Final Cruise

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." ~ John Steinbeck, Nobel prize winning American author, 1902-1968.

   The December morning dawned icy cold and bright with the promise of winter sun. After a day of rest and recovery from work, I wanted to cruise to the Nantwich service point, fill up with water and dump my rubbish. I only use half a tank of water in a week but I am loathe to leave the tank half empty in winter with uncertain weather. The Magpies have learned over the years that boats storing black rubbish bags on their roof or decks are in fact sources of food. In years past Les and I would wake up to find the bags had been savaged and plundered, bits of food, pieces of shredded paper towel, and anything else spread all over the bow deck. Once Les even had a fox come aboard the bow and get into the rubbish bag during a bitter cold winter when the boat was frozen in for weeks.

   I have discovered a clever means of foiling the wildlife in winter: I save my empty coal bags and put my kitchen and bathroom rubbish bags inside them, then secure the coal bag shut with a plastic kitchen clippy and store it tucked out of the way under the gunnel of the bow. Job done and the wild folk are none the wiser about what is actually stored in the coal bags!

   I flipped the switch on the inverter, watching it come to life with flashing lights that gave me a reading on the electrics. Back in the galley I turned the washing machine on, and used an empty detergent bottle filled with water to help fill the washing machine. The Eco Egg I use in place of laundry detergent traveled in an arc around with my clothes, and I knew the load would be nearly finished by the time I reached the service point and moored up. 

   As I stepped up out of the stern of NB Valerie, my breath made warm clouds of steam in the air. Slipping off a glove, I  used my nails to break the skin-thin layer of ice on the stern seats Les built for me before he died, wiping them down with a rag as the engine caught and warmed in the icy air. I reached down into the stern hatch and pulled out the brass tiller and slipped it onto the swan neck; dropping the tiller pin in place, I remembered the thousand of times Les' lovely hands did the very same thing. The tiller pin is smooth with the years of his hands on it. I warmed the glow plugs and turned the engine over, letting it warm up while I cast off. 

   I walked down the towpath, stepped onto the bow and lowered the TV antenna, tucking it down between bags of coal on the roof, securing it for the trip; I loosened the bow rope, stepped off and pulled the fender up, tucking it down in the bow under the gunnel. Gathering the bow rope into loose coils, I set it by the T-Stud where I could reach across to nab it when I reached the water point.

   Walking the length of NB Valerie, I gently pushed her bow out towards the center of the canal, pulling the stern fender and tossing it on the roof, loosening the rear mooring rope, coiling it and tucking is out of my way. I climbed on my stool, settled into the stern seat, grabbed the tiller, put the boat in gear and we were off in the early morning light. It was 7:30 am and the sun was just about to clear the horizon, burnishing the sky with a golden morning glow.

   I bundled up warm in my Duluth Trading Company trousers made from fire hose canvas, a long sleeved fleece sweatshirt, thick socks, my LL Bean winter boots, Les' green LL Bean down jacket, my black knitted cruising hat, and a pair of old gloves. The superb boater's scarf my favorite oldest daughter Jesse knitted for Les from green marled Llama yarn so exquisitely soft and warm, was snuggled around my neck and crossed on my chest, a hug from my Best Beloved who wore it with this same jacket. 

   I had a long line of moored boats to pass as I cruised on tick-over, barely making a ripple on the water. Boats were hunkered down in the cold cut, most folks still in their warm beds. A few had smoke billowing from their chimneys as someone inside stirred the coals, dumped the ash and revived the fire.
   As I cruised, I noticed the boat names: Arwen Evenstar, Bessie Surtees, Time Out, Whitsunday Pie, The Thief of Time, Magic Window, Caramia, Magpie's Nest...a boater out walking his dog waved hello and called out, "You're on the move early!" With a wave and a smile I replied, "The early boater gets the water point!" We laughed as we gave each a thumb's up and headed in opposite directions. 

   The sun cleared the horizon behind me, painting the water in ripples of peach and gold. I slowed the boat as I approached the dock of the service point, avoiding the line of pointed bows on boats moored horizontally on Nantwich Marina moorings. NB Val's bow touched the dockside gently. I pulled the tiller all the way to port and gave her a nudge with the engine, bringing the stern in, then reversed again to slow her right down, stepping off with the bow rope, reaching over the side to put the engine in neutral, wrapping the mid-line around the bollard to slow the boat right down and gently pull her into the side of the dock.  

   After securing her fore and aft, I unloaded the rubbish bags, pulled the hose out of the large bow locker, used my Yale key to unlock the water point, connected the hose, turned on the tap and watched as the cobalt blue, wrinkled water pipe filled and expanded, snaking across the paving stones towards the boat. Quickly I stepped down inside the bow, reached into one of the interior bow closets for the plastic key to unscrew the brass water cap, and dropped an Aqua Tab down the neck of the tank to purify the water. I turned the hose on and let the water spray over the bow, making sure there was no debris or spiders in it, before I turned it off again, dropped the nozzle down the hole in the bow deck, turned it on again and listened with satisfaction as the stainless steel water tank echoed with the sound of filling water. 

   I gathered the rubbish bags and strolled to the bins to toss them inside, pausing to share a few words with another boater out walking her dog. Her boat was in Nantwich Marina for work. She had just returned from visiting her children in Texas. An American who lived and worked in both the U.S. and the U.K. for years, she was excited to collect the British State Pension and U.S. Social Security, allowing her to afford to live aboard her boat. "Oh your the Alaskan lady they mentioned in the chandlers. They said there was another American on a boat nearby."

