This Year of the Tiger is about courage, bravery, and resilience. We’ve all been developing and drawing on those in these recent years, but perhaps now more than ever as post pandemic stresses build, we are going to need our tiger qualities.
In a small way we’ve drawn on them a lot this week, discovering yet more challenges to living afloat, and seeking out positives for balance. Living afloat reinforces that balance is essential – like in business, work, or life in general. Too much weight on one side can overbalance you and if you aren’t careful – sink you.
What threw us off balance this week…[tiger collective nouns can be a streak, an ambush or a hide. This week we had a streak of bad luck which ambushed us and led me to want to hide, believe me!]
Our senior boat dog (apparently 98 in human years) began serious hobbling. Was it a flare up of his arthritis for which he has daily tablets? No idea, but it seriously curtailed walks to very short strolls. I gave him 3 days rest to see if it would resolve as lugging him to a vet near our mooring seemed a ridiculous option (he’s a big spaniel, not fat but about 18kgs and the vet was nearly a mile away). He certainly couldn’t have walked it.
Rest seemed to resolve the issue so I had just heaved a sigh of relief when UGH! At 2.30 one morning he suffered a serious gastric attack – a nightmare in a confined space. Suddenly we were left with a vast amount of washing… and no machine yet… and we’d left the town with the laundrette… and there wasn’t one for miles…
Dog was starved for 48 hours and walked on a short lead to prevent scavanging (probably the cause). He’s perked up now but keeps giving me hard stares for my cruelty in reintroducing food in small portions and all mixed with cooked rice which takes him a while to eat being lots of little morsels!
The washing meanwhile was consigned to our biggest bucket, rinsed copiously at the nearest water point, and soaked with disinfectant for a couple of days out in the cratch whilst we travelled nearer to a laundrette.
But… arriving at the marina with a laundrette no washing machines were working. My brother Spud co-authored and illustrated the hilarious book Sod’s Law of the Sea based on Murphy’s Law (‘What can go wrong will go wrong’) and this week I felt sufficient material for Sod’s Law of the Canals was building up!
But things that rebalanced us…
A visit from a wonderful friend armed with goodies. Luckily for her she wasn’t still staying on board when the dog was ill.
Long country walks in beautiful new surroundings – always a tonic, and even better in good company. A greater spotted sign means every time I hear a woodpecker now, I think “Aha, it’s Brian!”
Dog improving in health if not in affronted expressions.
We have a car this week so managed to get to a distant laundrette – and all washing is DONE!
I plucked up the courage to cruise alone on day 503 afloat (well, plus affronted dog) whilst Steve moved the car – not something we normally do and it was a delight. Sod’s Law though – met a boat at a blind bridge as might be expected! On the plus side no collision and all was fine.
And last but a real highlight .. a visit to China – and Egypt! If you haven’t visited the hidden Staffordshire gem that is Biddulph Grange Garden – do. Created by James and Maria Bateman who owned the Grange in the mid 1800s this is a remarkable place.
It encompasses a Chinese garden modelled on the willow pattern plate design. Oriental plants flourish amid a Great Wall with sculpted arches, an ornate wooden temple and bridge, watched by a massive stone frog and a huge gilded water buffalo relaxing resplendent under an ornate canopy.
The giant beatified bovine is by Benjamin Waterhouse-Hawkins. A notable English sculptor, he made the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, (now Grade I listed structures). They still inhabit London and they’re free to see!
Bateman was a visionary – creating the ultimate travelogue for a pandemic world with his garden incorporating a Geological Gallery for people to see first-hand collected fossils from across the world. His Egyptian garden has sphinxes, and a pyramid entered under the sign of Ra which houses the monkey god Thoth. It contrasts with a half-timbered Cheshire cottage complete with stone sculpted pine cones.
Whilst many will enjoy these National Trust gardens in Spring and Autumn when the spectacular plants and their colours are the highlight, to visit in the winter is a chance to see the unadorned but quite remarkable structure and symmetry behind the scenes.
It’s a lesson for the future – plan get the foundations right and whatever you create will last. Have courage in your convictions, and resilience to keep going – it’s never all plain sailing – as Sod’s Law dictates!
Pickingupducks 