New year, new beginning

After a week into the New Year I have just about caught up with myself and after the extended holiday, am now approximately back to normality.

A quiet winter mooring

The usual boat-side routine is clicking back into position slowly, though I tend to be sleeping longer in the mornings till it gets light. I am only following the rules of nature by generally staying awake during the daylight period, tending to experience early nights and later mornings. In the summer the rule is the same but the sleeping pattern changes. I enjoy going to bed about eleven at night and awaking for good at around four in the morning. During both seasons, the magnificent sunrises make it well worth the moment.

But having arrived in Warwick a month and a half later than I originally planned, Christmas seemed to be upon us almost immediately which was a bit unnerving and from which I have only just recovered.

I think Kate Boats are a bit stretched for staff, because their hire boat business is going so well this winter season. At this time for the last two years no boats have been able to go out at all, either because we have been iced in and/or lock gates have been taken out on either side of us at the Stockton flight to the east or the Hatton Flight to the west. This time things are entirely different for the company and though I applaud the situation for them, it does mean that the two jobs that I need doing rather desperately on board are very much put aside as a second priority.

Since I have been here, at the beginning of every working week, I have reminded the girls in the office that my jobs are of a high priority too, and each time they say: “Yes of course Mr. Hutchings. We’ll see to it.” And then promptly nothing happens for the rest of that week. I actually managed to get their engineer Rob, on one of the rare occasions that he comes here, to climb aboard to have a look at my leaking calorifier and to decide what needed to be done. He even managed to read the ticket on the side of the old cylinder for the details to order a new one, but I notice one hasn’t arrived yet, so I expect the whole idea has been put to one side again.

But as we still have another month and a half before I plan to cruise again, I am not too seriously anxious about the delay at this moment. I suspect that so long as I keep the pressure on, eventually the jobs will be done. Such is the nature of things on the waterway system and it’s no good whatsoever trying to change this philosophy. In any case, I know I am one of the keenest supporters of this set of values.

But here we are at the beginning of a new year. I have no idea what will happen but know for certain that it will be full of adventure and whatever happens I shall not be disappointed. The life will never get me down. In fact I am so glad that I have the opportunity to be part of this way of life. It brings me so close to Nature and other like minded people, who possess a similar viewpoint that makes the existence quite simply idyllic.