Tags
coming home after travelling, Greggs, Greggs vegan sausage rolls, Life on a narrowboat, Narrowboat, Narrowboat living, plant based diet, reverse culture shock, Tags and cats, Travel memoir, Vegan, veganism, writing
photo- where I work
photo- space: the final frontier. We’ve been scouring Gumtree (second hand site) for suitable seating. Furniture has to be multifunctional, narrow, foldable flat to get in, or all three! This is a Futon Company single futon
photo- when we get a second futon that will be our second chair and the folding chairs can just come out when we have visitors, or want to sit in the garden. It’s too hot with the wood burner if it’s a mild day so my husband bought an electric heater from Aldi for when a little heat is needed but not a roaring stove. And then of course it turned cold again!
Welcome to my world
Right now, my ‘routine’ is as follows: Get up (not very early) (my husband has lit the fire and sometimes brought me tea in bed), do yoga, get dressed, do very minor chores e.g. sweep the floor, fill up drinking water bottles, do a few bits of hand washing, then have breakfast and go for a big walk.
In the afternoon I write for a couple of hours, then cook dinner. Breakfast is sugar free muesli with cacao, maca, linseed, chia seeds, a chopped apple or pear and soya milk. For dinner I cook something plant based from scratch; lentils, chickpeas, beans, vegetables, rice, potatoes, rice noodles, and coconut milk are all staple cupboard ingredients.
(In the interests of full transparency, during the day I often eat two iced buns or a Pot Noodle. I used to chastise my husband for living on Pot Noodles and cereal when he lived on a boat when we first met, but maybe there’s just something about boat life.)
In the evenings we listen to the radio- it’s so funny listening to Radio 4 again, it took a bit of fiddling to get the radio to work in the boat which is all metal, but it does, (as long as nobody moves); share a limited amount of data on my husband’s phone, listen to music, eat oranges, and talk. We have nothing to watch on Netflix, any recommendations please tell us!
Even though there are some nice footpath walks around, I’m currently doing a route along the A5 (a main road but it is quiet), with a good path along the side. I do this on average every other day and every time I go a little further. This is where my OCD tendencies come in handy! I am enjoying wrapping up and going for a walk. In SE Asia it was often too hot and the pavements in very poor condition, so this is a definite plus for the UK. I can already feel the benefit.
I have noticed how unfit I am from not having done anything much for a year. I can feel my arms and wrists working when I chop vegetables (admittedly my knives are rubbish, but still), or wringing out clothes, and I ached after emptying the cassette toilet even though I did it a day earlier than my husband would. (That would be a good fitness programme, empty the toilet after two days, then three, and so on…)
Up until now my husband has been doing the boat chores and DIY, as well as emptying the loo, filling the water tank, changing the gas bottle, chopping wood, fetching coal and lighting the fire, as well as all shopping, errands and all driving, as he wants me to be able to concentrate on writing. (I have a wonderful husband, I know.)
However I am going to make sure I learn how to do everything over the next few weeks. Today I plan to empty the toilet by myself, just as soon as I’ve had that iced bun…
PS My husband just arrived back with Greggs vegan sausage rolls! Greggs (a cheap and cheerful high street bakery) introducing a vegan sausage roll is big news in the UK. Actually we even heard about it when we were in South East Asia. Some meat eaters have been protesting (even though their pork sausage rolls have not been taken away); Piers Morgan, a presenter, spat it out after trying one on national breakfast television (even though according to my husband who can remember eating the meat ones the vegan ones don’t taste any different). So, civil war between vegans and non vegans, leavers and remainers, remind me again why we came back?!
photo- the kitchen, complete with iced buns! The keys hanging up have a float, everything that can go into the canal, will go into the canal, they say
Thank you very much for reading
About the author
Sold house left job decluttered almost everything else. With husband went travelling for a year, mostly in India. Here are my India highlights. Just arrived back in the UK and now living on a narrowboat. Writing a book about everything…
For more photographs of the trip see Instagram travelswithanthony
Rachel 
It sounds really exotic but I have never lived on a boat. I do like the Greggs role. Maybe a gluten free version would be even better
Thank you! Sometimes I forget for a while, and in a way it seems a bit surreal, still getting used to it I suppose!
