It can be tough to look back – this week we encountered Adrian Edmondson on his Berserker book tour. He was looking back as one does when launching a personal memoir. In part, Edmondson looked back at his time at a Yorkshire boarding school. It was a time he recalled feeling helpless; at the mercyContinue reading “Never look back? There are times it helps but not in anger”
Author Archives: pickingupducks
Make your own choices
This week, after months of trying, we completed our journey down the Rochdale Canal. It was the only one of the three trans-Pennine canals we had yet to navigate. It has been a passage that has taught us much about the benefits of physical effort, determination, and making up our ownminds, making our own decisions.Continue reading “Make your own choices”
A different view of our week wending and working our way from ‘up north’
We are now halfway along the length of the Rochdale with 44 locks and 16 miles of the canal still to go. Then it’s onto the Bridgewater, Trent & Mersey, Coventry, Birmingham & Fazeley, Coventry, North Oxford, Grand Union, and Leicester Line to our ultimate destination… a little way to go (191 miles and 143Continue reading “A different view of our week wending and working our way from ‘up north’”
How do you plan?
We planned to head to live and work in Yorkshire this year, but none of our plans are set in stone. Last week, we decided we wanted to head to join and support family over winter, so we began planning… The plan was to travel 275 miles and 255 miles on inland waterways to reachContinue reading “How do you plan?”
Changing course
Einstein is alleged to have said many things, among them: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Our whole floating life is about change – about fluidity of movement, plans, scenery, locations, and work. This week that’s become more relevant than ever, as have the facts that we don’t always have a carContinue reading “Changing course”
Slow boat to New York
This week we started our fourth year living and working from our 50ft narrowboat on the inland waterways of Britain, and in that time we’ve taken her the equivalent distance of the UK to New York. To date we’ve worked 1969 locks, travelled 2917 miles (43.5 of them underground in tunnels) and moved 193 bridgesContinue reading “Slow boat to New York”
Totally swamped
Exhaustion, relief, elation, achievement, fear and pride all in one week – a veritable tidal wave of emotions has swept us along. A week ago we were moored at Gunthorpe on the non-tidal River Trent waiting to leave to head towards the tidal Trent. We had our anchor at the ready, our lifejackets on whateverContinue reading “Totally swamped”
Sink or swim?
Sink or swim is the refrain running through my head…along with waving or drowning. Our plan to beat the stoppages blocking our route to the Rochdale Canal has given us insights and challenges beyond our expectations. We’ve made our way across the country from west to east and are now moored in Nottinghamshire, on theContinue reading “Sink or swim?”
Taking control can change everything
We started our week in Marple, feeling frustrated and stuck. We finish it 52 miles, 31 working locks and 1 tunnel further on, feeling positive and upbeat in one of our favourite places. Moored as we now are at Great Haywood, on the edge of the historic Shugborough Estate, we are treating ourselves to aContinue reading “Taking control can change everything”
Frustrated, stuck and keen to be part of a solution – but how?
There is only one way to go right now for us, and that’s retracing our steps – literally. We are currently moored some yards from the junction of the Macclesfield Canal with the Peak Forest Canal having come up the Macc this week. Our aim was to head down the Peak Forest Canal via theContinue reading “Frustrated, stuck and keen to be part of a solution – but how?”
Pickingupducks 