When the characters in a novel become just a bit too real you have a choice. Read on or put the book down and don’t go near it again. If you are the person writing that novel, the choice becomes a little more blurred. You could stop writing but you know that the characters won’t go away. They seem to want their story to be told so you tell it. I have detailed this journey in another article, but there is yet more fallout from the writing process.

For starters, Mayfly is based on a boat, called Bee 1, that I once had the pleasure of owning until lack of cash and my location forced me to sell it. With it being a pleasant memory it was an obvious choice of craft for the emergent Jim and Amanda. It was small, far too small to live aboard, and wholly impractical to carry any sort of cargo.

There was the plot, and my memories of the craft were enough to describe the situation. The few photos I had of it were enough to create covers and, for the one book it was supposed to be, that was all OK. The second book “Here we GO!” has another view of Bee 1 that I never photographed. Instead I took measurements of the few grainy front and rear views I had and created the side view that is the cover of that work.

I never like thinking that I can’t do something though so, every now and then, I had a look online and in model shops for a model of a clinker hull that I could build. Same issue though was any that were either pre made or in kit form were of the traditionally planked variety and also extremely fiddly to build. Finally though, I came across a supplier that had a glass fibre model dinghy hull listed. Closer inspection revealed that the planking was just about right for Mayfly! This was almost too good to be true so an order was sent off and a week or so later a creamy white casting arrived. Only thing needed was to turn it into a copy of Mayfly. Simple enough.

For those that don’t know, Mayfly was described as being finished in varnished wood and powered by a 3.9 horsepower black American built outboard motor. My original thought was to cover the hull with sticky back plastic but I more or less ditched that in favour of veneer (sapele) which I was able to get online. The motor was more difficult as you can’t buy models of the specific outboard described in Mayfly anywhere. Add to that that I had decided that the model be fully functional and things started to spiral into the ever more complex.

The veneer, when it arrived was beautiful but really tiresome to coat the hull with. Smoothing it into place got me a good collection of hardwood splinters in my fingers and glue practically everywhere it shouldn’t be. The result was nice though so I continued to push ahead with the model as I wrote my 4^th book which I jokingly described as someone having a dream about suicide then going on to buy a Renault 4! This one also didn’t need an image of Mayfly for the cover so I still had time on my side!

The model of Mayfly gradually took shape and with the addition of 3d printed portholes (courtesy of my son Peter) things were looking better. All I now had to do was complete (or rather start) the build of the outboard. In all it took me longer to build this than it took to build the boat but, when finished, it contained all the electronics, gearing and other gubbins it needed with nothing requiring to be hidden aboard. Even better, the thing actually worked! That success spurred the addition of further detail to complete Mayfly but…

Where were Jim and Amanda! Further trawling across the internet found me a pair of articulated figures that could fit the part, except they were both too small by about half an inch or so. It took another two months to dismantle the figures and extend their limbs, necks and body trunks until they were about right. All I now needed was make them more realistic! Cue work with filler paint and fake hair to get the right look and a very kind offer of help from my wife Janice, who made them a pair of jeans apiece and topped that with two beautifully knitted miniature sweaters.

Finally Jim and Amanda looked the part and were ready for their photo call and the launching of the 18 inch version of the main character behind my writings. A diminutive and wholly impractical vessel that was never going to let such obstacles stand in her way.

The model, for me, captures the character of Mayfly of my stories, making the two hard to separate.

You may not be aware of the Waterways Chaplaincy. Our chaplains work across the inland waterways to support boaters in need, helping to resolve a wide range of issues from access to benefits and healthcare to being a listening ear and companion to the lonely and anxious. Chaplains are committed to walking one mile of their towpath each week but most walk much more than that. They are happy to chat to anyone they meet, whether it be boaters, fishermen, cyclists or other walkers, and to help in any and every way they can, if asked.

The last Sunday of February 2022 was a special day for a group of us who are part of the Waterways Chaplaincy. We travelled to Box, near Bath, to support Alice, a probationer, as she became a fully licensed and commissioned chaplain.

