#Three Spires Centre Lichfield

[sandinz]

It may seem to some readers we spend most of our time enjoying ourselves. Together, with family, and with friends.

True, life in the Teutenberg/Walsh boathold (no household here!) it’s vastly different to the majority of people in our peer group. However, we are NOT retired. Barry has another two and half years to go; Sandra just over eight.

We do not, and neither of us ever have, rely on any form of public funds (i.e. state benefits). We DO have a small savings buffer as we’ve both ‘worked’ in the usual way for over 35 years each in our chosen professions. We have our boat, NB Areandare.

Adapting as we go …

This year has seen a marked difference in our travelling and trading plans. One of the most important things we’ve learnt since our bold/brave/crazy/impetuous (take your pick depending on your perspective!) decision to sell bricks and mortar, move to England, buy a narrowboat and leave our ‘normal’ jobs of Professional Photographer (Barry) and Midwife/Educator/Quality Coordinator (Sandra), has been to regularly review what we’re doing to attempt to sustain our chosen lifestyle. Up until very recently of course, I’ve also been caring for my elderly parents as their health diminished.

What we’re very conscious of is not getting sucked back into the hamster treadmill – or feeling coerced by ‘the powers that be’ into ‘ticking their boxes’.

Admittedly there’s been a few times such as the two applications for Barry’s UK Spousal Sponsored Visa (with the third one looming), or recently opening an ‘Executors Bank Account’ with my sister, or hiring a car from Enterprise (they ask about occupation this year having never done previously!), where not being able to simply answer questions about home address and employment, as most people easily do, can feel rather frustrating.

But … overall we feel an incredible sense of freedom ‘doing it differently‘ and NOT waiting to live until it’s potentially too late. We’ve known far too many people who have left this mortal world much sooner than expected. We both believe strongly this life is it. No point gambling precariously that there’s something ‘better’ to come in our worldview. As I’ve alluded to previously though, this way of living is not for the fainthearted. It takes courage, perseverance, partnership, persistence and planning (just not long-term or it’s just too freaky!).

Calendar Club – a joint venture

For the past two years we’ve both worked at Calendar Club outlets. In 2016 we each worked for people we knew who were running stores. Last year we successfully ran our own shop in Lichfield at the Three Spires Centre. A full-on fourteen week commitment, with only two days during in total when we shut up shop. We even managed to stay open during the period of severe snowfall.

However, with both of us running the store we each had sufficient time off. We’d chosen Lichfield as there were good moorings nearby, with public transport routes to the city – and it’s near family and friends, as Sandra lived in Sutton Coldfield for many years. And from 1st November to 1st March, 48 hour moorings become 14 day ones. So we were able to move the required distances during the time we were ‘working’.

We’re very proud that this year, as we met the Key Performance Indicators set by Calendar Club, we’ve been invited to run the Lichfield store again. It’s a brilliant way to earn a good sum of money, on a commission basis (we’re ‘Self-Employed Operators’), in a set period of time. So it’s ideally suited to live-aboard boaters who’d prefer not to work in the usual way. There’s obviously many other people who live on land who run stores and mall outlets too.

This year Calendar Club have a number of vacancies needing to be filled from now till October.  You can apply by going to this link and filling in the online form. Currently the areas where Calendar Club are seeking motivated and committed operators are:

Aldershot

Andover

Aylesbury

Bath

Bishops Stortford

Buxton

Chester

Dumfries

Durham

Elgin

Hastings

Hemel Hempstead

Hereford

Hull

Inverness

Kendal

Kirkcaldy

Maidenhead

Middlesbrough

Newmarket

Oxford

Reading

Runcorn

Southend

Stafford

St Albans

Swansea

Tamworth

Taunton

So get in quick if you’re interested!

There’s a number on the list with nearby waterways … Do contact us by email if you want to chat about our experiences.

The Home Brew Boat and Photography

Barry has focused mostly on on-line sales for The Home Brew Boat this year, doing very little towpath trading. We have three canal festivals booked in the Birmingham area in September. Most unlike the past four years.

He’s refining the products he sells, according to what he’s found popular. There may be more changes afoot in the near future, concentrating more along the distilling and spirits making line. That is more his area of expertise having been involved with ‘Still Spirits‘, the  distilling supply company whom Barry dealt with in New Zealand, prior to moving to the UK. So … if you want to know about distilling, the legalities of it and ‘how to do it safely and successfully for personal consumption only’, give him a call or email via the contact us page.

