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A New Squirrel

26/05/2020Moving Aboard, Nb SilverdaleMorso Squirrel, Tales from the Bilgeadmin

26 May 2020

A New Squirrel

Just got news that the stove aboard Nb Silverdale has to be replaced – with a new one!

As part of the Boat Safety Scheme certificate, the multi-fuel stove comes under its purview. Ours fails as it’s not up to scratch so, Whilton Marina are fitting a new one. They are awaiting its arrival and it may delay the move aboard but this is good news.

A stove forms an integral part of the narrowboating experience, it becomes the heart of the boat. Whether it’s burning foraged wood, smokeless coal or briquettes made from recycled waste wood. Only a small amount is required to warm a 50-something foot long, 6 foot 10 inches wide metal tube. Its temperature can be regulated by using the vent in conjunction with a thermometer. It results in a smaller footprint of use.

We’re thrilled it’s being addressed and we get a new squirrel as it means we probably have another day for that final preparation.

We had a similar stove on our previous narrowboat – MIRRLESS (see Tales from the Bilge – Is it Cold on a Narrowboat?) so it will be like meeting an old friend…

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - A New Squirrel - Multi-fuel Stove image

rp – peace and narrowboats

Blue Sky Day

25/05/2020Moving Aboard, natureblue sky, treeadmin

25 May 2020

Blue Sky Day

Today is a Bank Holiday in the UK which normally heralds clouds, torrential rain and winds. However, today is beautiful.

A glorious sun in a blue sky broke the morning and has continued throughout, so far. We have made use of the garden to sit amongst nature: trees, bushes, crows, butterflies, a squirrel and a myriad of insects. A refreshing can of Thatchers cloudy finest seemed a fitting tribute to the sun, which ripened the apples for its making.

Tomorrow is my birthday, the day after, we hopefully purchase Nb Silverdale and the day after that, we hopefully move up to Northamptonshire and move aboard. Anticipation, coupled with not daring to hope all will go to plan…

Today is a blue sky day.

rp – peace and narrowboats

To The Shire

23/05/2020Moving Aboard, Nb SilverdaleBreaking Bad, Cinnabon, Costa, Whilton Marinaadmin

22 May 2020

To The Shire

Yesterday saw us hire a van, load it with our worldly possessions and drive up to Northamptonshire – to our soon to be new home. The reason? To deposit said possessions in a locker, in readiness for moving next week.

In under a week we purchase Nb Silverdale if all goes to plan. So, with little to no time to effect a move, due to Coronavirus mayhem we headed to the shire. It was the first time out for a long drive in a long time…

We were up early on a bright sunny morning that was forecast to be cloudy with showers. We picked up a van from goselfdrive.com in Frome, a totally no contact, socially distanced transaction. The Ford Transit Custom was upgraded to a bigger Ford Transit but we weren’t complaining, we had stuff to haul. I stalled it on a roundabout on the way back to load it but apart from that, it drove really well.

Loading took place in the bright, hot sun. Better than in the forecast rain but it was hot work. A break for a cup of tea and a yogurt replenished the lost body fluid. then back to it. A second cup of tea, a few final items, then we were ready for the off.

Coffee Stop, Yes There Was One

We set off at approximately 11:15. We stopped at Solstice Services in Amesbury and Costa were selling socially distanced drive-thru coffee and a cinnamon bun – Cinanabon! Refreshed, we drove on and on and on.

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - To The Shire - Whilton Marina V image

We arrived at Whilton Locks and the marina at 14:00. All was good. We obtained a locker and then spent an hour doing the exact opposite of what we had done back in Wiltshire, we unloaded the van of all our worldly goods (well, most of them. Some things had forgotten to pack themselves).

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - To The Shire - Lock-up IV image

We hired the locker for one month. I felt like a character out of The Sweeney with an East End Lock-up. We were lent a fat-off lock which had me spending 10 minutes trying to figure out how to lock up the Lock-up. With the unloading eventually all finished and locked up, we drove around to the marina car park and went to pick up the receipt/agreement.

The fridge and freezer we had ordered had arrived and were scheduled to be installed in readiness for our move aboard. Things were getting real! A parcel had arrived.