   Back aboard NB Valerie I grabbed the bottle of dish washing liquid and stepped out to dribble some along the top of the gunnel, the entire length of the boat, and a dot here and there on the roof.  I pulled the telescoping brush from the closet by the bow doors, and in the brisk and frosty cold, I scrubbed the dirt and debris from the roof and side of our boat. Once the water tank was full I hosed away the suds, shut off the water, put the hose away, and prepared to take our boat into Nantwich marina to moor up for replacement of the glow plugs.
     At the end of the week, I am facing my last full day aboard the boat that has been my home for eight years. Ive lived aboard NB Valerie longer than I have lived anywhere else since I left my parent's house at age sixteen. I moved twenty-seven times in forty years. I thought I would live the rest of my life aboard our boat, cruising the cut with Les. When he died I resolved to do everything I could to make life without him work out so I could continue to live the life we both loved dearly; a life of small simplicity which suited us both to a T and which was manageable for me. Sadly life has not worked out as I wished, wanted, and worked towards. Here I am moving yet again, back across the world, leaving a huge part of my heart and soul behind on Britain's canals.
   After a frenzied week of sorting and packing, I am living among a tower of boxes and black rubbish bags. Before I started packing I looked around the boat, thinking to myself, " 58 feet by seven feet wide; remove the outside bow and stern bits and that leaves approximately 240 square feet of living space. There really can't be more than ten or eleven boxes of stuff here for me to pack." Ha, ha, ha, Pffft...I finished up with thirty one boxes of belongings although I left all the bedroom and bathroom linens, rugs, towels, blankets, down comforters, all of the galley equipment (pots, pans, dishes, glass and silverware), and all of Les' tools with the boat.
   It was time for one final cruise before loading all my worldly goods into a van and handing the boat over to her new owner in the morning. First I wanted to fill up with water and dump six huge, black bags of rubbish after a week of emptying drawers and cupboards, and packing up our belongings. I chose to do all this at the Nantwich service point which required a very tricky three point turn where the marina entrance met the Shroppie canal. The confluence forms a Y, with a bridge hole at the intersection of the two arms and to make things even more complicated, a stop lock just at the bridge.
   I turned over the boat engine with her new glow plugs and she started bright and true on a dime--no more smoke and coughing. I un-moored and cruised slowly out to the Y where I stopped, made the very tight three point turn, and cruised through the stop lock and bridge to moor up on the service point, my heart swelling with joy. Job done and Les would have been so proud of me! Of course there were no gongoozlers on this occasion to witness my prowess.

The bridge at the Y with the stop lock gate.
Nantwich marina water is just the other side of
that umbrella over the picnic table. 

Looking through the same bridge hole to a
boat moored on the service point.

