We have been on our first winter mooring for near a fortnight now, and strangely, it doesn’t seem anywhere near that long. There has been much to do for work and family as well as the many additional tasks that Storms Bert and Conall have created for boat dwellers and many others.
How time flies when you’re having fun and watching water levels! We need to keep on top of things – quite literally as we don’t want to drift off…or sink. Sadly, there have been some boats lost in this storm on the inland waterways, and so we monitor our mooring ropes and the mooring pins we are having to use to secure our home. The pins are fixed into an increasingly soggy bank, and during Bert, they were partly submerged as water levels rose.
Navigation on the River Soar has been stopped, resumed and stopped again as it is now during the time we’ve been here because the river is in flood, as the result of snowmelt and heavy rain adding to already high water levels. Flood plains were already saturated.
For us, the storms and rising waters have been mildly inconvenient, but for some, they and the trees brought down by accompanying winds, have been devastating. We need to know that perspective to feel hugely grateful. Our doormat which we place on the towpath as an indicator for us and the dogs of where to step to has got further away as the boat has risen on the waters and we began having to jump down to it before the waters covered it, and we resorted to the raised step doormat which so far has stayed dry on top. There have been a few breaches of the river onto the towpath, but we haven’t had to bring in scaffolding poles to put between the boat and the towpath to avoid us being washed onto the ground. Getting a grounded boat back into the water can be a risky manoeuvre.
It may sound alarming, but we knew it might be like this. We used to live near the Soar in the next village along its meandering (now flooded) path. We know it can flood. We know it comes up rapidly and equally can descend the same way, we also know this mooring is between sluices, weirs and a lock so there are opportunities around us for the water to dissipate and disperse fairly safely. Several roads in the villages around have been flooded and made impassable, so it isn’t just navigation that’s been stopped.
From our perspective, then, informed by experience, this is what we were expecting. We knew before we got here that we needed to be aware and alert to possible flooding in the area. We know that if it gets worse, we could move further towards the lock where there are mooring opportunities that won’t involve pins hammered into saturated ground, but we haven’t got there yet.
At the same time, when the rain stops, this is a stunning mooring – particularly at sunrise. Many people have commented on social media about the beauty of the sunrises I’ve been lucky enough to see and share (what they haven’t seen is the full perspective of mud and disappearing mooring ropes on the far side of the boat just out of view!). But it is important we see the beautiful perspective – the glorious reds and golds that help put the sogginess and state of alert in perspective.
It is also hugely convenient (despite the water levels). We are getting the perspective of being hands-on grandparents regularly collecting from school, cheering from soggy sidelines at Sunday league football, and just being close by. We can enjoy supporting both daughters and their partners on a more casual, regular basis. Chats over a cuppa or helping out with projects are easier living nearby. This week, I went into school to share the nostalgic delights with 7- year olds of making angels from paper plates, colouring and glueing paper chains and folding, and cutting paper snowflakes. I’m still finding pva glue and felt tip on my hands, but thank heavens that glitter has been recognised for the environmental nightmare it is! The perspective of a small girl I helped this week, though, was that the sparkly stuff was what would make her angel a ‘real’ one and not just a paper plate one!
And we have begun the process of signing up to get a new perspective on the charitable organisation that oversees the canals and some rivers. Canal and River Trust (CRT) relies heavily on volunteers to support the work it undertakes on many fronts, and we have signed up to help in the East Midlands whilst we are here. Hopefully, that means we can continue to support volunteers as we move on next year as well, and it will give us new insight and new perspectives that are invaluable to get a more rounded picture. This week’s online Boater Forum from CRT gave us new perspectives on the winter stoppages programme of works, the intense planning for the repairs carried out during it, and the complexities for the teams involved not least because of the unpredictable weather conditions.
This Sunday, whatever the weather I’m trading. On land under cover, fortunately – at the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre for the Christmas Lights Switch On. My perspective will be one of sparkly festive fun in the dry, whatever is happening outside. If you are in the Leicestershire area on Sunday, do come and say hello to me (and Santa, too). Wherever you are this weekend and whatever you are doing, stay safe and seek out a new perspective to give you a new view on life, work, and the world we share.
Pickingupducks 