

We now have two new rooms on Tickety boo, We have had two new recreational spaces added to the boat. To say I am thrilled would be a total understatement! I have longed for bow and stern covers for years but it was just a distant dream until now, thanks to a certain somebody!

We decided to go with Amtrim boat covers and what an excellent choice that was. Their attention to detail is superb and the advice and suggestions to make the covers look their best was outstanding, to say the least. We had to wait for a while as they were very busy but in my book that's the best advert a company can have, it means they are in demand for an excellent service!

 After waiting a couple of months the two lovely guys came out and measured, they then got back to us with a price and in no time the covers were ready to be fitted. I was blown away at just how lovely the boat looked. We decided to go for black with green trim to match the boat. I must add at this stage I much prefer to see boats without covers, aesthetically I think they just look better without but I was pleasantly surprised at how Tickety boo suited them, especially with the matching green trim! The company come highly recommended and couldn't have been more helpful.

                                                     T Boo in her new cratch cover.

                                                 Our new conservatory/garden room.

                                                 ( Oh ok it's the back deck but I quite like the new names)

                               We were really surprised at how roomy the cruiser stern is undercover.

                                There has always been a bistro table and two chairs on the back deck

                                 but now we can eat out there even when it's raining instead of just on a

                                 sunny day!

    

                               The bow is cute too. Al has laid astroturf  bow and stern. I wasn't 

                               sure about the turf but I like it now it's down.

                                        So two more little rooms to use. I am just in the middle 

                                        of cosying up both bow and stern to make them a bit more 

                                           comfortable but all in all we are really pleased!

                                         A big bonus is the engine bay will stay dry!

            

                                                         My little gateleg table in the bow

                              

                                                Astroturf and cushions!       

    

That was the first exciting thing of the year. Al and I are still dancing our little legs off! It's good fun.

We also had a fabulous holiday to look forward to...

Al surprised me with a two-week Christmas and New Years' cruise on the beautiful Queen Elizabeth!

There was a lot of protocol to go through to sail but it was so worth it. The Christmas decorations onboard were stunning! What a truly beautiful ship. We had a ball lots of dancing, eating, drinking and theatre. We had some lovely excursions my favourite being Madeira.

We docked in Madeira on new years eve so spent the day touring the breathtaking private gardens we then took the cable car and when we got to the top we took a toboggan ride back down again, it was hysterical! It's a wooden sledge type thing that is steered by two men down the sloping streets of Madeira. I have never seen anything like it but it was a great experience.

The highlight of the holiday for me was New years eve. The ship moved away from the port so we had a full view of the island ready for the firework display at midnight. It was one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen, it was spectacular watching the whole island light up with a fantastic display.

           The fabulous Toboggan ride down the streets of Madeira, great fun!

  The stunning gardens in Madeira 

         

  

    New Years' firework display, the photo doesn’t do it justice it was stunning!

The whole cruise was fantastic until a couple of days before it was due to end. All the passengers on board had to have a Covid test before we sailed back home and guess who tested positive, ME!

I couldn't believe it I had worked in retail all through the pandemic and managed not to catch it!

We were shocked to be told that anybody with Covid would have to leave the ship so we were escorted off by men in white suits and masks. We had to be wheeled off in wheelchairs so we didn't touch anything and there was a person following us with a spray to kill any germs. All we were short of was a little bell to ring and to shout out that we were unclean! Luckily they closed the floor off to other passengers so we had at least a little dignity while being turfed off!

The hotel we were put up in was ok but the food left a lot to be desired especially after the gorgeous food on the ship. We had to stay in the hotel room for 6 days! Poor Al had tested negative but still had to isolate with me bless him. Now Al and I get on really well we have a pretty carefree happy relationship so we got on fine over the six days locked up together we did a lot of laughing and just looked forward to being set free from our prison in Spain! There were other couples in the hotel who had left the ship too I just hope they all coped with being locked in together as well as Al and I otherwise they would have been ripping strips off each other!! The only food I kind of enjoyed was eggs benedict that we had for breakfast but after six days of it I would be quite happy to never see another one as long as I live!!

