They used to be all over the floor by the tills of the local Co-op when I was little. You can't get 'em for love nor money now. Well, I tell a lie actually, Argos are selling them would you believe so you can get them for money. I only want them for packing though.
Here's a fact: I know bugger all about boats. Al and me have decided to move onto one anyway, though. Little More is the 38 foot long, 6 foot 10 wide result of a half forgotten conversation in 2006. We weren't drunk. We said something about how we'd love to spend a summer and autumn travelling round the UK but that by the Autumn it might get a bit too nippy for that sort of malarkey. We didn't want to use road transport, what with it being evil and that, so assumed we'd be walking and using the train, then camping to save cash. But the thing about Britain is, it ain't southern Europe is it? Too chilly come late September to be leaning out of the awning of a tiny lightweight tent in the brass-monkey-bluster to heat up a tin of beans. Bloody miserable, in fact. Hence the genius idea to bugger the tent and get another form of accommodation that you take with you - a narrowboat. They're economical to run and there's no danger of taking a wrong turning and ending up on some godforsaken A road (hopefully). I won't bore you with the fretful financial considerations because frankly they are none of your business but suffice to say, after a lot of stress and faff, on Monday (4 days from now) we move out of our flat, somebody else moves in and we take a small amount of stuff up to the Calder and Hebble navigation in West Yorkshire to move on to our boat for a bit.
The bit is anything from 4 days (if it keeps raining like it has been) to 4 months.
If you want to know how it's going, come back and I'll be telling you...
I told you someone would move into your flat in time!! :-)
Posted by: Green Fairy | July 05, 2007 at 08:10 PM
Good luck to you both, and please keep up the blogging.
Hope to catch up with you within the early weeks...
Posted by: Andrew Beacock | July 05, 2007 at 09:22 PM
Let us know if you're sailing near to or over the top of Sheffield (literally) and we'll come and see you - you might end up with two kids for your entire journey though! Much love.
Posted by: The Partridges | July 05, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Hurray! You are finally setting sail (well almost) so best of luck to both of you and will keep checking the blog so that we can come and see you when you're near. Awl-love XXX
Posted by: Nick D | July 06, 2007 at 08:59 AM
HOORAY!!!
Debs & Alan - this is a great idea.... TEH BEST!!!11
I look forward to your tales of high adventure on the high seas, of drinking rum and fighting off pirates, of discovering new and exciting lands and journeys into the very heart of darkness.
Are you going to write about it? this is just great:
Chapter one, setting off - 'It was the best of boats, it was the worst of boats'
Chapter two, developing the characters - 'Call me Ishmael'.
Chapter three, rochdale canal - 'The horror! The horror!"
Chapter four, tensions on the boat rise - 'Reader, I battered him'
Chapter five, inspiration for writing gets harder to come by - 'it was a dark and stormy night'
chapter six, contentment - 'It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done'
this thing writes itself.
all the best to both of you and I look forward to seeing you on your boat and reading your blog.
Posted by: toast | July 06, 2007 at 09:14 AM
Hi guys,
just been reading the life story of you and little more hahahah, it was lovely ro see you.
Alan you look the part and i think your going to find it hard to give up your little more.
Deb love ya kid, you, i reckon after a few weeks will be begging for your flat back hahaah only kidding hun.
Love the boat i really enjoyed spending some time with you.
Keep safe and see you at xmas when you get to manchester hahaah
Bye for now love you loads xxxxx
Posted by: auntie jeannie | July 17, 2007 at 11:29 PM