Anyone else awake? ?

I was wide awake in the early hours - and on here - then took the dog for a little walk and slept from about 4 am to 7 am. I must get much more exercise today and maybe I'll sleep a bit more tonight.

Hello again boat!
Oh no need to worry! I didn’t ask the negatives on purpose, I’m sure there are many! I must say, not being able to get off the boat must have been quite scary.
I vaguely know a couple who moved onto a boat a few years back. They did it purely for financial reasons, and I don’t think that they’d thought through the practicalities at all.
Hello too mumofmadboys.
Wishing you a good day!

Drinking a cuppa in bed here in Cumbria! Hope I will go back to sleep soon!

FannyC you asked me about the good bits I'd found re living on a narrow boat.

Since then I've worried that you might have rushed out and bought a boat without considering the negatives.

Mostly they are to do with practicalities like water supplies but there are some I didn't ever think of.

there are no locks between where I live and Coventry. Earlier this year it didn't rain for weeks so the water level kept dropping as boats went through the locks further along the canal.

It got to the point where because I'm fairly ancient and have no spring in my knees I couldn't get off the boat. this lasted for 10 days.

Oh thank you so much for that boat
It sounds absolutely fabulous.
Especially being so close to nature, almost being part of it.
And the community aspect sounds perfect.
I’m even more in love with the idea. Thank you again!
I grew up very near the canal at Stourbridge / Quarry Bank, near Dudley; the Nine Locks to be precise.
I wonder if you know it?

Hi FannyC . I spent most of my life in London now I live on the Coventry Canal which is not the most beautiful but has plenty of greenery.

In no particular order I love

Looking out of the port side windows and seeing trees and tall bushes rather than the, "dead", faces of a row of houses opposite me.
The way people walking along the towpath or on passing boats exchange greeting with everyone and have short chats.
The lack of traffic noise. It's only vaguely heard when the wind is in a certain direction.
The gentle movement of the boat when the wind or a passing craft disturb the water.
The sound of rain on the steel roof.
The noise the ducks make nibbling the algae that grows on the boat along the water line (though I'm not so happy about the row they make walking across the roof; they are very heavy footed and it sounds as though they are all wearing Doc Martens).

Most of all I love being part of a small (20 people) friendly community. Everybody knows each other and gives help and support when needed.

As the oldest person on site (I'm 77) and with a mobility problem I practically have to fight off offers of help.

If they had their way I could sit on my aft deck giving royal waves, not doing anything for my self and getting more and more immobile but I am gradually training them.

A group of lovely people.

Tell us the best things about living on a boat please boat

Evie I mostly get in the right amount of sleep (eight hours in all last night) but it just feels weird to be awake in the middle of the night reading or doing house work.

I've been on a boat for four and a half years nowand I love it.

Hi boat
Despite all your ‘issues’ with it, I’m still incredibly envious of you living on a narrow boat ?

Hi boat when we moved into our current house about six months ago we had been toying with the idea of a "boat" but decided that the decision should possibly have been made earlier on in our lives. Luckily we're happy with where we've landed.
I hope you're not right about the sleep pattern as I find that most things look better after a good nights rest.

Hi I'm awake too. Not to discourage you Eviebeanz but my sleep pattern has been shot for months.

Yesterday was especially frenetic. I had one team working on the central heating which gave up the ghost in March and another trying to work out why I have no television signal.

As I live on a 47ft narrowboat it all got a bit crowded but I know the men well as they all work at the boatyard where I'm moored so there were a lot of laughs.

It turned out that the xyz was connected to the wrong side of the oujimaflip in the CH system (don't ask me, I just nod wisely when told these sorts of things) and they changed the oil pump, bled all the radiators and washed out the sludge.

Still no joy so they will investigate the water pump today.

The other lot think that rain got into the cable connecting to the main aerial in the chandlery when we had those torrential downpours last weekend so they have ordered the stuff they need and will be back today.

They knocked off at four then I lasted till six before going to bed. Woke at nine, lasted till 11 and woke again at four.