  Ruth and Richard Chamberlain came along to the service point and tied up in front of me. We chatted and I explained NB Valerie had been sold and I was leaving the cut. After saying goodbye to them and several other local boaters coming along for water, I screwed the cap tight on our water tank one last time and slowly pulled NB Val away from the bollards. Through Nantwich, over the aqueduct, past the permanent moorings, past the children's playground with their voices ringing in the cold morning air, through bridge 90 to turn at the winding hole and head back through Nantwich one final time, waving goodbye to old Bob on NB Leopard who was concerned about the state of my chimney a year ago when I first turned up to moor in Nantwich. Bob gifted me with an extra chimney he had stowed away. Goodbyes were called out along my route: from townie Jim who walked his border collie every morning along the towpath and stopped to chat with me. Over the past year we had become friends who looked forward to seeing one another whenever I cruised into town and moored up; from local dog walkers who frequented Nantwich Book Shop and Cafe where I had worked and who knew to look for me along the cut; from other locally moored boaters who had grown used to spotting NB Valerie as I plied the cut from the top of the Bunbury staircase locks to the bottom of the Audlem locks. Just before the aqueduct, Chamberlain Carrying Company had returned from filling with water and their working boats Mountbatten and Jellicoe were moored up. Ruth stepped out on the stern and waved goodbye to me and tears began to roll down my face. I would miss her and Richard, and the others who plied the cut on fuel boats: Jason on NB Bargus, and Lee and Roberta on NB Halsall--all of whom have delivered fuel, coal and kindling to me over the past year, checking in with me to make sure I was still alive and kicking.
   I cruised over the Nantwich aqueduct one last time, looking down on Chester Road, then made the gentle curve to port, passed the long line of moored boats once more. Folks were up and out, checking their mooring lines, walking dogs, and emptying ash pans with a grin, a nod, and a wave hello. How I mill miss these folks--my people. While I haven't made direct acquaintance of any of these particular boaters, I am hailed, thanked for passing on tick over, and given the nod of recognition that says, "Hiya fellow boater..." and my heart constricts with a pain so sharp it takes my breath away. I know in my bones that any one of the boaters I am passing would come to my aid if I needed them, if I asked. I felt safe and protected among them, despite not actually knowing any of them beyond a friendly nod and wave. I know of no other community of its like anywhere else in the world.
   Past the water point, through the bridge hole and the stop lock and onward slowly, NB Valerie's bow cutting through the winter dark water as Swans, ducks and a pair of Moor hens glide out of the way. I pass through a hump backed bridge near Acton and slow down to tick over as the overgrowth on the offside is reaching to the  middle of the canal at a curve and I cannot see beyond it.
   My breath curls out of my mouth in white puffs of steaming warmth. I move through the curve and spot the derelict narrow boat tilting slightly toward the towpath, loosely moored with her bow pulling slowly away from the side as I pass. The boat's pea green paint is scuffed and peeling, providing no inkling of its name. Plastic carrier bags stuffed with junk protrude from the stern deck which is completely filled with flotsam and jetsam. Large black rubbish bags are piled on the roof with other bit and bobs, some hanging over the side. The bow too is filled with similar items. The small jalousie windows are filthy and the curtains are ragged and water stained. This boat has been moored here between two curves with over-arching growth needing trimming, for the past year.
   Scuttlebutt from other local boaters says the woman on board has lived on the cut for forty years. She has aged now and reached a point where she is no longer able to move her boat and so CRT allows her to stay put where she is happiest, with a short walk over the hump backed bridge, across the farmer's fallow fields and on to the roadside bus stop across from Acton church. I cannot say much for her choice of mooring spots from the point of view of a continuous cruiser.  Between the overhanging tree limbs on the offside and her loosely moored craft it is nigh impossible to see other boats coming in either direction and I've seen near collisions several times over the last year as marina boaters in a bleeding  hurry churn around the curve, failing to grant her the courtesy of slowing down, only to find themselves quickly back peddling in reverse as an oncoming boat's bow slices perilously close. A plastic cruiser moored near here for eight months, leaving just enough room for a 58 foot boat to slot itself in between them and I had to slow to a stop and move over on one occasion last summer when some stupid toff on a shiny, new boat came hurtling round the curve, failing to give a warning toot of his horn or slow down at all. He missed slamming in to NBV by mere inches and I missed hitting her boat by a tight eight inches. 
   I've actually seen this woman get on the bus on three different occasions. She doesn't appear to be any older than me. Her hair is dyed bright orange with dark gray roots. Her face is corrugated with years of cigarette smoking. She dresses in men's clothes: black cargo pants, pockets bulging with stuff; a man's brown coat, and fingerless gloves which show yellowed, hard working hands sporting a thick black crust underneath all ten fingernails. Hobnailed leather boots covered in mud complete her ensemble, as she boards the bus with a trolley overflowing with fat, black rubbish bags and other assorted items. She casts a gimlet eye upon us, making the other occupants of the bus uncomfortable. The bus driver waits impatiently for Madam to find a seat. Her eyes meet mine and skitter away, coming back to my smile and nod. No matter what she looks like, we are both boaters and I will welcome her to sit beside me. I realize that she is likely dealing with a learning disability or some other issue that makes reading social cues difficult. Other bus passengers tsk-tsk at her sideways leaning, overflowing trolley and lack of refined cleanliness. She refuses to look at anyone, and the bus driver continues on towards Nantwich.
   After passing by her craft and the S turns, I come out to a pleasant spot overlooking a field sloping down to the cut on the offside. Horses and their year old foals are grazing and the sky clears suddenly as the winter sun pierces my gaze, lighting everything with a lovely warmth that still astounds me. How can a star 92.96 million miles away from earth manage to warm my cheek and cause steam to rise from the cold ground? I can hear Les' voice asking me this very question, wonder in his lovely brown eyes.
   Onward I cruise, through a small bridge hole where the bridge itself is long gone. A blue tent is pitched on a rise above the towpath, rippling in the light winter breeze. A man and woman in the latest winter gear stand watching me as I slow through the gap, turn the bow towards the towpath to avoid the overhanging branches on the offside, and bring the stern around after passing by them. I smile and nod as they wave. My heart is filled with defiant joy at our forward movement, me and NB Valerie--the only things moving on this cold December morning. Les should be here with me; Les is here with me, and my hand clutches the tiller tighter.
   Onward I travel through the large concrete bridge of the A51 motorway, slowing as I come through the other side to Henhull. The Shroppie widens out here, with reed beds to the left, continuous cruisers NB Magic Window moored up on 14 day moorings on the towpath side and a line of boats moored on the permanent offside moorings. I cruise slowly past, noting the chimney smoke on various boats, spotting the lovely bloke on NB Galadriel. I have no idea how old he is; roughly late forties to early fifties I guess. He sports long black and silver dreads that snake to his waist; dark, intelligent eyes, dimpled cheeks and a gorgeous smile showing bright, white teeth. Our boats have passed dozens of times as he has cruised into Nantwich for services from his permanent mooring, passing me on his way to the winding hole to turn, cruise back through Nantwich and out to Henhull to moor up again. Several times we've spoken to one another as our boats have passed each other, and once he slowed to allow me to pull in and moor up, complimenting me on my manners (I had signaled him my intentions in plenty of time), and the smooth, easy way I brought NBV into the side and stepped off her. It was quiet praise from an experienced boater who expected a woman of my stature might have had trouble pulling in an 18 ton boat on her own.
   On past the large winding hole and on to the open countryside where Les would surely have moored up had he been cruising together in the flesh, following the wide, meandering cut. Through the next bridge hole and onto the last section of the Shroppie approaching Hurleston Junction--the confluence of the Shropshire Union with the beginning of the LLangollen canal.
   I slowed to pass four boats moored before the bridge as Valerie sliced along the cut gently, gently, the bow clearing the bridge hole; still no other boats on the move, breaking the quiet morning. On the towpath side of this wide intersection of water is a bench where a bearded bloke sits quietly with ear buds in, listening to an audio book. He is another local whose acquaintance I've made on the bus into Nantwich. Riffed from his position over eight months previously after suffering a health crisis, he spends most days on the bench watching narrow boats coming and going in and out of Hurleston locks, through the bridge hole and on to either Nantwich or Chester, or up the fight towards LLangollen, Wales. We never exchanged names, only life stories. He sat in quiet reverence months previously while I squatted next to his seat on the bench and dug a hole with a hand trowel. I scattered a handful of Les' ashes in the hole and planted a Daffodil bulb on top, covering over both with dark, wet earth, patted down firmly to await spring.
   I waved to him as I started to turn the bow of NB Valerie to the port side, beginning to turn her around for the cruise back to Nantwich marina. I hailed him over the sound of the engine revs:
   "I have had to sell the boat. I am returning to the States in a few weeks. This is my final cruise. Will you look after my husband's ashes and his Daffodil for me?"
   He waves his mittened right hand and nods his bearded head in the affirmative, watching me as I turn our boat one final time and begin to glide towards the bridge hole.
   "Goodbye. Take care of yourself." His voice rings across the water.
   "I will; you too." And I am gone with a final wave, remembering me and Les mooring up nearby, waiting for good weather to make our cruise up Hurleston lock flight back in April 2012, stopping in Burland for the best fresh, homemade chicken and mushroom pies I've ever had before heading onward toward Wrenbury, Marbury, and the Grindley Staircase locks, meeting dear friends Elsie and Eric fletcher on NB Bendigedig  and writing a blog to answer a multitude of questions by Canadian blog follower (and now a very dear, dear friend), Bryce Lee, concerning my settling into Britain as an ex-pat and how Les and I managed life on the cut.
   Clouds pass over the sun as I head back; they pass over my aching heart acknowledging this is my last cruise aboard our lovely home. Tears spring from my eyes, and my sobbing chest clutches as I cruise past so many well loved places, memories flooding through me. Too soon and I am making my approach to the Y at the bridge hole, turning right into Nantwich Basin instead of cruising straight on to moor up somewhere along the towpath as I've done for eight fast flying years; my cruising life comes to a gentle, quiet end.      

