Even though today is Sunday, I got up at 9am! I wanted to get up early to catch up on some paid work. So after a walk with Honey along the canal, we headed to my flat on the bus.
About midday it started raining and continued to rain for the rest of the day and night.
I bumped into my flat neighbour today, who said that Nicola Sturgeon is making announcements on Tuesday about the lockdown restrictions and there is talk that Edinburgh may drop to Level 2 – what does that mean? I’ve only just got used to Level 3 !!!
We returned to the boat about 6pm and I started my evening routine.
- Put the kettle on
- Gather two logs and kindling from the bow.
- Put on a head torch and gloves.
- Go outside with the logs in the coal scuttle to the shed.
- With the head torch switched on, to see, I open the shed padlock. It has a small chain, which I am forever dropping, so the head torch is very useful!
- Put on one glove to pick up the coal and fill the coal scuttle.
- I then get the piece of wood ‘plank’ to chop wood, which is stored outside next to the shed. The previous owners left it behind 🙂
I get the axe and put a log on the wood plank.
(you can see the shadow of the axe in this photo!)
- I chop the logs and put in the coal scuttle on top of the coal.
- I head indoors, make a cup of tea then go to the wood burner.
- Empty the ash out of the wood burner from the night before, lay the wood burner – paper, fire lighters, kindling, some logs and coal on top – then light!
Two hours later the boat is cosy warm. When I started this evening it was 9 degrees on the boat, now it is 28 degrees !!
Lockdown Restrictions Corner
For regular readers you will know that for the last three days I have been describing current lockdown restrictions across the UK. England (Day 227), Scotland (Day 228), Wales (Day 229) and today is Northern Ireland.
Thinking about this more, I thought I could start covering other countries too, so I have decided to create a new section – ‘Lockdown Restrictions Corner’. No doubt, things will change again all too soon.
Yesterday (Day 229) Janek was describing the lockdown restrictions in the Republic of Ireland and Hannah (on Day 228) was telling me about Spain where she recently was on holiday. So I thought why not start researching other countries and include a different one each day.
Of course, if you have any reflections about what it is like living in your area / country with your lockdown restrictions, I can include that in here too!!
With talk on the town that Edinburgh may move down to Level 2 on Tuesday, I have already looked up what that means in my blog on Day 228, so it could become a useful resource too 🙂
So today we are looking at Northern Ireland.
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52530518)
Northern Ireland is currently in a four week ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown restrictions, this includes:
- Schools were closed for 2 weeks, an extended half term, but now they have reopened.
- Pubs, bars and restaurants are closed, except for takeaways and deliveries, that must stop at 11pm.
- Support bubbles are limited to a maximum of 10 people from two households.
- You are not allowed to stay overnight in someone’s house unless you are in their support bubble.
- Close-contact services are closed – e.g. hairdressers, beauticians, etc.. But essential services e.g. dentists are open.
- Indoor sports and contact sports are stopped – But they can continue if at elite level.
- Gyms are open for individual exercise only.
- Events up to 15 people can go ahead – But some sporting events above 15 people can go ahead.
- Weddings are limited to 25 people – But no receptions.
- Funerals are limited to 25 people – But no wakes either before or afterwards.
Readers Corner
Two comments today.
Hannah
Hannah spotted an error in Face-Mask Corner on Day 228, saying:
“Just noticed in the facemask corner, I am wearing different clothes from the pics in rest of the blog, must have been from a different day”.
Well spotted!! I put all my photos for Face-Mask Corner in one folder on my computer – I must have copied the wrong one. Here is the correct photo:
Ian
Ian posted a Facebook comment on yesterdays blog (Day 229) saying:
“Glad you are settling in ok”.
Thanks Ian 🙂
As I come to the end of todays blog, I have been reflecting on my week. Tonight is my 7th night on the boat and I am starting to develop routines. On Wednesday (Day 226), Miles asked me what was the most noticeable difference living on a boat compared to a flat. I have been thinking about that question ever since – I think the most noticeable difference is that I am outside all the time! I am living so much more outside, where as in my flat, I can stay there all day, apart from walking Honey. I have to go outside, every time I wanted to go to the loo, have a shower, heat the boat, etc…Its great!
I also think the feeling of being on water is so different – the energy feels different, its hard to explain. Also just walking along the canal in the morning, it feels a lot stiller, even though there is noise about.
I am also loving lighting the wood burner every night, its very satisfactory! After years of living with storage heaters, in which heat is pumped out in the morning, not when it is needed at night – its great to be able to be warm in the evening 🙂
In this section, for many months I have posted a photo taken from roughly the same angle, at the end of the night. Which has been at the graveyard on my evening walk with Honey the Dog.
I have been trying to find another photo to take daily to put in here. I am trying with this photo, which is taken on my morning walk with Honey from Leamington Bridge, first think in the morning. I will try this one for a while and see it it feels right.
This morning it was cloudy, by late morning (I think) it was raining and has continued to rain all day and evening. It’s been reasonably cold, but not super cold for this time of year.
Thanks for your continuous reading.
Good Night!
Jim x