Last year Barry was invited to work with PayPal  together with an international freight company and which uses a website plugin to expand the reach of his business. It means his wicked website is translated into the language of the country where it is viewed so is able to have products delivered across the globe. The customer pays the UK plus extra international postage when ordering.  Barry organises the courier to the depot at Heathrow, and PayPal or their freight partner, do the rest. It’s been working very successfully so far.

He’s also increased the range of waterways related Greeting Cards to 47, with nine new ones in the last batch. Photography continues to be a passion – just in a very different way to his years in New Zealand.

The Worcester, Birmingham and Droitwich Canal Society have purchased some of his cards to sell at events they attend, and they say they’ve been one of their best-sellers! So … if there’s anyone else out there who would like to stock a selection of Barry’s cards, please do contact us.

He’s had photographs published recently in The Wall Street Journal and Waterways World, and we started a weekly Wednesday ‘Guess the location and waterway’ competition on his ‘Inspirational Images of the UK Inland Waterways’ Facebook page. The person to guess correctly wins their choice of Greeting Card from Barry’s range. Most week’s we’re a card down – occasionally we stump everyone! Click the link and ‘like’ the page, check it out on a Wednesday (the time we publish is variable) – and have a go yourself …

Reflections in Little Venice – published in The Wall Street Journal

A snow covered Areandare December 2017 Hopwas

Sandra’s becoming a Google Guru – at Ad-extra

Also this year, I (Sandra) applied, was interviewed, and successfully passed the required ‘Google Ads’ (formerly ‘Google AdWords’) exams, to gain a self-employed consultant contract with a fabulous UK-based company called ‘Ad-Extra‘. Over the past years I’ve blogged, set up and managed websites, and marketed our services through a variety of  Social Media accounts, so this seemed like a natural progression.

One of the beauties of doing online work like this, is the flexibility of the ‘hours of work’ – which can be mostly adapted around our lifestyle. It’s early days yet, but after working with the owner Dom, and the select team, since March 2018, I can honestly say I’m looking forwarding to building up my contribution to helping people promote themselves to clients searching for local businesses.

For any canal-related businesses, appearing at the top of Google searches may be something that would increase your exposure and income. Sandra Willis from The Doggie Boat, also works for Ad-Extra. Click here and ‘meet the team‘!

Duck food and Canal Art

These have been very small additions, so far, to our ‘portfolio’ of income generating streams.

We’ve been travelling a lot, and entertaining visitors frequently, so weekends sitting on a busy towpath attempting to ply our wares just hasn’t really figured on our itinerary! However, they’re both ‘works in progress’, and projects we’ll consider building upon during the remainder of this summer, early autumn, and in 2019.

  Letting go of Facepainting …

A few fantastic faces from Blisworth Canal Festival 2016

I loved being a facepainter since April 2014. It’s something I’d wanted to do for many years, and I believe (and was often told!) that I became rather good at it!

However …

I only ever got to facepaint OFF the boat. Which meant hauling heaps of equipment from the boat to a land-based stall and setting it up. Or hiring a car and travelling to events (that cut into the meagre profits!). And when people asked me if I did parties, generally I had to say yes and no, desperately wanting to say yes – but knowing it depended upon where we were expecting to be located at the time of the event. I’m convinced that if we’d been in one place, for a length of time, I could’ve built up the business successfully. As it is, with the lifestyle we’re currently living and loving, I felt it wasn’t moving forward. So I’ve made the sad decision to let it go – for now. Who knows, one day I may pick up my brushes, sponges, paints, glitter and gems again … Watching children’s (and young and more mature adults!) faces light up when they look in the mirror has been akin to waving a magic wand and sprinkling fairy dust on them. Absolutely priceless.

A kiwi summer

Our next kiwi guests arrive today, and are with us for three fabulous days. We’re currently moored adjacent to The Salt Barge, not far from Northwich. We’ve not stayed here previously, but will definitely do so again. A marvellous mooring and outstanding proper British pub.

On 25th July Barry’s older brother Ray arrives for three weeks. We recently heard his younger brother Peter has also chosen 2018 to pop in for a cuppa – or most likely something rather stronger! He’s literally popping in one day and out the next. But it’ll be amazing to see them both.

