If there was ever a moment that a dog looked guilty, this was that moment:
It wasn’t me!
Wish had been given her new toy and in minutes she knocked the stuffing out if it, literally!
I asked what had she done and she just gave me this look as if to say “it wasn’t me”!
She does make me laugh.
I ended up putting it all in the bin, then she gives me a look to say “where has it gone”.
Where’s my toy?
Looks like another visit to the pet shop tomorrow!
Well today has been a first for a few things, first morning knowing that we no longer have a house, first weekend we have had free for a few weeks but the funniest thing is it is the first time ever Roy has woke up with a hangover! Roy doesn’t drink as he just doesn’t like the taste of any alcohol, however we opened a bottle of champagne last night to celebrate the house sale and our new life together and so we drank the bottle between us. I also woke with a hangover but at least we are both laughing about it.
I have been for a bike ride this morning, another first as it is the first time I have been on a bike for at least 5 years. My legs felt like jelly when I got off …..think I need a bit more practice. The speed humps are a right pain though around the marina when you are on a bike especially when you haven’t ridden one for over 5 years. I think I need L plates on the back of it.
Another first for today is that we will finally light our cabin stove for the first time in months. I am actually really excited about this because it certainly makes the cabin/ lounge feel very cosy.
Think I might bake some cakes today. I will try not to eat them all today……now that shall definitely be a first!
Well completion day arrived and we have not long had the phone call from the solicitors to confirm that the house sale is now complete.
As a friend told me yesterday we are ” houseless” but not “homeless”.
We finished off at the house yesterday evening and I did not want to write about it yesterday because it was very emotional. We had lived at that house for just over 11 years and there were lots of memories and emotions we have gone through living there. Roy locked the door and I cried in his arms for a while and he was quite emotional also. We had gone to the house in separate vehicles so we both had to drive back to the marina separately. I cried nearly all the way back, it was just very hard because it was once our family home.
As soon as we arrived back at the boat last night we were both ok. The boat is now home and it has felt home for quite a while now. It is where a new chapter of our lives begin. New memories to make and new adventures together.
Looking forward to the weekend as there will be a bonfire and fireworks on Sunday here at the marina. We will certainly be cracking open a bottle of champagne that we have been saving for new beginnings!
Pumpkin Heads
Well Roy & I got a pumpkin each and of course that meant a competition on who carved the best pumpkin! Typical !
Pumpkin 1
I got creative and decided to do a scary looking pumpkin. Roy made me laugh cause in true techno , gadget style, he went on the internet to look at templates. I call that cheating. What do you say?
His & hers
Anyway, we had fun doing it. Perhaps we ought to have had a competition on who made the most mess whilst carving…..Roy would definitely have won that one 😉 Which one do you think is the best? Which has the X factor? You decide 🙂
The last of my items to sell was by beautiful cuckoo clock. Believe me if it could have found a home on the boat it would already be there. I am over the moon though where it has gone to. It has found a new home in a museum of cuckoo clocks. They have over 700 cuckoo clocks there. Take a look at: http://www.cuckoolanduk.net
It has been very hard selling some of our possessions that we have worked really hard for. It has made us realise though that we do fill our lives with unnecessary items and junk.
We are living on Foxglove extremely comfortably yet simply and making more out of life.
We exchanged contracts on the house yesterday and completion day is still this Friday. We are going to save ourselves a fortune. I worked out the other day that we aren’t even using £3.00 a week in electricity, yet I have a washing machine that is on at least every other day, tumble drier and dishwasher, tv, etc etc. That is a big saving on its own. We are still using the radiators at the moment which uses the diesel but I have to admit we have only just started using the heating this past week or so and it is only in the morning for an hour and a few hours at night as the boat stays really warm. Not worked out yet how much the diesel is costing at the moment but it can’t be more than £3.00 a week.
Another item where we have saved money is the food shopping as I have more time to plan and prepare meals and I have not wasted any food. The amount of times I have thrown food away at the house by overstocking ( can’t do that on a narrowboat because of space) and by not having the time or motivation to cook after coming home late from work. All that has stopped and we are eating really healthily and better than before.
I will be so glad when the house is no longer our responsibility because we can then just focus on the boat. The last few weekends have been taken up packing boxes, selling items and cleaning! Can’t wait to go out cruising…….few more days then we are off!!!
Roy took Wish out for her bedtime walk tonight and I could not stop laughing. I laughed so much I started choking! It decided to absolutely throw it down with rain 
not long after they both left. They came back drenched. Roy stripped off at the door, he left some evidence but he ran off too quickly before I could get the camera. Little Wish on the other hand was waiting to be dried off. The first photo shows her not looking at all impressed, her face really made me laugh.
