Tattenhall take two, more about life in the marina - and credit where credit's due!

In the previous post, I missed a very apt photograph Barry had taken, which shows the measure of risk we take on our walks into Tattenhall. There's a tiny piece of grass on the right hand side that we can jump onto when there's cars/trucks coming either side, to avoid collisions. The hedge is spiky, so there's nothing to hold onto!

It's always worthwhile though. How fortunate are we to live so close to such a gorgeous village, with an engagingly friendly feel, well maintained and obviously loved by its inhabitants.

Life in the marina is peaceful, despite there being quite a few live-aboards around. We're managing to keep cosy with the central heating, the stove in the Boatman's Cabin and a small electric blow heater in the lounge/dining area. Admittedly I'm pining occasionally for the warmth of the New Zealand summer - it's my first British winter for nine years and it hasn't even officially begun yet so I'm remaining stoical whenever possible (Barry will disagree!).

Every Saturday night at Scott's Bar, opposite our mooring, there's some form of entertainment. It seems to be on a rolling plan of quiz night, dominoes knock out, 'Play Your Cards Right', and shuffleboard (see below). We've experienced three of the four, sadly we'll miss Brucie's game this Saturday as I'm off to my parents again whilst Barry is jumping on the train at Birmingham New Street (so long as Enterprise collect us on time in the morning!) to go to Brighton for two nights to see his mate Dickie. We've also heard from Ray of NB Stronghold, that he may finally get to meet Barry in person on one of the evenings as he also knows Dickie. Watch out Brighton!

For a few weeks now, the starlings have been flocking each evening and providing us with the most awe inspiring sights. They fly in at dusk, then seem to get into formation for a while, then break off into groups, and finally they all swoop down and land in a small clearing. It's like they're attending a planning meeting to discuss the best route and destination to escape the cold British winter ...

Our two resident mallards are frequently to be found almost knocking at the kitchen window, and I can imagine them quacking "Please miss, can we have some bread?" 

My Mondays and Fridays recently have been spent supporting my eldest daughter with our now two grandsons - so I hop on the 0815hrs bus, a ten minute walk away from the boat, for the twenty minute journey to Malpas. My prize for leaving the warmth of our bed at such an hour (I realise most people are generally up way before this!), is I get to watch the sunrise on a clear day. 

The sun rising on Friday - into a spectacularly clear blue sky ...

… the same view on Monday, three days later, the sun rising into a sky filled with criss-crossing vapour trails from aircraft - why is that? Different atmospheric pressure? Or is there a rush to fly away on a Monday morning?

Almost finally, here's the article I mentioned in the last post. Imagine my surprise to open up the page and see Barry and me staring back! Not what I was expecting at all. It's a colourful photo we adore, that epitomises our joy of being back on the waterways in April 2013, taken though by the very talented Andy Tidy from NB Wandr'ng Bark. We'd informed Waterways World that this particular shot was Andy's, but they have credited Barry on the side of the image.

On the contents page is a happy shot of Pam and Terry from NB Rooster's Rest, and we're reliably informed that there'll be another couple of pictures in the January issue. I'm not revealing who may appear then - as although we know which photos we supplied, we don't know WW choice yet, lol!

It's an interesting article about 'retiring afloat', although this edition mostly provided details of different boats to buy, rather than any interactions and/or instances of people's lived experiences of such a life. And you're right to be thinking we haven't retired - in fact we're not sure we'll ever 'officially' retire, and we're certainly not waiting to live until that man-made time and age.

Barry's been plugging away getting his new website up and running over the past couple of weeks, putting up shelves on board and making a top box; and we're just waiting to hear about a few set-up details before we can launch the details of his new business on the blog. And I may even reveal my plans for another small income stream which will work very well alongside his, during the summer months.

Watch this space ...

Photography by Barry - getting to know Tattenhall

Staying in one place for a while has the distinct advantage of being able to get to know the local area. You'll all be very happy to hear I've managed to get Barry to give me some of his recent photos from our explorations, which coming posts will feature.

Today it's Tattenhall's turn, our closest village. It's a thirty minute walk away from Tattenhall Marina, or a five minute, two stops, bus ride. Sadly the walk is marred by the fact that there's no footpath, so we take our lives in our hands each time we choose the exercise route (and the buses aren't terribly frequent), dodging speeding cars and trucks by jumping up on the tiny piece of turf on one side of the road. We've been told, by the barman at The Letters Inn, that a pavement is planned to be built at some stage. Maybe by next winter?

Tattenhall is quite a small place, with a population of around 2,000 people, but still manages to have three pubs and so far I've counted three hairdressers too! Apparently it also contains 27 listed buildings, designated by English Heritage. What a joy to be 'parked' nearby.