The Commissioning took place during the morning Holy Communion service conducted by Revd. Claire Southgate in the ancient parish church of St. Thomas a Becket. To mark the commissioning, Alice was given a windlass so she can assist boaters at any lock gates. This was presented to her by Revd. Pat Willis, the senior waterways chaplain for the Kennet and Avon canal, who had it cunningly concealed. When she whisked it out at the appropriate moment, reminiscent of a Tommy Cooper trick, it produced delighted laughter from the congregation.

The preceding talk was given by Rev. Sarah Hayes, who is lead waterways chaplain for the south of England and whose area extends from just below Birmingham to the south coast. She explained what the chaplaincy is and does. A gentleman member of the congregation, now retired, was so impressed with what he heard that he enquired about becoming a chaplain himself.

Alice is dedicated to her new ministry but Box is nowhere near a canal and, as she is without a car, it takes her more than half an hour by bus to reach her patch. In her enthusiasm, she takes all this in her stride.

Following the service, Alice’s group enjoyed an excellent lunch at The Quarrymans Arms, which advertises itself as a traditional country inn with a history stretching back over 250 years. It is sited on Box Hill, with such a superb view in the glorious sunshine that I was prompted to comment, “It is like being in a picture book”.

Revd. Pat went straight from Box to meet a gentleman on a bench on the canal bank at Hungerford, Berkshire, to assist him with filling in some complicated forms.

Any inland waterways user can contact the Chaplaincy through their website.

Hierarchy:

If you see anyone in trouble in the water then follow this procedure, but do NOT put yourself at risk and become a casualty yourself!

• As a general rule CALL the emergency services by phoning 999 or 112 or, if you’re at sea, call the Coastguard on VHF Channel 16 (or by making a Mayday call from your VHF DSC emergency button). HOWEVER, if there is an imminent threat to someone’s life that requires an immediate personal response, you should act accordingly whilst trying to get someone else to call the emergency services on your behalf.
  
• TALK to the casualty advising them to keep calm and FLOAT on their back with their head resting on the water and their arms extended to slow their breathing. Let them know you’re there to help and try to guide them to the safest place to deploy available rescue equipment.
• SECURE YOURSELF to avoid the risk of being dragged into the water.

• If you are afloat and can reach the casualty with a boathook or long piece of stick drag them alongside. If you cannot reach the casualty deploy the rescue equipment you have to hand (e.g. lifebuoy, throw bag, boarding ladder, rope, boathook etc.). Pull them slowly towards the point where they can be helped into your boat.
• If you’re ashore, proceed as above dragging them into the bank or at least into the shallows. The best place to land a casualty will depend on your surroundings but always be careful to avoid sharp obstructions or entanglements and avoid getting dragged into the water yourself.

• Be aware that the casualty is likely to be tired, cold and confused and unable to help themselves. They may well need medical attention especially if they have been under the water - they should not be left alone for 24 hours following immersion.

There are three main dangers from immersion in cold water:

• Cold Water Shock from inhaling water, resulting in hyperventilation leading to a stroke or cardiac arrest.
• Mid-term immersion causing their temperature to drop with a consequential loss of strength and coordination, making grasping a rope or climbing a ladder very difficult if not impossible.
• Hypothermia resulting from immersion in the water for more than about 30 minutes with consequential exhaustion, lack of coordination and unresponsiveness.

  Bear in mind that, even if you’re able to effect a rescue yourself without help from the emergency services, there is still a very strong chance that the casualty will need emergency medical assistance. Therefore, before performing a rescue, try to ensure that someone is alerting the emergency services.

Throwing a Lifebuoy, Throw-Bag or Rope

1. Choose safe sites for both throwing the equipment and recovering the casualty. Make sure the line is long enough, free from tangles, knots or loops and is coiled neatly before you throw – do not wrap the end round your wrist.
2. Before throwing get a secure footing that’s not slippery or unstable, brace yourself and, if possible, get someone to hold on to you. Avoid standing in loops of the rope.
3. Aim by pointing your arm in the direction of the casualty trying to get the rope as close to the casualty as you can. In the case of a hard and/or heavy lifebuoy AVOID hitting the casualty on the head with it!
4. Depending on the wind and tidal conditions, it might be necessary to throw the line over the top or to one side of the casualty for them to grab it. Therefore, it is important to warn them beforehand.  Shout or show them the rescue equipment so they understand what you’re about to do.
5. Once the casualty has grabbed the equipment try to make them secure it to themselves before you start dragging them to the chosen landing place.