Quick rub down with the towel and she was happy again. Just had to share the photos!
Slight smell of wet dog in the air tonight!
Well tonight has been a little sad as the last of my paintings have now been sold. It was called “Eternity” and it was a painting of two figures running along an endless piano keyboard. It was such a special painting as Roy and I met through our love of music and when he wrote cards to me and letters he always used to say that he would love me now until eternity. You can imagine my face when he bought me the painting, it really touched me. It has gone to a lovely family though which I am pleased about as it meant so much to me.
Everything else from the house has been sold on e bay or privately,which is excellent as we have now been given a completion date for the house sale, 1st November, so just 1 week left. The house is looking amazing still. Roy has been clearing everything out and I have been doing the cleaning. It looks all ready just to move into.
Today the weather has been gorgeous. I sat outside the boat this afternoon with my neighbour Ann, oh and Wish. All 3 of us sat on the bench overlooking the marina.
A Dog’s Life
Wish relaxing
Took a book and a bottle of wine which we shared between us and in no time we both had the giggles! We were watching a heron fishing. It was so relaxing.
Relaxing view
Someone actually said what a good life I had, sitting there in the sun, glass of wine and just relaxing and giggling. It doesn’t get much better than that !
Yesterday was very rainy for most of the day but that did not dampen our spirits. Roy took a day off work and so in the afternoon we decided for the first time in months to light the back cabin stove and go sit in there to read our books. Wish (the dog) of course decided to join us and lay right between us! It was so cosy in there and when it stopped raining we opened the back cabin doors and it was just so relaxing. It was so cold outside but really warm and cosy in the boat. I really can’t tell you (although I am trying) how “perfect” things just seemed. Beautiful view out of the marina, cuddling up with Roy, well trying to as Wish kept pushing in, and just relaxing reading. Ahhhhh bliss. I think we stayed in there for at least 3 hours and the stove in the back cabin was still warm when we went to bed.
Today though the sun is shining and the windows, doors, hatches and houdinis are all open. Just feels like I am out in the open.
Wish is malting quite bad at the moment and it has been great to have the time to brush her every day. She is loving it being pampered so much. Â She sits there with her eyes closed whilst she is being brushed. Truly spoilt! She is well worth it though as she has to be the most loyal dog I know. She is never more than 1 metre away from me. I have a really good bond with her. We are very lucky to have her.
Well the bed clothes are being washed as I type, all boat work (housework) is done and I am just sitting here with my cup of coffee relaxing. Spaghetti Carbonara is on the agenda for tea tonight. I am still enjoying the cooking, so is Roy ( that makes a change). I was never the best cook but it is certainly great to make fresh meals from scratch. I am being a total domestic goddess!!
Domestic Goddess
Roy is going to probably delete this blog once he realises what I have done. Started to laugh a lot more which is good, probably cause neither of us are so stressed anymore but one thing Roy has always found strange/funny about me is that my timing for things is never quite right. Take tonight for example, I found my pink wooly hat that I thought I would try out now I have had my hair cut shorter. Thought I would see if it still suited me…… Short answer is no! A complete numpty come to mind. I looked like a….. Can’t say on here…. Too rude. Anyway started dancing to the radio at 11 pm tonight…….. Just imagine this…… Nightie on, bed socks cause my feet get cold and the pink wooly hat. We laughed so much but then Roy thought he would be funny……. Little did he know I took a photo of him….. And then put it on here. He might not be laughing when he finds out. Don’t tell him!!!!
Well what a day today has been. Boxes galore everywhere and the packing has begun. Roy has packed the boxes and I have gone around the house cleaning each room. It took me 3 hours just to thoroughly clean the lounge and dining room. Cushions all plumped and skirtings all cleaned, you name it, I did it. This is in preparation for the new owners of the house. It looked beautiful when I had finished. All the pictures has been taken off the wall which had made it look really homely but the house still looked really nice. It was a really strange feeling and I did have a few worrying thoughts going through my mind thinking I hope we have done the right thing as the house looked so beautiful but as soon as I got back to the boat any doubts soon disappeared. Met an old friend today who said how well and how much happier I looked so that just goes to show that boat life agrees with me.
Looks like a car boot sale is on the agenda and the favourite items we had are now on e-bay. Everything has to go. I have to admit it feels good de-cluttering everything. Life becomes so much simpler. Gives you the chance to focus on things that really matter.
Going bed now because I am shattered!
By the way the port-hole plunger is fab………really does the job 🙂
Foxglove Narrowboat 