And yes, in between and during, we’ll both be fitting in ‘work’. Following that, September we have three festivals booked. October, it’ll be noses to the grindstone, and we’ll be focussing on making our Lichfield Calendar Club store as successful as possible.

We don’t always get the balance as evenly weighted to either side as we’d like, but mostly it suits us living as we are. For now …

Continuing to discover ways to sustain our flexible floating lifestyle It may seem to some readers we spend most of our time enjoying ourselves. Together, with family, and with friends.

[scavengedluxury]

Three Spires Centre, Lichfield. April 2017.

[roseshavethoughts]

Travel | Lichfield

#TravelTuesday Photography | Lichfield #Wanderlust

Yesterday I took a little trip to the cathedral city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, spending plenty of time exploring the famous three-spired medieval cathedral and beautiful medieval city centre,

[christinaepilzauthor-blog]

Queen Charlotte's Christmas Tree

by Catherine Curzon

As a historian of Georgian royalty, I have to get that family from Hanover into all of my holiday celebrations. Of course, mad kings and mistresses aren't always appropriate for Christmas but trees certainly are. Most people believe that we have Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to thank for the tradition of Christmas trees in England, but that isn't actually the case. In fact, for that particular tradition we should look back into the Georgian era, and Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On 8th September 1761, George III married the 17-year-old Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace. Their marriage was long, produced 15 children, and was filled with challenges, but when George was well, the couple were happy. Charlotte put up the first known English tree at her home at Queen's Lodge, Windsor, in December, 1800. It was a tradition that she brought with her from her home in Germany, where trees were a popular bit of festive decor. Legend has it that they were popularised by Martin Luther in 1536 who was strolling in a pine forest in Wittenberg one night when he glanced up through the canopy at the stars twinkling above him. Inspired, he hurried home and brought a fir red into his house, which he lit with candles. Luther hoped that this would remind his children of the heavens and, by extension, God.

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by Nathiel Dance-Holland

Throughout the 17th century, trees of various types that were illuminated by candlelight became popular across Southern Germany whilst in Charlotte's homeland of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a single, mighty yew branch being decorated rather than a whole tree. Samuel Taylor Coleridge visited the country in 1799 and wrote of the traditions there. Among them, he noted, was the Yew branch. "There is a Christmas custom here which pleased and interested me. The children make little presents to their parents, and to each other; and the parents to the children. For three or four months before Christmas the girls are all busy; and the boys save up their pocket money, to make or purchase these presents. What the present is to be is cautiously kept secret, and the girls have a world of contrivances to conceal it -- such as working when they are out on visits, and the others are not with them; getting up in the morning before daylight; and the like. then, on the evening before Christmas day, one of the parlours is lighted up by the children, into which the parents must not go. A great yew bough is fastened on the table at a little distance from the wall, a multitude of little tapers are fastened in the bough, but so as not to catch it till they are nearly burnt out, and coloured paper hangs and flutters from the twings. Under this bough, the children lay out in great order the presents they mean for their parents, still concealing in their pockets what they intend for each other. Then the parents are introduced, and each presents his little gift, and then bring out the rest one by one from their pockets, and present them with kisses and embraces.

An ancient yew

Where I witnessed this scene there were eight or nine children, and the eldest daughter and the mother wept aloud for joy and tenderness; and the tears ran down the face of the father, and he clasped all his children so tight to his breast, it seemed as if he did it to stifle the sob that was rising within him. I was very much affected. The shadow of the bough and its appendages on the wall, and arching over on the ceiling, made a pretty picture, and then the raptures of the very little ones, when at last the twings and their needles began to take fire and snap! -- Oh, it was a delight for them! On the next day, in the great parlour, the parents lay out on the table the presents for the children; a scene of more sober joy success, as on this day, after an old custom, the mother says privately to each of her daughters, and the father to his sons, that which he has observed most praiseworthy, and that which was most faulty in their conduct. Formerly, and still in all the smaller towns and villages throughout North Germany, these presents were sent by all the parents to some one fellow, who in high buskins, a white robe, a mask, and an enormous flax wig, personate Knecht Rupert, the servant Rupert. On Christmas night he goes round to every house, and says that Jesus christ his master sent him thither, the parents and elder children receive him with great pomp of reverence, while the little ones are most terribly frightened.