NB Valerie Has Sold

"If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." ~Paul Coelho, Brazilian lyricist and novelist

   Four people contacted me about viewing the boat since I listed it for sale. Yesterday morning at breakfast another person sent me an email and today, yet another. Yesterday the first person came to view the boat. I met his wonderful family, and we spent two and a half hours going over the boat from bow to stern. He made an offer and I accepted it. If all goes well, I intend to be packed and away with everything settled, before Christmas.
   I am fortunate to have such loving, supportive friends both here and in North America. I will stay with friends while I arrange to have my personal belongings shipped back to the States. I hope to visit some of the lovely people who've become such good friends over the seven years I've lived here in the U.K. and then...I will be away, flying back to America and the arms of my family who are excited to have their mom and Grandmother coming back to roost amidst them; back to the bosom of wonderful friends on the other side of the Pond who are thrilled I am returning.
   I don't know where exactly I will end up. I am going to trust the Universe and bounce a bit, visiting family and friends while I see what comes up for me in terms of a place to settle down, and opportunities for good employment. I am nearly finished with my first book draft which I have been working on for eight years, and I will be submitting it to a publisher soon. Fingers crossed it is picked up for publication and goes right to the top of the best seller list! Everybody loves a good true love story right???
   Since Samhain on October 31st I have felt Les strong around me. I know he was with me yesterday and he continues to look out for me. He may be dis-incarnate but we are still in a relationship of true love with one another that transcends death.
   My head is spinning! I cannot believe how quickly things move sometimes. While I am sad to be leaving our lovely home and the community of fellow boaters who have welcomed, befriended and nurtured both me and Les, I am very pleased that NB Valerie will provide a wonderful home for a lovely new owner who hopefully will have decades of life aboard her and who will  feel surrounded and protected by all the love and care Les and I put into this boat and each other.

Narrow Boat Valerie For Sale

"Acceptance is being in the moment without necessarily agreeing with it. It is about facing reality rather than trying to control it." ~ Anonymous

The death of my husband and my own ill health forces the sale of our lovely home, NB Valerie. Built by Hamilton Bespoke Narrow boats, she went into the water in January 2006. We have been her sole owners as live aboard continuous cruisers for 12 years. NB Valerie is 58 feet long, with a semi-trad stern. Serious inquiries only. All reasonable offers considered. Asking £44,500.00 ONO. I am willing to negotiate with the right buyer. I want NB Valerie to have a new owner or owners who will love her as much we have. E-mail me at biggsbiglove@gmail.com. Currently cruising in Nantwich, Cheshire. 

•  33HP  Vetus engine
• 180 Ltr/40 Gal. diesel fuel tank with two 25 Ltr. metal jerry cans stored in the stern locker for emergency diesel storage with a motor impelled pump to pump the diesel from the cans directly into the tank without having to lift them
• 650 Ltr./144 Gal. stainless steel water tank with sweet, clean water (100 ft. hose)
• Pure Sine Wave 3000 watt inverter
• Candy on board washing machine (piped directly into the boat's hot & cold water to keep from draining the batteries when washing on hot)
• Shoreline 12 Volt refrigerator with separate freezer compartment
• 430 watts OnBoard Solar panel system with top of the line MPPT controller installed August 2017
• Ebispacher on board radiator heating, replaced new in 2015
• 22 inch HD TV with built in DVD player and Freeview, installed 2016
• Pioneer radio system with ceiling speakers, installed 2017 
• 20 inch thick firm Memory foam mattress with Cool Blue technology, new 2017
• Charging station for two computers simultaneously, and two other stations for other electronics
• All LED lighting throughout the boat
• Valar Willow solid fuel stove with new fire bricks and new stainless steel double skinned chimney (and two older replacement chimneys should you need them!)
• Airhead Marine composting toilet installed in 2012 (new, never used chemical toilet stored in Engine bay)
• Boat safety certificate good until August 2020
• Fully licensed and insured
• Last blacked in January 2017 with all anodes replaced 
• Dinette folds down to a double bed (extra thick cushions and easy to remove and wash upholstery covers replaced in November 2013)
• All mooring ropes and fenders were replaced brand new in 2017
• 6 mooring pins, three hammers, four nappy pins, and one set of mooring chains. Two bow mooring ropes--one on each side, one stern mooring rope and two mid-line ropes--one for each side. 
• Plank, boat pole and boat hook
• Loads of storage space
• Extra parts included: second Shurflo water pump, parts for Ebispacher, 7 oil filters, engine belts, six tubes of stern gland grease etc. 
• Extensive tools to stay with boat, including five year old Husqvarna 17 inch chain saw and sharpening set; brand new log splitter axe and sharpening stone, hammers, Dremel set, sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. 
• Out of the water for a replacement of the cutlass bearing and a new larger prop in January 2018, a marine engineer at Aqueduct Marina examined the hull closely and pronounced it in excellent shape. 
• She comes with a complete list of all work done and repairs with completion dates,  all past BSC certificates, original boat paperwork, and all instruction manuals for on board appliances and boat parts. 
• Pots, pans, silverware, dish and glassware, immersion blender, hand blender, cookware and many linens stay with boat. You could simply pick up some groceries, come aboard, turn the key and cruise off just as you do in a hire boat!

We were in the middle of painting NBV when Les received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Like a lovely lady of a certain age, she needs a bit of slap as the Brits call makeup. The paint job needs to be completed and all the paint, white spirit, brushes, rollers, Fertan rust converter, primer, sanding paper and two sanders come with the boat. This is an opportunity for new owners to personalize her or even change her name.  All the crucial bits--the engine, inverter, water tank, hull, etc. are in excellent nick.

A look at the brand new cutlass bearing and waterless stern gland installed in January 2018. 

