I’m sat here on the BBB listening to the rain battering down on the roof and secretly enjoying this brief break in the hot weather!
It feels like a good afternoon for a magazine style quiz with a cup of tea and a biscuit. I have written the quiz for you, but the tea and biscuit are up to you!
Would I enjoy living on a boat?
1. Can you swim?
A) Yes, I am a confident swimmer. I love sea, rivers and swimming pools. Bring it on!
B) I like splashing about in the pool, but I wouldn’t swim anywhere else.
c) I don’t swim. I sink- I think my body must be made of lead.
2. Do you like to know where you are, when you wake up, without having to look out of the window?
A) No, I like my whereabouts to be a constant source of surprise!
B) I don’t think I care, particularly.
c) I like to know where I am at all times.
3. Are you tidy?
A) Yes. Everything goes away when I am finished.
B) Hmm, I like things to have some sense of order.
C) It looks like a wild animal has ransacked my home most of the time!
4. Do you know where you bodily waste goes? Do you like to ‘flush and forget’?
A) It’s all part of life’s intriguing tapestry. Part of nature. We all poo and pee. No problem with it.
B) I know we all ‘go’, but I don’t really like thinking about it.
C) EWWW! Ewww, ewww eww. NO, no, no, no!
5. Do you like your creature comforts?
A) As long as I have food and drink I’m happy. I need very little.
B) There are a few things that I really like, but I don’t need many comforts.
C) I couldn’t live without my TV/games console/washing machine…
6. How tall are you?
A) Short
B) Tall
C) Giant
7. How many shoes do you own?
A) Welles and trainers. That’s my shoe collection.
B) Well, I need a pair for going out, a pair of sandals, some for the beach, sports shoes and trainers.
C) Shoes, wonderful shoes, every pair, everywhere!
8. Do you like to hear ducks and geese?
A) Yes! I love the sound of wildlife around me, even the noisy ones!
B) I quite like it during the day, but I don’t like hearing them in the middle of the night.
C) NO. Wildlife should be in its own place, nowhere near me!
9. Do you like reading my boat related tales?
A) Yes, Rachel. They are fantastic!
B) Yes, Rachel, they are great!
C) Yes, Rachel, I love reading them!
10. When you think about living on a boat do you think it sounds like a nice way to live?
A) I want to do it tomorrow!
B) It intrigues me but it also scares me.
C) No. No way. Never. It’s an insane idea!
Mostly As: You old (or young) hippy! You’re happy with any level of inconvenience and nothing much bothers you!
Mostly Bs: You have a definite idea of what you need in life, and you are only willing to make certain compromises.
Mostly Cs: You’re a very discerning character! You know exactly how you like things and you don’t really want to change that!
The only questions that actually tell you much about how happy you would be to live on a boat are Question 4 and the last one. On a boat you have to dispose of your own bodily waste somehow. Either a pump out, chemical or composting loo. Some types involve more contact than others (see A Boggy Affair for more about boat toilets)
If you fall in the river it is useful to be water confident and able to float, but it is best to float until you are over the shock and then work out the best way out (most boats have a platform to help people escape from the water), rather than exhaust yourself swimming unnecessarily. Everyone floats with a well-fitted buoyancy aid.
If you like to know where you are when you wake up, you are probably best off at the same mooring, most of the time, rather than cruising. How do you manage going on holiday?
If you have an untidy home you will probably have a fairly untidy boat.
There are boats with plenty of home comforts. Having electricity to run a lot of electrical appliances can be hard – maybe easier at a marina with shoreline electricity., we all have things we can’t live without. Living on a boat helps you realise what they are!
People often assume narrowboats are low ceilinged. Mr BBB is nearly 6′ tall and Yr Mr BBB is over 6’1″ tall. Everyone has to duck to enter and exit the boat though. Maybe boats aren’t so good for people with back or neck problems!
It doesn’t matter how many shoes you own, although the more space you fill up with shoes the less space there is for other things! Cupboards can get a bit damp in the winter, so having too many unworn shoes can encourage mould into the damp areas and the fabric of the shoes (or clothes)! Best not to overfill cupboards, to allow airflow. Only store what you actually need.
There are not many people who like being woken up by anything! You get used to it and sleep through the wildlife noises after a while. Maybe boats aren’t for you if you don’t like looking at wildlife at all, though!
You can live on a boat with a shower, heating, a flat-screen TV, and an X box or you can live on a boat which is more similar to camping on water, or anything in between. The only real question is ‘Do I want to?’.
And no quiz can answer that for you!
Hopefully, you enjoyed your tea break and biscuits and are fully quizzed!