Coleridge by Washington Allston

He then inquires for the children, and, according to the character which he hears from the parent, he gives them the intended presents, as if they came out of heaven from Jesus Christ. Or, if they should have been bad children, he gives the parents a rod, and in the name of his master recommends them to use it frequently. About seven or eight years old the children are let into the secret, and it is curious to observe how faithfully they keep it." Charlotte was devoted to her homeland and when she came to England as a bride, she brought many traditions with her. Among them was the traditional Christmas yew branch. Yet as a queen, even a private one, Charlotte didn't content herself to a quiet corner of the castle. Instead, she used it as a way to bring the royal household, from family to friends to courtiers, together. She and her ladies-in-waiting positioned and decorated the bough in the centre of the Queen's House's largest room. As evening fell and the tapers were lit, the court assembled around the yew and sang carols. Then, by the light of the tree, they exchanged opulent gifts to celebrate Christmas. This was the first, but not the last notable Christmas foliage of the Georgian era. In 1800, Queen Charlotte was planning a Christmas Day party for the children of the most important and wealthy families in Windsor - I should say that the poor weren't forgotten either, and the 60 poorest families were given an enormous Christmas lunch too. This time, however, there would be no yew bow, but a whole tree. From it were hung the traditional decorations as well as small gifts for the children from the royal family. The children were enchanted by the sight before them, for they had never seen anything like it before. It glittered with glass and crystal and the scent of fruit and spice filled the drawing room, capturing the heart and imagination of all who saw it.

Windsor Castle

Dr John Watkins, one of the adults present, wrote:

"Sixty poor families had a substantial dinner given them and in the evening the children of the principal families in the neighbourhood were invited to an entertainment at the Lodge. Here, among other amusing objects for the gratification of the juvenile visitors, in the middle of the room stood an immense tub with a yew tree placed in it, from the branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds and raisins in papers, fruits and toys most tastefully arranged and the whole illuminated by small wax candles. After the company had walked round and admired the tree, each child obtained a portion of the sweets which it bore together with a toy, and then all returned home quite delighted."

Thanks to the queen, the fashionable world raced to put up their Christmas trees and no one who fancied themselves anyone went without. Across high society trees were soon glittering in the most opulent drawing rooms in Britain. So, when the adoring Prince Albert first put up his tree, he really was following in the footsteps of the glorious Georgians. Far from being first to the show, he was actually one of the last! References "Yew Tree - 'Taxus baccata'" Grow Wild. https://www.growwilduk.com/blog/2015/12/15/yew-tree-taxus-baccata Anonymous. The Magazine Antiques, Volume 108. Straight Enterprises, 1975. Anonymous. Country Life, Volume 186. Country Life, 1992. Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Princeton University Press, 2015. Craig, William Marshall. Memoir of Her Majesty Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz, Queen of Great Britain. Henry Fisher, 1818. Curzon, Catherine. Queens of Great Britain. Pen & Sword, 2017. Delves Broughton, Vernon (ed.). Court and Private Life in the Time of Queen Charlotte. Richard Bentley, 1887. Fitzgerald, Percy. The Good Queen Charlotte. Downey & Co, 1899. Hadlow, Janice. The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians. William Collins, 2014. Desmond, Ray. Kew. Random House, 1998. Foley, Daniel. The Christmas Tree. Chilton, 1960. Groom, Suzanne & Prosser, Lee. Kew Palace. Merrell, 2006. Harrison, Michael. The Story of Christmas. Odhams Press, 1951. Hedley, Owen. Queen Charlotte. J Murray, 1975. Holt, Edward. The Public and Domestic Life of George the Third, Volume I. Sherwood, Neely and Jones, 1820 Nash, Joseph. The Mansions of England in the Olden Time. TM Lean, 1869. Pimlott, John & Pimlott, Ben. The Englishman's Christmas. Harvester Press, 1978. Sfetcu, Nicolae. About Christmas. Sfetcu, 2014. All images from Wikipedia. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Catherine Curzon is a royal historian. She is the author of Life in the Georgian Court, Kings of Georgian Britain, and Queens of Georgian Britain. She has written extensively for publications including HistoryExtra.com, the official website of BBC History Magazine, Explore History, All About History, History of Royals and Jane Austen's Regency World. Catherine has spoken at venues and events including the Stamford Georgian Festival, the Jane Austen Festival, Lichfield Guildhall, the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich and Dr Johnson's House. In addition, she has appeared with An Evening with Jane Austen at Kenwood House, Godmersham Park, the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, the Jane Austen Festival, Bath, and the Stamford Georgian Festival. Her novels, The Crown Spire, The Star of Versailles, and The Mistress of Blackstairs, are available now. Catherine holds a Master's degree in Film and lives in Yorkshire atop a ludicrously steep hill. Connect with Catherine through her website (http://madamegilflurt.com), Facebook, Twitter (@MadameGilflurt), Google Plus, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Hat Tip To: English Historical Fiction Authors

