So we have spent a good three days up here at Thorne cleaning and fixing Daisy inside and she’s really starting to look like home. We are going to spend our first night on her tonight and we are very excited. I suspect we will be cold as we can’t use the heating yet, but…

Yesterday we travelled up to Thorne so that we can spend Friday and Saturday cleaning Daisy Duke and eugghhhhh does she need it. Inside clearly hasn’t been cleaned for years – the oven and fridge are totally gross and the dust is an inch thick! Still, I have my marigolds on and whilst I am…

Hurray! Daisy Duke is out of the paint shed and into the yard. Her paintwork looks absolutely amazing and I’ve put some pictures in the gallery for you to see. The Sign writer we used is a chap called Robert Naghi and you can view his Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/share/6Vgbc5ZNU6vsDsTm/ Daisy just needs her bottom…

I thought I’d give you all a tiny sneak preview of Daisy Duke as I was back at the boat yard yesterday (22nd) to meet with Robert, the sign writer, to discuss getting the name on the boat and a few extra bits and pieces.   What I was met with was a big, pleasant, shock…

Yesterday Jo and I got up early, walked Zak and were out of the house as we had an appointment with Pete and Stuart at the boatyard. We were going to discuss colours!!!  We arrived at Thorne boatyard and went straight into the paint shed to see, what we were assured, was our boat. Words…

Paul and I have both avidly been watching the news and various videos of the many flooded canals and rivers around the UK. It seems like the biggest lesson for us to learn is to (a) ensure we are moored up somewhere safe (eg not a river) when heavy rain is predicted and (b) ensure…

On what was a, very, bitter cold afternoon, I went up to the boat yard and watched our boat coming out of the water. I arrived at 12.30pm and things were already happening. To get our boat into the paint shed, first they had to get the existing one out. To get the existing one…

We woke up to 2 – 3 inches of snow this morning and thought ‘surely the course would be cancelled’ – but no! Paul our instructor confirmed that it would be business as usual and that the only time he usually cancels is if the winds are too strong. So, we donned our thermal underwear,…

Today saw the start of our Helmsman course with Paul Harrington from Derbyshire Canal Boat Tuition. Our training took place on ‘Cornerstone’ a 47ft cruiser stern canal boat. Paul, our instructor has spent his career at sea, on rivers and canals. I have to say he made me feel very safe, and yet we were…

So today it was announced at our fee earners meeting that my sabbatical had been approved and that next year I would be taking a break to go off travelling around the English canals. It was very sad in some ways as I absolutely adore the firm I work for and I can’t help but…