It’s been quite a week. I’ve been to Paris, Austria, Yorkshire, and the English canals in wartime. Only one in person, but all were vivid, visceral experiences. I’ve been absorbed in the lives of a male serial killer and his victims; an actress mother as a commercial boatwoman; a female global adventurer with a delicateContinue reading “Join me and book a get-away”
Author Archives: pickingupducks
Into every life, some rain must fall.
The British and boaters are obsessed with the weather. It plays a major part in how we live, enjoy and in our case, move, our floating home and office. Walking this morning as rain and sleet, hail and wind whipped my skin and Boatdog shivered beside me, I was in full agreement with the manContinue reading “Into every life, some rain must fall.”
We can see clearly now
Our window on the world, or indeed windows on the world have changed dramatically this week. We see the wealth of birds and animals, people and the British weather around our floating home and office very differently today than we did this time last week. After years of planning, research, saving, and preparation – weContinue reading “We can see clearly now”
Tales of the unexpected – including a painful accident
The unexpected can be pleasant, but – as we know this week – not always. How we respond to the unexpected in our lives and our careers says much about us. American researchers are trying to teach AI (artificial intelligence) to cope with the meaningfully unexpected, to make it able to respond effectively to blackContinue reading “Tales of the unexpected – including a painful accident”
Moments are what matter – of hygge, niksen and ukiyo
Small is beautiful in our world. The fact that our home, office, workshop, and studio is just 50ft long is a clue to why small is something we treasure. Not everyone can have or would want to have a micro home, a tiny home, but everyone can have micro moments in their day that addContinue reading “Moments are what matter – of hygge, niksen and ukiyo”
Planning another leap or two this month
If January was our time of hibernation, February is time for preparation. Preparing for what we need to do, for getting ourselves and the boat to the right place, and making sure we are all where we need to be. It is still a time for planning rather than big movements because this is theContinue reading “Planning another leap or two this month”
Weathering the storms when you live and work afloat
It’s been a stormy, destructive week for so many. Hot on the heels of last week’s Storm Henk we’ve had to contend this week with both Storm Isha and Storm Jocelyn. The winds are still strong, but we seem in a time of respite with sun streaming through the boat windows. It’s interesting that weContinue reading “Weathering the storms when you live and work afloat”
Cracking cryoacoustics at work
Snow blankets, dampens and muffles but ice, ice has a totally different way of changing life and the soundscape. Ice means you hear new things, you are separated but connected to other boaters in totally different, sonic ways. It disperses sound, it reflect sound waves and helps us hear more clearly. Like so many acrossContinue reading “Cracking cryoacoustics at work”
Coming out makes us appreciate life
Leaving the marina, after a month of shuttling between there and bricks and mortar, to return to continuous cruising is liberating and also strangely different. We’re back living off grid, no longer connected via a 24volt shoreline to the mains. The gas hob automatic ignition no longer works, the shore light no longer operates andContinue reading “Coming out makes us appreciate life”
Heading out into the unknown
It’s been a harrowing start to the new year for so many. We know of boaters who have lost their homes, been washed off moorings by rising flood waters and either damaged or sunk by water or falling trees. We’ve been hugely fortunate having made the decision to base ourselves in a marina with controlledContinue reading “Heading out into the unknown”
Pickingupducks 