[scavengedluxury]

Three Spires Centre, Lichfield. April 2017.

[scavengedluxury]

Three Spires Centre, Lichfield. April 2017.

[sandinz]

Floored by flu

Barry and I pride ourselves in being fit and healthy. When I was employed, my sickness record rarely had a mark on it. So when Barry was struck down a couple of weeks ago, hardly able to lift his head never mind leave the boat, I knew it was bad. I soldiered on stubbornly, and kept our shop going – until last Friday when the little critter also overwhelmed me! Thankfully by then Barry was through…

[sandinz]

A short and slightly scary stay in Handsacre ...

.

Since early October we’ve been successful in our choice of fourteen day moorings. Until this week … Actually that’s not strictly accurate. The moorings, as always, are Barry’s choice. Not mine. So the ‘we’ is stretching the truth a little. Geography, especially of the UK Inland Waterways, is not one of my strengths. Handsacre appeared to be the closest location to our Lichfield based Calendar…

[sandinz]

Last day for Lichfield Calendar Club till October

It’s finally arrived. Our penultimate day trading here at The Three Spires Shopping Centre. We’ve had a busier week than expected since New Year’s Day which is a brilliant bonus. Barry had a day off on Thursday to move us to Branston, so we’re now heading in the direction we’ll be mindfully meandering during the coming weeks and months. We’re SO looking forward to chilling a little without having…

[sandinz]

Hard to believe but today we’re seven weeks into our fourteen week commitment with Calendar Club at The Three Spires Shopping Centre in Lichfield. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun …

Barry and I are working surprisingly well together, sharing time in the shop and ensuring we each have regular time out. We must be doing something right as we’re featured in the latest Bulletin to Store Operators as third in the country (over 270 outlets) for the number of feedback input from the till receipts we give. When customers go to the website and complete a short five-question feedback survey, their name goes into a draw to win a £250 High Street voucher.

Barry amused himself last week on one of my days away. A customer asked where ‘the lovely lady’ was; “That’s no lady, that’s my wife,!” he told me he chortled – said he’d been waiting years to use that line. Cheeky whatsit!

I don’t get to be boat alone much on my down days, but that’s ok. I’ve been thankful to be with mum for some crucial appointments – more on that later.

And been able to share precious moments with our grandsons.

Barry gets the joy of moving Areandare every 14 days (to meet CRT requirements), fill up with water and diesel as needed, and empty you know what … Since the beginning of October we’ve been hopping between Whittington, Hopwas, Alrewas – as of  yesterday we’re at Handsacre; a new mooring to experience. Each place needs to have somewhere to park, and a reliable bus service into Lichfield.

Fitting in fabulous friends

We don’t know who’s going to surprise us at the shop next, which adds to the interest and pleasure of this phase in our quest to make our chosen lifestyle sustainable.

My friend of almost a lifetime, Karen, brought her mum Sheila in to see us. She’s a similar age to my mum, and is also a widow. I’ve known them both since we first moved to Sutton Coldfield, from Shirley, Solihull, when I was at Primary School.

The weekend before last we welcomed Gav and Helen on board for a night of frivolity – they’re currently living in Leeds. We initially met these gorgeous people in Gisborne, many years ago.