I’m super happy to be on board the CanalsOnline Magazine and quite honestly don’t know where to start as I have so many ideas and recipes to share.  I’m also very inspired from what I read and hear from other likeminded boaters who like myself, enjoy all things food.  It’s great to be prepared and organised with what a meal plan is going to be, but we all know that it very rarely turns out that way as we are very often governed by the fact that we don’t have a shop nearby or we go to a recipe and discover we don’t have all the ingredients, or at worse we get caught up in a stoppage or a breakdown. At best of course we might just find a lovely spot and decide to stay put for a few extra days!  So, where I can I’m going to give alternative options or suggestions.

All my lists in preparation for untying the mooring ropes this year are complete, with many items ticked off as we will be leaving our mooring on the Chesterfield Canal within the next few weeks for this year’s trip. Many non-perishables are loaded up, storage and all that belongs in there all freshened up, plenty of dog food for our first mate and my best mate Rosie and of course a well-stocked bar.  Just the curtains to wash and iron, all the engine and maintenance jobs belong to my husband! It will be another few weeks before the herb roof garden is assembled. My 2022 diary is also a must as I always keep a diary when on board and we often spend an evening looking back over the last 14 years of memories and experiences.

Some of my most useful kitchen essentials are a good set of digital scales, the slimline ones available in most supermarkets are ideal as they don’t take up much space, measuring cups and spoons, my temperature probe for checking reheated food (anything above 70C is regarded as safe) and meat temperatures. I’ve also got a small blender which is great for soups, smoothies and curry sauces etc. The blender came in very useful last year when I fell and fractured my jaw and had to have a “soft diet” for many weeks, hence, I have lots of dip, smoothie and soup recipes to share.

So last week was “Real Bread Week” this week is “Pancake week” and this weekend I have discovered the new shoots of wild garlic are available. We’re also coming up towards Easter, so it’s a perfect time for so many Spring recipe ideas.  I’m also a real sourdough addict and my starter (I call mine Sally, apparently people name their starters) travels with me wherever I go.  So, I think my next article is going to be all about bread and will include sourdough, as I think I’ll run out of space for this edition.

Here’s really quick easy one for you to try:-

flatbreads

Melt 3 ½ tblsp butter with ¾ cup milk, then combine with 2 cups plain flour and ½ tsp salt, add slightly more flour or milk if the consistency feels too runny or thick.  

Knead on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes and then wrap in clingfilm and let rest at room temperature for half an hour or so. Then shape into 4 to 6 balls and roll out diagonally to achieve the oval shape. 

Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan and cook the breads for about 1 – 1 ½ minute on the first side until starts to puff and then less than a minute on the other side.

You can choose from a list of different seeds to give different layers of flavour, such as mustard, sesame, nigella, caraway, cumin etc.

Either add to the mix or brush over after with melted butter.

If you have natural yoghurt you can use any equal quantity of yoghurt to self raising flour (I use 250g of each) plus half a tsp baking powder, these quite easily can become Naan breads if you cook to the same method, they are perfect dry fried too,  and then brush over with melted butter and wild garlic or coriander.

pancakes

So, for pancakes, I’m sure most of us know a pancake recipe.  The easiest one I have used in the past is simply:

1 cup of self raising flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, make a well in the centre and add an egg, gradually bring together with 1 cup of milk added and whisk to make a smooth batter, the consistency of double cream works great. Melt a knob of butter and pour some of the mixture in and let it find it’s level before cooking for a couple of minutes on each side.

A little pinch of cinnamon powder and a tablespoon of caster sugar would convert these into sweet pancakes.  If you don’t have cinnamon that’s fine,  just serve with a good dollop of crème fraiche, cream or yoghurt and drizzle with honey or maple or golden syrup, along with any fruit such as berries or bananas.  A splash of rum or brandy in the cream works a treat to make it special.

