And who says downsizing to a narrowboat was easy? Rick and I spent too many months to count organising tools and fixings from the garage. We rediscovered items that had been dropped into recesses that never saw the light of day. Those thick cobwebbed odd-socks that were missing for so long that its partner had long departed to landfill heaven. And all this came from a two-bedroom house we were renting from a private landlord!
Now we can firmly say that it’s the end of a dreadful chapter and we can set our sights towards Narrowboat Kingfisher.
NB Kingfisher is a 62ft traditional vessel with enough living space for a simpler and (hopefully) more relaxed lifestyle for us both.
But there’s a catch…a van and car full of what we thought were essentials will also need organising. We must have three big boxes of shower gels, soaps, and personal hygiene commodities. Scattered on the floorspace are a few big bags of pans, dishes and cutlery. To add to the mix, a vast array of tools stacked high in boatman’s cabin. Once sorted, we can put the items into storage (around 235 miles away).
Among the mess, are some boxes of cleaning products, which will slowly dwindle through washing, wiping, window cleaning, polishing, descaling and disinfecting. I know we all live differently, but the state of the oven alone was enough for me to gauge the level of pride Kingfisher’s previous owner had of her.
We also have a list of DIY and maintenance jobs for us to work through. Inside jobs can be done whilst in the marina, and other outside jobs should be responsibly managed along the towpath.
As you have read, there is much work to do, and Rome wasn’t built in a day. At least we have time to get through it, for now.