Tomorrow we'll be back at The Letters Inn to watch The All Blacks thrash England at Rugby - I'm hoping Richie will be playing, it's a while since I've seen him ...

 St Alban's church

Little Morton Hall, one of the listed buildings, which can be seen from the footpath next to the church

There's also a small library at the back of the primary school which Barry and I have joined, so we can keep up a supply of reading material for the cold, dark months ahead. It's the place we can book onto the internet and print anything we need, before we invest in one for the boat.

The Barbour Institute holds all sorts of functions, film nights and classes, and yesterday I started 'Zumba Gold' classes there (dancing exercise to Latin American music - for the over 50s!). I'd contacted the instructor not long after Barry went to NZ in August, but there wasn't enough interest at that time. It meant getting up earlier than normal, and walking to Tattenhall in the rain, the day my body decided to start a cold! Fortunately two of the others in the class (of four!) were from Tattenhall Marina so I got a lift back - hurrah!

The Barbour Institute

Lots of delightful  houses in Tattenhall, and still an abundance of flowers blooming in autumn

Barry's photographs in print

A few weeks ago we were contacted by Waterways World seeking photographs of retired couples living aboard narrowboats, for an article they were publishing. Barry looked in his files and found some lovely shots. The piece is in the December issue, though we haven't had a chance to see it yet, so keep a look out for them! There may be a few familiar faces ...

Playing around with Google and getting some interesting results ...

Have you ever Googled yourself? 

When Barry and I first started dating in January 2006, I gave him a short overview of my life and work history, and he Googled me! I was shocked to say the least, but then quite flattered as I saw my name featured strongly on the first few pages as I'd recently had a high profile role in UK.

A few nights ago I must've been procrastinating about something, and ventured onto Google. I've done it a few times previously, and play around with my first and surname, then adding my middle name into the mix. It may sound odd, but I find it a bit weird to discover there are other people out there called 'Sandra Walsh'! Anyway, I get a few mentions, from a variety of publications over the years and recently (and of course this blog), and from my Life Coaching Blog. 

Then I tried Barry Teutenberg - guess what? There's not so many people out there with that name! Barry did suggest that if I wanted to be more 'unique' I could change my surname, which is a possibility, but that would bring in all sorts of other complexities.

So, onto Barry Teutenberg. He has the monopoly on the Google search until half way down page three! We discovered his prints for sale on Amazon, and via an American Fine Arts website. Interestingly we found one his favourite shots, of a rainy day in Worcester, had been turned into a cartoon by " Canuck-Girl-In-Worcester".

As Barry can now work legitimately in UK, I've refreshed the Facebook Page I started in 2011, and added in the link to the website where people can buy his prints - I'd never even seen it before! I've suggested to Barry that maybe I can be his VA - he'd never heard this term before. It's a 'Virtual Assistant'. You can pay people to co-ordinate your social media, write your newsletters, set up your website, etc., without ever even meeting them. Barry is more than capable of the website development (which I find challenging), and is working on his new one as I type. But he's not so hot on the social media side - Facebook, Twitter, emailing, etc, which I love doing.

So what a great team we make, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses. Visit the links and see what you think. And maybe do a Google search for your self and let us know how you get on!

Barry's back on board the whare waka, brewing all sorts of concoctions and plans ...

Barry's been back in the UK for a week now, having managed to talk the customs officer into letting him in - seriously, even WITH a legitimate UK visa in his passport, they still quizzed him on arrival! Luckily I was waiting in arrivals, so if there'd been serious concerns about whether he really is married to a British Citizen, I could've spoken up. The small issue of me forgetting to take my own passport along is immaterial ...

The UK visa in his passport - hurrah!

I'm very disappointed in my country of birth I have to say. Not only did Barry not receive a hearty 'haere mai' last week, even when he received his visa in the post, it came solely with the paperwork we'd submitted as evidence of our marriage and finances returned. Not a single word of 'WELCOME' to the UK! I distinctly recall when I emigrated to NZ in 2005, the visa came with lots of information on living in NZ, and I had a friendly contact not far from Gisborne to contact at any time. And each time we return to NZ, they welcome me back. Shame on you UK. Ah well, there was someone in arrivals who was very happy to see him, and I'm sure lots of other people here in UK, so we won't allow the lack of positivity to affect us ...

Just before Barry returned, our second article was published in the Gisborne Herald Weekender. Click on the link to read - it won't be on their website for long! The third in the series will obviously be about our 'indefinite' return. I'm comforted though that if our efforts to make this lifestyle sustainable are not successful, I and Barry, will be WELCOMED back to NZ! Only time will tell ..

