Salopgal

Thanks Chris, that's good of you to say. I think you are right and I hadn't seen it that way. I do hope I don't become a financial drain on my parents for too long though. Here's hoping the divorce is plain sailing and the sale of our house the same. I'm ready to say goodbye to these bricks and mortar that I thought I would only ever be taken out of in a box - the time is right to leave, it so is... Right, I'll give this whole 'going to sleep' thing a go - grrrr, brain woefully active but the rest of me is so weary...

Thank you - you're still awake like me. I've got to get out of this habit of late nights!!

Good point - I'll try to! Thanks for that - how lovely that you saw her! I drove by there yesterday and didn't pop in and wish I had. I think she's still in dry dock, not sure. I'll leave her at Swanley till March and then by then I should have a better idea of when the divorce settlement is happening and try to sell our house. I don't think I can live aboard until I can afford to buy her off Mum. Not sure at the mo, anyway. Thanks for posting, you've really cheered me up this evening! K

Yes, but as a curvy girly, I might get labelled! Oh well, in for a penny...

Bit unfortunate that the name Delilah means "amorous temptress" though...

Thanks James - it's nail biting stuff isn't it?! Good luck on Sunday - I am really rooting for you! K

Hi all Just wanted to give you the wonderful news that 'Delilah' passed the survey with flying colours and the surveyor rang me last night to say that he thought I really had fallen on my feet with this boat. He said the owners had clearly taken incredible loving care of the boat and he was very thorough. I'm so relieved. Now come the bills...

I feel the same way. I'm looking forward to junking all the junk! I've hung on to stuff my whole life and have boxes of stuff to jog my memory about the places I've been and people I've met. So I'll have to decide what I absolutely can't bear to part with, and put in Mum's attic, against the stuff that is just plain daft to keep. Can't think of an example, except perhaps clothes that are size 8!! Oh dear... Not familiar with Gumtree so will check that out.

Hi Ally I really wish I could meet up/come to the Christmas do, but sadly my Hyperacusis prevents me from being anywhere where there are quite a few people and noise and Christmas stuff is all of that. It's a real shame and is why I have a pretty lousy social life. I have to 'pick my battles' hearing wise in that I do put myself in noisy situations but only if there's an escape route. That's why I was so relieved that the test run on Friday went so well. If I'd have had sound sensitivity pain with the engine, I'd have been devastated, but as it was, all was fine, even when the engine was being thrashed! Really appreciate the invite though! Perhaps one at a time! Spent an absolutely fabulous afternoon today with two friends who live on a 60 foot narrowboat and don't have a permanent mooring. They are only 22 miles away just now so they showed me around, gave me some handy hints on creating more storage space and we just had a great time 'chewing the fat'. They gave me cake and ginger beer - marvellous!! Glad I did an hour's exercise this morning to make up for the extra calories!! Right, time to go and finish washing up... TTFN K x

Excellent news - I'm so happy for you and glad to be the first to say so. I drive thru' Ellesmere on my way to work so know that you are in a pretty part of the world! Are there any pics of your boat on the net? K Seen some on Apollo Duck - nice boat! Love the galley set up, really practical. Nice and sleek throughout - you must be chuffed to bits! K

Yep, but as you live in Bridgnorth, it doesn't count as I think Shropshire keeps us looking young!!

Well I'm spoilt - I've got two loos in Delilah and so will be able to mix and match I suppose! What a hoot! Gin - and all the variations, fantastic. I make good sloe gin but can put it away in industrial strength quantities...!! Ah yes, no room for a drinks cupboard onboard, Oh well, I'll think of something! Thank you all again for your fantastic support. Love you each and every one(gin and wine speak - not good for diabetic girly!)... K x

Thanks James - good luck with yours too! It sure is! Life begins at 40 - in my case, at 46!!

