Tuesday 24 April 2012

an oasis of calm

This is a small oasis amid rooftop chaos. The cabbages are a little stunted from lack of space and the kale has been snipped back as I only use a few sprigs at a time but I like my little patch of garden. Somehow, I'm hoping beetroot (a challenge!), peas and butternut squash will also make an appearance later in the year.
However, this is the only acceptable view of my roof right now.
Narrowboatworld readers would be shocked and appalled by the quantity of tat up there. There's a huge amount of wood under and on top of my rainwater-harvesting roof (which means I can't harvest rainwater, just when it's belting down). The wood mountain extends along the length of the boat, albeit in more flattened form to be able to use my middle rope. It's mostly bulkhead and bed, though there's also a lot of gathered pieces I keep meaning to cut up for firewood. Then there's a massive bag of sawdust. It's from a reclamation yard and is great for my compost loo but there's no-where to keep it except for the roof. Added to these are flower-pots, solar-panels, boat poles. The wheelbarrow doesn't officially count as roof tat, I reckon, as it's on the gas-locker. As another boater remarked at a water-point, it looks very lived-in :-)
A big clear-up is planned, honest!

3 comments:

Neil Corbett said...

carrie
Did you ever see my post on boat roofs http://nbherbie.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/judging-boat-and-its-owner-by-roof.html

You fit in there somewhere.

Would love to meet at LV providing we're not out on Herbie elsewhere.

Neil

Anonymous said...

Ha! Steptoe Flowerdew it is :-D

Carrie

madcat said...

your roof is the result of the design of modern boats with no utility space because maximum cabin legth is the norm and no cargo hold.
I could potentially hoard shedloads of tat in my hold and have a greenhouse under clear tarps.
If I ever meet you I will be the person who wants to know what you are growing and other green related stuff.
Be happy and ignore the miseries,they know not the art of happiness.