Time warp back to the 1960's - On board at the turn of the year

This morning was a shock to the senses.... Rachel had set an alarm for 7.45am and we woke to a cold 7c boat. When I went out last night it was a lovely semi cloudy night, not cold. Overnight the wind and weather changed and we woke to a cold boat and a frosty outside. The title refers to the ice we had on the inside of the windows - the kitchen and one of the lounge windows we kept open for the fire to release a bit of heat as it was warm in the boat when we retired to bed. That was the norm when we lived in a terrace house as kids with one coal fire to heat the whole house.

The fire was soon lit and the benefit of logs is you get a hot fire quickly. I went out to get the genny to charge the Ecoflow and a few other bits  and realised it was still in the garage at home - I'd taken it home to service, which didn't get done. 

We had a lazy morning a tad spoilt by the arrival of a gang of fisher persons  - ok fishermen no women present who as ever were loud miserable looking and sweary.... and yes I count myself as a fisherman. 

We took ourselves for a walk via the lanes to the Anchor pub that was predictably closed so returned via the towpath to a nice warm boat. 

I set to watering up that was a comedy of hose fittings blowing off and splits in the hose - it gets shorter each watering up - I need to buy a good length and replace what we have as we need two to get to the taps here at Shebdon. 

After lunch I drove back to the cottage to collect the genny and pick up some fuel and supplies on the way... I took the nearly full cassette back and emptied it into the drains via the manhole  (person hole) we have in the garden.

Back at the boat the genny was filled with petrol and is now charging the Ecoflow and has topped up the batteries that went to float quite quickly once again proving the Smartgauge is anything but. I'd rip it out but it is useful to parallel  the leisures if the starter isn't strong enough in the cold to spin the 2 cylinder three litre engine over. Of course this could be done with some decent jump leads which I also have !! I think next battery change I will re do the electrics and remove the Smartbank altogether - its just a gauge I should not be looking at as I have the shunt that gives some info and I know resting battery voltages and state of charge as well as the amps in to indicate a charged battery bank. We also use the Ecoflow most evenings to not load the 2 x  AGM's so they have a ( too) easy life.

So we will see 2025 into 2026 later... A nice meal some fizzy stuff and a look back through the photos I like to take. It'll give us a sense of a full year  - we may ponder a few trips we have outlined for 2026 also nto 2026 then have a few easy days on Percy with the odd job to do. It is giving snow where we live from Monday so we may have to move the house sitters out or share the space for a few days as we will be back earlier.

For those regular 50+ people who read this  - thank you. I hope you have a good evening and a good start to 2026. One bit of advice, don't delay those plans and goals, non of us is guaranteed tomorrow, take care now. 

Well we made it, all being well aboard for the turn of the year

I'm hoping I can scrape enough boat related content and memories to add maybe one more post before we quite remarkably head into 2026.

We got to the boat at about 1.30pm today 30th. The boat was a lowly 5c but now we are sitting in luxurious warmth of 22c. We may not have cruised much in 2025 but the jobs I have done all make being on the boat more pleasurable for sure. (new water pump, new gas regulator and bubble tester, new stove, New BSC even started a bit of painting and replacing the solar panel) 

The new stove is very easy to control and chucks out a lot of heat into the boat and the back boiler system. Not doing much today now as its getting dark albeit after 4pm which is a noticeable improvement.

Another thing of interest to me is when we last had a New Year on the boat  - that was way back in 2018 ! I would not have guessed that but the arrival of grandkids in 2017 has seen many Christmas periods taken up with visiting and being visited. 

Percy on our original mooring at Shebdon in 2018 

I sought that info out as I got one of thoseFaceBook reminders  - then and now back to 2014 my first winter on the boat. We were at Fradley Junction then on Percy in her original colours. Not quite New year in 2014 as we were up and down to the south coast then so Christmas on the boat and New Year in Chichester and walking the South Downes. ( Me) as Rachel was working but I'd have been heading back for my work back in the bad old days pre retirement.

An icy Trent and Mersey Canal  in 2014  - I am so glad I got to live aboard full time, magical time but hard work. It was made so much easier with my loyal and much missed other companion Princess Leia 

The boat as we arrived today, we'd given is a decent clean before we left last visit so nice to come back to a clean but chilly boat 

One early job in the New Year will be to replace the carpet - might even put laminate down. I need to do the kitchen bedroom and bathroom as well. The good thing is being small rooms they are easy'ish to do and cheap also. The cottage is nearly done DIY wise so I should be able to give Percy more attention and maybe more nights aboard in 2026 all being well. I reflected on my last year and one thing I realised I like to be busy ! However I take nothing for granted now, I lost a good friend in 2024 and friends and family having health issues some out of the blue and totally unexpected.  

So last time aboard for a New Year was 2018, It is so nice to be able to reflect back on many many happy memories. I do hope we can make many more in the years to come.  

The last missing bit but will we get on Percy one last time this year ?

I just need to detail early September then maybe one last 2025 blog from aboard Percy - maybe ? 