Thank you SOOOOOO much for your messages of support and help. The test run went really well - better than I could have hoped and I am absolutely certain that this is the boat for me. The boat is in fabulous condition and the owners have taken amazing care of her. Having survey done next Tuesday. The couple are in their 60s and have had Delilah for 10 years. They has spent a small fortune getting her fully maintained at all times and there's even a brand new tv aerial just 6 weeks old. They are selling for very personal reasons. We spent over 4 hours together and we went out on the boat through two locks and then back again and then they showed me throughout the boat. The more time I'm on her, the more the "I can't wait" feeling strikes me!! I've asked the gentleman to make a detailed list of all the maintainance tasks and suggestions annually, biannuallly, monthly, weekly, daily etc. He's incredibly organised and utterly methodical in his approach to keeping the boat in tip-top condition and keeping all the paperwork, receipts, codes etc. He has spent a small fortune on top of the range stuff. The engine is immaculate and all of the systems work brilliantly. He even had the central heating fully serviced this week on my behalf and we tested everything out. Once the survey conclusions are in, we'll exchange and he'll spend a couple of days with me going through absolutely everything in fine detail so that I am au fait with all the tasks. I am really looking forward to putting my back into caring for her 100% and will make it my life's work whilst I have her in my care. I am so excited about living aboard now. No colly wobbles at all and I just can't wait!! Really today could not have gone better!! Thank you again - I am the happiest bunny alive... K

Thank you SOOOOOO much for your messages of support and help. The test run went really well - better than I could have hoped and I am absolutely certain that this is the boat for me. The boat is in fabulous condition and the owners have taken amazing care of her. Having survey done next Tuesday. The couple are in their 60s and have had Delilah for 10 years. They has spent a small fortune getting her fully maintained at all times and there's even a brand new tv aerial just 6 weeks old. They are selling for very personal reasons. We spent over 4 hours together and we went out on the boat through two locks and then back again and then they showed me throughout the boat. The more time I'm on her, the more the "I can't wait" feeling strikes me!! I've asked the gentleman to make a detailed list of all the maintainance tasks and suggestions annually, biannuallly, monthly, weekly, daily etc. He's incredibly organised and utterly methodical in his approach to keeping the boat in tip-top condition and keeping all the paperwork, receipts, codes etc. He has spent a small fortune on top of the range stuff. The engine is immaculate and all of the systems work brilliantly. He even had the central heating fully serviced this week on my behalf and we tested everything out. Once the survey conclusions are in, we'll exchange and he'll spend a couple of days with me going through absolutely everything in fine detail so that I am au fait with all the tasks. I am really looking forward to putting my back into caring for her 100% and will make it my life's work whilst I have her in my care. I am so excited about living aboard now. No colly wobbles at all and I just can't wait!! Really today could not have gone better!! Thank you again - I am the happiest bunny alive... K

Love you already!!

It's Swanley. What horrors do I need to know?

Thanks Alan - I really do need to know all this stuff and it's really helpful. I'm printing all these replies off and will take them with me tomorrow. Really grateful that you saw my post and took the time to reply. I'm bowled over by how helpful you guys are and I need to be aware of the bad as well as the good. Especially when it's coming out of my Dad's ISA!!

Thanks so much for everything you have said. Paul - that's really useful stuff about steering etc - brilliant. Mike - it means a lot - thanks for kind words! Yes, I agree about the photos. They seem to have changed them in the last week as the cream saloon and bedroom weren't on the website last weekend so perhaps a blip? I will ask them tomorrow. The actual saloon is the one with the two old fashioned chairs. Love them! Everything from waist height up comes with the boat so from that perspective, it is good to go...

Thanks for that! Am discussing getting survey done tomorrow and when. Didn't know about that in regard to insurance and none of the companies Mum has rung mentioned that. The boat is Delilah: http://www.swanleybrokerage.co.uk/boats/boat/120

Hi both There's a pump out and cassette toilet, so a choice. There is a good service history - the boat is 20 years old but seems to be incredibly well looked after. Roof repainted and hull blacked July 2012. Engine fully serviced June 2012. Whole boat professionally painted 2010. Water tank relined last year. New central heating system last year. Gas refit last year. Immaculate inside and out. Survey will be knocked off the price of the boat... Vendors are lovely, have met them already, so am much more confident than I was yesterday when I was panicking. But as Mum said, we've committed ourselves now and have to live with the outcome... I'm not normally this rash, but she is, so it's tricky, but nothing I can do. Hoping for the best, which probably sends shivers up your spines but Mum's taking the financial responsibility and she is very cheerful about it, I might add. All a bit weird, but onwards and upwards! K x I wish!! Moorings last till 1st Jan 2013. Licence lasts to May 2013. Boat safety certificate to June 2015.