Everything looks so cozy and comfortable! Spending the evenings listening to the radio actually sounds quite relaxing. BTW, Wish I had some recommendations for Netflix but I’ve become hooked on youtube videos lately. I stumbled across a narowboat crash on youtube two nights ago. Actually looked pretty bad, lots of damage. I find it amusing that since I’ve searched for “narrowboat”, it’s in my browser history, and I get occasional suggestions for it in youtube. I enjoy your pictures and descriptions of narrowboat living. Sounds like you’re readjusting well.
Thank you very much! We may get built in seating at some point but this is fine for now. My husband loves youtube videos too, although I only really look at cat ones! I like that you are finding random narrowboat stuff come up!
We are doing okay, it’s a big adjustment. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I think it would be so interesting to live in a narrow boat, and as Des says, the photos make it look very cozy and comfortable. Thanks for sharing this….
Thank you very much Ann. It’s much easier to warm up a small space fast so it is cozy!
The vegan sausage rolls are so good!! An absolute miracle. Carnivores will always get angsty and defensive about it. I just think it’s a good start that major retailers are catering to the market more.
Boat looks super cosy as well !
I know, they are great! Thank you, the boat is lovely. Thanks for reading and commenting!
One of our favourite quick meals is Pot Noodle on toast! Or Crap on Toast as we call it ;). My friend used to live on a 32ft (sailing) boat, and everything had to really earn its keep. People think they’re being so clever when they come out with their jibes against those of us who choose not to eat meat. I never preach my choice, but after 35 years of being veggie, I’ve built up a good portfolio of responses 🙂 Looks like life is really good for you on the barge! Daily routine and needs, but with a traveller’s feel to it 😉
Hi, thank you! Yes it feels good here and with an alternative vibe, plus we are in a new area on the outskirts of a tiny village with just other boaters around. We are still finding places for stuff and storage solutions, but it looks and feels nice! A month in all is going well. My husband is going to work first, he has a job interview soon, I’m going to finish the book first, that’s the current plan anyway! You have been veggie for a long time, that’s great! I have eaten a lot of Greggs vegan sausage rolls since I got back, its becoming something of an obsession…. Pot Noodle on toast, that is great!! Thanks for reading and commenting. How are your travel plans? We keep looking at India prices for Jan/Feb….
I have a pasty shop near where I work that does a really good veggie sausage roll 😉 Travel could be some time off, still getting my head round having one less excuse now, plus we are only 2 years into our new home, so concentrating on garden and practical stuff there. Also, we have an aging cat so we don’t go anywhere for longer than a week. Look at all those new excuses! 😉
Well….
We didn’t go anywhere for years, just kind of got used to it and didn’t really appreciate the benefits it would bring. Then one day I randomly applied for a job in Guernsey and we went there for two nights to check it out in July 2017. Really, that was the start of all this. Then in the November a friend was having a get together in Morocco for her 50th and we went. We couldn’t really afford it and had loads of reasons why not. But flights only cost £30 with Ryanair, we got cheap accommodation and just went for four nights. So close and yet so far, just four hours away and we were in a completely different culture, traditional, kind of timeless.
It was wonderful, great prep for India. And definitely pushed us forwards to the big 2018-19 trip! I wrote a blog about it just called I think Marchech if I spelt that correctly!
We had only been in our house, the best house we coud ever have had, for one year, and had two older cats. Mind you some people think we are crazy so….
Love veggie sausage rolls, how nice that your local bakery does them!
PS getting our cats back on 30th May. I’m sure there will be a cat related blog post about the event!
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