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a narrowboat in a white bikini

Entries in this blog

does it get cold in winter?

NO it bloody well doesnt.   what brick house have you ever lived in where its icy cold outside, theres an icy wind blowing and yet you are walking around in the buff inside, with the windows open sipping a cocktail and thinking of palm trees?   this narrowboat has to be the hottest place ive ever lived. mainly because Mr. X is nesh and likes it tropical. without him I probably wouldn't light the fire most of winter. So now hes added an ecofan to make the bedroom hotter and to avoid me we
honey ryder

honey ryder

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the inner workings and lethargical enterprise

Now then, I seem to recall us being in and trying to get out of a recession. You'd think that this would spark off a little urgency in the working people, those who run small businesses and so on.   Well, ive been trying to get someone to come and have a look at a p bracket that needs 'a fixin' and blow me if they all can't be bloody arsed. Ive been told its because marine engineers dont take women seriously. I find thid hard to belive. My money and boat is no different to anyone elses is it
honey ryder

honey ryder

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Whats under yours?

I don't know if everyone does this, but I get really bored of having my furniture in the same place for weeks on end. I feel the urge to move stuff around.   unfortunately on a boat there's not many places to move stuff to.   I had a good half a day at home today to do some work and while I was there during daylight hours, I also had the chance to relax for once on my sofa. but I couldnt.   Our living room area is a bit awkwardly laid out, the stove is big and takes up too much space t
honey ryder

honey ryder

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boat safety

So, another day another dollar so they say... In the case of our boat its more accurate to say, its trying its best to bleed us dry, it surely is female!   This time after rectifying all the problems highlighted in a boat safety check we eagerly awaited a call today to hear if it passed or not.   NO, is the answer and to be honest I wasn't entirely suprised. A very small gas leak, on the new hob we fitted. I was sure it wouldn't be completely gas tight because the way it was installed wit
honey ryder

honey ryder

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look the waters gone stiff

at first it was a novelty, after it was a good photo opportunity, then it was a good cruise and funny smashing noises, followed by a learning curve of how to steer (or not) in the ice, then it was fun smashing the ice to be able to open lock gates, after that it was an interesting talking point at work. Now Im bored of it.   Yes it was exciting to draw the curtains and see the ice formed on the INSIDE yes it was fun smashing through ice with the boat yes its lovely and cosy with the fire lit
honey ryder

honey ryder

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wetter than an otters pocket

A fine weekend for cruising if you are a fish.   This weekend we took the boat away from the sales pontoon to move it to its temporary berth in penton hook marina First we headed off through the massive marina for a top up on diesel and while we braved the sudden downpour we watched the police storm the place, apparently in search of someone or something.   As we waited around on the diesel pontoon for the fiasco to finish, the chap from the marina came talked to us as he filled our tank.
honey ryder

honey ryder

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an "end of week" life crisis

It's been a strange old week this week. So Im going to curl up on the therapists couch, otherwise known as a blog and talk about what's on my mind   to set the scene, I've been on very "flexible hours" working as I do in Croydon and currently residing in Harlow, tied up to some trees and having the boarding plank set to maximum reach.   working late at the office and working from home this week has given me time for reflection. Sitting in the boat slaving over a hot laptop in front of a glow
honey ryder

honey ryder

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faffing and splashing about

I'm not alone in the world when I say I love to faff.   I know there's quite a few people out there who love faffing as much as I do and this weekend I exercised my right to faff.   Firstly we moved the boat from Harlow town to Cheshunt. that took us about 5 hours which included a stop off for diesel and water. it wasnt a bad trip really, the locks gates are ridiculously hard in places but we were extremely lucky with 8 out of 9 or so locks in our favour. The highlight of the trip was t
honey ryder

honey ryder

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a touch of wind

it all seemed like a great idea at the time, finish work as early as possible and head off to the baot for a night.   The plan was set, we cooked a large reheatable chilli con carne the night before in my flat and syncronised watches. My partner Yann, headed off to work and the plan was to meet again at the boat at night.   So, Im working on deadline at my office and I dont quite manage to leave work as early as planned but 6.30pm isnt particularly late by my standards. Next I saddled up
honey ryder

honey ryder

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psycho-analysing handbags

Since we moved our boat closer to a convenient train station I have been partaking in the English past-time of getting to work at random times ( mostly late) via public transport.   It's quite an entertaining, infuriating, humanising, de-humanising, educational experience.   first of all, there's quite a variety of people, but most, if not 99.9% don't talk, not to each other that is.   this is commuting in the south. this is cramming as many people in to one small space as is possible a
honey ryder

honey ryder

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the world is my ocean

I do like a good holiday.   It seems odd when I sit and think about it, that I have never taken a holiday on my own boat. I live on it, I move it around frequently but Ive never really thought to spend a whole two weeks of my holiday allocation cruising it nowhere, anywhere, just for the sheer holiday of it.   It also seems odd when I carry on thinking about my choices of holiday, that when I do make the effort to go away, I am magnetized to water. and very often, despite actually not liki
honey ryder

honey ryder

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doggies got a brand new bag

so on the theme of bags and how people of the south wear theirs...   papas got a brand new bag.. or more precisely Mr B.   ok, its pink and feminine but Mr B is an effeminate dog and doesn't much care.   I shall be parading like a proper prissy dog owner now. actually he will be more secure in his car when he's in my car... thats the main point of it.  
honey ryder

honey ryder

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Marching on an empty stomach