Of course we're very determined to make it work. Barry has another five years to get 'Indefinite Leave to Remain', and a few more hurdles to jump through to acquire such 'privilege'. And there's heaps of things we DO love about UK, being close to my family, catching up with friends, oh and of course the Inland Waterways - just not the negativity that seems to abound in many bureaucracies here. 

 Back on board and look who else is very happy to see Barry 

As the autumn weather and darkness descends on UK, I recognise other stark contrasts between the northern and southern hemispheres. Halloween, Bonfire Night, and Xmas, are all celebrated much more energetically and enthusiastically here due to the differing seasons. It'll be my first British winter for nine years - it's going to be interesting how we cope with it!

Yum! Pumpkin soup

Spooky face at the front of the boat brightening up the wet weather

So now our focus is on making this lifestyle sustainable. We've manifested our dream, and feel suitably proud whilst being aware of the challenges that lie ahead! Living on board such a confined space whilst 'working from home' has its moments, and already Barry has decided to set up his 'space' in the Boatman's Cabin at the rear of the boat. He's not silly - that's where the stove/heater is! Next year we hope to have one at the front of the boat too ...

Barry the Boatman (just for you Trish!)

There's going to be lots brewing in the coming days, weeks and months, so watch this space!

(For those with no knowledge of Maori, here's a translation from the post: Haere Mai = welcome

Whare waka = house boat)

The next chapter in the adventure of 'Barry and Sandra' is about to commence ...

Life in the Marina (when I'm here that is!), will be changing considerably from next week when Barry returns from New Zealand - yay! I did however chat with him on the phone yesterday, and found myself saying I had some trepidation about his return as I've grown accustomed to having the 'space' of the whole table to work on, and I'm going to find it challenging to adjust to begin with! I suspect I could easily live alone on a boat - so long as I didn't have to move it anywhere - though I reckon I could even do that with a bit of practice ...

Life in the Marina is nourishing. I thought I'd miss the variety of changing the area we 'live' most days - but I don't! I love:

• Electric hook up
• Water whenever I want it
• Being able to get my shopping delivered to the end of the gangplank (thank you Tesco)
• Having a rubbish bin at the end of the gangplank
• Knowing there's pump-out only a short distance away so it's fine to wait for the 'red-light'
• Having the teenage cygnet coming to visit and the three mallards who've decided AreandAre is THEIR boat (and fight off any intruders)
• Being a five minute walk from a fairly frequent bus service to Chester or Whitchurch
• Being a twenty minute car or bus journey from my eldest daughter and grandson (and fantastic news - they're about to welcome a new addition to the family)
• Being across the road to the Ice Cream Factory so when I have the honour of caring for our grandson we have somewhere to 'play'
• Having some lovely fellow boaters around who are friendly and helpful
• Having a reliable 'Three' Mifi signal so I can 'work from home' on my business

This is all helpful to me to recognise that whilst I love Barry immensely, and really will adore having him back beside me, I also know I love 'being' with my self - which is something as a life coach I help to bring out and nurture in my clients - such a vital key to happiness.

Talking of which - look at this for a beautiful photograph depicting the bliss of a hug from a very special friend ...

Rivka and Richard made a detour on their travels to visit me at the end of September, and are now back in Gisborne (arriving the day Barry left there!), and today I 'discovered' this picture on their blog.  So many people and places I miss about Gisborne - so I won't even begin to broach that subject, but know you all live in my heart.

Onto the past week ...

Well I had a wonderfully inspiring five days in Northern Ireland. Prior to leaving, I visited the hairdresser for the first time since March - I decided to 'step-up' and look a little more like the woman on my business cards instead of a crazy boat-woman! You'll see the difference below.

No photos of the country though, as that wasn't on the itinerary (though I saw Belfast from the motorway and it reminded me of Wellington, a beautiful horse-shoe shaped harbour and houses on the hills) - this time. It was a combination of 'work' and play, though to be fair I don't consider what I 'do' as a life coach to be 'work', it's so different to what I've been used to calling that and I'm loving it. 

Here's a shot of the group of coaches, social media gurus, holistic therapists and all sorts of fascinating business people who gathered to discover more about sales and marketing. It was amazing to be amongst such positive and proactive people, and I know my horizons expanded greatly from the time spent with them. Thank you Bernadette Doyle (she's the beautiful woman just under my chin).

I even spoke up - which for many people reading this isn't surprising, but for me it was out of my comfort zone on the first day in front of a room full of people I'd never met before!

The deciding factor for participating in the weekend's conference, was to spend time with a dear friend who I knew when I lived in Hampshire, in 1985 to 1987. We haven't seen each other since that time, and our lives have taken many twists and turns along the way, but it was like we'd turned back the clock. Thank you Alison and Alan for your amazingly warm and generous hospitality - I shall bring Barry back over to see you at some point in time - or come and experience a different lifestyle aboard our floating hallway! 