Another of my favourites is savoury plain pancakes wrapped around a filling of mushrooms, onions, chicken, leeks, asparagus, (all or some of these) combined with wild garlic pickings and cream cheese seasoned with salt and pepper, then topped with a cheese and sauce (or just any grated cheese) and baked.

salmon and wild garlic potato rosti cakes with a sweetcorn salsa

Back to wild garlic, there are endless uses, pesto being a favourite, which I’m going to put together on a separate article because I’m running out of the suggested 1,000 word guideline. This weekend I made Salmon and Wild Garlic Potato Rosti Cakes with a Sweetcorn Salsa.  I also made a new potato salad with wild garlic and mayonnaise and served with some salad leaves. Here’s the recipe:-

• 6- 7 oz can of salmon, drained
• ½ a red onion, chopped
• 1 - 2 eggs depending on size
• ½ tblsp wholegrain mustard
• 1½ tblsp chopped wild garlic leaves
• 2 cups or two large handfuls of grated potatoes (Maris Piper if you can get them) skin on if you prefer

Dry the excess moisture out of the grated potatoes with kitchen roll or a tea towel.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and then add the grated potatoes

Compress portions of the mixture into a cup for shape or use your hand, pour a good glug of oil into a frying pan or skillet on the stove top and heat to prevent sticking.

Gently ease the rosti cakes into the oil and cook for a few minutes on each side.  I use a spatula and the back of a spoon to keep them compressed down in the pan and push near the pan sides to help keep the shape.

for the salsa 

Dry fry a small tin of sweetcorn the char the outer edges, meanwhile finely chop the other half of the onion, half a red pepper, 2 deseeded tomatoes and a handful of fresh coriander or wild garlic leaves. Mix together with the sweetcorn, 2 tblsp lime juice and a pinch of smoked paprika or Cajun spice and salt and pepper.

Serve the rostis with the salsa and either a generous serving of either crème fraiche, yoghurt or mayonnaise whichever you have, a wedge of lemon, and some leafy greens.

I don’t eat salmon so used cream cheese instead and served with new potato salad with more chopped wild garlic and a huge wedge of toasted sourdough!

Hopefully I’ve brought together a few ideas here using some of my 'go to' ingredients this week.  If you’d like my wild garlic recipes, the list is very long, but I would love to hear from you.
Until next time…………………..happy cooking on the cut!

Lisa

Our story starts with the birth of a baby boy on the outskirts of Norton Estate before the Bridgewater canal was even built. The year was 1759, and Samuel Webb would grow up to become a farmer in his own right, moving only a mile or so from his birthplace to the little township of Acton Grange. While he was still a young man, he witnessed the clash of wills, infamously described as “The battle of Norton”, between Richard Brook, owner of the Norton estate where he was born, and the formidable Duke of Bridgewater over the route of the canal. Perhaps, as his father appears to be a worker for Sir Richard, he was even roped in to the various prevention schemes Sir Richard put forward.

Samuel married a Runcorn girl and the first of at least 8 children arrived in 1786. By now the canal was open from Manchester to Liverpool, and on through to the Midlands via the Trent and Mersey. This was a time of huge changes across the country. As the industrial revolution kicked off thanks to the canals, the agricultural revolution gained speed as well, but the technological advances meant less manpower was needed to work the land. Samuel must have realised quite quickly that there simply wasn’t going to be enough farm to share among his 4 sons.

One son, also called Samuel, was not ‘normal’, most likely having what we would understand as Autism, but then being described as “inferior”.

It seems as though at least 2 of the sons, and possibly one of the daughters, move a few miles up the road to Great Budworth in search of work. Here we find the young men getting married, and a single woman matching the ‘description’ of a sister falling pregnant out of wedlock.

William Webb was only 21 years old when he married Sarah, who was about 30, and what seems to happen next is the couple head to Sarah’s family in Lach Dennis and William takes up work as a canal labourer over at Middlewich. They may have 2 short-lived children during this time, but we can’t track the couple for certain until 1820, when they come onto the Preston Brook radar.