We were so happy to leave that hotel and get our two flights home. We arrived at Manchester tired but happy to be home only to find they had lost our luggage!!! Could things get any worse?? Thankfully they found our luggage eventually, it was still in Spain! It was delivered to us a couple of days later.

To be fair to Cunard they treated us well, they paid for the hotel and the two flights home, reimbursed us for the days we lost on the cruise and sent us a beautiful hamper! Thankfully it was at the end of the cruise so we didn't miss much!

So, this year is well on it's way too! It's flying by with amazing speed! We had a lovely visit with an old school friend of mine and his wife who were visiting from Australia. We had a day out on the boat and we all really enjoyed a  nice meal in a Canalside pub with lots of chatting and laughs, Brian and Lorraine were great company. We have some nice dance weekends away coming up and a  wedding abroad. In the meantime, we are still loving our dancing especially when we had a day at the Blackpool ballroom a lovely place we love dancing there.

            

                                               The lovely Blackpool Ballroom.

I went to the boat yesterday it was lovely weather cool but sunny the space we have to sit in on the back deck is so lovely and really warm, like I have said the addition of the covers on the boat has made a vast difference to how we utilise the space we cane dine out there in all weathers now too!

             I would like to say a big hello to Judy Grange who has been kind enough to read my blogs and often gives me a gentle reminder to write another! I can't think why she enjoys my waffleings but apparently, she does so thank you to her and anybody else who takes the time to read them. I hopefully won't leave it too long this time before I write another! I am living my best life at the minute I have a lovely partner and a beautiful place to live plus we have the boat whenever we wish to just escape for a while. All this I am truly grateful for and just makes me a really happy bunny! Catch you all soon!        

Up Up And Away!

 Last December I wanted to buy Al a really unusual Birthday present so after wondering for a while I decided on a hot air balloon ride!

Unfortunately due to the lockdown, we couldn't go until now, so on the 23rd of August we took to the skies and it was brilliant! I had to ring after 2pm to make sure the flight was going ahead because obviously if the weather was bad we wouldn't be able to fly. The weather was excellent so the flight was going ahead at 5:30 that evening

We had to meet at the Boar's Head pub in Nantwich, the balloon would be taking off in the field next to the pub. I have to admit I was feeling a bit nervous as well as excited. I needn't have worried it was great! The pilot and ground crew turned up at 5pm unloaded the basket and balloon and started filling the balloon with air from big fans, once it was semi-inflated they lit the gas and the balloon rose up, it was huge a lot bigger than I expected! We had all been told which compartment we were to climb into so as soon as the pilot gave us the go-ahead we all had to climb in. There were 4 compartments for the passengers and one for the pilot, 4 people in each and the pilot in the one in the middle with the controls I was amazed that there were so many in the basket, 17 in all! No wonder the Balloon was huge it would have to be to carry us lot! 

The Balloon starting to inflate!

Looking up into the huge cavity of the balloon! 

Once the balloon was fully inflated the gas jet shot a huge flame into the balloon to enable us to fly and fly we did! It took off gently and floated up and up It was the most surreal feeling the views were stunning, we were so lucky with the weather too. Once the balloon reached a good height the gas was turned off and on intermittently, when it was off it was so peaceful and tranquil. I said to Al it must be the nearest you could ever get to feeling like a bird.

                                                                               

                                        

                                                           We were off!

We could see for miles, even the Liverpool skyline could be seen in the distance. The patchwork farmers' fields stretched for miles and miles it was breathtaking. The farmhouses and animals all in miniature it was like looking down on model villages. All the vehicles were tiny, tractors, cars, and the ground crew in their jeeps all looked like dinky cars on a child's playmat!

We flew across the Cheshire countryside for just over an hour. when we were low we could see people waving which was lovely and of course, we all waved back and shouted hello.

