Eggs

I was sorting out my roof planters and buried deep in one, were these two eggs! I think they are either coot or moorhen eggs. I remember being disturbed by scrabbling on the roof at night, a few months ago so I suppose this is what was happening. Wonder if it was a fox or a rat? I haven't yet explored the other plant pots yet, so there may be more!
It reminded me of when my Mum kept finding lots of hens' eggs in the flower-pots in her garden.

Went to Little Venice cavalcade yesterday, which was a good opportunity to meet up with the Herbies, whose company I enjoy very much.

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!

Workshop

Here's how my former back bedroom looks now, looking more like the workshop I wanted. I re-used some of the bulkhead that divided the bedroom from the engine room to make a new engine cover. It still needs some sanding and tidying up but I do like using it as a seat with the back doors open and the sun's shining in.. The supporting structure for the workbench is made from rough but strong lengths found on the site of a demolished pub. I need to treat the bench surface to protect it from spills and organise all the stowed stuff underneath, properly. I'm really happy with the space though!

I used the drawers that had been under the bed in two rows to make a vertical stack, They open and close but the woodwork doesn't bear scrutiny :-)

Cumbria

We had a smashing time, breaking up the bulkhead that separated the rear bedroom from the engine room, taking it in turns with the big hammer! It makes for a lovely open space but at the moment it's full of stacked wood and drawers and STUFF from cupboards and drawers that aren't there any more and I just can't bear to photograph it.

We went up to Cumbria for a few days and stayed with some of Simon's friends in a beautiful hilltop cottage with views across the fells. We explored the valley and village in very fine weather and heard a really good ceilidh band playing in a pub. Moving down to the Cumbrian coast, we also had a memorably lovely trip on a little steam-train that Simon may blog about at some point, knowing it so well :-)



I've come home to the chaos of my boat now and must just wade in and sort it.
I may be some time...

Upheaval

My original plan was to shorten the interior living space in favour of a larger well-deck garden and workshop space. I've decided to put that plan on hold for now as I'm not 100% sure it's the right thing to do and it's not something I could rectify once the cabin had been cut away!
Meanwhile, I really want the workshop space so have opted for a less radical change but one I still find exciting :-) What used to be my bedroom at the back of the boat, will be a sort of studio, with long workbench, storage space for tools etc and a small stove.
First, I dismantled the bed. Here it is, with the top and drawers removed. It was very solidly built and there's a certain amount of guilt in ripping apart someone's craftmanship. I'm saving the drawers though; they were a useless size for clothes but will be perfect for sketchbooks etc.

In the top left hand corner, there's the storage tank for the toilet, that goes through into the bathroom, the other side of the bulkhead. Luckily I had long since scrubbed it out (if only the memory of that day could be equally cleansed!) when I made my compost loo, so it hadn't been used in years. Now, the rest of the bed is cleared out and Simon managed to get the tank out for me (- thank you!) So now I have a wonderfully empty room to plan my workshop layout in.
The photo below shows the bulkhead that leads into the engine room. I'd already planned to shift the door from the left side side into the middle, to accommodate a stove in that left corner, but chatting to Simon, he suggested getting rid of the partition altogether to make a bigger room. I agree and think it would make it a lovely light space, especially with the back doors open.
Next job is taking out this partition to open into the engine room.

I like the word upheaval as it does what it says (up - heave - all!)

p.s If anyone is fitting out a boat and wants a free waste storage tank, you are welcome to it. It has a foot wide circular hole cut out of it but that can have a plate welded over it and it's on the top side.

L.I.L.O boaters' gathering

There's a Spring gathering of boaters coming up (like daffodils). It's on the Kennet and Avon, from the 13th to the 15th April. Why not come along!



Here's some info about it, from the LILO website.
(By the way LILO stands for Low Impact Life On board and is just a loose collection of boaters across the country, who try to live as sustainably as possible on their boats.)
I've been to a couple of LILO gatherings before and met some of the most interesting, friendly and supportive people! The skillshare workshops are all about the generous sharing of knowledge and experience, not about making money.
It's worth having a quick read of the LILO principles on the site's first page to check it's for you, but the more the merrier :-)

Hope to see you there!

strange landscape

There's a spot along the Slough arm I love to moor at if I'm passing this way. It's at what must have been an old wharf, on the non-towpath side, nestling among bramble bushes, ash and elder trees and the few remains of some crumbling building. Once moored up, the only way to the towpath is across a couple of acres of strangely churned up ground, all little hills and valleys and through a small wood to a bridge.
The last time I stopped by, it was all green and lovely. There's a river running along one side.


Now of course, it's winter and bare but other, bigger changes have come. The land has been raked over and all the tufty trees pulled up as though preparing it to be flattened and built on or something
.
Survivors are these strange spiky teasel-like plants.



What's exposed is something we caught glimpses of before - that the land was once a huge rubbish dump, from pre-plastic days. The place is stuffed with old glass bottles; some are milk, lemonade, beer bottles, others are old medecine, scent and poison bottles.


There is also masses of broken china, earthenware dishes, storage jugs and teapots. And my favourite - rusting metal pots, pans and kettles

Whatever's coming for this patch of land, it probably doesn't bode well for the wildlife.
I was lucky enough to see a lovely muntjac deer snuffling among branches, just near the boat. I also saw rabbits and heard foxes and owls at night. There are badger sets in the bankside and squirrels leaping about in the woods. I suppose the kind of rubbish dumped here many years ago, wasn't so much the kind that leached chemicals and plastics into the land and rivers?
I imagine animals already have a precarious existence between the nearby motorway and local industries which seem to include a quarry, rubbish tip and incinerator. Everywhere, our wild creatures are being squeezed out. Wish I could buy the land and just leave it alone but then I'd be wanting to do that everywhere.
After all the grey winter pics, thought I'd include a cheery, colourful one to remind me that spring is almost here! Thanks to a dear boaty friend for her gift of daffodils :-)