Alison, Alan and Sandra about to go out for dinner

This afternoon I have Enterprise picking me up from the Marina, and I'm off to spend ten days with my parents - oh yes! And pick up my husband next Friday morning from Heathrow!

Here's a shot of the Marina for you Barry - not long to wait now and you'll be back with your beloved - and your gorgeous wife :-)

We have a date - let the new life begin!

It took a bit of working around, but after a phone call to Malaysia Airlines, I managed to move 1,000 air miles to Barry's 'Enrich' account so he could book a return flight. With the taxes and surcharges, it cost around NZ$500 - still less than half the price it would normally cost for a one-way ticket from Auckland to Heathrow. He arrives in London early on Friday 25th October, just two months and twelve days after leaving UK on 13th August.

We'd like to 'publicly' acknowledge the amazing work Colin Bonos, from 'ivisas' in New Zealand, has carried out on our behalf; and for all his skilful knowledge, friendly and informative support and advice along the complex journey of gaining Barry's initial 'spousal sponsored visa'. There's another two stages to 'pass through' before he reaches the destination of 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' in UK, but we'll cross those bridges when the time comes.

On 21st September, the first of our articles, 'A Life Changing Journey', was published in the Gisborne Herald Weekender supplement. Well done Amy from NB Willow for picking up a glaring error. Can anyone else spot it (no cheating friends and family and looking at Facebook!)? The second part winged its way to Gisborne earlier today, and just needs Barry to drop into the offices (in person I suspect) some stunning photography to complement it.

Next week I'm off to Belfast for a 'More Clients, More Leads, More Sales' conference by Bernadette Doyle, a go-getting entrepreneur who I bought an online marketing package from last year and the ticket was part of the deal. So I'm taking up the opportunity of attending my first ever Life Coaching related conference/event, and staying with a beautiful friend I haven't seen for 25 years! How exciting! 

More good news, no date yet, and visitors from Melborne!

It seems everything's falling into place for us now, with the final piece of the project plan we put in place over twelve months ago materialising this week. Ezimade, Barry's home brew supply shop (and website) in Gisborne, was officially 'SOLD' to the extraordinary fairy woman who's been managing it for him since we left New Zealand in March. Huge congratulations to you Adrienne, and good luck with taking the business forward in magical ways only you know how. I'm certain she'll flourish and succeed, just as Barry will as he begins a similar venture here in UK, once he returns with his visa.

I'm waiting to hear from Barry about a date for his arrival, hoping it won't be too challenging for him to find an available flight now he has the go-ahead! I'm sure he'll do everything he can to get back asap, whilst making the most of the time left in the southern hemisphere to continue his catch-up with family and friends.

In the meantime I was blessed with a short visit by Barry's cousin Craig, his wife Sally and their son Clancy, on Monday afternoon. They're on a whistle stop tour of UK and then off to Paris next week. Hopefully they'll come back another time and stay with us longer when Barry's here, but how fabulous to see them and be able to show them AreandAre in Barry's absence. Great to see you all, have oodles of fun for the remainder of your European adventures.

Sally, Clancy and Craig

Great news on the visa front - and we had a red light!

I had an early birthday present on Friday when all the crossing of body parts paid off - Barry's UK visa application has been successful! Hurrah! Just under six weeks since the paperwork was sent to the sorting office, Barry received it all back, along with a visa stamp in his passport. Sadly he can't return until after 21st October, which is the date we recorded expecting he'd need time to sell his NZ business and get everything sorted there. Now he just has to complete the sale of 'ezimade' and find an available flight - we've enough points with Malaysian Airlines to fund a one way ticket.

My younger sister Viv, and her fiancee Ray, arrived on board Friday afternoon and we had a bit of a celebration of the wonderful news with their generous offering of Gin and Tonic in the evening. It's been a while since I've partaken of any spirits (of the liquid variety), and was a little worse for wear when we called Barry via Skype just after midnight. A bit of a reversal of roles, lol!

We still managed to haul ourselves out of bed at a fairly decent time on Saturday morning, my birthday, and after Lisa, Kim (who was up for the weekend) and our grandson visited the boat, we headed into Chester to walk the wall. The route passes the racecourse, and fortuitously it was the last 'Race Day' of the year. The huge crowd was blessed with a glorious sunny day - a good job as many of the women seemed to be dressed sparsely in expectation of summer, rather than early autumn. Our wanderings were interrupted for a good hour or more, as we gazed and gawped at the occasionally stunning but often incredibly skimpy and skin-tight outfits, watching the women tottering precariously on unbelievably high heels. Good fun though, and we hung around long enough to see one of the races sweep by ...