Most recently we joined Helen and Andy from Wildside, and Andrew and Sarah from Waterways World – and of course Stu and Seth. We’d last all been together for the first festival we ever traded at, at The Bond in April 2014 – we moored opposite Sarah on ‘The Book Barge‘ when she was being filmed by the BBC at one her book launches. Said book was ‘The Bookshop That Floated Away‘. A hilarious tale of her exploits travelling around England on her book-selling-narrowboat ‘The Book Barge’ with no loo! It’s a brilliant read. Rather a lot’s happened in her life since then, like crossing the English Channel on her boat, getting married, living in France, having a baby …

Sheila – who I’ve known since I was 5 years old

Gav

Helen and Gav on board

Gav and the barmaid in their hats!

Lots of laughs

Meeting Seth for the first time

A special night

Dad’s gift to mum

I vividly recall sitting late one evening with my dad, around three and a half years ago, after mum had gone to bed. Dad looked anxious. He had Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s, though hadn’t yet been formally diagnosed. I asked him what was worrying him. “All this.” He said desperately. “What’s going to happen?” I asked if he meant mum, when he died. Because he’d obviously waited to talk to me. “Yes.” He replied. I promised faithfully my sisters and I would look after mum, and sort out ‘All this’ – their home and possessions. He’d wanted to move somewhere closer to one of their daughters for a while, and de-clutter. But for a variety of reasons it didn’t happen. By the time I eventually got through the bureaucracy of the NHS and managed to obtain a diagnosis for dad, it was too late for him to be offered any medication to improve the quality of his life.

For mum, earlier this year I’d began to see the subtle signs of her walking a similar path. This time I knew, from experience, who to contact and what to ask for.

Last week mum was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s Disease, by a gentle, kind and knowledgable Older Adult Consultant Psychiatrist. And mum will be starting on medication that may help her short term memory and cognitive functioning which is slowing down:

Cognitive functions can be defined as cerebral activities that lead to knowledge, including all means and mechanisms of acquiring information. Cognitive functions encompass reasoning, memory , attention, and language and lead directly to the attainment of information and, thus, knowledge.

She’s still able to mostly care for herself. She has a carer each morning for half an hour, an AgeUK Domestic Services cleaner weekly for two hours, a cooked meal from ‘Julie’s Pantry’ each weekday, and one of her daughters almost every weekend.

Making it National on-line – sold down the river

We were honoured to be chosen, along with nine other floating businesses, to feature in an article by The Guardian which was published on Saturday – ‘Sold Down the River: 10 Wonderful Floating Businesses’. The article gives an intriguing insight into the variety of boat-traders living and working on the UK Inland Waterways. Do have a read – there’s more unusual ways of shopping than in the High Street for your Christmas gifts!

Unless you’re looking for calendars of course. If so, come to Lichfield Three Spires Shopping Centre and find us there every day until 8th January, except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day …

A special day

There’s two significant events for me today. A mixture of joy and sadness. Our oldest grandson is eight years old and I’ve got a day to have lunch with my daughter then meet the birthday boy from school. We’re off to McDonald’s for tea – I must love him a lot as I never set foot in the place any other time!

It’s also a day to mark the decade since one of my dearest friends took her life at Alice Springs. So I’ve dyed my hair purple all over once again. And I’m wearing mostly said colour today. It was her favourite too. Andree Marie if you’re reading this somehow, I hope you’re at peace and watching how incredible your beautiful daughter is. Arohanui everyone.

Half way already and loving Lichfield Hard to believe but today we're seven weeks into our fourteen week commitment with Calendar Club…

[sandinz]

Yesterday afternoon we picked up the keys for 11, Bakers Lane, Three Spires Shopping Centre, Lichfield.

How exciting!

I had quite a number of retail jobs more years ago than I care to count – probably the longest one was working for Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) in the army camp in Bünde, West Germany in the early 1980s. Barry of course was a self employed photographer for 35 years, and before we left Gisborne in March 2013, he’d built a successful Home Brew shop ‘Ezimade’.

What’s so special about this venture, is we’re doing it together. The contract’s in my name, so officially Barry works ‘for’ me; unofficially we’ll be sharing the workload.

Today the shop was turned from an empty shell into an amazing Calendar Club store – with the help of our Territorial Manager Steve, his daughter Charlie, my nephew Matt, Tony who Barry worked for at Calender Club Merry Hill last year, and Pete from The Hippie Boat.