Close up of the Vetus 33 HP engine. NB Valerie has a freshly cleaned and painted engine bay and brand new aluminium checker plate engine bay cover--easy to lift and is brilliant at keeping water out. The engine bay is always dry. The oil and filters are changed faithfully every 350 hours.  

A new larger prop means NB Valerie is ready to handle both canals and rivers with ease. 

Freshly blacked in January 2017 with brand new sacrificial anodes (4). NBV does have a galvanic isolater. 

Shot of my bike on the newly installed bike rack, January 2017.

We had two additional T Studs mounted on either side of the bow to make it easier for short people like me to moor up. I never could reach the T stud out on the point of the bow!

All mooring ropes, fenders, and fender ropes were replaced in August 2017 and I added mooring cleats to the fender ropes to make it quick and easy to adjust the fenders when mooring up. 

Looking towards the bow from the chairs in the Saloon.  The TV has been replaced with a new 22 inch HD telly with built in DVD player and Freeview. the stereo has been replaced with a new Pioneer stereo. Les built new stairs for my short legs with storage underneath each step, a larger, longer hearth with new tiling so live coals would no longer fall on the floor. There is storage under the hearth for the coal bucket and two spacious closets on the left for shoes, boots, cans of paint, axes, coats, grocery trolley, and outdoor sun umbrella!

It took me four months to design this closet with built in man drawers and it took Les three days to build it! All the tools in the picture stay with the boat. 

A close up view of the new Solar panels installed August 2017. This set up makes it easy to clean and paint underneath and the panels clear the mushrooms vents tilted in either direction. In summer you can go for days without starting the engine. On a sunny day you can turn on the inverter and wash clothes on sunshine without touching the battery charge! In winter you can leave her moored up on the towpath for a few days and come back to find fully charged batteries and an engine that turns over on a dime. 

20 inch thick firm Memory Foam mattress with Cool Blue technology. It is the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on. It is in pristine condition. It measures 6 foot by 4'6" wide.

The bed all made up, looking from the cabin down the hall past the bathroom and into the galley. The bed has been modified to pull out into a 6 foot by 6 foot cross-bed. 

Standing by the dinette and looking into the galley. 

Airhead Marine Composting toilet! Freedom forever from Elsan and pump outs forever! If you prefer to use the chemical toilet stored in the engine bay, it will take you less than five minutes to unscrew two wing nuts that bolt the composting loo to the floor and lift it out of the bathroom. The chemical toilet will simply sit in its place and require emptying at an Elsan disposal once a week. 

Interior of the roomy medicine cabinet in the bathroom. 

Shower/hip bath combination. 

Lovely Cannon home cooker range. Brilliant and handles anything you can imagine cooking, baking or grilling.

Close up of Shoreline 12 Volt Freezer/fridge on top of the counter! No more squatting down a half dozen times a day or lying on your belly in order to see what is in the fridge! The Candy washing machine is mounted below it and connected directly into the boat's hot and cold water system with knobs to turn to change from one to the other. This decreases the load on the inverter and batteries from 3200 watts to 2600 watts on starting. 

Top and bottom of dish and glassware cupboard Les built which is amazingly streamlined. Dish and glassware stay with the boat. 

Condiments cupboard at the end of the counter on the cooker side of the galley. 

The dinette folds down to a double bed. There are two large drawers underneath the near seat and the farther seat lifts up for storage underneath. The computer charging station is hidden behind those pillows nearest to us. 

This hidden charging station will charge two computers simultaneously. 

   I realize this post might appear to be an abrupt about face in contrast to my previous post titled Never Give Up but I assure you it is rather a continuance of the idea. It has been a very tough two years since my Best Beloved Les died. I had to try life on my own on our boat and give it my best effort. Sadly there were fences, walls, and impediments I could not have foreseen waiting for me.
   In the States I never had trouble finding a job. I have a university degree, twenty five solid years of experience working with students, and excellent references. None of this has made any difference over here in Britain. I've looked for work for a year and the only work I could get was waitressing. Now I don't mind waitressing and I've done it before--when I was 19. But I am 61 now with health issues and a financial need to earn more than minimum wage so sadly it isn't going to work out for me.
   When I married Les and moved here I had two auto immune (AI) diseases: Sarcoidosis and Osteoarthritis. I managed the Sarcoidosis with supplements of melatonin shipped from the States since I could not get it here without a prescription and even then no one would prescribe enough to actually stop Sarcoidosis from progressing. When Les' cancer began to travel and we had to spend hundreds of pounds every month on supplements to fight it, I quietly stopped taking Melatonin as the cost for shipping it from America was ridiculously high and I never told Les. Sarcoidosis has now made my lung tissue brittle and it is harder to breathe. Now I've developed Crohn's disease and all three diseases are adversely impacting each other. They are incurable, chronic, and progressive. The arthritis in the first digits of my index and middle finger on my right hand now make it very difficult and painful to pull on socks, pull up trousers, tie shoes and mooring ropes.
     My children have been worried that I might fall ill over here and end up in a  care home and they would not be able to get me back To the States, near them, so it is time to close this chapter of life, square my shoulders, turn and step forward to rebuild my life anew once more back in the States. I love this boat. It has been my home for over seven years. She brought Les and I together, and his heart and soul is in every bit of her. She was Les' "other" baby. She deserves a new owner who will tart her up and make her shine with love and joy; in return she will give many decades of comfort, security, and freedom to the right buyer.

Never Give Up!!

"Flutter your wings frail bird

And rise an inch above the impossible." ~Anonymous Haiku

     Gosh a lot has happened in the last few weeks! I began moored in Nantwich for two days and was treated to a visit by my lovely friend Susanne King. her boat is at Aqueduct marina. Sadly Susanne's husband Peter died just over two months ago in a hospice in Winsford. We connected because I started a closed group called Widows on the Cut, for women on boats who have lost a partner, spouse or significant other and need a safe, confidential place to share their their feelings and emotions and know they will receive compassion, loving kindness, and understanding from other women literally in life's same boat. Susanne is Danish, Peter was Welsh and they lived half the year in Kenya and spent the summers on their boat cruising the British canals. Meeting Susanne has been a blessing for me, as I can speak candidly about my grief with her and know she gets it--because like me, she is in it. We had a lovely lunch aboard NB Valerie and her presence brightened my day.