Hello all Well, rightly or wrongly, my Mum has committed us to buying a particular narrowboat and so I am going on a test run tomorrow with the vendors. Mum got a bit ahead of herself on Saturday enthusiasm wise and put down a deposit, even though we had agreed on the drive down to Nantwich to think it over for 48 hours...!!! Aaaarrggh! I know this is really short notice and lots of you may not be online tonight, but in case you are, you may just be able to find some time to advise me. I'm not sure what questions to ask tomorrow. I've made a bit of a list, but you experts out there might think of something obvious that I've missed! If you can think of anything, I'll check my mails before I leave at 9.45am tomorrow morning and look forward to reporting back how I got on. Bye for now and thanks so much !! K x

Hello all Well, rightly or wrongly, my Mum has committed us to buying this particular narrowboat and so I am going on a test run tomorrow. She got a bit ahead of herself on Saturday and put down a deposit, even though we had agreed on the drive down to Nantwich to think it over for 48 hours...!!! I know this is really short notice and lots of you may not be online tonight, but in case you are, you may find some time to advise me. I'm not sure what questions to ask tomorrow. I've made a bit of a list, but you experts out there might think of something obvious that I've missed! If you can think of anything, I'll check my mails before I leave at 9.45am tomorrow morning and look forward to reporting back how I got on. Bye for now! K x I may post this under a separate heading too - just in case...!

Just want to say that you guys are really helping me stay afloat in more ways than one! I am more moved than I can say, and thankful, for the personal messages of good will and encouragement I have had over the last few days. I may have been in bits crying in my bosses office today, but coming home to such warmth of support on the net is wonderful, when all else seems to be falling about my ears. I'm still not sure what to do on Friday about the test run. The couple are coming down to Nantwich from Conwy and I don't want to mess them about in any way; not at all... I'll make my decision by Wednesday and ring Mum and, if cancelling, ring the broker straightaway. I have pretty major issues with control where my mother is concerned which go way back, so there is far more than just money invested in this purchase. And, she did did rather creepily say when paying the deposit: "This is going to be MY boat, because I am paying for it, and I might decide not to sell it to you...!" I think she was joking - but only just!! See what I'm up against? Not just an angry husband but a rather perverse parent too!! Thank goodness for gin...

I've been thinking further about the whole boat thing. It's thrown into sharp relief by the offer of funds from my parents. But on reflection, I cannot accept their generous offer. It is their care money and it is vital they hang on to it "just in case". Dad's in his 80s, very frail indeed and starting with dementia, Mum is semi-disabled and looking at having a big operation done privately. I cannot, in all good faith, take this money from them no matter how firmly they thrust it at me! Also, the friend I hoped would gladly store my extraneous stuff is not keen at all to help - I asked him last night. This has come as a big surprise and considerable disappointment but I should not have relied on him saying yes! I've never asked him for help before, and consider him to be one of my dearest friends, but in a way, his reluctance provides an answer of sorts. Now is clearly not the time for the boat. I think it will happen, but now is clearly not the time. Nevertheless, I shall continue to keep in touch with the boating fraternity and see what happens next year, once my house is hopefully sold and divorce over and done with. I've been a bit of a rash fool to think I could sort my life out so quickly. Still, I'll be moving on with a wry smile on my face! I guess that a cheap rental, flat or small terraced house, will be best for now until I've had time to rid myself of junk and stuff. My art studio alone is stuffed to the rafters with equipment, paper, paint etc and hard to trim down. Thank you again for your words of encouragement and advice - they are not wasted! They have helped me tremendously and feel, as a potential loner (!!) that I might be already making some friends... KL