During April of last year 2009, John and I found ourselves looking for places to walk our dog Bob! The fields surrounding our little cottage had been divided and sold and my stomping ground for the past 24years was fenced, barbed, and razor wired. I was banned, trespassers will be shot. LOL.I am pretty sure that I now know how a hamster would feel if after many years you removed his wheel from out of his cage. I was lost. Nowhere to walk, something I had done for all those years at least twice a day. It was most disorientating, I didn't know how to start my day anymore. The little cottage was surrounded by very busy roads and the fields had been my haven, my bit of paradise, the place I could find God every day. I had this little patch all to myself the dogs, (I had two for many years) never knew what it was like to wear a collar and lead. They were as free as the wind also. Considering the situation of this area of land, (we were like an Island in the middle of 4 main roads! One a motorway which was recently constructed, 2002/04) there was an abundance of wild-life. Not only the more often seen rabbits and foxes, we had badgers, and deer! One year we had the privilege of watching a mother and foal who stayed here for the whole summer and were visited by a grand stag one day much to our joy. Seeing the badger was a real treat and in broad daylight at that. I felt truly blessed. Every day would bring some very welcome visitor into my life. One time a peacock male came and spent a week with us, roosting in the evenings in the old oak tree's which lined the abandoned canal which ran along the length of the fields. I had a tawny owl fly right over my head when I was walking here one morning. A pair of little owls made a nest in the ruins of the old farm building. I had logged over 60 different species of birds which regularly visited our garden during a year. We had a weasel run in between my pet ducks legs one day as we looked out of the kitchen window up the garden which backed onto the start of this common land and fields. I've had many birds to nurse and look after during our time here, crows 2, pigeons more then I can remember, a lapwing, doves, baby thrush which were successfully reared and released back into the garden, a wren, a dunnock, a starling, greenfinches, sparrows and blackbird chicks. My garden was home for our pets, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and a goose. An aviary with cockatiels, finches, budgies, ring necked parrot, canaries. Most of them un-wanted pets or ones which happened to find their way here to us. All were more then welcome, I loved them all. So this had been my life for the past 25 years as I said. Then one day my walk was stopped, I had no where to roam each morning and evening. I felt like my wings had been clipped. By this time we were down to one dog, Bob, one cockatoo Koko, 10 cockatiels, 1 budgie and 2 finches. We had found a place on our doorstep which even though it required a car journey to get there, it was a nice walk once there about 4 miles circular trip. We had a really un-pleasant experience there one very busy hot Saturday evening. Our little Jack Russel Dudley who was getting on in years and a bit portly to say the least, was savagely attacked by a very hungry Rottweiler! An experience I wouldn't wish any pet owner to have to go through. It was horrendous. For a time I refused point blank to ever visit there again, in fact I didn't want to go anywhere where there was other people and there pets. Life went down-hill for a while. Then one day we found a brochure about walks from Fradley junction. We drove up there, about 30 mins from here and decided to do the long walk............ From that moment on our lives would change, we were smitten with the canal system and the life aboard a narrow boat. We wanted this life.
The following months found us walking many of the canal tow path walks local to us. We would stop and talk with anyone who would give us their time and experiences of this life which we had began to yearn for. So many lovely people, so friendly and helpful and so obviously happy! It was a community we wanted to become a part of. The house must be sold! So in October 2009 the house went on the market. Today the house is sold/ sale agreed. We have only the legalities to finalise the transaction which could take another couple of months. But all looking good so far. We have a build slot for our 65/66ft narrow boat which I will blog about in the future as things begin to move along with that. In fact, that is the whole reason for renewing this blog. It will be my day to day diary of our new life as a couple of liveaboards afloat on the British Water-ways. In the meantime it's a waiting game. With all of the surveys carried out on the house and nothing cropping up to stop the deal going through, we are simply having to wait for the signing of contracts. In the meantime, lots to do. Trimming down our belongings to fit on a narrow-boat is proving quite a challenge, but fun to. I am in love with the thought of being a minimalist. After 25 yrs of clutter and stuff. We have both been a bit like wombles, bringing home stuff others throw away and making something else of it. It's been fun, and extremely cheap to live. We have never brought a sofa in all this time. Most of the washing machines were free, fridges, freezers, micro-waves, TV's. It's been the good life. But we both agree, this new one will be the best.