Thank you all. Everyone has been so, so kind. I feel a great deal less burdened than yesterday - things will get better. We gave my boy a great send off, so feeling relieved as well.
Hope you manage to nod off before sun up!

I still work full time, although from home. That's not a recent thing, I've probably been doing that for about 11 years.
It's also a childcare day for us today.
I'm sitting in the bath now drinking my coffee and looking at GN.

grandMattie what has happened to you makes everything else seem so trivial. Wishing you peace.

Hello Mattie
We were all thinking of you yesterday.
You must be emotionally exhausted today.
I really hope that you can manage to have a peaceful day.

I'm up. I don't sleep well but we buried our son yesterday and I'm still feeling a bit shell-shocked by his death.
Apart from that, yes, Fanny, despite not having worked for many years (I was a "kept woman"), my head is still full of all that sort of stuff.
I shall do my best to nap this afternoon, circumstances permitting...

I think the more you think about it, the worse it is.
I used to drive myself half mad when I was still working; worrying about sleeping / not sleeping /what I’d done wrong’ the day before (or even 20 years ago) / what I’d got to do the next day…
Thank goodness I don’t have that anymore.
I hope that you manage to drop off Evie, but if not, enjoy your nap later!

That could be true, at this rate I'll almost certainly feel like a nap about 2pm today ?

Hi Evie! I’ve been in this daft way of sleeping for about a year.
I’m awake for a few hours and then go back to sleep after I’ve had some painkillers.
It’s an improvement on before that, when I just seemed to never sleep!
Apparently, a few hundred years ago, it was normal / natural for people to have ‘two sleeps’ instead of one long one.

Good morning, what is it that has you awake at this early hour. I've had a couple of nights/mornings of early waking then early sleeping but hope it settles down again.

Hello! Anyone awake? Just putting on the kettle…

Good morning nadateturbe!
That’s good to hear about your husband.
No, neither of us have had our flu vaccines.
I had a text from the GP surgery saying that they are having a drop in thing one Saturday morning.
I can’t say that I fancy the sound of that! I’ve no idea how many people will be there, and husband is ECV of course. I think I’ll book at Boots or Tesco or what have you.
I haven’t heard anything at all about the Covid boosters either. I looked on the NHS website and it says that DH wasn’t currently eligible. If he isn’t, I can’t imagine who is!
Have you heard anything about boosters?
I will look into your books. David loves anything to do with SA, he lived there in the 60s with his then wife and children.
I hope that you have a good day too. Take care x

Thanks FannyCornforth and good morning! I hope you are well. Husband great yesterday, cutting grass and taking things to recycling. Vaccine reaction was stronger this time. I'm not looking forward to it. Have you had yours?
Your book sounds very interesting. I am reading Once We Were Sisters by Sheila Kohler, true story about Sheila and sister Maxine who grew up in South Africa in the 1950s. Also still reading The Taming of the Queen and Along The Edge of America, Peter Jenkins.. I should have finished both ages ago. The current one seems to be holding my interest more.
Think I'll make a hot drink and read some more. I hope you and your husband have a good day.

Thank you nadateturbe all’s well here, touch wood. I hope that your husband is on the mend, it’s unusual to have such a bad reaction. Is it just this year?
Covid seems to have affected so much other ‘stuff’.
I remember how much you love chocolate, and you mentioning about your the chocolate in your drawer, and having one tiny piece a day!
Which book are you currently reading?
I’ve been listening to ‘1939; The Last Season’ by Anne de Courcey.
It’s about how WWII affected the aristocracy and higher echelons, especially the women.
Anne is definitely one of my favourite writers, she writes about history brilliantly and unusually.

Bought cake Saturday not Monday!

Good morning FannyCornforth. I hope you are both ok, just noticed you had a home visit yesterday.
We have both been under the weather - my husband is still recovering from flu jab last Wed. On Monday I had to go to local shop to buy milk and so fed up that I bought a huge chocolate cake. OH's eyes lit up when he saw it. Thankfully he has eaten most of it and I've nibbled small portions. It was so deliciously chocolatey.
Sometimes you just need a treat!
Back to the book. Hope you get some more sleep.