It’s the little things…

It’s the little things that make a difference to life I now understand. Being moored up on our ‘holidays’ seeing friends and family we are constantly being asked if we still like living afloat, and what we like about it. I’m sure it’s something every continuous cruiser has been asked, and I am equally sure there are as many replies as there are individuals!

I find these questions incredibly hard to answer satisfactorily because there are so many delights that we can easily bore people to death…and also each waterway, river or canal is different.

Here for starters are our top 10, some of which may chime with those taking holidays afloat, as well as those who live permanently as continuous cruisers. Some are also delights which don’t need a boat, so it’s about ensuring a floating mindset, relaxed, taking time to be aware and appreciate what’s around you. I’m also aware that whilst most are almost impossible for me to capture with a camera, my mind and memory are crammed with moments such as these. They aren’t numbered because I don’t want them to take on 1st, 2nd type places in importance – they are all equally important at different times.

• Feeling not just close to, but part of nature with 360 degree immersion – moored and cruising (we do tend to not want too much immersion living afloat although in the hot weather it can be a real boon to be on a river!)
• Doing the washing up whilst moored on the river and watching the tiny fish weaving in and out of the weeds just in front of me – does nothing for the cleanliness of the plates but is both relaxing and utterly absorbing.

• Feeling the gentle rocking of the boat when you or someone aboard moves, or another boat passes – moored and cruising.
• Incredible sunsets and breathtaking sunrises magnified by the water. Hints of the power of light and water happen all through the day with shifting reflections portrayed against the wood inside the boat.

• Lying in bed listening to the birds calling or the rain on the roof – pattering or hammering. Being so close to the elements, with just a metal skin between us but being safe and dry. It’s something many campers also experience – there’s something special in knowing it’s not for a week or a fortnight but for as long as we can. There’s also something relaxing about watching the rain in the day too, as long as you’re moored up in the warm and dry!

• Learning every day from observation and experience about the world around us – from birds and animals to plants and weather prediction – moored and cruising. This week I’ve learned about the feeding and flying patterns of a juvenile green woodpecker living alongside us in the wood. His flight patterns trace waves between the trees as he makes his circuits at ever increasing speeds before dropping to the towpath to gorge on ants before heading off once more. I’ve watched a red kite soaring over the newly cut fields and in contrast seen a miniature merlin perched cautiously nearby.

• Even on stretches of river or canal you think you know well, being surprised and delighted by the unexpected – the flash of a turquoise blue kingfisher, statuesque patience of a heron, watching a streamlined stoat swimming in front of the boat, catching the sudden powerful scent of honeysuckle in an overhanging hedge or being tickled by the caress of overhanging willows.

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• Exploring new walks and meeting new people every day. This is a delight particularly for us and Cola dog too.
• Taking time to stop and watch birds, trees moving in the wind; seeing the banded demoiselles landing on ropes and flotsam, taking time to watch the range of plants, birds and fish that move in and across the water without feeling guilty – recognising this is a key part of the experience of living afloat.

• Consciously living slowly – to allow moments that need savouring to be savoured and appreciated, and not to be missed.

Some of these don’t need a boat to experience them. Some I know I had the capacity to enjoy when we weren’t living afloat, and equally I know I didn’t experience them in the same way as I do now. Changed values and priorities are liberating and add time for new opportunities to each day.

I think it is that moving more slowly, in a more considered way and downshifting so we work to live not live to work, means I take time to appreciate them, and allow myself more time to enjoy my days. It’s also hugely rewarding to share some of the enjoyment we get from living on board with family and friends. The questions arising from friends are invaluably thought-provoking…

Do you miss the daily routine of work? No – I find my days too full to miss it. The work I do now is work I choose to do and so focus on, and enjoy it fully.

How do you fill your days? With wonder, adventures and routine tasks which once I would have left to energy-using machines like a dishwasher, washing machine and tumble drier. We do still spent quite a lot of our time trying to work out an effective, efficient way of washing and drying clothes – it’s the one thing we haven’t cracked yet! I am currently falling over two large wooden rolling pins which I have brought onboard with the intention of harnessing them as a manual mangle…heaven knows how but it’s keeping me entertained whilst I try to work it out. If anyone has any ideas – do let me know1

Are you bored? No – we don’t have time to be bored.

What’s your favourite season? Each has its own character, but I love the winter with its challenges and rewards. When stepping down into a stove-heated boat from the bitter cold or lashing rain is a comforting warm embrace; when soups or stews can bubble on the stove all day, filling the boat with rich spicy, herby aromas as well as filling us with warming flavoursome food.

When will you stop living on the boat? We never know what might happen but hopefully not in the near future.

Distilling life afloat is hard and different for everyone, but for us, it comes down to two things – a constant but gentle pace of change which comes from being on the water, and choice. Living afloat has given us both.