The second race of the day at 1430hrs

Age Maturity caught up with us in the early evening, and we succumbed to a little 'power nap' before getting dressed up and walking along the unlit country road to Tattenhall for a very tasty meal  in 'Thai at the Bear'.

 Lisa, Kim, Viv, Ray and Sandra

Yesterday, Sunday, we paid a visit to Beeston Castle, a few miles away from the marina. The castle itself is in ruins, but it's still magnificent. The grounds are expansive, so a great place for children to run and climb with all their excess energy. I decided to invest in joint annual membership of English Heritage so we can visit again when Barry returns, and go to Chester Castle and all sorts of places for 'free', with other attractions around UK at a good discount. Last time we had membership in 2010, we didn't get the benefit in the six months, but we'll ensure we do this time!

Quite a walk up to the castle itself, but spectacular 360 degree views from inside the castle walls

The view from the top, it's said you can see eight counties on such a clear day - Tattenhall Marina is just to the right of the centre

Another steep ascent to enter the castle

Finally we had a red light showing at the pump-out panel on Sunday morning - how timely to wait until after my birthday, and while Ray and Viv were on board. Ray said "How hard can it be?". That's the spirit! However, rather than rush to get there and back before our castle visit with Lisa and Kim, I chose to be a little more relaxed about it and do it in the afternoon. There was not a drop of wind in the morning, but guess what? When we returned to the marina things had changed! Apprehensively I got everything ready, tried to remember how to start the engine, unplugged the hook-up and switched to 'generator', put the steering pole on (always helpful!), took a very deep breath, untied the ropes and just went for it.

And do you know what? It wasn't hard at all! Not a problem, despite having to reverse to the pump-out point (for those of you who aren't familiar with narrowboats, there's no steering in reverse gear). There, pumped out and back to base within twenty minutes, or at least that's how it felt! 

Like most things in life, it's the thoughts we build up about anything that cause them to seem frightening due to our recollection of previous events, and we expect the same (or worse!) to happen. Most of the time, if we choose to take a risk and go for it, life supports us and all goes well.

Phew! 

A wonderfully wild weekend - and a stroke of luck

I returned to AreandAre yesterday afternoon after an uneventful journey from Hove, Brighton, back to Tattenhall - by train, underground, and bus. When it works well, the British public transportation system is fabulous - especially when you have the time to shop around for bargains!

Sadly, the pansies I'd bought from my visit at my parents and didn't make time to plant in pots, didn't survive - mainly due to the gorgeous dry weather we've had since I left the boat in the rain last Thursday! Mustn't complain though, it meant our camping weekend wasn't waterlogged.

And what a wonderful 'Into the Wild' weekend it turned out to be. I felt very 'at home' with the down-to-earth and unpretentious people who populate such fun festivals, and will definitely be doing it again while we're living here in UK - with or without Barry (I strongly suspect the latter!). I met some fascinating people, and experienced many mind shifts and awakenings, in a spiritual and soulful way. If only everyone in the world knew how to live so simply, there would be far less struggle, unhappiness and discontent.

A great happening (though I wasn't so sure at the time!) was my iPhone decided to completely 'lock' itself on the Friday evening, shortly after I took the one and only photo of the two days. Normally the battery life runs out fairly swiftly, but on this occasion it didn't until Monday lunchtime! One would imagine you could just take the battery out and re-set it - not so on an iPhone (unless there's something I don't know?); you need a special device that only phone shop people have, to do so. I was therefore forced to let go of any need for contact with anyone apart from those present at the festival - and not able to take photos but just BE there. The universe works in mysterious ways - and I was surprisingly grateful to it.

Kim expertly sets up our camping area for the weekend at dusk

I danced and sang, meditated in silence and with chanting, walked and sat by the camp fire in the woods while those around me made up songs and played a variety of instruments (until 0400hrs on Sunday morning!), went to a creative poetry and words workshop, a dying well workshop (seriously, there's ways of doing this and it's a current fascination of mine), and had an introduction to Shamanism and my 'power animals', to name just a few of the highlights (don't knock it until you've tried it!). Oh yes, and I had my face painted! It was rather amusing really. One of the entertainers had some face paints, and we'd seen lots of lovely designs on people, so Kim suggested we get ours done for some fun. He looked at Kim's face and was in awe of her beauty and said he didn't want to spoil it, just enhance it. He painted it very delicately. Then he looked at my face and said he was going to paint my wisdom. I couldn't see what he was doing, but I felt a decent amount of paint being put on. I was smiling inwardly, imagining what he'd said to Kim and how he seemed to now be almost covering my face up!

What do you think? The wise crone (almost!) and the stunning maiden :-)

It's a good job I have a sense of humour ...