The whole of the flight was fantastic but one of the highlights for me was flying over a marina filled with boats, it was a lovely sight. I wasn't sure which marina it was until I found out later it was Overwater Marina at Audlem. I posted pictures on a boaters Facebook page in the hope that people would be able to spot their boats from the unusual aerial view. I was thrilled when not only did people spot their boats one lovely boater snapped a picture of our balloon and was kind enough to post it. That was lovely for us to see what we looked like from the ground.

                                                                              

                                                            Us in the air!

Another lady messaged me from the marina asking if they could use my photos on the marina Facebook page, of course, I was honored that they wanted to and said yes of course they could.

                                                                          

                                            The lovely aerial view of  Overwater Marina at Audlem.                             

Once we were coming to the end of our flight the pilot had to look for a suitable landing site. The thought hadn't really occurred to me that he wouldn't have a clue where we would land as it depended on which direction the balloon would take us. Once a suitable landing spot was decided he opened a huge vent at the top of the balloon to let the air out so the balloon would fall gently towards the ground. We then had to all hold tight to the looped hand ropes bend our knees and prepare for landing! We were told on the odd occasion the basket would tip on landing so we would all be on our backs but it only tilted precariously then popped upright again, we were down safe. The pilot was great and looked after us all so well.

I was fascinated to learn that wherever the balloon landed we would have to stay put until the ground crew contacted the farmer that owned the field to get permission to be there, once permission was granted then, and only then could we disembark. In the rare and unlikely case that the farmer wouldn't grant permission, we would have to take off again and find a kinder farmer! We were told most farmers were amenable and would be thanked and gifted a bottle of whiskey. Once landed we all mucked in rolling the balloon up so it could be loaded onto the trailer we were then all driven back to the pub in the landrover's to pick up our cars. We hadn't realized just how far we had travelled in the balloon until we saw how long it took to drive us back to the pub!

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I urge anybody to try it. Al and I loved every minute it was magic!

                                 

The lovely Balloon we went in.

                                                                                 

                        The little yellow balloon in the photo above was our pilot's son who was training to be a pilot himself.  We flew with Wickers World and the pilot and crew were lovely!

                                                                                              

 Liverpool And Sink!

No, we didn't sink in Liverpool!

We had a fab few days in the Salthouse Dock, weather was amazingly kind, long sunny days! The fifth trip through on the link for me. First time for Al and he really enjoyed it even after having to do all the bridges and a few locks too! It's just lovely to relax in different surroundings for a few days made even better by the lovely weather.

                                                                      

                                                     

                               Tickety Boo nestled into the bank for the night before heading to

                                the Melling bridge the next morning.                                 

                                             

Mr and Mrs Canadian goose and brood and Al waiting to go down the locks at the Eldonian village.

                I love going through to Liverpool, it's

                such a lovely trip.

             

                                              The dock was like a mill pond and the weather was glorious!

It has always been lovely going through to Liverpool on the boat but I loved the fact that Tickety Boo is all newly decorated and spic and span I am so pleased with her new look, she is once again my, or should I say our, pride and joy! To top it all Al has now fitted a new sink in the bathroom, to say I am thrilled is an understatement. I have mentioned before that for 16/17 years I have put up with a sink in there that I have never really liked, a stainless steel oval salad bowl! Having a new enamel sink set in a new vanity unit has given the bathroom the overhaul it desperately needed. Plus Al has finished off the trim in there, installed new lights and new flooring that was left over from the galley. The lights are Led now and are so much brighter. We have plastic paneling in the bathroom and would highly recommend it after 17 years it still looks good and is so easy to keep clean.

                                No room for hand soap on the new sink so a soap dispenser instead.

                          

                                  

                                            Vast improvement from this! 

To say fitting the sink was a bugger of a job is putting it mildly, poor Al had to build a plinth to raise the sink so it would self drain. The new unit was in and out like a fiddler's elbow but Al being Al sorted it and it looks great! If I had half of Al's patience I would be blessed! So now the bathroom matches the rest of the revamp in the boat and just to finish off nicely I bought a new microwave as the old one was well past its best. The microwave being for the Galley, not the bathroom!