Susanne King

      I cruised back out to Hurleston and the weather deteriorated. First it was blustery winds and warm rain--decidedly a departure from usual late October weather. The shortened days, the lack of sun, and the depressing fact that November was one week away and I would hit the one year mark of looking work--unsuccessfully--made me feel suicidally depressed. I just wanted to give up and throw in the towel or more accurately get pissed and throw myself in the canal.
     But then a series of things occurred: a group of women came by in a flotilla of canoes. It was lashing with rain, and the wind was forming waves on the canal and yet here were these intrepid young women refusing to let the crap weather keep them from learning to row a canoe and enjoy nature--in all her vicarious moods!

Women out canoing in the rain!! Brits don't let the weather interfere with fun--much like Alaskans that way!

It really was chucking it down!

The same stretch later on after the rain cleared off. 

    Next a package arrived for me at The Laundrette. It was from the Heck Sausage Company in Yorkshire. I had purchased a package of Heck brand Smoky Paprika Chicken Sausages. I love heck brand sausages because they contain no rusk, use fresh herbs and spices, and are 98% meat--like U.S. sausages. I was thrilled to my boots to find a chicken sausage that I thought might be close to my beloved Spanish Chorizo sausage that I use in Three Sisters Chicken and Chorizo Casserole and in my homemade Minestrone soup.
     I bought Aidell's chicken Sausages from Costco back in Washington State and loved them so I was very excited. Sadly the Heck chicken sausages were not for me. They were low fat and consequently the texture was more like plastic then juicy, flavorful sausage. When I ordered groceries again I took the opportunity to leave a less than favorable comment about the product based on its texture, on the Ocado web site.  Apparently the store passed my comment on to Heck and I received a lovely email from a woman named Claudia who works for Heck and was sad to read my review. She wanted to send me a check for a refund! It was only £3.00 but what customer service!!
     Instead of an envelope with a check I received a package with a hand written letter from Claudia, a refund check for £3.00 and a lovely apron! I have since tried Heck's full fat chicken sausages and they are delicious, and of course their pork sausages are divine. Sadly I can no longer digest Pork or Beef so I cannot enjoy them, but I encourage everyone else to give Heck brand sausages a try.

     The weather now took a cold and typically Autumnal turn with ground frost and nightly temperatures plummeting to -1/28F. No more going outside to start the engine withhold a coat, hat and gloves! Time to pack away the summer clothes and fill the wardrobe with winter wear, including my favorite cold weather trousers from Duluth Trading Company in the USA, made of fire hose canvas. They are thick, tough as old boots and more comfortable than jeans, with pockets for knee pads, a loop for a hammer or a windlass, and lots of pockets and a back waist that rises to close the gap between shirt and pants. Their clothes are made for people who work outdoors and need tough, lasting and essentially comfortable gear.
     I love sweater weather!! Mine are washed, dried, de-pilled and folded on the shelf along with thick sweatshirts and long sleeve turtle neck tops. My black down coat and Les' green down jacket are back in service again; I wear my coat to town and Les' jacket for cruising and boat chores.
     October 31st arrived and for me as a Witch it is Samhain and a sacred day. It is our day of remembrance of our beloved dead, and it is New Year's Eve. We believe the veil between the world of the living and the dead is thinnest on certain days and nights of the year and this was one of them. We build altars in memory of beloved dead, engage in ritual to allow their spirits space to return and visit if they so choose and usually we have a meal of their favorite foods and set a place at table in their memory.

     Since I was on my own my ritual was very low key, but I felt Les' presence. The hairs went up on the back of my neck at one point, and I felt surrounded by power and love. Spent with emotion, I turned in about 11 p.m. My phone woke me at 12:30 a.m. with a ping telling me I had a text message! Someone had logged in to Tutorful, the tutor web site I am listed with, and was requesting me to tutor them! I answered the next morning and we agreed to meet at Nantwich Bookshop and Coffee Cafe near the village green.

This is the 435 year old building in which I work!

     We had a good first meeting, discussing my student's goals and objectives. As we were parting by the bookshop counter I spotted the manager Denise. She has sent me an email three or four weeks previously asking if I wanted them to hold on to my CV. They were in the process of reorganizing things and weren't hiring--yet. so of course I emailed back, "Yes please! I would love to work at the book shop. It appears to be the warm heart of the village green and everyone on staff seems very kind." Now that we were face-to-face I queried,
   "Are you Denise?"
   "Yes I am," she said with a bright smile.
   "Well then you also know who I am!"
   "Yes I do. It is good to see you and in fact I wondered if you were still looking for work?"
   "Yes I am."
   "Could you come in some time later this week and work for a couple of hours in trial so we can see how you handle things?"
   "I would love to. What about Wednesday?"
   "That would be perfect, " Denise replied as she flipped through her wall calendar and wrote my name down.
     The upshot is that I went in for a trial and worked for six hours. At this cafe everyone is trained to do everything: pot washing, plating up orders, barrista, waiting tables, and cashiering. That way anyone on the clock can be slotted in wherever they are needed most. Tips are divided equally between all the staff as well so it means we are a cohesive team working together to provide good customer service no matter what we do--even washing dishes. So now I am finally employed, albeit part time which is a good thing at the mo as I have not worked a physical job on my feet for six hours since I was nineteen! I've had desk jobs since my university days.
     I stopped in to Marks & Spencer for a Saturday paper (they a re located right next to the bus station and library and it is easier to nip in there for a paper then walk all the way over to Morrisons for one) and I was chatting with the grocery clerk. Her face lit up when I said I lived on a narrow boat.
   "Oh we just bought ours and she is going into the water tomorrow at Aqueduct Marina. My husband and I are gong to live on her and we are so excited!" Her name is Linda and her boat is NB Water Colour so if you see them about give her a big, friendly wave.
    After eight days at Hurleston, preparing for winter and putting draft plastic on the windows,  I cruised back in to Nantwich in time for the winter mooring times to begin, filled with water, dumped the rubbish and moored up near the ramp by the stairs down to the Welsh Lane. The cold weather disappeared and warm, balmy weather swept in from the southwest! How warm you say??
     So warm I had to let the fire go out in the boat! So warm I had to switch back to my rain jacket! So there you have it!! me and Ma Nature are both very mixed up about the weather these days. One morning recently I was out walking my rubbish to the bin back at the service point and everywhere I looked boaters were popping in and out of hatches and engine bays. Nothing like surprise helping of warm, sunny weather to get those last minute boat chores completed.  An elderly gent was standing on the towpath, tobacco pipe in hand looking at his boat NB Solitude. We got to chatting and before you know it we had exchanged histories, names, and opinions of some of the trials of the world. We even got round to loos!! His name is Roy and his wife is Carol. She was out that morning, but I look forward to meeting her.
     After dropping my rubbish in the Biffa bins I decided to stroll down to the Canal Centre and share my good employment news with several women there whom I know. Margaret and Lynda who work in the Chandlers were both out that day. I sauntered around the corner to the Convenience Shop and nipped in to say hi To Sharon, the new owner.
     If you haven't been in there, please make sure you stop in when you come through Nantwich and stop to fill up with water, dump your rubbish or empty your Elsan and say hello To Sharon. If you just need to replenish some tinned goods, fresh veg, milk, bread, eggs, and maybe some frozen food between large shops then you will everything you need. It will save you making the one and a half mile round trip walk into town.