At this time, the wharf was thriving. It was the only true through-route to the Midlands and would remain so until the opening of the Macclesfield canal in 1831. It was shipping hundreds of thousands of tonnes of goods every year, and its warehousing was gradually spreading across the site.

William spends the next decade as a wharf labourer, until in 1830 he appears in the records as a “porter” on the baptism of his youngest son. We lose sight of the Webb family now until the first census of 1841, where William is still a porter and his sons are starting to be absorbed into the hustle and bustle too; eldest boy Peter has become a boatman.

By 1841, William is caring for his older brother Samuel. Samuel is noted as being a labourer, and it wouldn’t be particularly unusual to find handicapped persons employed in simple jobs.

In 1851 we see William at the head of a family well acquainted to the wharf. He is a warehouse porter, along with son Thomas. Youngest son William is now a boatman, and the eldest son, Peter, is “porter for canal carrier.” Peter and his wife Ann have just welcomed their third child to the world and the two older children are staying with their grandfather to give mum a chance to recover. Also in the house is Samuel. Now 62, he is given the description of “inferior from youth,” so it would be reasonable to assume that he is now unable to work. Perhaps the increase in machinery, for the wharf now has a mighty steam engine powering it’s hoists and cranes, has made it too dangerous.

Jumping another ten years to 1861 forward and the family is now firmly entrenched at the wharf. William and his wife live alone with older brother Samuel now, and interestingly William is noted as “Methodist Local Preacher”, as well as a canal carrier’s porter. Next door is his middle son, Thomas, who’s moved off the warehouse floor and into an office; he’s a “canal carrier’s book keeper.” Eldest son Peter is a few doors down and he too has made it into office as a “canal carriers shipping clerk,” while the youngest son, William, is following his father’s footsteps, employed as canal porter and having married a boatwoman some 14 years his senior.

1871 sees William, now 75 but still working as a porter, living with his spinster daughter Mary. Sarah, his wife of 47 years, has died, as has his brother Samuel.

His son Thomas is still a book-keeper and William Jr is now a canal labourer; we could conjecture that his choice of spouse may well have set him apart from his up-and-coming brothers. The eldest son, Peter, is described as a porter but we know it is around this date that he becomes the foreman for the Bridgewater Canal Company at the wharf.

William Webb died in February 1880, aged 84. He had lived to see all three of his sons, and at least 5 of his 7 grandsons join the wharf workforce.

His eldest boy, Peter, perhaps rose the highest. Deeply involved in the Methodist Church like his father, he appears to be pretty much the head-honcho of wharf, the company representative. When he died in 1888 the role was passed to his son, Peter James, who held the role until his sudden death in 1920.

Peter James Webb was, according the Runcorn Weekly News, “…quite well at dinner time… was shaking hands in the office of the wharf with Mr Rawlinson, when he suddenly collapsed into Mr Rawlinson’s arms..” and his death produced a wave of grief, with flowers being sent from the porters and warehousemen, boatmen, office staff, banksmen and even “Runcorn and Preston Brook Spoon Boat no4.”

By 1920 the wharf was winding down, though Webbs still worked at the wharf until the bitter end. By the time the engine was ripped from the site, at least 20 men from 4 generations of that family had worked there, and research is slowly revealing the extended family too.

I’ve never been daunted by change; indeed, I undeniably relish it, but Donna is generally more grounded and sedate with her decision making. It usually goes something like; I throw up a fantastical idea verging on lunacy, then Donna has a meltdown and spends the next few days percolating and figuring out the feasibility and possible pitfalls, so that we end up with a refined plausible plan that might even work.

Buying a narrowboat is a consideration not to be taken lightly. We bought our boat to cruise the cut and experience the nature and the seasons at close hand, to visit all the places that the canal system granted us access to and spend time in the company of kindred spirits. The quintessential English idyl that many dream of, however, as in life, things conspire, plans change and sometimes matters can unravel very quickly.