Moving swiftly on, some good news! I received an email a few weeks ago informing me I'd won £500. Naturally I was a little disbelieving, but clicked on the 'accept' button as it was from a recognised source - the Avon Customer Panel, which I knew I'd done a few surveys with (one of the ways I've been spending my time to try and earn a small income). In the feedback box, I said how wonderful, so long as it wasn't a scam. I received a reply saying it was definitely NOT a scam, and I'd receive the cheque in a few weeks.  Informing Barry, I could tell from his response he didn't believe it for one second, but humoured me. So I waited until the cheque arrived, took a photo, and emailed it to him! And below is the extra proof - how about that for luck aye? You've got to be in it to win it I say - yippee! Bring it on, I'm open and ready to receive ...

I spoke with Barry this morning - no news yet about the visa. It'll be six weeks next week since it was posted, so fingers crossed. Can you all please cross something too, and the energy may just shift the application a few places in the queue.

There's almost news on the sale of the business, but nothing signed or sealed yet so I'll keep you in suspense for now.

This weekend I celebrate my birth - and I shall be surrounded by members of my family which will be lovely. My sister is driving up from Exeter, along with her partner Ray, and Kim's coming up to stay with Lisa for the weekend, so I'll get to see them and my grandson and son-in-law too.

I haven't had to move the boat to the pump-out yet, but I plan to do so in the next couple of days, rather than as a birthday treat!

Playing the waiting game ...

Two weeks have passed since my last post - and there's not a lot of progress to report! I've chatted to Barry via Skype, and apart from having a nasty cold, he's working in the shop and doing a stocktake in readiness for a possible sale (nothing definite, so watch this space), and catching up with friends and family whilst waiting to hear about his UK visa application - which has now been 'sitting' in the queue in Manilla for four weeks. The guesstimate is six to twelve weeks, so we're unlikely to hear anything for at least another two weeks in the best case scenario!

Meanwhile I'm continuing to keep myself occupied, rather than pining alone on AreandAre. I've just returned from four days supporting, and enjoying the company of, my parents in Worcestershire. Prior to that I had another lovely day with my eldest daughter and grandson. I even had a night out at the opera! Well there was an operatic medley at the medieval St Oswald's Church in Malpas, with the most beautifully melodic and powerful voices echoing through the building - such a treat, and one Barry would've hated. The only time he went to the opera was in Sydney, and he loves to regale people with the tale of how we felt he 'should' experience an opera, but before the halfway point decided he could bear it no longer and attempted to escape. Finding the exit, he was told in no uncertain terms that if he left he wouldn't be allowed back in. To which he replied "Good!", and dashed quick-smart to join his brother Peter in the pub!

So in actual fact, I'm making the most of Barry's absence and doing the things I love doing that he wouldn't. Tomorrow I'm hopping on the train in Chester and heading to Brighton to see my younger daughter Kim.  On Friday we're travelling a short distance to Lewes, and setting up camp for two nights of music, workshops, wild crafts, delicious food, talks, debate, wild walks, forages, bush crafts, yoga, dancing, meditation song and other such soulful and wild uplifting experiences at 'Into the Wild'. I've never camped at a festival before, so it's going to be such fun! The forecast seems to be fine and dry, but whatever the weather I have no doubt we'll have a magical time.

When I return next Tuesday afternoon, I'll have a few 'life coaching' days, then I have my birthday weekend to celebrate with my daughters, two of my sisters and future brother-in-law. 

I have a sneaking suspicion by the end of next week, if not before, I'm going to have to work out a way to move AreandAre to the pump-out point which could make for an exciting story in the next post !

A hot-air balloon lands at the marina last week - this is the view to the pump-out opposite our mooring (on the right of the picture). A short distance, but for me a rather scary prospect to reach!

Solitary confinement - but it's more than ok ...

"You need not do anything.

Remain sitting at your table and listen.

You need not even listen, just wait.

You need not even wait, just learn to be quiet, still and solitary.

And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked.

It has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

Franz Kafka

So I've been spending my days this week doing just that - mostly sitting at the table aboard AreandAre, learning to be quiet and waiting. 

To be honest though, it's not so bad! Sitting still and having time to reflect on our journeys this year, physically and metaphorically, is very uplifting. I can give more of my energy to my Holistic Life Coaching business, and I'm discovering all sorts of new and exciting ways of organising and marketing my service. With the move of hemispheres, all the visitors and the travelling we've done since April, I haven't really been able to do this as much as I would have liked in 2013. 

I'm one client away from gaining my Diploma - and I've made myself a goal of attracting that person before the end of September. If you know of anyone who wants support to live their life differently, to discover ways to follow their dreams, to find a new direction or focus on valuing themselves more - point them my way! Of course I don't just want one case study client! So don't worry that the slot will be filled - there's always space for supporting people to get more life in their lives.