               I didn't want to spend too much on the microwave. This was just £57 in B+Q. Bargain!                       

                                  

                                            

We did the old dock tour while we were at the Salthouse, I have done it before so I knew Al would like it too. It's under Liverpool One and is fascinating so I recommend it for anybody going through to Liverpool on their boat, you can book it online and can be booked for a party of six or under. It was the first functioning dock in Liverpool and was what helped Liverpool thrive and become the great city it is today.  As you walk from the Albert Dock towards Liverpool One past the fountains you will see a well-like structure which is a window looking down into the old dock, I often wondered what it was so now I know!

We really look forward to doing the journey again. We had some lovely meals while in Liverpool and of course some retail therapy! Looking forward to our next venture out on the boat!

 

Back On The Cut!

Well, we finally got back out on the cut and it was lovely!

Our Moorhen lodgers had left but sadly out of the eight chicks only three survived and left the nest. On reading up on it on google it's quite common for only a few of the chicks to survive. Thinking about it all the years I have been on the canal I have never seen a Moorhen with more than three or four chicks so it must be quite common that not all of them survive. It's really sad but that's nature I suppose.

I spent a week getting the boat cleaned inside and out before our trip out and it felt so nice knowing that we can now take the boat out as and when we want. It seemed like an eternity waiting for restrictions to be lifted but finally, we were off out!

Parbold is a favourite place of mine to moor overnight, it's not far but feels like we have travelled a long way. It's perfect when we only have a weekend off as we can get there and back in no time and it's so peaceful and picturesque. It was Al's first time there on the boat and I think he is a firm fan of the place now too.

We stayed in the Marina on Friday night then set out on Saturday and headed for Parbold. The weather was absolutely perfect which made our post lockdown cruise even better. We planned on maybe stopping at a pub for a bite to eat, but we enjoyed the boat so much we were quite happy to eat on the back deck in the sunshine.

I am ashamed to admit I don't really do locks. In all the years I have had the boat I have always been at the helm so have never needed to learn. Al is becoming quite good at steering the boat and his confidence is building more and more each trip out. Once he is confident enough, he will take the boat into locks so I really need to start doing the locks too!

There is a deep lock in Parbold and Al had never done one so this would be his first. The plan was to moor at the bottom of the lock then go and gongoozle to watch how it was all done. It turned out that a couple we met at one of the bridges was going through the lock, so I asked if Al could do the lock with them. I knew he would grasp the concept straight away and he didn't disappoint which was just as well as he had to lock me back down! He did it perfectly and I felt very safe considering he was a lock virgin so he is hired!!

        

                                              A silhouette of my new " Lockie"  :)

Tickety Boo started the first time after so long sitting idle she didn't let us down apart from a squealing belt. It was slipping and making a bit of a racket but after a short sharp blast of power it soon stopped and the rest of the trip was trouble-free.

                                             So nice to be out again.

It was such a lovely weekend and bliss to be out on the cut in the glorious sunshine. Typical of me after a lockdown I wanted to be in the middle of nowhere! Most people after lockdown want to party and go where there is lots going on but I was more than happy it was just Al and me in the beautiful countryside.

         Some lovely gardens on the way through Burscough.        

            

                                   Plenty of liquid refreshment, and why not?

      A lovely view from the Galley window, nice to wake up to.

My new job is brilliant, it doesn't feel like a job at all. I only do an hour or so in the morning from 8am and the same at three pm doing the school run with a lovely little boy, he is adorable and so well behaved. He goes to a fabulous school called Bluebell Park, he goes in with a smile on his face and comes out the same. I have all those hours in between the morning and afternoon run to do with what I please, it's bliss. I can spend lots of time going to the boat and being in Al's lovely house too. I feel like I have retired early!

                                              

                     Masses of Bluebells in Parbold.

