Is it as good as it sounds?
We’re all experiencing this interesting time in our own way.
Most of the world has some form of lockdown or lifestyle restriction and they change very quickly. People don’t always know what their exact restrictions are – in the last few days I’ve had a few people talk about not being able to exercise for more than an hour and not more than a mile away from their home. That’s not a rule in the UK! At the moment we are allowed out to exercise once a day. There is no time restriction on our exercising and no maximum distance we can travel to do it. (Although we are only supposed to be making essential journeys – a lovely countryside walk is not.) There is a lot of misinformation, but the general advice is to stay home unless essential, wash hands regularly and stay 2m away from people. I suspect that’s the same in most places.
Quite a few people have told me how lucky I am to be locked down on a boat. That I can move whenever I want a different view. At the beginning of this, I thought the same but that’s not the case.
Boats are allowed to move for essential purposes (only lived on boats – leisure boats are not allowed to move at all). They can move for water, emptying the toilet, etc. That’s it. Not because we want to have a different view for a little while. It makes sense. Movement in a boat is still movement. Although it’s a bit sad, looking at the lovely quiet river and not being able to use it. A bit like seeing how empty Trafalgar Square is and not being able to visit. It’s the same for all of us.
What is it actually like?
Being locked down on a boat is a bit harder than in a house.
Space
The kitchen is quite small so there’s not much space to store food. We usually do a small amount of shopping every day. Now, we can’t do that. We’re having to find creative places to store things and when we shop we have to make choices (when there’s enough stuff to make a choice!) that are sensible in terms of storage, as well as nutrition and longevity. We have a tiny freezer compartment in our smaller than average fridge. It’s big enough for about one and a half loaves of bread. So we are not stockpiling or panic buying!
Waste
We usually take our recycling to the local recycling centre, but that’s shut. So we are trying to store it until the recycling centre is open again. We try to buy things without much packaging – but that’s harder at the moment. Like everyone – we are limited by what is available and making as few trips as possible.
Water
We’re trying to make sure we get water once a week so that if we have to self isolate we will not run out of water. Not many houses have to consider that!
People
I hadn’t expected the increase in walkers, though. There is a steady stream of people walking along the opposite bank. I’d expected to it to be deserted outside, but it seems like the world and his dog are walking adjacent to my boat! It feels a bit public when I’m hanging up the underwear to dry or still wearing my (beautiful and incredibly sexy) fluffy red dressing gown at 10:30 in the morning!
By far the biggest thing for us (ironically) is space. We have 3 adults in a 60’x10′ area (actually about 12 feet less, once you take off space for the bow and stern). That’s not a lot of room. We usually manage by going out a lot. We used to dance most nights of the week, where we would meet other people and socialise which gave us time away from each other and with other people. I usually write from the library or cafes.
Now, I am writing sat on the sofa and we are all together an awful lot.
It will be dire if any of us catch the Covid-19 virus. The boat isn’t big enough to be able to isolate any of us. I suspect it will make for a very unpleasant time!
Ygr Mr BBB was starting a new business venture (GamesHub) which he’s had to stop and his freelancing work has dried up, which will make it harder for him to finance GamesHub when the restrictions are lifted. But he doesn’t have a family to feed, kids to clothe, bills to pay. It could be so much worse.
I guess that’s the point. It could be so much worse.
We have a beautiful view out of the window. We can still go out for walks and the weather is being kind – this would be much harder in a flood! Mr BBB works from home anyway so that’s unaffected, giving us a stable income. I’ve been baking more now I have more time, and we’re all enjoying the results!
I miss my friends and family, but I’m okay. And okay is good enough for the time being.
We are in the grip of Storm Emma, which is bringing subzero temperatures and plenty of snow.
Currently, I am collecting pine cones and small/ medium pieces of wood to use on the burner. I will Womble around with a bag or a trolley looking for things, wearing my woolly hat, gloves and scarf! The wind has done a great job of blowing bits off the trees ready for me to collect!
They were awesome, everything you would expect from an Iron Maiden tribute band, plus more.
I saw the multitude of wasps swarming around, so put my hood up and covered my hands with my sleeves to protect myself while I went to remove the mooring pin from the nest. As I pulled the pin out of the ground (feeling rather brave) my head started to hurt. It turned out that I had trapped a wasp in my hood! Wasp stings on the head are incredibly painful! I tried antihistamine cream, which was very hard to apply, under my hair. I tried ice. Nothing made all that much difference, so we went to the pub and I treated the sting with white wine, which worked, a bit. At least- I didn’t care that it hurt as much after the wine!
The drawbridge section was rebuilt in the mid 16th century, and the arches are different styles on the newer and older sections. It has a tiny chapel on the bridge, which was built with the bridge in the 15th century. It was used as a residential dwelling (what a house!) until the early 20th century. Visitors can have a look around by collecting a key from the Norris Museum or the Town Hall.
But I would be prepared! Take a ladder (or maybe just a step), cover the canopy and be neurotic about wasps!
