Being prepared.

Good afternoon Friends.

It has been a morning of waiting around. This time I was waiting around for my Tesco Delivery. But before any of that happened, Keith and I were sat up in bed at 6am drinking tea and chatting about allsorts of things. We tend to have great discussion when sitting in bed with a nice warming cuppa to drink. This morning we discussed this weather and how it may end life a float for some, who are finding it all to hard to cope with. We have already met two couples who are contemplating leaving the waterways, one couple for good and the other who are considering mooring in a marina for the winter. I think to be a continuous cruiser in the winter, you do need to be aware of how difficult it can be, especially when frozen in. You cannot always be near facilities, it is easy to get caught out, as has happened to some this year.

To be prepared for a winter like this you should.

Make sure you are topped up with Diesel and Water. Also carry spare diesel and water in cans.

Take on a good supply of Coal or Wood. Just in case you cannot get to somewhere to get some.

Stock up the supply cupboard with lots of tinned foods and part baked bread. Just in case there is not a local shop.

Carry a Porta Potty if you have a pumpout loo and have a shovel. Because if your pumpout is full, you can at least dig a hole in a field and empty a porta potty out.

Make sure you have the correct clothing and footwear.

I have found that with all these things in place, we have absolutely no worries about being frozen in, when in the middle of no where. Of course if your frozen in for some weeks, you may need to walk to somewhere to get water. As for getting food when the tins and packets runs out, you can of course get a food delivery from one of the Supermarkets. I like to think there is a way around every situation.I wonder where the spider is who made this web?At the moment I have no idea how thick the ice is on the canal. I do however know it is not thick enough to stand on. As nice as it looks you cannot walk or skate on it. I do hope that we do not have anyone walking on it like we did last year. Last December a young man walked across the basin with his dog. I soon put him right on the dangers of walking on water covered with ice. He did not do it again, and is now not living on a boat, he found the boat life to much like hard work.I love this sort of weather, this is the Winter we should be having every year. Everything has been touched by Jack Frost and his icy finger.The hoar frost touched the branches on the trees, leaving them covered in a White coat of frost. It looked like they had been snowed upon. In the morning sunshine the brances glistened, as if someone had switched on fairy lights.No one in the basin is going anywhere at the moment. NB Idunno did manage to get over to the Sanitary Station for a pumpout over the weekend, but the basin is now all frozen over again.When the weather is this harsh, it is the wildlife that suffers the most. The ducks here have a small pool of water to swim in under a Willow tree, and Graham on NB Roehaise, has been making the pool bigger, by running his engine in gear everyday. The locals have been coming out with food for the ducks and Moorhens, so they are not going hungry. Putting food and water out for the birds is and wildlife is so important.

The morning wore into the afternoon and the Tesco delivery arrived at 12.30pm. We stacked the food in a box and bags and wheeled it back to the boat on the sack barrow. Once stowed away on board, I made us some lunch. I then had a coal delivery to make in the basin along a very slippery towpath. Job done, I am now in the warm for the rest of the day, unless of course I am called upon to deliver more coal. The hold is now pretty empty, so I am looking forward to a new coal delivery at the end of the week all being well.

Time for a coffee me thinks and then it will be time to organise something for dinner tonight. Have a good evening xx