Air head Thursday

With the ending of full-time work, I am in a state of unemployment, living in full, leisure time to the extreme and oh my, how much can I recommend a spell out of the employment world! The only odd thing is that unless I pick up a paper or reach for my diary what day of the week it is and what is happening in life seems to disappear like a seed in the wind. It is refreshing and a little disturbing and the repeats on radio 4 don't help at all when I realise I know what is coming next in the debate, deja vu it is again and again.

The wonderful aspects are that I am finally spending quality time on the boat, with Leigh and Delia. I am finally a full-time resident, not just a visitor as it often felt, sleeping away from home. We are able to undertake all the little jobs that have been piling up, fixing that screw in place, necessary cleaning up, making our black board for the kitchen (for all the lists of things...), painting, making decisions and looking ahead. I am desperate to share our images, as I've been snapping away at the growing up swans, who are set to loose their grey fluff soon, etc etc.

Still, we have no internet and not alot of money either so will the two come together again? I'm not sure. But we are all alive and well, keeping fed and warm, so the limited technical access is only a small smudge in the creative flow.

Other news to report is that Delia fell in, again, fifth time. Will she learn? Good question.

I've taken up the knitting needles and made a lovely skinny scarf in burnt amber. And I still can't circular knit. I'm planning on buying a butane soldering iron so i'm not relying on 240Volts as this is too restrictive with the current electrical system on the boat. Then I can finally build my delay pedal sat looking at me on the shelf.

Leigh is badgering me to go, there is only so long we can sit in a cafe nursing a cuppa each!

Until the next time on The Kite Experiment....

The big splosh!

It is quite amazing how many things can go overboard. This is definately a hazard I need to get a grip on. It has never really been an issue to consider that things leaving the home could disappear into the wet. I reacall our first offering was a cheap bright orange thermos mug on our journey from Braunston. As we were going forwards at the time, we looked back to see the illumination bobbing in our waves.

Since then Delia has been in and out and then the internet stick of course!

Today was an unfortunate day as lovely Leigh took to the water rather unexpectadly. As I hung a rain-sodden rug over the edge of the boat I thought I would probably knock it in at some point, and not listening to this inner voice, did exactly this and grumbled at myself. Leigh and our current floating neighbour, Dorian came to help with the extra long pole and the super-extra long mop. With Leigh at one end of the boat and Dorian at the other, they managed to bring the door mat in toward the edge of the boat. With Leigh's final swing of the mop there was a thud, splash, cry and a disappearing darling.

Luckily it was a fine day and he was in for seconds and stood and got himself out. But he did completely go under the water at one point.

After some TLC, borrowed water from Dorian and drying off, Leigh was ok, though all that canal water was not good for his head at all! We have both been well reminded of the dangers of living aboard and are learning quickly about the hazards!

I am, of course, counting down the days before leaving work. It's getting on for midnight so only 8 days left, horrah!

Making waves

"Read all about it!"

"Two boaters and a cat are setting loose on the canal network!"

Yes, you read it here first. I guess it was just a matter of time before we went with the flow. As I am sooner than soon leaving the ties of work, we are in a process of wrapping up loose ends in Nottingham ready for the move. Since conversing with a friend about 'leaving' Nottingham it struck me that living aboard doesn't have it's location restrictions as much living in bricks and mortar. I'm finding that although we are leaving the immediate area, we don't particularly have another area to move into, it just seems alot more fluid. No fixed abode, is just what it is. As the rivers and canals are constantly flowing, there feels less boundaries to city living.

And so, come the end of the month we will be making bow waves toward the south. Our first point of focus is getting to Atherstone and it looks like we will be going via Derby, so the oposite direction from our journey from Braunston to Nottingham, via Leicester. And then? well, we would like to visit London and Bristol and Birmingham and all the places inbetween.

This is not the last you will hear from Amanda, nor the last you will see of her rays! So stay in touch and follow the travels on The Kite Experiment.