Doing this job has really opened my eyes to just how many children have learning difficulties of varying degrees. Bluebell Park is an amazing school and caters for all the children's different needs. To be honest it makes me feel quite humble. I feel quite honoured to be working in such a caring worthwhile job.

So our next adventure! I thought I would try and book a passage through to Liverpool for a few days at half term in June. I didn't think for one minute we would get in but surprisingly there was plenty of slots. Another first for Alan and I am sure he will love it. You see such a different world travelling along the Canal to Liverpool and staying in the Salthouse dock is great. Nice to just meander into town shopping having nice meals and being able to have a drink without worrying about getting home as home is in the dock! I am really looking forward to it.

So now I have a Skipper and a Lockmaster onboard what more can a girl ask for! Oh and being the star he is he painted the engine bay too....don't know what I did to deserve him!

I have ordered a new vanity sink unit for the bathroom so photos to follow once fitted. The Bathroom on the boat needs sprucing up a bit to match the new decor in the rest of the boat so a few tweaks here and there and it will. Looking forward to tidying it up, new coving trim around the top of the walls, new flooring that will match the floor in the Galley and new fan and shower led lights, oh and a hand wash wall dispenser... get us!! There won't be enough room on the new sink for a hand wash so a wall-mounted one will solve that problem. I can't wait to have a porcelain sink in the bathroom, I have had a stainless steel "salad bowl" for far too long!

It's May Bank Holiday weekend so a nice three-day break. Household chores have kept me busy today as Al is working so now all chores out of the way a free day tomorrow to go boating!

It's a huge relief to feel that things are slowly getting back to a near normal. I have always loved and appreciated the boat but now more than ever after lockdown.  Having somebody special to share it with too. Life is good!

            ( For those who don't know to Gongoozle or be a Gongoozler is to watch boats and activities on the Canal especially at Locks)

Life In Lock Down

Who would have ever thought we would have been subject to a pandemic lockdown! People have coped in different ways, but it has sadly been a struggle for most in varying degrees. I just count myself extremely lucky that I have been able to spend lockdown with Al. I have said before, I miss the boat at times but would have missed Alan more!

 Choosing to stay on land during the lockdown was in my mind the best choice. It made it difficult to visit the boat as I chose not to be classed as a liveaboard for the duration of the lockdown so wasn't able to just pop in as and when. Living in such a beautiful home with Al has been really lovely, and being together 24/7 has just been proof we get on so well. Above all it has just felt comfortable and right...can't speak for Al on that score but he has put up with me!!

 Now restrictions have been lifted it was a relief to be able to go check the boat which I did at the soonest opportunity! My neighbour on the mooring had informed me that I had an uninvited guest onboard! A Moorhen has decided to make her nest in the most awkward place on the boat! We use the stern door to go in and out, we have bow doors obviously but they are locked from the inside! This is where they have decided to build their nest!

I was a bit nervous knowing I was going to have to run the gauntlet of a very protective Mum or Dad Moorhen, apparently, they both sit on the nest. As much as I didn't want to disturb Ma and Pa, I needed to pass them just once to get into the boat after that we will use the bow doors for the duration of the pending new family!

 So on Monday, I did just that. On arriving at the boat Mr or Mrs Moorhen was sitting on the nest. I, as quietly as I could stepped onto the stern, the Moorhen immediately jumped off the nest so I quickly stepped over the nest  opened the door and got in! The Hen was fiercely protective and let me know in no uncertain terms it wasn't happy to be disturbed! It left the nest but didn't leave the stern and made a real threatening growling noise with it's beak wide open ready for the attack! I have never entered the boat so fast!! Thankfully the Hen got back on the nest and happily settled down again, I did worry that the nest and eggs would be abandoned once disturbed but all is well!

 Surprisingly the boat had fared quite well after being left for so long. I had been really worried it would smell damp, but it was fine, just a bit dusty and the woodburning stove needs some attention to the seal on the roof. As we have all summer to sort that it's not a major problem. If needed we can use cental heating if chilly. It's been a long haul but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel! I think we still have a way to go and I for one don't feel confident that we won't have a third lockdown, I am hoping upon hope we don't!