It was a turbulent day yesterday for both body and mind.   The wind was pretty magnificent in its force and I watched with interest from my 10th floor office window. The view I have is of the A23 running south towards Brighton and there was a couple of huge cranes swaying to and fro on the nearby building site. I watched the guys in the yellow jackets and hard hats trying to get some work done as I was so busy trying to do the opposite. My thoughts fleetingly going back to the boat and wonde
honey ryder

honey ryder

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clairvoyance, rose tinting and arid extra dry

Im on holiday, the kind of holiday where there are no plans, nothing to do but simply enjoy not working and having a chance to have some quality time with me. Its been a few years since, in fact no, its been since NEVER that I had two weeks to do as I please, to do what I like, when I like because, just because.   I'm on my own here on Honey Ryder and for the first time since I've lived on the boat I feel like Im enjoying it. not because Im moving the boat, not because I even like the boat,
honey ryder

honey ryder

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lessons learnt: when canoing goes wrong

This week, when canoing goes wrong... what the neighbours think... and what kind of world is this we find ourselves in?   first of all, let me just say, what a superb weekend it just was. Beautiful weather, blue sky and all round shits n giggles despite my grief for losing my grandad just a few days ago. Im not one for moping around depressed no matter how bad a situation may seem so this weekend we decided we had had enough fannying around fiddling with the boat, it was time to go and pla
honey ryder

honey ryder

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lessons learnt: what the neighbours think

So after my unexpected brush with complete stupidity out in the kayak earlier in the day I was sitting in the warmth and comfort of the boat reflecting on my actions.   What struck me was that in all the time I was out playing on the water and potentially causing a major 999 television drama re-enactment, my neighbour was STILL polishing his mushroom vents with brasso. The neighbour on the otherside was also busily cleaning and polishing and between the two boats I felt like I was witnessing
honey ryder

honey ryder

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lesson learnt: what kind of world is this?

mooring fees and marinas are a touchy subject under the Honey Ryder roof at the moment,   I know ive expressed my dislike of our current mooring situation before but it really is something that eats me up inside because first of all, I feel like we've been treated like mugs and secondly the place we are forced to stay at, is for me at least, is like living in a warehouse environment. impersonal and without feeling, its all business and money and absolutely no personality or basic human kindne
honey ryder

honey ryder

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Gerrinside, save yerselves!

I was sitting at work yesterday, again doing my best not to do too much because Im a lazy sod. anyway, i saw the met office forecast of -4 for the night time and then thought about the boat having no heating or frost protection.   We headed over to the boat after work ( around 11pm) for an unscheduled stop over to add a frostat heater. it was quite chilly inside but with the fire lit, the central heating turned up to stun and a fan heater in the bedroom we were warm and toasty in about 30 mi
honey ryder

honey ryder

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A couple of weeks non-boating

As I near the end of my two weeks holiday, away from work, away from the man, away from all the infuriating commuting... I have arrived the other side feeling so much energetic and full of life. I havent moved the boat at all, Im still moored alongside a friend who looked after it while I went away to the north, arriving back all I needed to do was run the engine and charge the batteries.   unfortunately with the boat along side me its created a really good metal barrier to my internet signa
honey ryder

honey ryder

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a one woman crime wave

It seems as though this year is doomed to be a year of criminal activity. I feel like it is surrounding me at the moment.   At the start of the year, the boating year just after easter I had my bike nicked off the roof of the boat, that was a sign of things to come. I bought a new bike and then two months later that was nicked too, this time from a secure carpark... then came the car's time to be broken into and violated.   so you would imagine that the three things would stop there.
honey ryder

honey ryder

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muppets

The muppets of the puppetry type, a guaranteed way to raise a smile and add a ray of sunshine to your day   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wMHcpMmV9g   oh and i found out last night that they caught the little muppet who broke into my neighbours car, thanks to a nice sample of blood he left on the door.   muppet.
honey ryder

honey ryder

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Travel Power and electric toothbrushes

Honey Ryder is fitted with the best system I've ever known for supplying power. It's got electrical power coming out of its ears, not literally, but metaphorically.   2kw Inverter, Charger, shore power, comprehensive battery management, small suit case gennie for just in case, solar panel awaiting fitment, ELECTROLUX TRAVEL POWER...   When I bought the boat I didn't know what IT was or how it worked. after asking the questions on the canal forum I got answers for how to make it work,  
honey ryder

honey ryder

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The cats outta the bag

quite literallly the cat, was out of his bag as I was on a mission this weekend to rehome my beloved ginger moggy, previously a rescued stray and then rehomed with my Grandad in Chesterfield, who recently passed away, leaving a cat in need of a new home. So Ginger ( aren't I creative when it comes to names!) did his best to foil me in my attempts to find him a better life with my boss in the south of england. I originally mentioned to Yann I was thinking of putting the cat on the boat, but bef
honey ryder

honey ryder

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Cheshunt to Limehouse Basin

After two and a bit weeks of mooring alongside a friend the time came for us to move on to pastures new.   The kind gentleman Cliff (and his frequently visiting lady friend Dianne) on his boat Axe looked after Honey Ryder while I was on holiday and kept me company while I was home alone , he even lent me his axe, labelled Axe should anyone want to know what it was or what boat it came from...   Axe has ventured north up the river lee and Honey Ryder has ventured south of Cheshunt for the f
honey ryder

honey ryder

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