General update!

I've not posted for a while on here as life has been extremely stressfull and I either haven't had the time or quite simply haven't had the inclination! The great thing with the boat is that when times get on top of you, you can simply disappear out onto the cut somewhere to clear your head and that is exactly what I've done! I only have one more week until I break up for Easter and have plans for a fantastic trip up towards the Shroppie, (my favourate canal on the system so far!) so decided to extend the holiday to 3 weeks by taking the boat out and commuting for one week from somewhere tranquil and remote!

Spent today up til now, (3.30!) doing housework! Hoovered and polished as usual but with the clocks going forward this evening I got spring fever and more than a little carried away! Shampooed the carpets and completed 3 loads of washing which is now fluttering in the breeze on the 'whirligig' on the back of Bill's boat as my ingenious contraption of mooring rope wound round the boat hook sticking in the ground and guyed with another mooring rope and stake kept blowing over; RESULT - washing dirtier than when I started!

It's a nice fact of life that boaters may not always agree on issues but will stick generally together through thick and thin. Cruising past one boat last night belonging to someone I met through a combination of this blog and 'circumstances of life' and who I now count as a friend, (details not published for security reasons,) and I noticed that the padlock and clasp on the back hatch was open. A few frantic phone calls later and it was evident that although the padlock had been forced open, nothing inside had been disturbed or taken. It does bring the issue of security a little too close to home for comfort. I heard the other day that the notorious Mr. Finch is yet again out of prison and on the loose. The link from his name takes you to the real story of Mr. Finch as told by the Inspector Morse Society but don't let that put you off! Mr. Finch is a legend for sure but certainly not fictitious sadly.

Right, waffle, (and therapy!) over and I'm now off to mark a huge pile of test scripts from my pupils!