 My situation has changed quite a bit during the lockdown. Apart from the fact it has just proved we have a strong relationship that can withstand a pandemic or any other curve ball life throws at us it also made me re-evaluate my life, not my relationship, I have never been happier . 

 I decided after an episode in work it was time to think about moving on. I hadn't planned to do this quite so early I intended to stay working in retail a bit longer but an incident in work, which came as a bit of a kick in the teeth, made me realise I could either stay in a job I no longer had respect for and be miserable or do myself a favour and get the hell out. A scary prospect after working there for 16 years but out of respect for myself I bit the bullet and left. It saddens me that it was brought home to me just how unappreciated you are and how indispensable you are too! Regardless of how long you have worked for a company, you are just a number. I felt sadly let down by my immediate management which upset me greatly, I decided for once in my life to make a stand and stick up for myself! It wasn't a nice situation one I never want to repeat. It did teach me a valuable lesson...people you thought were friends and not just work colleagues are not friends at all, I have to add not all my work colleagues let me down the genuine ones didn't which was nice.

 So in a nutshell a bad situation turned into a blessing! I now have a completely different job and I absolutely love it! It makes me very happy, fewer hours and all school holidays off with pay! Finally, I feel like I am in a worthwhile job. I go in with a smile on my face and come home with a smile on my face, something that was sadly lacking in the latter months in my old job. So even in a pandemic, I am still living my best life. A really lovely, lovely partner, great family on both sides, a fantastic new job and so so much to look forward to and Summer is on the way! The pandemic has made me just appreciate all the more the things we all just took for granted.

 When things do get back to the new normal when we can do all the things we love to do I will never ever take them for granted again! I have always been grateful for my boat and my life but even more so now than ever!

 So it's off to the boat again today because I can! I have new Venetian blinds to fit to replace the old ones. I made the mistake of buying pvc ones which look great but over time the sunlight makes them so brittle resulting in them snapping when I try to clean them. I have changed to aluminium that are so much easier to clean. I was always puzzled as to where all the black spots were coming from on the blinds only to realise it's Spider poo!! Now it never entered my head that it could be that until I read about it on a boating forum. It got me to thinking, I suppose they have to do it somewhere, did I think they had their own bathrooms somewhere? I just wish they hadn't chosen my blinds the buggers! It does wash off easily but really, use your eight legs and go poo somewhere else!

 I can't wait for Al and I to take Tickety Boo out again, it's been too long, even longer to wait now until baby Moorhens have left the nest but hey ho ain't nature a wonderful thing!

 Ironically, the first thing I want to do is chug off to the middle of nowhere, moor up and enjoy the solitude. as much as we can't wait to eat out, go shopping, go to the pub theatre and have holidays again etc we are staying out of the way until the mad rush calms down! Everybody will want to do all those things it will be chaos!! We are happy to wait till the novelty wears off and you hopefully won't have to queue for everything!

The one thing we both can't wait to get back to is dancing, we miss it so much! Going from dancing a lot to hardly at all is making a huge difference to our waistlines but then most people we know have suffered with this too! The sooner we can get back the better. Soon we hope! 

 Sadly not everybody has got through this pandemic unscathed a fact we all know far too well. We like a lot of other people have lost somebody dear to the virus as many many families have. My heart goes out to people who have lost loved ones or suffered any other consequences caused.

 So let's see what the next few months have in store for us. I am off to lose myself in boaty world for a few hours and try and forget the mad world we are living in at the moment. Being on the water has always had the ability to take me away from everyday worries, it transforms you away and I will always love that about it.

 Stay safe everyone.

What a Year!

 Well, what a year it has been up to now! It's been surreal, like living in a bad movie that flopped in a spectacular way at the box office!

As a key worker my shifts have not changed through the Pandemic, I guess on that score I should count myself lucky to have a job but it has been stressful at times. I just wanted to get away from it all on a regular basis, apart from it being a scary time with the threat of catching the virus, dealing with the public was sending anxiety levels through the roof! 

