Evalunacy

Life aboard the broadbeam river barge, Eva Luna

May 8

Mad time of year

by waterwytch

photo illegal hook

Illegal angling hook

This post should have appeared two weeks ago, but didn’t due to a technical hitch getting it off my ipad! Apologies….

On Tuesday evening I collected the boys from school, and as eldest had decided that he didn’t want to kayak as usual, we took Bingo for a walk around a lake with a friend and her two schnauzers.

Rounding the lake we spotted a mallard with a broken beak. The poor creature’s bottom beak had split in two and was dangling. It’s top bill was fine and it was trying, unsuccessfully, to scoop food over the broken beak.

Initially, its plumage seemed glossy, but when it got out of the lake it was clear that its wing feathers also looked slightly askew.

We called the RSPCA, but they can’t come out to wildlife unless the animal is confined (trapped, in a box etc) because often the officers turn up and the creatures have gone. The charity just doesn’t have the resources.

So we tried to confine it.

A friendly man from The Carp Shack loaned me a massive net, but the bird was jumpy and although it couldn’t fly anything more than a flutter it wasn’t having any of it. After  an hour I gave up. Without waders and some gloves, I was on hiding to nothing.

The man from The Carp Shack had promised to return this morning and see if he can catch it.. The wretched creature will otherwise be condemned to a slow painful death from starvation and thirst. Unless got by a fox, of course. (Is it my imagination, or are foxes doing well as a species?)

We can only speculate as to how the poor creature to that way? It was unlikely to have been fighting with other ducks – they pull out feathers and drown, not split lips! It’s probably caught its bill on something? I have suspicions that he culprit was one of the illegal angling hooks we were shown last year, which are fearsome looking things – more than capable of ripping a duck’s beak in two.

And today, driving down a country road, some fellow boaters were trying to help a stag out. His head was stuck in railings. This time, the RSPCA did come out, and last thing I saw, the officer was trying to help. I’ve since learned they succeeded. (I’d not seen a male muntjack with antlers before.)

Both accidents were caused because of the way human’s live. Both were distressing to both animal and humans.

The RSPCA performs a vital role: the best I can do is hold out a begging bowl: donations please! RSPCA

Dramas

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Feb 21

Where we’re at

by waterwytch

swans towerWe watched last year as the swans, who worked so hard, failed to hatch their eggs. For me it was heartbreaking watching the lovely mother swan so reluctant to leave her eggs. They must have got too cold, despite the pairs attempts to build their nest ever higher to battle against the rising waters.

Their care contrasted sharply with the careless coots who seemed to drop their eggs wherever they felt like it, including, amusingly, one that was simply left floating in the water on the tender of a neighbouring barge.

As we come into spring, it will be interesting to see if the swans try again, or if they abandon their once favourite nesting spot. The grebes are already doing their wonderful snakehead dances and the coots are fluffing up and bumping chests, aggressively and noisily. Part of me wants to get out and yell at them not to be fooled, that this mild snap is just that. We always get more snow just before Easter.

The woods here are flooded. As we had badgers, rabbits, hedgehogs and other beasts that live underground, we are fearful for their survival. I doubt very much that the bluebells will come up this year. Of course, nature is such that whilst some lose, others will win, and we have seen a lot of bird life, including what I am reliably informed is a warbler of some sort.

The addition of the dog  - who is now, incidentally, the most gorgeous loving (cheeky) little animal, such a change from the nervous, skinny little boy we gave a home to – means I get off the boat more and walk, making me far more conscious of what a lovely environment we live in. I shall miss it when we leave the boat. This, sadly, is imminent. We don’t want to leave the lovely community that we have found on the water, or the lifestyle that comes with being so close to nature, but sadly, for personal reasons, our adventure on the water is drawing to a close, and we are going to be putting Eva Luna, our much loved home for two and a half years, up for sale.

I will post up some details soon, but if you know a family who who would look after a beautiful British built widebeam home and who would love to live on the water (anywhere in the country), do point them in our direction.

Dramas

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Jun 26

Where the wild things are…

by waterwytch

Young Rhys on the river.

Dramas

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Jun 6

On Jubilee-gate

by waterwytch

So today’s big story is the way that unemployed folk were shipped in as stewards to the jubilee celebrations.