I was in awe of the splendid teamwork, orchestrated by Steve and Charlie, the whole thing running like a well-oiled machine. Admittedly my main jobs were taking photographs of the pallets and a few of the build, making sure we had the necessary domestic requirements, popping to Greggs next door (dangerous!) for bacon or sausage butties (only £2 for a butty and hot drink mornings till 11am, how can you resist?!), and keeping the workers supplied with tea and coffee. Especially Steve. He loves his tea …

Sadly the actual stock of calendars, etc, won’t arrive until tomorrow, so we’ll spend another day setting up before opening properly at 9am on Wednesday 4th October. As luck would have it, the day Barry and Pete are off to London together to see Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains. It’s a big exhibition at The Victoria and Albert Museum that I bought tickets to for Barry’s birthday – which isn’t until 6th December, but we’ll be flat out then and unable to do much. I’d gained the impression from somewhere (hoping maybe?!) we wouldn’t open in Lichfield till later in October – so I took a chance and booked cheap train tickets to Euston.

Ah well, he’ll have a far better time with someone who shares his passion for the band. It’s never been my scene.

I’ll be manning our shop alone … Fingers crossed all goes smoothly.

  Our shop, next door to Greggs!

An empty shell on Sunday 1st October

The pallets unloading at the rear of the store

The strong men carry everything into the sop

Like a huge jigsaw puzzle!

Everything has its place …

Pink and purple towers everywhere

Steve multi-tasks as ever

Almost there …

Cool window display Charlie

Lots of cups of tea and coffee were drank today

Setting up our Lichfield Calendar Club shop … Yesterday afternoon we picked up the keys for 11, Bakers Lane, Three Spires Shopping Centre, Lichfield.

[sandinz]

This year has felt far more frantic than any other since we’ve been travelling on the canals since 2009.

I’ve put this blog to one side, along with a few other things, to reduce my sense of overwhelm and chaos!

Apologies dear readers. I’ve been meaning to write, it just didn’t happen. I’m going to keep this post as brief as possible, it’s likely I’ll miss things out (there’s so much to say!), but here goes …

An unexpected take over

I was chatting to Barry recently about why this is. “RCTA“, he said. “Aha!” said I. “Of course, that’s the biggest difference this year.”

In October 2016, I decided to put my hand up to volunteer to help out the Roving Canal Traders Association, along with about a dozen other boaters. Many people had been critical of how the RCTA had been functioning last summer, and as I’ve done many times in the past, I decided that the most constructive way of moving forward is to help out rather than moan.

Little did I realise how much it would take over my life.

Not only mine now. Barry, bless him, decided that if you can’t beat them you may as well join them. He’s now the Website lead for RCTA and has re-built the site. It’s rather splendid – check it out https://rcta.org.uk

Admittedly there have been many times when I’ve wanted to jack it in and stop RCTA taking over my life to the detriment of my self, relationships and my business, but I have realised that it’s something I do. I take on projects and they engulf me. It’s a pattern. So if I walk away from this one, I’ll just find something else and the pattern will continue.

I’m learning some powerful ways to manage this – and it’s working well. I took some time out in August and nourished my self more, unplugged from the Internet, and reframed the whys of my discombobulation. I reached out to some ex-coaching clients who I have a Facebook group with, and one of them talked about one of the first things I suggested to them was to write down gratitudes daily. She said at the time she thought I was crazy and couldn’t see how on earth that would help. But it did.

So I took her suggestion and committed publicly to posting five daily gratitudes every day in August, on my Facebook page. I’ve attempted daily gratitudes before, and I’ve not managed to do it long-term. This time I did. It was incredible how much it helped me to stop looking at what I didn’t have, and focus more on what I DO have. And from 1st September I started a ‘secret’ Facebook group with some friends who wanted to transform their lives too by doing this. We’re loving it.

I’ve also recently felt that my/our intense involvement with RCTA is paying off handsomely. Not just because it’s helped me feel more a part of the boating/trading community, but also because it’s raising the profile of Roving Traders exponentially, and I’m very proud to have been a part of this move forward.

Tons of Travelling

We experienced ‘virgin’ territory on the canals and rivers when we cruised down to Gloucester and onto the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal before the trading season began.

I’ve also travelled rather a lot this year.

To Nigeria, Northmoor (north Devon), and New Zealand in the first three months; then Minorca and Scotland in May and July, as well as all the moving around we do as traders. We started in Droitwich, and moved up to Middlewhich and Chester, then down to Linslade, Cosgrove and Blisworth; back up and across to Merry Hill, then Netherton and now Titpton this weekend. Finally next weekend we’ll be in Lichfield for the Huddlesford Heritage Boat Gathering.