We were looking at vans early September as I'd committed to selling the reliable Toyota Auris and I wanted a van for a few reasons. 

• Fishing  - a place to keep my fishing tackle 
• Cycling we like to cycle and having the bikes in the van all the time gives us more options. 
• Motorcycling   - we also like to visit Chichester to ride with friends but it can be a slog for Rachel on the pillion - a bike in the back of the van would be a luxury but why not?
• Any jobs on the boat are easier with space for tools etc - I recently removed the solar panel and was able to bring it back in the van 
• Also just fetched a sofa for my youngest from Huddlesfield  - in the van.
• I've also a chair and washing machine to move for my sister in law. 
• We want to walk cycle ride Ofers Dyke over the next year or so - the van will help this. 
• I've patio to deliver to another sister in law...

You get the picture

So the beginning of September we went to look and test drive a nice Nissan  - I'd have had it Rachel less keen  sadly

We (Rachel) brought the Toyota with 2,000 miles on it in 2013 so we had it 12 years and did 132,000 miles. It did a lot of up and down to the south coast when Rachel was living near Chichester and working at the QA in Portsmouth, hence why we like to go down to Chichester a couple of times a year. 

There people wasted two hours of my life - we eventually sold it to Motorway for a few hundred more than WBAC finally offered. 

 The classic was also still getting the late summer miles. Winnats pass and overlooking the cement works in the Hope Valley.  

The warm summer had given us grapes on our vine and a bumper crop of apples off the little tree in a tub - I will set the tree free in the next month behind the cottage in a strip of no mans land behind out hedge and the farmers hedge and stock fence. 

The weekend of the 6th September we were in Chichester. We should have been on the bike but a bad forecast put us off so we took the EV. Frustratingly the weather was lovely but we still enjoyed a couple of lovely evening walks one into Chichester from Fishbourne where we were staying and another around Bosham harbour  - with a stop at the pub for a nightcap.

The cottage by the mill Rachel lived in for three years - hers was the furthest one the near one was her neighbour Gillian who is sadly now in a care home and her rented cottage is now for sale but it needs a lot of work as it's listed. 

We stayed in a pub in Fishbourne -each revisit we try out another place to stay. The pub had a german couple on this splendid outfit... back in the day I had similar when the lads were little  

We really like Chichester and seriously considered living there but it is so far from all the family 

We were straight back and another overnight this time in the Old Trafford hotel Manchester overlooking the cricket ground. Our Youngest son and his wife Emma were at a charity ball and we were on babysitting duty. It was a lovely hotel 

The next day we had a visit to the Salford Quays  - Manchester ship canal I think and visited the Lowry exhibition there. We like his art, we visited a sea scape exhibition when we'd finished the Castles and Coastlines cycle ride in 2024 up in Berwick Upon Tweed. 

On the way back we had to call into the Superbike Factory warehouse in Macclesfield 

As I was on the bike this would have been a boat check and grass cut visit on the 10th 

The 11th I was digging out the back of the workshop to put in a land drain to keep the back of the workshop dry - seems to have been successful 

On the 13th We were having a family day in Crich  - a good place for the kids and a decent meeting place for all the family. 

These BMW combo's are following me !!

A brighter day on the 17th i took on Croxden abbey near us for a stop. We have cycled there in the past. 

A blood bike shift on the 19th - we pick up and drop at the Medical school this is the new location a very nicely finished new build for Birmingham University. 

The van was brought a Peugeot partner 1 owner low mileage full service history 

I opted for Logs and Anthracite this wnter as the Excel ovels has rotted the stove liner in 5 years!

Royal Enfield via my local dealer organised the One Ride when Enfields all around the world went out on ride outs - ours was to the Darley Moor racing ircuit via many of the lanes and roads I've ridden all year - regardless it was a good day with lots of like minded people and I met up with someone I'd not seen for a good while. 

Rachel was enjoying the late September sun 

23rd I was at the boat removing the stove - I had the van now so I waited for the Boat Safety guy to give me a hand into the van with the old stove. It was on its way via me for a 24 hour trip to Cornwall to drop off the old and pick up the new ( refurbished ) stover  

On the 24th I nipped to Wales to collect a pair of tyres someone was selling - he didn't like the OEM tyres on his new bike so I had them for £80 easily saving the cost of the trip to collect the stove ! 

The 26th I had driven down to Bodmin Moor on the 25th to do the deal on the stove. A night in a travel lodge then up before dawn to be back home with the stove in my new to me van by 10.30 am 

The 27th the Boat safety and I even got the examiner to help me get the stove into the boat. Ironically he said the stove despite the back coming off would have only been an advisory ! On reflection pleased I opted for the bubble tester 

We had a lovely walk with Callum and George up towards the Macclesfield Forest on the 28th September 

The end of the month I was back aboard Percy, fitting the stove and Rachel was coming over later to enjoy a warm boat and a stop over for the first time in a while .... 

That was September. I am hoping to be aboard into the New Year so will try and pop a few more bits in between to make the blog count for the year acceptable to me.