Sharon knitting as she waits for customers. She didn't realize I was taking her picture. Drop in and say hello to see her thousand watt welcoming smile!

 

     Sharon's daughter owns The Laundrette there in the Centre, That's where I get my mail. Since Sharon took over the Canal shop it is ever so much cleaner, far more organized and has a really solid stock of the kind of things boaters are using. She even carries lactose free milk! Being a knitter, Sharon has yarns and collectibles for sale in her shop as well. This is one more canal side shop we should support so at the very least pop in and grab a candy bar!! You won't regret it.     

Seeking Clients!!!

Let the Beauty of what you love be what you do. ~ Rumi, 13th century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Greater Khorasan; 1207-1273.
I am a medicinal herbalist and I have openings for clients right now. If you have a chronic illness or health issue and you would like some research undertaken about what, if any alternative medicine or treatments may work for you then please email me at biggsbiglove@hushmail.com. I charge £25/$35 (difference in price is the exchange rate) for an initial consultation, research, and health profile with one six week post consultation check in.

I am also registered on Tutorful which is a legitimate academic web site offering tutors for a wide range of academic services. If you or anyone you may know seeks tutoring to improve their written communication skills I am available. You can read my profile on the site. I also tutor those in need of conversational English language skills. I can connect with students on-line in the Tutorful website where meetings may be booked and payment is arranged or in person if you live in the Nantwich, Cheshire area. 

I tutor the following subjects:

A Level and Degree:

Conversational English Language Skills

English grammar and writing Skills
Essay Writing
Dissertation

A Level: 
English Literature
Humanities & Arts
Citizenship

I am also available as a manuscript editor. Just email me with your manuscript. I charge £25/$35 an hour. 

Life's Cherished Gifts

"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future but today is a gift. That's why its called the present." ~Bill Keane, American cartoonist, 1922-2011

   It's been a busy two weeks here in my world. I've been writing every day with punctuations for a walk to stretch my body. I've cleaned out a ton of old paperwork, said goodbye to Les' three ring binder from the visiting nurses with all of their notes on the last six months of his care, and organized several drawers. I've also dug out file folders of family documents, pictures, and items I used to have pinned to my bulletin board at Cloudhouse. I bought a clear polyvinyl desk protector to lay on the dinette table and I slipped pictures and mementos underneath to help me with my writing.

My new memorabilia collage which lives under a desk protector on the dinette table. Each item represents some aspect of the things I am writing about now in my book rough drafts. 

My favorite oldest daughter Jesse, left with her favorite oldest son Micheal as a baby. The cartoon below is one I found over three decades ago and saved because it encapsulates my Jesse girl as a child in terms of her relationship with her sister. My favorite youngest daughter Sparky on the right as a teenager and far right a few years ago. Her cartoon also encapsulates a little of what she was like as a child too.  

The card top left came with a dozen roses from Les the day my spouse visa was accepted. I've had the Pinups on Writing for over thirty years. The picture of Les was taken in 2011 and is one of my favorites of my Best Beloved. I bought the post card of the Bison and the bird when I was thirty. Many times I've reminded myself to be like the Bison: develop a tough hide and call on persistence while turning my back to the wind. Some days all one can do is stand knee deep in the snow and wait...for spring.

This is one of my favorite poems, The Bus of Questions. It was written by my dear friend and member of The Wednesday Women,  Lisa Conger. 

The other poem which I couldn't get a clean picture of, is one I found years ago somewhere and it is so evocative of my life I have held on to it as a reminder of where I came from and how far I've traveled.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters--Anon.

I

I walk down the street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 

I pretend I don't see it. 

I fall in.

I am lost...I am helpless.

It isn't my fault. 

II

I walk down the same street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don't see it. 

I fall in again. 

I can't believe I am in this same place.

But it isn't my fault. 

It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there. 

I still fall in...it's a habit...but

My eyes are open.

I know where I am. 

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street. 

