Tonight in our first night living on my boat 🙂
It’s very weird and Honey seems completely confused by the lack of routine that she is familiar with. Due to my worry making my 40Gb of data last the whole of November, I felt lost without Netflix or anything to watch on my tablet. Ten days ago someone told me about Below Deck, the first two seasons are on Netflix, the rest on Amazon Prime. It is a reality tv show about living on a boat! I have been slowly watching that ever since.
This evening, I put on BBC Radio 4, which I hardly ever listen to, but really enjoyed. Is that because I am getting old ?! 😉
I may start re-reading the many books I have over the next couple of months. My mobile phone provider tells me that from January 2021, there will be a new deal of unlimited data for £20 a month.
I then put on the wood burner and cooked some food. I haven’t got the hang of the wood burner yet, it got super hot and I have had the door open most the evening to try and cool the boat down!
On Friday and Saturday, when bringing my belongings onto my boat I was unpacking it all and finding a place for it on the boat. On Sunday I was tired, so just dumped it on the bed. I have now found a temporary home for all the boxes, either under the bed or stacked up along one wall, so that Honey and I can sleep on the double bed. The double bed is away from the wood burner, so is cooler – plus trying to sleeping on the single sofa bed with Honey doesn’t work so well, as she takes up so much room.
This morning, I returned the hire car that I have been using all weekend and then headed into town to buy a 4 week bus pass. I past a Kilt shop and was surprised to see face-masks in the window for sale – face-masks are everywhere! Next to the kilt shop was a wedding shop, I was half expecting to see face-masks in the window in the design of wedding dresses, but there were none.
The city centre seemed quite quiet and I felt a pang of sadness that The Melting Pot is no longer in Rose Street, realising that whenever I am in town, I often pop in just to see what is happening. Or think to myself “I wonder who is in today“.
On the way home, I walked past The Omni Centre and was pleasantly surprised to see two workers, cleaning the handles on the outside to make them Covid Safe. However, by the time I had got my phone out to take a phone they had gone inside. You can see (in the photo) standing inside. I also spotted a hotel with the now familiar Covid Entrance and Exit signs.
I then decided to go into Topping & Company Bookshop, which has been opened for a while but I haven’t been in. It used to be a bank that I used loads.
I was stunned on how great it is inside, with soft gentle music playing and a maze of corridors with books. It also has a café, so I will have to return. Its interesting, as I have now downsized massively on all the books I own, that I am drawn to a bookshop!
When I got home, I picked up Honey and we headed to the boat. Pierre a French guy was coming round this afternoon to have a look at my solar panel that is not working. After looking at that, he told me I had 20 minutes left, explaining he charges by the hour. So he came onto my boat and tightened up my wood burner, replacing some bolts and put some protection covering round the glass plate, which will help with leakage.
He was very thorough on all he did, was super helpful and explained lots about my boat! He now does this as a full time job, working on all the boats between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Once he was gone, it dawned on me, how great it is to walk out my boat, right into the outside. I’ve hardly ever lived in places like that, as with flats, you go to the stairwell, then outside. That’s something I am going to like about living on a boat.
Honey and I went for a walk along the canal to Harrison Park and I was able to let her off the lead.
Face-Mask Corner
When I picked up the hire car on Friday (Day 221), I looked in the glove compartment to find a face-mask that looked very similar to ladies underwear.
So here it is in Face-Mask Corner !
I decided to leave them in the glove compartment for someone else.
Readers Corner
One comment today.
Theo
Theo posted a Facebook post on yesterdays blog (Day 223) in regards to my moving onto my boat, saying:
“Wow! What a task!!”.
Thanks Theo! It is a task, but great to downsize 🙂
Music / Podcast Corner
As I went through my emails today, I found a Google Alert for a Spotify Podcast about me!
It was posted by The Edinburgh Reporter, the podcast that I did on Day 28.
I’m totally chuffed to have made it onto Spotify 🙂
With Brian’s Podcast post in Music Corner on Day 212, I’ve decided to turn Music Conner into ‘Music / Podcast Corner’. Any objections to this, can be put to the ‘Blog Community’ (Brayshaw, MJ, 2020).
So today we have Meeting Jim the Magician
As I come to the end of this blog, I realise how relaxed I am feeling right now. It has been lovely, just chilling out this evening and not watching Netflix! After a busy week leading up to the weekend, its so nice to have finally made it.
Next, I need to start sorting my flat out to get it up to rentable standard and find a tenant to move in.
I am really enjoying the quietness of living here and being on water. Pierre said that everyone he knows who has moved onto living on a boat, have not regretted it. I am also enjoying the newness of it all, although also very exhausting.
Today, it has been cool, but it hasn’t rained (that I can remember). This evening it is a bit windy, as the boat is being buffered about, Honey is a bit disturbed by it all.
Hope you have had a good start to you week.
Lots of love.
Jim & Honey xx
James Paden
Hi Jim, I have read all of your blog, the boat looks great and all your pictures are fantastic. Glad things have worked out for you, although I realise it was very tiring work. Look forward to seeing you on zoom tomorrow.