Waited quite some time for Pete to rejoin me after opening a swing bridge to let us through, as he was talking to an attractive young blonde. He walked back to the boat with her and it turned out she is 'Baddie the Pirate' - the name of her business. She specialises in solar and LED lights for boats and her ex boyfriend was responsible for fitting our solar panels, which we would now not be without as they provide us with domestic power to keep us going if we stop for longer than one night. Fantastic things. She lives aboard her boat and I would love to have a longer conversation with her as to how she decided to live this life. She is unusual for a boat person in that she is running a modern business and seems very clued up.
We had been alternately leading and following NB Emma through the swing and lift bridges. It's owners very cheery and we met them later in Bugsworth Basin. They seem to have had parallel boating experiences to us. Thinking about selling their boat at one point, then sentimentally changing their minds (familiar) and their Morso Squirrel fire started to drift apart as ours is beginning to do after 13 years. Comparing notes we now know what we had already suspected - that we will need a new one next year. It's been brilliant all this time, so efficient and responsive, so we will probably buy another.
One experience they had had that I'm glad we didn't share is that they came to their boat on its mooring during this winter to find a snow drift up against it that had blown through their windows and was frozen into folds of their curtains and had collected on their bed! Luckily they caught it before it had melted! Boats! Who'd 'ave 'em?!
Today, Sunday, we have been chatting to a lady in a Piper Boat Owners Club sweatshirt, who came to chat to us as we have a Piper boat. Hmmmm, interesting as it was to discuss David Piper and his son, Simon and the fact that we are moored next to another boat like ours which she told us was built in 1995 (ours being one of David's last builds in 2000) we could have done without the whole story of their life afloat, their boats names, their pets, etc etc. harrumph, some people!
Not to mention the bloke in the pub who could bore for England. Another to give boaters a bad name, he prattled on about technology and we lost the will to live. He engaged anyone and everyone he could, (including the miserable landlord) whilst his wife looked on smiling inanely. Don't know why she didn't just punch him and have done with it.
We had been alternately leading and following NB Emma through the swing and lift bridges. It's owners very cheery and we met them later in Bugsworth Basin. They seem to have had parallel boating experiences to us. Thinking about selling their boat at one point, then sentimentally changing their minds (familiar) and their Morso Squirrel fire started to drift apart as ours is beginning to do after 13 years. Comparing notes we now know what we had already suspected - that we will need a new one next year. It's been brilliant all this time, so efficient and responsive, so we will probably buy another.
One experience they had had that I'm glad we didn't share is that they came to their boat on its mooring during this winter to find a snow drift up against it that had blown through their windows and was frozen into folds of their curtains and had collected on their bed! Luckily they caught it before it had melted! Boats! Who'd 'ave 'em?!
Today, Sunday, we have been chatting to a lady in a Piper Boat Owners Club sweatshirt, who came to chat to us as we have a Piper boat. Hmmmm, interesting as it was to discuss David Piper and his son, Simon and the fact that we are moored next to another boat like ours which she told us was built in 1995 (ours being one of David's last builds in 2000) we could have done without the whole story of their life afloat, their boats names, their pets, etc etc. harrumph, some people!
Not to mention the bloke in the pub who could bore for England. Another to give boaters a bad name, he prattled on about technology and we lost the will to live. He engaged anyone and everyone he could, (including the miserable landlord) whilst his wife looked on smiling inanely. Don't know why she didn't just punch him and have done with it.
It sounds and looks like you are having a lovely trip. Hope the weather is as good for you as it has been for us. Your photos look OK our end!
ReplyDeleteHaving stalled our progress for a while we are now eager to get moving again.
Yup, pub bores are the absolute pits.
ReplyDelete