Claustrophobia!!

OK, I am now officially fed up with Winter! Apparently this time last year the temperatures were in the mid teens and here we are with Snow and sleet howling round amidst a freezing easterly wind witht he temperatures struggling to get above five degrees. It has been weeks since I was last able to get out in the boat and I am beginning to feel claustrophobic! Yet again, the swans have given up hope of nesting and have gone again, yet again the buds on the trees have given up any attempt at bursting and some are even rotting on the branches. The only consolation and hint of better things to come is the longer daylight hours. Even if I leave work at five o'clock, by the time I get home, re-set the fire and clean it out, sort out all the water for me and the dog, feed the dog, cook and feed myself, walk the dog, sort out things for the morning, check and reply to emails, re-stock with coal, check diesel, gas and bilge levels - I rarely sit down for the evning to get on with school work etc till about 7-7.30 and it is nice to be able to do many of the daily chores in the daylight now - it would just be better to be able to do it with the side hatch open, the front cratch rolled up and not needing to worry about the fire or diesel!! I do allow myself the luxury of watching 'Waterworld', (it's a Midland thing!) on a Thursday evening.

I will need a toilet pump-out in the next week and would very much like to think that the journey to the pump-out station could be a weekend trip up the cut rather than a mad dash between the rain and fight with the wind! I think this is almost the longest time I have been 'grounded' since being on the boat and boy is it frustrating - I might as well be in a house!