Once we had got aboard, we realised that immediate repairs and some long-term refitting needed to be completed before we could start exploring.  We had an idea of what was involved, as I had already created a spreadsheet with all the things we would like on our hypothetical boat, and I had costed it within an inch of its life. Of course, this turned out to be a total work of fiction and had very little relevance with the Jeremiah Lee. We had only recently dusted ourselves down after a 2-year renovation of a 1900’s cottage but a narrowboat is an entirely different prospect and when reality struck, we didn’t know whether to make a bowline or a beeline.

She had been built as a holiday, getaway, weekend boat by some very capable and experienced boaters who knew exactly what they needed twenty years ago, in effect she was an out of date leisure boat. Her second owner had also fallen in love with her because she will charm anyone who boards her. He wanted to live on her on a permanent mooring, with electric hook up, piped water and all that one requires close by, the well-used phrase and crudely put “floater not a boater” springs to mind.

However, the ambiguity of constant cruising means that your floating home requires a level of self-reliance, the vessel needs to be capable of sustaining you for a duration of time between facilities; you might say her off grid capabilities.

Our narrowboat was indeed somebody else’s baby, and a refit requires one to work within someone else’s original plan. For every action we would take there would be a reaction, that’s to say that the impact of doing one thing will affect another thing that you will have to live with. The boats’ depth and attitude in the water, her ballast, air draught, keeping us warm and a healthy engine are of course crucial, but changes needed to be made regardless.

Primarily the lack of space, the required tools and building materials along with clothes, food and all the essentials needed for cooking and eating, washing and dressing, somewhere to sit, somewhere to sleep, it may sound odd but with so little room, we must move things about just to be able to work.

Secondly, besides the carpentry and decoration, there’s a whole load of other skills required; electrics for both direct current and alternating current, solar systems, security systems, comms systems, gas and water plumbing, engineering and an understanding of engines and mechanics.

Then there are the chores; walking Dylan and trying to keep our place and things clean, shopping, topping up the water, the diesel, the gas and coal, foraging wood, buying food and sorting our waste requires a chunk of time. All of this whilst not owning a car could make matters even more difficult but luckily for us, we could rely on the benevolence of our friends’ network.

One also needs appropriate work arounds to live long term on the cut and this is another quagmire that needs thought and ingenuity; financial arrangements, an income and banking, medical arrangements, any conditions, requirements and prescriptions, mail and parcels, groceries, all need sorting out. There’s the general maintenance of your boat, an appreciation of the weather, understanding navigation, being able to handle the boat and know how to manage locks, bridges and tunnels. In short, becoming competent helmspersons.

Whilst working on the boat has and can be an arduous undertaking, sometimes stressful, always testing but essentially rewarding. We have flagged a few times, run out of steam, lost the will, taken time out, whatever excuse we’ve used them all. But generally, Donna remains more sanguine and hey if you’re going to get knocked down, fall forward rather than backward as its easier to get up again, so we muddle on and through the tricky stuff.

We knew that making time for ourselves would be crucial for the pleasure of the experience, so our desire hasn’t diminished, and our aspirations grow with the completion of each task. Whilst we are still a few months from being able to go cruising, we are a long way from where we started and have learnt much, how much is to be discovered but that is at the core of our endeavours.

It’s not just the geography, the landscapes and the flora and fauna that requires our further investigation and quiet contemplation, it’s the journey of self-exploration and expression. Getting off the hamster wheel is a life choice and trade off; we have given up comfort and security to slow right down. We may not have an alarm, but the clock is relentless and being able to enjoy our fitness and good health to pursue ones’ aspirations is our reward.

Living in a small space with a bookshelf is all we need to have a light touch in our world. We both have interests and creative pastimes that will occupy our days and quench our ambitions and we have taken this holistic approach to experience life within the briefness of the time that we have.

A major contributing factor for our mental wellbeing is being able to live within this close-knit community of persons who are alternative thinkers, decision makers and risk takers. The achievers that choose their destiny and find their own and unique pathways, gives us a sense of belonging and helps us feel comfortable as our adventure unfolds. It’s also a very social environment that requires our engagement and attendance of events and some considerable quaffing.  After all, your vibe is our tribe eh!

You can follow us on Instagram; @narrowboat_nomads, watch us on YouTube; Narrowboat Nomads and find out more at; www.nomadplan.co.uk