Last week I had a wonderful time staying with my eldest daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. We celebrated Lisa's 37th birthday with a party for friends and family - yes, I was a (very) young mum! We visited Chester Zoo on Thursday, and I spotted a CRT 'lock' publicising the waterways. Very cute, with those curly sides like they have on the Kennet and Avon.

CRT publicising the waterways at Chester Zoo 

Barry has now been gone for three and a half weeks - and until Monday I'd only spent two days on the boat! Still not a lot of time to miss him, though of course I do if/when I think about it.

Last week I got a call from Tom of NB Waiouru, saying they were moored up outside Tattenhall Marina - sadly I wasn't on board. I'm hoping they're not returning this way tomorrow or over the weekend, as I'm back at Lisa's tomorrow and have a friend visiting Saturday and Sunday.

Pam and Terry, from NB Roosters Rest, have also called to say they'll be in the vicinity later this month - again, I'll be off the boat at a weekend festival in Lewes, near Brighton, with my younger daughter.

AreandAre sitting serenely in the marina - such a fabulous setting for sunsets this week

Our nearest shops are in Tattenhall, a twenty minute walk away, so I went for an explore on Tuesday. It's a lovely village, appearing 'well-to-do' with some rather swanky houses and cars around. Two pubs (could be more but that's all I spotted), a Budgen supermarket (haven't seen one of those for years) which is definitely not cheap so I shan't be shopping there often, three hairdressers (seriously, everywhere we go in England there's an abundance of hair and beauty places - recession? What recession!), a Post Office (very useful thank you), a doctors surgery, vet, library, school and church. 

There's also the Barbour Institute which seems to be a busy little place. I took lots of leaflets from there to read up on, one of which was an over 50s Zumba class which I thought sounded fun (and a little tamer more manageable than the 'young' people's version!). Sadly, I contacted the woman who runs it to book in, and she hasn't had enough interest to keep it going.  She's possibly starting up again in two weeks. Fifty three is a bit of an in-between age I'm finding - not old, not young. We shall see, maybe I'll stick with the walking for now ...

The Barbour Institute

My best friends at the moment are three mallards who visit every morning at breakfast time without fail for a slice of wholemeal bread, and yesterday I was honoured with a family of teenage cygnets who would've come on board and helped themselves if they could! I've not mastered the art of feeding swans by hand, as Barry does with absolutely no fear. He tells me they have no teeth and it just feels strange - and I believe him, really I do, but ... 

Talking of Barry, he's back in Gisborne after visiting his daughter in Hamilton, being privileged to attend his son's graduation in Wellington and his 23rd birthday, and now is back in his shop 'ezimade' this week, while Adrienne, who's been managing the business, takes a very well deserved week off. The UK spousal sponsored visa application is sitting in a queue, and we don't expect to hear anything until October really - six to twelve weeks is the normal waiting time.

As a lone (albeit stationary) boater, I've managed to fill up with water, we should have enough diesel and gas to last until he returns, it'll just be the pump-out that will be the challenge! We're moored directly opposite the pump-out at the Marina, so 'all' I have to do is get the boat there. It surely can't be that difficult!  I shall let you know in a future blog.

In opposite hemispheres - but for how long?

Well this is strange, Barry and I are in different hemispheres for the first time since 2009, when he left UK to visit his dad in NZ.  We've been apart numerous times since, when I've been working away from home for a week or two, or when I've been on holiday - but not this far.

We have no idea how long it'll be for.  It could be as little as two months, or as long as six! Yikes! I'm hanging out for the minimum and visualising the UK visa successfully gained within six weeks of application, and the shop selling in around the same time. Then Barry just needs to find a flight back to UK - we have enough air points with Malaysia Airlines between us for a one way ticket, but he'll just need to secure and book a seat.

Barry waiting for the first leg of his five (three trains and two planes!) to New Zealand

Areandare is safely ensconced at Tattenhall Marina now until 1st March - I'm with my parents until next Thursday helping out with a few bits and pieces, so I've not had a lot of 'spare'-time to miss Barry yet. I've decided it's better to be 'excited' about the fact that we've got this far, all the paperwork for the visa is with Colin from 'ivisas' now, and all will go to plan.

AreandAre about halfway along the pontoon in the middle

We only had one night aboard with a hook up - what a luxury that is! And we had a couple of drinks at Scott's Bar in the marina - met a few fellow moorers, but only temporary ones. I'm sure there'll be plenty of time to meet others over the coming months.

