Happy Christmas!

To our boaty mates,
wishing you all good things this Christmas,
from Carrie and her favourite elf (er..I mean Simon!)

orange cheer

It's not particularly cold here, down south,  but it is a bit dreary and damp. But things that cheer me up are my new sunflower twirly..

my Christmas decorations and lights...

and a glowing stove..

I'm ashamed of my fondness for cheery tat, built from chinese sweatshop labour and comfort myself with the thought that the fire at least is the result of foraging, skip-diving and hard work. Though having said that, I owe this current batch of firewood to Simon, who sawed up a wooden bed, found dumped in the canal. Lucky me!

bench

I sat here and got a leafy head.

November

Lucky it's a narrow boat!

There are still lots of branches in the water after the recent storms. There are also underwater banks of leaves that catch you unawares until the boat stops going forward amidst a great muddly swirl of green and brown. Still, it is lovely boating in this season as the sunny days bring out the gorgeous colours.

This morning, the first frosts, at my boat at least!

I really should have eaten my chard before now, I sowed it too thickly and kept meaning to thin it out by eating it. Hope it's still good after frost!

taken to the cleaners

Pff...the smallest washing machine at West Drayton laundrette now costs £5. What a rip-off for the poorest people. Here's where I meet old folk, migrants, homeless people, single mums, travellers, students. Oh, and the odd wealthier person whose machine has died just before guests arrive and need showing how to work the machines. That happened this morning and I was amazed at the person's apparent helplessness over everything from finding change and the right setting, to where to put powder and how to lock the door. I'd have been less judgemental if I hadn't seen them manage to park their huge 4x4 outside with competence.
Ok, I'm just annoyed by the price-hike!

'my' otter!

my otter and other animals

(I can't seem to upload any of my photos from my phone at the moment.  Disappointing but maybe I'll manage later)

We had a great day out at the British Wildlife centre at Lingfield where I finally fulfilled a long-held wish to see a real otter. It was fantastic! There were 4 of the beautiful creatures, who obligingly came out of their pond when one of the keepers brought food.
The animals are either rescued creatures or were born at the Centre, which used to be a dairy farm. Set feeding times meant that otherwise shy or nocturnal animals came out of hiding for their treats, which did seem unnatural but was a rare chance to see badgers, foxes, pine martins, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, rats, rabbits, voles, owls and of course, otters, close up.
We came to a display board with large photos of the animals, along with names of people who had adopted each one. I noticed the label next to the otter had 'Carrie' on it and was just pointing this out to Simon when I saw the date underneath was that very day. The penny dropped as I realised Simon had 'adopted' me an otter! It was such a lovely and funny surprise. There was an 'adoption' package, including a birthday card from the centre and laminated pics of 'my' otter. A bike ride via a pub and pool table ended a petfect day out.
I will try to add pics later!