We’re travelling again! The river has stopped flooding (hopefully) and the sun is shining. There is no stopping us! Well almost no stopping us…
We had a lovely couple of nights at Godmanchester.
A lovely little town just outside Huntingdon. We ate at the eat-in fish and chip shop and drank in the two lovely local pubs. Shandies in the sun. Does life get better? While we were there a boaty friend, Jason Abbott popped over to fit a fuse to the solar panel system and did a few other boat things at the same time – now the BBB is now all set for summer! We were very grateful to Jason for his help so we took him to Pinnies, a lovely cafe that is managed by Mencap. The profits go into Huntingdon Mencap and they provide work experience for people with learning disabilities. And the food is awesome!
Our next stop was St Ives.
We avoided the main moorings in town (see St Ives, I love you, but….) and moored along a field instead. That was very successful. I like St Ives, now! We stocked up on food and drinks and spent a while watching a mother duck with her ducklings. All very idyllic!
On to the next village, Holywell, where Mr BBB’s sister, brother in law and their dog were going to meet us the next day. This is a beautiful little village full of thatched cottages. We have moored outside the pub before, so thought we’d moor alongside a field slightly further out of the village, thinking it might be better for Cooper the dog. Our river book (a bit like a river atlas) said that it is a cow field and that there is walking access to the pub. There was no sign of cows as we moored up and walked to the pub, which boasts being the oldest recorded pub in the UK and sports it’s very own ghost – a young lady who was publicly shamed after wanting to be romantically connected with a young lad. Very embarrassing but she has had hundreds of years to get over it… We found lots of dead wood along the side of the field so we spent the evening chopping it up for the fire.
The next morning we woke up to find the cows very close by. We are used to cows. Not much of a problem for us. I quite like them, they are quite cute. But these cows were very intrigued. They followed Yr Mr BBB as he left the boat. He was very calm and completely ignored them (top tip – best thing to do with cows is to pretend they are not there) and climbed over the stile. The cows became even more interested in us and came over to the boat. Mr BBB and I watched them for a while and decided it was best to move to the mooring outside the pub. Walking through the cows with Cooper the dog wouldn’t be wise. But neither of us really wanted to go out and take out the mooring pins! Mr BBB was brave and removed the front pin – which should allow the front of the boat to move around with the current and loosen the back rope, which we could quickly untie and go. What actually happened was, the current was stronger than we expected. The current moved the front of the boat so far round that it pulled the back rope very tight. Mr BBB is better at working out the physics of water vs boat so he tried to manoeuvre the boat while I stepped off (out of the rear canopy window and into the field that we were trying to avoid) to untie. I couldn’t untie. It was far too tight and the boat couldn’t move nearer to loosen the rope. Mr BBB talked about cutting the rope! 
I like that rope and I am NOT cutting it! So I bashed the pin with the hammer to loosen the earth around it. The pin started to slide, but it was being pulled tight by the boat and I was worried that it might fly out and either hit me, the boat or get caught in the propeller. So I wiggled it slowly until I had it out of the ground enough that the rope loosened and Mr BBB could untie it from the boat-end! The boat, now freed, was now lengthways across the river and about a foot away from the riverbank – no way I could get back on. So I walked through the cow field to meet Mr BBB and the boat at the mooring outside the pub! Which was exactly what we were trying to avoid! Oddly enough the cows disappeared while we were trying to sort out the boat!
Cooper and his owners had a lovely visit, with no cows in sight!
Our plan was to travel to St Ives by boat over a few days. We thought the river levels would be fine in March- safe from the ravages of winter. We were wrong! We had survived the cold snap from Storm Emma and The Beast from the East, and when it thawed (straight into the river) Strong Stream Advice was issued, which meant it wasn’t safe to travel by boat. We didn’t have a car, so we had to negotiate public transport. St Neots to St Ives is only 10 miles, as the crow flies. But none of the roads go as the crow flies! By car, it is about 15 miles. By public transport, it is, well, a lot longer!
And we could all join in with the sangria because no one had to drive back!
There was also a young couple who were chatting very loudly with some very strong opinions. They worked together and they were upset about children coughing and sneezing over the products they were selling. They felt it was the parent’s fault for not teaching the children good hygiene and decided that ‘parents like that’ had a choice to take the pill or have an abortion if they didn’t want to put in the effort to teach basic things to their children! Wow- teach your child to use a tissue or have them aborted! Even Hitler didn’t consider that! When the bus arrived I was torn between being glad and disappointed. The loud young couple didn’t get on our bus so I missed the rest of their conversation. But I did get home!
This is a little chemical loo that people often use for camping. It needs emptying more often than the pump out but there are a lot more places to empty it. Most marinas or boatyards have a disposal point as do most campsites. But- as we found- they freeze when it’s cold! So we have two portapotties! After a prolonged freeze/flood period, I found that if I’m very careful I can empty it into a public loo. But I have to be very careful not to make a mess! And I must look rather odd, taking a toilet into a toilet!
Like shapes, people often fit into more than one category. A wooden blue square could be grouped with other squares as well as with blue objects, wooden objects, toys… One person maybe a worker, part of a family, a criminal and a carer. Being in one group doesn’t stop you being in another group. 
I detest coffee. If I were homeless, I’m sure I would still detest coffee! If someone bought me a coffee without asking, it would be a waste and quite frustrating! Asking the person if they would like a drink involves quite a lot of courage (on my part) and seems to be insinuating that I don’t trust the person not spend the cash on alcohol or drugs. I will sometimes have an alcoholic drink when it’s cold. Who am I to tell someone else that they shouldn’t? Maybe I would develop an addictive habit if I walked in the person’s shoes for long? I understand that more money going to drug dealers perpetuates the problem, but I still feel that it isn’t my position to judge. 
We are so complex. We have stripey blue squares, with dots on! And squares with pictures of cats! Not to mention the circles and the triangles..!
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!
