Listeners' Questions, Episodes

Send us a text Join us tonight under the soft light of a veiled full moon as we consider the wash of winter tree colours, when to start looking for a mooring, and how practical do you have to be to live on a boat? Journal entry: 11th December, Wednesday “All week, a north-easterly Has raked across the bevelled Waters, aching and raw, Rattling the stern hatch doors. The reeds whisper cold Lullabies to the moorhen. A kingfisher darts dimly Through the dusk.” Episode Information: The...

As the slow march of Spring travels along the canal and towpaths, tonight I answer two more questions: How do we keep the boat from freezing when we have to leave it unattended, and how long does it normally take to buy a narrowboat? Journal entry: 7th March, Thursday. “A grey wind blows From a grey sky Troubling the surface Of the canal. Damson blossom Torn from branch Spun snow-like With each gust. Sweet smell of woodsmoke And the throat-catch of coal Crosses my path, head high,...

You have seen the Instagram photographs/videos of happy boat-dogs gambolling along summer towpaths, dense with colour and sunshine, or happily curled up in front of cosy fires, but what is the reality of sharing a boat with a dog really like, especially in the winter? Journal entry: 15th December, Friday. “All night, The owls echoed Along the valley In the long tunnel Of the night. This morning, A magpie scratched Her jagged song Across the metalled dome Of first light.” Episode I...

The temperature outside is dipping down towards zero, so join us for a cosy night by the glow of a hot stove, as we chat about two subjects close to my heart and the surprising way that living on a boat has altered my attitude to them. Journal entry: 13th October, Friday “Battered by the winds of the world I stop to watch the free-flight of rooks Diving from an oak into the full force Of a westerly gale. Gothic wings outspread, They surf the blast Hanging on its back In a rage of ecs...

There's an old and trustworthy adage on the canals: when two or more boaters meet up it is only a matter of time before the conversation will turn to the subject of toilets. So guess what the topic of this week's episode is?! Journal entry: 3rd October, Tuesday “Light fades. Dew Falls. Maggie follows a rabbit’s scent-trail Through the long, wet grass. Two rooks head east into darkness. I struggle in the half-light With the padlock on the gate So we head upwards over the hill Then dow...

There’s a chill in the air tonight and there will be mist on the water in the morning. Join me tonight as I answer some hard questions about how viability is a long term in the Erica on the canals? Journal entry: 21st September, Thursday “For a short while this evening The crescent moon and the setting sun Shared the same length of skyline. A fiery bronze heart and the ghost of bone. Then a robin sings as rain drops fall. Here is tranquillity and peace. The horned moon And evensong a...

On a dark night that is damp with an autumnal chill, join us as tonight I answer some of the questions posed by the listeners of this podcast which range from the decisions and motivations behind our choice to live afloat to canal etiquette. Journal entry: 14th September, Thursday “Thin drizzle. The jackdaws sound like Monosyllabic gulls this evening. Woundwort heals the breach between The canal and me. Red berries. Some days that is all you need: Rain and red berries.” Episode Infor...