For our (first) eighth wedding anniversary on 26th September, and my 58th (!) birthday on 28th September, we’re BOTH going down to Hove to stay in my daughter’s flat for a break.

THEN … on 2nd October, we’re setting up our first Calendar Club store in the Three Spires Shopping Centre in Lichfield where we’ll be open seven days a week until 8th January.

I tell a lie.

We’ll have Christmas Day off!

To be fair, Barry and I will share the load so we’ll each have at least one day off a week. If anyone reading this lives near to Lichfield, please buy your diaries, calendars, annuals, mugs, etc from us – the more we sell the more we earn …

People, people, people

Barry and I loved being back in NZ and seeing his family and our friends there, the whole of March was spent in the southern hemisphere.

We’ve had an abundance of visitors too aboard this year.

Dawn from Auckland stayed on board for a week at the end of April, and experienced a boating festival first-hand along with the beer tent and fabulous bands.

We caught up with John and Elaine in Chester, and even watched The All Blacks play at breakfast time in a local pub – a first for me though probably not for Barry!

Barry’s best mate Lee, and his lovely wife Maria, came and stayed for a week in July, which got a little messy at times! That was just before we headed up to Scotland for Sandra Willis’s 50th birthday bash cruise from Falkirk to Glasgow, back to Falkirk, to Edinburgh and again returning to Falkirk. We realised a dream of traveling on the incredible Falkirk Wheel. There was rather a downside though, which I’ll tell you more about in another post when I get some cool images from Barry of our Scottish adventures.

Phil and Cal, friends we’ve made through this blog originally from UK who now live in Gisborne, came and cared for Areandare while we were up north, and moved her from Birmingham to Long Buckby.

I’ve spent precious time with my elderly mum, my two daughters, and grandsons, which does entail feeling quite discombobulated at times as I miss quite a lot of boating experiences. However, being in UK, for me, is about being with family as well as with Barry. And he knows this and understands. I’m certain he also loves to have some peace and quiet when I’m away – he just doesn’t eat quite as well (though the local establishments wherever he may be seem to prosper somewhat!).

We had an unexpected but wonderful visit from Barry’s niece Lauren, from Gladstone, Australia, and we had my nephew Mathew on board for a week too in May.

We’ve also entertained many fellow traders throughout the season, and taught an ever-increasing circle of people barry’s favourite ‘Six-Handed Rummy’ which has been fun.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Elaine and John in Chester for the All Blacks game

Lee and Maria arrive

Uh-oh!

A laugh a minute – sometimes two!

At the Shroppie Fly

Chilling in the catch

A bracing walk to the castle

Splendid views

A lunch stop on the Chester Wall walk

The famous Anchor Inn

Cheers!

Fabulous old pub in Chester

Snatching some rare summer sunshine

A night out in Brum

Cal and Phil looking comfy in the kitchen

The lovely Lauren

Lauren locking

Barry and I entering Gloucester Docks

Cal and Phil in the secret garden at Birmingham Library

Happy in Minorca

Me and my girls at a festival

Kim and I at Brighton Pride

Lisa and I on her birthday

More unexpected guests – Teresa and Roger from NZ

Barry and Tony at Burton

Andrew and his wife (why have I forgotten your name, sorry!) at Droitwich

Dawn loving being on bard

Meeting up with Louise in Gloucester

Heather and Tony – boating friends in NZ!

Barry’s family in Gisborne

Teutenberg’s rare get together

Kim and I in Nigeria

Water blasted bottom!

All the Walsh girls at Northmoor

Northmoor House

Trading changes

We’re coming to the end of our fourth season of trading as The Home Brew Boat, and Funtastic Facepainting by Sandra. Some of what we’ve been doing is working well; and some not so much.

Consequently, we’re in the process of deciding what we’ll keep, what we’ll let go of, and what we’ll add.

Interesting times indeed!

We’re also discussing where we want to travel to in 2018. It’s likely to be rather different to 2014 to 2017 – as they say, a change is as good as a rest.

Oh so much to catch you all up on! This year has felt far more frantic than any other since we've been travelling on the canals since 2009.