I find it appalling that these conditions should be imposed in this day and age – setting people out to freeze (and it was bitterly cold) with nowhere to change. In principle I have no issue with people getting experience if it’s likely to lead to paid work later, and they’re supervised and trained, but this doesn’t seem to be happening.

Morgan and I were on Battersea Bridge for the river pageant, and can attest to the fact that the marshalls  there were lovely. They were patient, friendly and kept smiling. As we have to have permission to get on and off the bridge for the toilet or for drinks, we got to recognise them and pass a few words.

They were given some (very thin) clear plastic jackets against the rain, but one did mention that they had been there all day without a break. We were there from 10am til 5pm. They were there before us and after we left.

They took a lot of abuse from crowds who wanted to get onto the bridge (as did the police).  So if you’re reading this, Close Protection UK, shame on you for your appalling treatment of workers despite being paid handsomely (from public coffers) – let’s hope you do better in future.

And the boys on Battersea Bridge deserve fantastic references and jobs.

 

 

 

Dramas

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May 25

With a little Eurovision love

by waterwytch

Tomorrow’s Eurovision time and I love that we’re getting to see lots of Azerbaijani culture.

Human rights organisations want to cast a spotlight on the human rights situation there. Personally, I think both are right. I would want people abroad to raise oppression here (a State issue), at the same time as wanting our culture (a thing of the people) celebrated.

Most famously in Azerbaijan, a blogger dressed, ironically, as a donkey, was arrested and imprisoned. But according to Amnesty International, in just the last few weeks there have been a whole series of incidents.

Radio Free Europe journalist Khadija Ismayilova was harassed after looking into corruption in the presidential office. She was secretly filmed having sex with her boyfriend and blackmailed in an attempt to discredit her. Previous Eurovisionist Sandie Shaw had something to say about that!

Two other journalists were violently assaulted and peaceful protestors attacked by police. A band faces torture after they played at an opposition rally.

This is a bit of a cheat post, helped with some information from Amnesty, but the Eurovision helps turn the spotlight on the real big issues in Azerbaijan.

Whilst there’s the bitter irony that the British entry for Eurovision by Engelbert Humperdink is Love Will Set You Free, maybe a little public love for those suffering will do the trick.

I wish Mr H all the best for the weekends competition, but can’t help wondering why the US creates the Hoff, whilst we create the Hump!

Amazing people Dramas

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Apr 26

Quick update

by waterwytch

So if it’s the swans that float your boat, mum’s managed to keep five of her beautiful eggs safe. One was taken from the nest and dropped – we think there are mink in the area.

On an equally sad note, we think Amanda’s plucky duck has met a sticky end. A bunch of drakes looked rather guilty, swimming around a floating (lady duck’s) corpse. Sad really.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dramas

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Apr 6

The saga continued

by waterwytch

So over the past week I got side tracked. Mostly I got tired of focussing on something so negative, but my intention in writing this blog was to give people an insight into what it’s like to live aboard. My desire to show the ‘fluffy bunny’ side, the one where the kids get to play Swallows and Amazons, and where we are surrounded by incredible British wildlife, over-rode my desire to confess that managing the boat is hard. I don’t want this to become my groan blog.

So where were we?  The faulty Baumatic had lead to constant wars of replacement with a reseller who went bust and then with Baumatic. Most of the trial was the same that happens in a house – customer service is often a misnomer. But the practicalities of running a washer/drier on a boat with limited power and water resources were specific to living aboard.

Then we ended up with a tumble dryer in the middle of the kitchen, in the centre of the walkway, in the confined living space of our boat. (Hanging clothes out is frowned upon by most moorings, who don’t have ‘residential’ status, and looks a bit ‘pikey’ anyway – and as we are, effectively, water gypsies now, a bit too close to the knuckle.)

So to give it a new home, O arranged to move the water tank. This lead to the Webasto heating system breaking down just as the cold weather set in. (Thank goodness for our wood burner)

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Dramas

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Mar 28

Galley Grumps

by waterwytch

Picture this.

Your wife is grumpy because the tumble dryer you bought is sitting in the middle of the kitchen attracting mess.

The kitchen (galley) you have has four walls, none of which are particularly well utilised – lots of extra storage to be had there. Two of the four walls have movable furniture. So you reorganize to fit the tumble dryer in, right?