I have however been very lucky, the staff and management in the shop are a great team and we have all been muddling through together. I have also been more than lucky to have the love and support of Alan through all of this, he as always has been a star. I really do think I would have cracked only for him keeping my spirits up.

We also kept busy working on the boat. once the inside was finished we decided the blacking of her bottom was well overdue! I contacted the owner of the marina and arranged to be taken out of the water, luckily it coincided with the bank holiday weekend so as I don't work weekends or Tuesdays it was 4 days to get stuck in. The marina jet washed the boat that just left the scraping grinding and the painting on of the black stuff. The anodes were not too bad bow and stern but it was suggested we had new ones midship so we agreed and had them fitted.

Alan never stopped and in no time we had 3 coats of blacking on, her engine bay scraped and primed and finally, adornment on her bow and her tunnel band fancied up! Something I had wanted doing for years. We decided on a none traditional design so we chose a diamond theme.

Tickety Boo waiting for work to begin.

Below, The boat with her 3 coats on looking far smarter! We then decided to do the pattern on the bow and the tunnel band. It,s basic but we love the simplicity of it. Alan repainted under the gunwale as it's easier to do that bit out of the water. The cabin sides we will do next spring and then finally have her name on her again!

The boat is looking loved and cared for again, Alan will never quite understand how special it is for me to find somebody interested in seeing her looking her best and enjoying seeing her take shape.

I had started to lose interest which saddened me greatly but thanks to Alan my faith and enthusiasm have been restored! I am loving seeing her looking so swell!
 

 The tunnel band smartened up. Diamonds added to the bow.

Tickety finally back in the water where she belongs!

Working on the boat kept us busy and not thinking too much about what was going on in the world! I moved in with Al while we revamped the inside of the boat which as I have said before made the job so much easier. Staying with him has been easy, lovely and feels very comfortable, kind of right. We laugh a lot and just pootle along nicely. I miss the boat but would miss Alan more so I am really grateful and happy that he puts up with me!! 

We stay on the boat as and when we can and enjoy the tranquillity of the Marina, it's a lovely place, friendly people a lovely cafe and the grounds are beautifully well kept. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and we know help is on hand anytime we need it.

As bad as the year has been I can honestly say Al and I are getting through it. We have each other and a great strong relationship so life can throw as many hurdles as it likes, we will get over them together! We both have lovely supportive families, granted we can't see much of them but we know they are there!

We can only live in hope that next year the virus will be more controlled with a vaccine, in the meantime, we will keep on smiling and make the best of the situation, it's all we can do really.

Our dancing classes have started up again which we love. They are much needed as the weight I have put on during lockdown tilts the boat far too much!!!! Alas, the dancing may be put on hold yet again as the government have brought in more lockdown rules which may put paid to our classes. Practising on the patio, weather permitting, will be the order of the day!

As seen in my previous post the interior decor is finished and I am finding it hard to stop adding to the soft furnishings...

I spotted a smaller rug I liked which I think fits the saloon better.

I also spotted a canvas I liked so it would have been so rude not to get that too!

I love this abstract Elephant, the colours are perfect to match the decor.

The only problem was there was a matching picture! Too big to have both in the Saloon but it would fit in the bedroom! So off I trot back to B+M to pick up this one..

 

As I was in the shop a beautiful fur throw and cushion couldn't bare to be parted from the Zebra so they came too for Tickety Boo's bedroom! That's my story and I am sticking to it...

Positively indulgent I know but they all look lovely and will just make our overnight winter stay overs cosier!

I just must apologise to regular readers of my blog. Unbeknown to me there had been lots of comments left on my last few posts. I had no idea! I used to get notifications to let me know I had comments so I could authorise them for publication but the notifications didn't come through. I thought you had all got fed up with my waffling! Thank you so much to you all for your lovely comments, they mean such a lot and I now know it's not just my Mum who reads my posts! I now know through the blog settings how to see comments and answer them! Thanks again xx