Whilton Marina Cafe was closed due to Covid-19 restrictions therefore we went and sat in the van and had a sandwich . Looking out across the marina, it was then that we realised this was to be our new home. It was quiet, peaceful, with birds singing – idyllic. Oh, apart from the trains thundering past on the nearby high speed line. Ah well, with Covid-19 restrictions in place for the foreseeable future, at least there might be less of them for a time 😉

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - To The Shire - Pansy I image

Back

The drive back was uneventful apart from the services being closed and us being unable to source a coffee or a tea. We had to wait until we were back. Tea was welcome as we unwound from the run by watching a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad. I tried to draw some parallels between our plans and the series. Thankfully, I couldn’t!

rp – peace and narrowboats

Adrift…

19/05/2020Editorial, MusingsAdrift..., Ko-fi, Tintinadmin

19 May 2020

Adrift…

Adrift on a pond, a lake, a sea or a canal…

There is something about being adrift that brings freedom . You may be at the mercy of forces you are not in control of but this can lead to new beginnings. I think as long as you regain control, it may be good to drift for a while…

Tintin and Captain Haddock are adrift. There is no sign of an oar, a sail or an outboard motor and there is no sign of land. They also appear to be socially distancing but that’s another story…

To be in a small boat with someone means you have to get along. It’s a confined space and even though a narrowboat may be long (Silverdale is 59 feet), it’s narrow (hence the name) at 6 feet 10 inches. You can’t go and isolate in the East Wing. mu and I get on fine. We always have, we always will. So, we have no worries there. Tintin and Captain Haddock also get on well.

I like to think there’s a little of both Tintin and Captain Haddock in me. Tintin: the intrepid reporter/explorer and Haddock: the dependable sea dog who curses and likes a drink 😉

Time is passing quickly now and we shall soon be metaphorically adrift, floating to a new destination. Hopefully we won’t be physically adrift as that means the mooring pins will have come loose!

Soon you will be able to follow Adrift… a new animated webcomic that’s in development. Look back frequently for previews but to be in at the beginning, to see & follow you may like to sign up to buy us a Ko-fi

rp – peace and webcomics

A New Path

18/05/2020Musings, natureadmin

18 May 2020

A New Path

Yesterday we took a walk in the Wiltshire countryside. We took a new path. We had recently discovered and once off the road (which was still reasonably quiet due to the lockdown), we were in the green…

It won’t be long now before we take a different path. This one is going to take us up ‘North‘, off-land, onto the canals and into a different way of living.

rp – peace and narrowboats

A Lot of Things

14/05/2020Musingsadmin

14 May 2020

A Lot of Things

A world turned upside down, a life turned inside out. Getting ready to move is difficult and stressful at the best of times. When reducing to move into a smaller space, things become doubly difficult

It’s not just a case of

‘How big a van do we need to transport everything?’

It’s a case of

‘What to take, what to give away, what to bin?’

Sorting through the things we have collected over a lifetime and deciding what to keep and what not to is difficult, rather than cathartic. We are moving on (both beyond and onto a boat) and starting afresh. It’s a newer beginning but it has to have continuity with the past. Well, at least for me it does.

I can’t just get rid of a lot of things, They show where I have come from. There’s a remembrance.

So, whilst a lot of reviewing has taken place (winnowed would be a good word to describe it), a lot of things will be making it onto Nb Silverdale – some Lego, some cleaning equipment, portfolios of work, some old software we can never use?

This is just a small selection of what’s making the cut – today. It may change. There are a lot of wide items to fit into a narrow space…

rp – peace and narrowboats

Transition

12/05/2020Musings, naturefish, frog, pondadmin

12 May 2020

Transition

Where we are at the moment we are lucky to be in a garden with a small pond. We sit in the sun that has graced these last few days, drinking tea. We have been taking notice of the pond. Ducks visit it from the stream that runs at the bottom of the garden. Dragonflies are starting to hover around the yellow buttercup-like water flowers. Pigeons teeter on the edging, bending over to take a sip of water.

In the past, we have seen frogspawn transition into tadpoles and then into small frogs. The frogs migrated away (or were spirited away by predators) and all that was left was a larger one that had maybe grown from the batch. It used to sit, half in the water, half out. It was in both the water world below and the air world above. I saw the frog as the transition between the two.

This year there are no frogs. They were taken by the ducks who scoured the bottom, feeding ravenously and indiscriminately.

To a Bigger Pond

Thinking of this small pond, we start to think about the bigger pond that will be the marina that Nb Silverdale will be moored in. We know there are ducks, herons and swans as we have seen them on our visits, plying the waters. There will be fish, as this ‘pond’ opens onto the canal. The canals of England & Wales support upwards of 20 different types of fish.

As we transition to this new way of life, we will be sat out with a cup of tea (things can’t change that much). This time however, it will be on the back of our narrowboat. We will just be looking out over a bigger pond.

I hope we see a frog or two.

murpworks AFLOAT

rp – peace and narrowboats

Home Sweet Little Home

09/05/2020Musings, Nb Silverdalenature, nestadmin

09 May 2020

Home Sweet Little Home

Time inches nearer the move aboard Silverdale. It is going to be our home sweet little home. The boat is vacant possession so we can move our possessions aboard when we arrive.

