Daily Living and Canal Encounters
Canal life is a vibe that fits the essence of my being, and while I'm living in the UK, there's no other way I'd rather live. It's exciting, and every day presents new experiences and gives me the freedom that not all other modes of alternative living offer.
On this day, we'd set off at 8:00 AM, and 5 minutes into the journey, we stopped at the water station to refill the tank on the verge of emptying. That took us approximately 45 minutes, but the time went by quickly as hubby and I chatted and interacted with other boaters in the queue to fill their water tanks.
We shared stories about our most recent stops, challenges, and pleasures along the canals, and it's a great merging of different worlds.
Laundry is on my daily agenda; this I do in small portions by hand, as space restraints prevent me from having a washing machine. This has been working out perfectly fine, though, as there's never a pile-up of dirty clothes.
Also, summertime is more convenient, as the garments are light and easy to dry, and the sunshine, coupled with the natural air, is soothing and pleasant.
We're constantly meeting new people as we cruise along, and occasionally we might bump into another boater that we've met before.
I was seated at the bow of the boat, folding away my clothes rack while greeting oncoming boaters.
I was caught off-guard by the cheeky greeting of an elderly man who was smiling while coming towards me before saying, "Hello, Shortie!"
I giggled because that was reminiscent of being greeted by friends and strangers whenever I'm home in Jamaica—shortie or smiley, they say.
However, that's not everyday humour here in the UK, as the culture here is focused on being PC and mindful not to break laws or offend others.
I'm pretty thick-skinned, though, and in Jamaica, we say things as they are, and our expression is descriptive and might be offensive to outsiders.
Still, it's a great view from the bow of my boat, and it's tempting to sit outside and be on the lookout for marvels that await.
Whether it be people, scenery, or the fascinating wildlife and farm animals that live harmoniously with each other.
It was just gone mid-day with the harsh sun, and I was struggling to determine if these were indeed water buffalos. Luckily, a couple of ladies confirmed and told me how special it was to see them.
It's always a treat to see the swan families with cygnets of different sizes. They grow pretty fast and appear to be intelligent.
Their parents are territorial and protective, but their nurturing nature towards their little cygnets cannot go unnoticed. The family gives off a serene and happy energy, and it's pleasant for them to stop by the boat.
The foals and fillies are adorable, and they look stunning across the fields next to the adult horses.
Or this hilly field of black and white cows that's undeniably postcard-pretty.
The cows more than all the others were curious, with questioning looks, and it feels as if I'm interacting with animals, and I love it.
The weather continues to be hit-and-miss and July feels a lot like October. I've even had to light my fire a few evenings, but it all adds to the experience of living on a narrowboat, extending this rich heritage of UK history, and relishing in the freedom of this lifestyle.
#FreedomFriday.
What rocks my boat
My blog frequently features my minimalist lifestyle and adventures while living on my narrowboat.”
Irie love,
Milly
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I can relate to what you shared here; it's always good and fun to witness the sweetness of nature and wildlife. It also makes me remember when I went on vacation. Thanks for sharing this slice of your life on the boat. I hope you had enough fun out there.
You've said that so well, indeed!
This priceless!
Thank you for stopping by with your good wishes. I'm having more fun that I probably let off:)))
You are welcome sis.
Lol, I can imagine that, I know you won't want to stop for anything. But we cant just keep enjoying things like that.
I trust that you're having glorious weather, and I wish you a lovely weekend:)
Yeah, the weather is quite appealing and I am having a great weekend filled with lots of work to be done. What about you?
It must be so nice re-encountering a fellow traveller. A bit like in a storybook. Catch up on adventures and whatnot. I don't think Shorty is a mean nickname to be fair. Then again, I don't really believe this "bad words" policy our modern world runs on. Words are words, they're not bad. That's a character trait, so words are only bad if spoken by a-holes :D In my book, at least.
PS: You have lovely cheekbones.
(I like the way you spell "Shorty" - the computer keeps rejecting my "Y" and only accepts "IE" 😆)
I agree with you; it all depends on who, or the place that words are coming from. The old man made my day and I think that was his intention.
😊 Thank you! I think it's my facial massages and yoga that's helping me. The lymph drainage that I do is effective and i can see it in my neck especially and feel better overall:)))
Doing the laundry by hand, that's brave. The washing machine is my favorite appliance. You just throw some clothes in and you instantly feel like you're being productive. If I could get one of those fancy vacuums that work on their own, now that would be something. Imagine having both the washing machine and the vacuum on, while you sip your coffee with a nice book :))
Great photos, especially the cows.. postcard perfect, indeed!
Hahahahaha! 🤣
My friend in the Philippines HATES housework and you sound like her. She has one of those automatic vacuum machines that she trusts to do her cleaning 😆
The idea of washing clothes by hand is daunting, but I got over the fear when living in the Philippines, and I realised it was not the worst. It's not my favourite chore by any means though:)))
Laundry everyday! Its like doing the dishes. It makes sense though.
Water buffalos. That's very cool. What a unique thing to see in the UK.
Amazing views. I can see why living on a boat is so appealing.
Ah, I like that perspective.
Yeah, I was waiting for hubby to arrive in the lock to ask him if those were water buffalos, and then the old ladies told me that I should look across the fields at them. I smiled to myself, cos they are indeed rare for me.
Oh, I was chatting to my neighbour who lives alone on her boat with 2 dogs and a cat. She's done much sailing in her life in the Caribbean and Asia, and she says that being on the canals and mooring next to the field of cows is an experience that she cherishes.
I watch the cows walk across the field like clockwork in the mornings, with a "Moooo" that sounds like a chant, and then in the evenings at sundown. I keep looking to see if someone is herding them, but so far I've not seen anyone:)))
What a beautiful and blessed journey, so much to see and discover. There was a phase I used to wash clothes by hand. Well, in my homeland, people still use their hands to wash clothes so I am pretty familiar with this work. It's a nice workout :D
That was the question I asked when I went to live in the Philippines 😆
It is a great workout, indeed, especially with large thick garments 💪
Exactly 🤣
Nature's so interesting over there!
The picture of the cows though... I never really believed they all actually do point in the same direction while eating. This confirms it; I have never seen a group of cows like this in my life, just in cartoons!
😍
Great observation.
The cows have been my only companions for the last 5 days, and I've observed so much from them.
It's been fascinating to watch them, and they are so picturesque on the green hills.
I've been so intrigued by the cows that I did some research and found that there are 3 different breeds of black and white cows.
I'm so pleased that you appreciate this 🤗
Wowww it makes me curious to investigate more facts about them and their behavior!
Thanks for the info and great, deep observation!
Glad to see the Lock Key holster is still getting some use. 😀
Oh, yes! It's proper handy and I wouldn't want to operate locks without one:)