A year ago we were moored almost in exactly the same spot we have just arrived at, Pangbourne Meadow, on the river Thames. It is beautiful, even on a cloudy, drizzly day.
In 'keeping things in good order', Mary Haines tells us that while you do your best to keep your boat engine running smoothly, your mind is just as important...
Mary Haines points out the plight of some boaters in winter and suggests that a good new year's resolution could be to extend the hand of friendship to all.
Mindfulness. Living in the present, not fretting about the past nor worrying about the future. So hard to do, yet if we can achieve it how much happier we might become.
There is a subtle pressure that encourages us to spend money to be happy. I may sound bah humbug, which I don’t really want to do. Rather, I would like us to be able to celebrate the Christmas season without it costing the earth and eroding our mental health.
Dying during the covid pandemic, it was only last month that we said a final farewell to my 96yr old mum, celebrating her life with a service of thanksgiving. Echoes of what was said about her resonate with the comments being made about Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of her recent death.
We may not have control over the circumstances we find ourselves in but we can have control over how we respond to them and how consequently we treat one another and how we live out our lives to make the world around us a better place to be.
It is not necessarily an easy option living the canal way of life but we have appreciated the wonderful community spirit and there is such a breadth and depth to life on the Cut and surrounding areas. I am not naive, I realise it won’t all be rosy but it’s an adventure and an opportunity to do something new and see parts of Britain that to date we have never seen.