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

    A week ago Britain caught the tale end of the hurricane that ravaged the Southeast coast of America. Over here is was named Callum. As it swept in from the west, passing over North Wales and into the borders I hunkered down for three days and nights and wind gusts up to 65 mph. Moored at Hurleston Junction just before the bridge, I had a front row seat watching boats coming off the Llangollen canal and out of Hurleston bottom lock where they have to turn right and cruise through the bridge towards Nantwich and NBV, or turn left and head towards Barbridge, Calveley and Chester. While the canal is wide enough to comfortably turn a boat at the junction, the towpath curves around to the right and the winds sweep down the lock flight, pinning boats to the side. Even on a mildly windy day the winds swoop down the hill across from the moorings before the bridge. More than once I have helped boaters who come slowly through the bridge to pick up a partner who was working the locks, only to find their boat pinned to the side. I am grateful to Ken Deveson for showing me how to pin the boat using spring lines. What a difference this makes in a storm! Yes the boat did rock side to side with the wind generated waves but she stayed secure and didn't slide vertically back and forth. Passing boats had no choice but to give their engine some welly to keep the high winds from shoving them into moored boats, but the spring lines kept NB Val secure and stable. Below are two videos from the wind storm.

   After the winds let up it was time to head back in to Nantwich. I had a leisurely cruise in lush and lovely afternoon sunshine. It took just under an hour to fill the 144 gallon water tank which was pretty low, dump the rubbish, and pick up three packages from the Laundrette. When I arrived at the Nantwich service point there was one boat moored on the 48 hour visitor moorings. I had hopes I might actually be able to moor up at the end of the moorings just up from the service point. By the time I finished filling up there were only two spaces left! Fifteen boats had come from both directions, quickly filling the empty mooring spots but I was lucky to get in where I wanted, just behind NB Bessie Surtees.
   We've passed each other throughout the past nine months, coming and going on the Middlewich arm and the Shroppie. She called to me once that she followed my blog so it was a pleasure to finally have an opportunity to stop and meet Phil and Barb and have a chin wag. They've been boating for years, and have lived aboard NB Bessie Surtees for four years now, cruising. Phil followed the blog from the beginning when Les first started it. Did I take a picture of them and their boat??? By the time I remembered the camera they had been to town and the chandlers and cruised off. Next time!!
   Yesterday my phone rang and Elsie Fletcher's lovely Welsh accent said, "Hi Jaq it's Elsie. We thought we would come for a visit this afternoon." Lovely!! It's always a treat to spend time with Elsie and Eric (NB Bendigedig). I cleaned up, popped a Betty Crocker gluten free Devil's Food Cake in the oven and finished putting together a Venison stew for dinner later. They came bearing flowers and cwtches (special Welsh hugs) and we spent several lovely hours setting the world to rights. Thank you Eric and Elsie for blessing me with your company.

The bijou Aloha Island Grill hut on Monroe Street in Spokane,Washington. There is just enough room inside for five people to stand and order at the counter. I've eaten many a Hawaiian plate lunch at the outside tables or in my car.

   I have been searching for recipes that are gluten free and still tasty. I find I still cannot fix most of the things I used to cook for Les. As everyone knows food is a potent means of stirring memories. I take no joy in cooking food for myself that Les and I enjoyed, without him here to share it, and most of those recipes need tweaking and substitutions to remove gluten, lactose, etc. For some reason I found myself thinking about one of my favorite Spokane take-aways from Aloha Island Grill on Monroe Street. 

Their Hawaiian plate lunches of Teriyaki chicken, macaroni salad, and sticky rice with Katsu sauce is food for the weary soul. This set me on an Internet search for recipes that might be close and I am happy to say I've found several I am going to test out soon.

   The other cuisine that has grabbed me by the gut is Middle Eastern--I finally found a Tzaziki sauce recipe I like and I cannot get enough of Chicken Souvlaki in gluten free pita bread. I am also jonesing for (craving) Dolmathes which are stuffed grape leaves.

   As a kid my parents hung out a couple they met through work. The Schei's had a daughter named Jeri who was close to my age and we hung out quite a bit. Her parents had been world travelers before settling in Anchorage and having children. They had ties to Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Lowell was a fabulous cook. I still remember everyone gathered around their table filling and rolling grape leaves. I wish I would've had the presence of mind to ask for some of his recipes but of course when one young, that isn't what is on one's mind. I've searched off and on for decades for a Dolmathe recipe close to Schei's and I've finally found one that I have adapted. I made a batch last week and they were so good! Now if I could just get Schei's recipe for salad dressing life would be darned near fabulous!

These Dolmathes are stuffed with a mixture of rice, organic lamb mince, finely diced onion, finely diced fresh mint and parsley, ground cumin and dash of Tobasco sauce, fresh lemon zest, olive oil, salt & pepper. Layered in an enamel cast iron pan, six cloves of peeled garlic are tucked down in between the layers which are topped with tomato passata (tomato sauce), olive oil and water, then cooked for 40 minutes after which the juice from a fresh lemon is squeezed over the top. These little rolls of love are addictive!

   My cold nose woke me this morning at 4:40 am. The coals had gone out in the stove and the boat was COLD.  I had planned to back up to the service point yesterday to top up the water tank but I woke to such thick fog and it didn't dissipate until noon, so I decided today was the day. At 8:00 am I started the engine, pulled the fenders up, folded down the TV antenna, slipped the tiller in place, untied the mooring lines and pushed NB Valerie out stern first, backing her up beyond the boat moored right behind me, past the permanent moored boats and over on to the service point landing. I topped up the tank, cleaned out the loo and the bathroom, dumped the rubbish, picked up the mail, and cruised slowly in the sunny chill of the morning wearing Les' green down Jacket for warmth.

Yellow roses from Elsie and Eric Fletcher, pink flowers and the birthday card from Ken and Sue Deveson, and pictures of loved ones. On the far left is Jesse with her favorite oldest son (and my favorite oldest grandson) who is now nineteen!

   Moored up now by the playground at the other end of Nantwich, I have a grocery order sorted for delivery tomorrow. The rest of today is one of leisure as it is my 61st birthday. I splurged and bought three books to read: two are Man Booker award winners and one is a BBC 4 book of the week: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017 winner), Milkman by Anna Burns (2018 winner), and Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History. I am filled with a fine sense of satisfaction today as I completed all those chores and moored up again by 10 am, and I've received a lovely birthday card in the mail from friends, emails and e-cards from friends, and cell phone texts from friends and family. Today Life is good. xxx