Homes come in all shapes and sizes: from mansions to micro-flats and they come with varying degrees of craftsmanship. Some houses are ugly and some are beautiful but rarely do you come across one as exquisite as this one from nature

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - nest V image

mu found this ‘home’ in the garden, on the path at the foot of a tree. It had obviously fallen out. Hopefully it had been used and the birds hatched then, fledged. It is so perfectly constructed with moss, hair, twigs and even a small piece of plastic. It’s using recycling!

We believe it may be the nest of a Long-Tailed Tit, small and as mentioned, exquisitely formed. However, they are usually bottle-shaped with an entrance hole rather than open. If anyone knows, please let us know in the comments.

If we can make Nb Silverdale anywhere near as comfortable and beautifully appointed as this home sweet little home, we’ll be happy. We certainly can’t complain about space…

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - nest I image

rp – peace and narrowboats

One Ring to Rule Them All…

07/05/2020Musingsbook, George Allen & Unwin, Jazz material, Lord of the Ringsadmin

7 May 2020

One Ring to Rule Them All…

It’s getting nearer to Nb Silverdale day and preparation is paramount. mu is busily sorting tools, bolts and Lego (not necessarily in that order), deciding what will go on the boat. I am sorting vinyl and books, deciding that all will have to go on the boat…

During this review of worldly goods, I came across this book

murpworks - One Ring to Rule Them All... - book image

My well-read copy of Lord of the Rings. This is the copy I originally first read, back when I was a teenager. I’ve read it many times and am currently re-reading – I’m up to page 656. I actually have a copy of the same book that’s in one piece and that’s the one I’m reading.

Illustrated Ring

Another part of preparation is trying to get this blog ‘fit for purpose’. Its purpose is to document our life and times aboard Silverdale. With that in mind, mu created an illustration. It’s a life ring.

murpworks - One Ring to Rule Them All... - Life Ring sketch image

This one ring will be important. It’s going to form the mast head of murpworks AFLOAT!

Designer Ring

All this got me onto thinking about another ring. One from a long way back when mu and I started out. Mu designed fashion and I did some hand screen-printing of t-shirts. We had set up in the shell of the disused Avon Rubber factory in Melksham, Wiltshire. It had ‘converted’ into units for business start-ups.

murpworks - One Ring to Rule Them All... - Jazz image

A local newspaper of the time interviewed us and the article included a photograph. It appeared with mu and I, in a life ring, in some of mu’s clothing designs. The life ring was something we had to hand. I have no idea why! The photo under the heading read ‘The Designers Who Want to Come in From the Cold’ – there was no heating. I am trying to find the picture and when I do, I’ll post it. Back then, in the ’80’s, we never thought we would be living on a boat.

Three rings – from Lord of the Rings, through an illustration of a life ring to thoughts of a life ring. There is only one thing that could follow this

rp – peace and narrowboats

In Search of an Abandoned Canal

06/05/2020CanalB+W, Glastonbury, Glastonbury Toradmin

Wednesday 6 May 2020

In Search of an Abandoned Canal

Back in February, before the lockdown when we could travel freely about the countryside, we went in search of a canal. The canal in question was the Glastonbury canal. Now abandoned, it used to exist between Glastonbury, into the River Parrett and then on, to the sea. However, bits of it still exist.

We visit Glastonbury regularly. It’s one of our favourite places. When Glastonbury is mentioned, people immediately think of the festival. The Glastonbury Festival is actually sited at Worthy Farm in Pilton which is just outside the town. The Tor is the next thought: a hill, rising 518 feet out of the wetland countryside: the Somerset Levels. The levels were and still are known as the Isle of Avalon. What we think of is the Rainbow’s End Cafe – the best place for Vegetarian food in the world. What doesn’t spring to mind is – canal.

An Abandoned Canal

The canal at Glastonbury is near forgotten but parts of it still exist. It is no longer navigable. Short-lived, as some canals were, it had a brief reign of glory before being sold to the railway company of the time. The railways took over from the canals, replacing them with faster transport solutions.

Our hunt started at the bridge on the junction of Meare Road & Godney Road. We travelled down Meare Road keeping the canal route to our right hand side for a while. This went on through Shapwick Heath but we travelled back, to the bridge. Turning down Dyehouse Lane, we drove a few hundred yards and stopped to admire the view of the Tor from there.

murpworks - In Search of an Abandoned Canal - the Tor from the Canal image

Carrying on, along Dyehouse Lane brought us to a further iron bridge that crossed and took us to Beckery Road.

murpworks - In Search of an Abandoned Canal - iron bridge image

There is evidence that the canal is still there and can be found. It can provide a walk through some of Somerset’s best countryside.

murpworks - In Search of an Abandoned Canal - canal image

For us, it’s such a shame this abandoned canal, although in water is no longer able to support narrowboats. This is one place we would love to have moored Nb Silverdale and made our spiritual home.

Resources

murpworks - In Search of an Abandoned Canal - mu at the Canal image

rp – peace and narrowboats