Nope. If you’re my (lovely) husband you stew on the problem and come up with a lateral solution.

Eva Luna has a galley to the port (left as you enter) side of the boat. It’s narrow but was, until recently, home to a washer dryer, a coat rack (constantly strimmed back of coats and hanging things to keep it under control), a storage space (reserve water carriers, picnic bag, captains chairs for sitting on when sailing), and some racking (sports essentials like hockey sticks and tennis racquets, buoyancy aids, and tupperware-type boxes).

This space, he decided, was perfect for the new tumble dryer. After all, I was desperate to get it out of the kitchen.

But there was a troublesome hot  water tank (calorifier) also in the storage space. (Getting an idea of where this is headed yet…?)

No problem. Let’s move the water tank.

Had he come to me at this point, I would have reminded him that we had this space earmarked to put my office things, as working at home means my powers of shutting out noise are stretched to the max as the kids play with (and fight over) the new PS3 (which they saved and bought themselves, by the way – I’d not have funded it!) over my head.

But, bless him, he could see I was busy, had a chat with the right person and said tank was shifted. (Note: all the ‘stuff’ that was being stored here has now joined the tumble dryer in the ‘kitchen’, in which there is now only room for one person to pass at a time, and cupboards and drawers are uncomfortable inaccessible, leading to further piling.)

This is where we get technical, and I reflect that I could never live on the boat without Owen.

In order to move the tank, they had to drain the coils in the calorifier. (These were apparently, unhealthily black and gunky.) Once the dry tank was successfully relocated, secured and plumbed into its new spot, it tried to refill and start.

A drama begins, around which there is a lot of hypothesis. This is what we think has happened.

As the calorifier started to fill, the circulation pump on the Webasto (our heater/heating system) failed, creating an airlock in the Webasto. Consequently, the temperature probe melted, and, in turn, the metal inside the heat exchanger melted.

The Webasto let off steam until it could release no more (that’s a lot of steam in a small space), then ground to halt.

I suspect that, in English, this means that while they were moving the calorifier, no-one thought to turn off the Webasto, but daren’t voice that thought.

So picture this. It’s freezing outside, and our heater and hot water source is snookered. Our space is full of junk and nothing’s accessible. Suddenly life aboard was looking very stressful.

Dramas

1 Comment »
Mar 26

Invaded by a new tumble dryer

by waterwytch

So the new tumble dryer arrived. It was plonked in the middle of the galley (kitchen) where it remained for a considerable period.

I was grumpy. Very grumpy.

Having massively cleared our living space, sorted out at least some of the chaos we were living in, we could no longer access half of the the kitchen.  Worst still, the top of it was a natural place to stand things. Boot bags were being rested on it, and papers were disappearing under the sheer weight of junk it managed to attract.

I’m not the tidiest person in the World, and I have no great need to have everything ordered and labelled, but even I was appalled at the machines ability to clog our space. The intruder needed a proper place to live, one that wasn’t in the middle of the main walkway through the boat, or in the middle of my kitchen.

Our kitchen’s fine, but there’s potential to use the space better so I started mentally working out how we could re-do the space to incorporate the muck magnet.

I really, really wanted it gone and out of the way.

Be careful what you wish for – your wishes may come true!

Dramas

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Mar 15

Sooty

by waterwytch

Our log burner is an ongoing issue. When Eva Luna was built, she was, we’ve heard, meant to have a short little wood burner. Instead we have a very beautiful burner, but shouldn’t have.

The smaller burner she was designed to have was due to have a long thin outlet to the chimney. Our larger burner still has the same, thin outlet. It should have a ‘fat’ exit pipe, but as things were already set up with the thin one, a smart welding job ensured that she was properly installed using the thinner pipe.

Mostly this is fine, but last year, when we’d not long moved aboard, and didn’t know how to manage the heating systems etc, I ended up with mild carbon monoxide poisoning, identified in the hospital after the carbon monoxide alarm went off.

Carbon monoxide is, apparently, one of the biggest killers on boats, although more normally associated, I believe, with the gas.

Anyway, thanks to the temporary lack of proper heating system, we have used the fire far more than normal, as our main heating rather than just as a cosy back up. Consequently the carbon monoxide alarm’s been going off at regular intervals, partly because of the additional use, partly because we’ve been keeping all the windows etc closed because of the weather.

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Dramas

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