Bloggers at Barbridge and checking out Chester

This evening, Saturday 10th August, we're moored just a few metres from the entrance to Tattenhall Marina in Cheshire, ready to enter tomorrow and get everything sorted ready for Barry's departure from these shores on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday we had a most pleasant evening in Barbridge with Tom and Jan from Waiouru, swapping UK visa tales and frustrations. Tom's application has been sent off for his 'Indefinite Leave to Remain', so fingers crossed he's successful.  We've yet to pass even the first hurdle, though hopefully have everything in place now - apart from the six months of Barclays Bank statements showing the required funds in place, which should be at my parents house when we arrive on Monday.

Jan, Tom and Sandra aboard AreandAre

Tom and Jan were travelling some of the Shropshire Union canal towards Chester on Thursday, and we timed it perfectly to share a few locks with them. It still amazes me how the majority of men do the driving (and whilst stationary fit in a lot of chatting!), while the women work the locks. I don't personally have a problem driving, but I do enjoy getting the exercise of the locks so tend to do that more. 

Barry and Tom gossiping working hard in the lock

Approaching Chester on Friday I took a turn driving, and Barry did the locks. Sitting watching at one of the double locks was a middle-aged male, who applauded as I 'expertly' drove the boat in through one of the two gates (he appeared incredulous that a woman could do so!). It then it seemed to take an inordinately long time to empty the lock. They're quite slow filling and emptying along here, so I didn't think too much about it - until I saw a sheepish Barry walking swiftly back to the top gates - he'd left the paddles open which amused me greatly! He needs more practice methinks ...

We spent a couple of days exploring Chester - but really only touched the surface of what will be our 'local' town until spring 2014. What a marvellous place. A historic and fascinating city, with scintillating stories of Roman invasions and conquests, which we'll savour getting to know better.

Eastgate Clock, built to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, unveiled in 1899 - the second most photographed timepiece in the UK after Big Ben

Yesterday we walked the still intact city walls - with the benefit of an 'App' on my iPhone called 'Chester Walls Quest'. At strategic points along the way you get a commentary/video detailing some of the events that occurred there, and lots of written information too. Then you get a 'Quest Challenge' to answer, and points are allocated. Great fun, and it certainly livened up and boosted immeasurably the history lesson! We ended up number 45 out of I don't know how many fellow contestants who'd gone before us. Below are a couple pictures along the way (sorry, none of Barry's as not yet edited ...). One of these was uploaded along the route into the Quest - Barry's impression of a fearsome fighter in the Amphitheatre ...

Chester's main shopping street from the wall - an eclectic mix of amazing architecture

Whilst in the city, I took the opportunity to contact someone living there I used to work with at The Royal Free in London. I hadn't seen Elaine since 2003 - and it was as if the last decade didn't exist when we got together. Elaine and John very generously took us for a delicious meal in the Artichoke Bar and Grill in Chester's 'Canal Quarter' - such a treat thank you both!

John, Sandra, Barry and Elaine

We discovered they've enjoyed many canal holidays over the years, and even at one time had a share in a narrowboat.  So it's very likely they'll join us next year at some stage - possibly to do the Rochdale or Huddersfield Narrow, as Barry and I would love to do those and they're on their list too!

Tattenhall Marina

So this is our last night 'on the cut' for a while - I'm going to spend it with Barry now - see you all again soon! And do drop me an email if you're going to be passing by over the coming six months, it'd be lovely to see you. 

I'll keep you updated as to Barry's progress and the happenings on the boat as and when ...

Barry's last week in UK for a while ...

We haven't moved far since our last blog post - as we haven't far to go!

Mooring in Middlewich on Friday, my daughter Lisa collected us on Saturday for a weekend with her, our son-in-law and gorgeous grandson. We visited the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm, a fabulous fun place for young children, and just a five minute walk from Tattenhall Marina where we'll be mooring until 1st March from this Sunday. So of course we went for a look and we're very happy with our choice and looking forward to 'settling in'. Well at least I will be - Barry will get to see it on Sunday night and then we have a hire car from Enterprise collecting us on Monday morning. I'll spend a week with my parents, then return to the boat alone which is going to take some adjustment but will be fine.

We have almost everything in place now for applying for Barry's UK residency visa, and our man in NZ, Colin from 'ivisas', has begun the form filling and booked Barry's biometric testing in Auckland for next Thursday, a few hours after he arrives there.  His eyes may be a little red after all the travelling!

We have an appointment in Chester for Thursday with a Notary Public to verify I am who I say I am, and for that we pay about sixty pounds!  We should have all the bank statements ready at my parents house next week as evidence we've had the amount needed in our account for six months, then all that's left is Barry's two passport sized photos.

I'm handing over to Barry once he's left - let's hope he succeeds in his application (which will cost NZ$1,745  for the application, plus NZ$1,000 to employ ivisas to ensure we get it right first time, plus Barry's flight there and back, plus all the paperwork and time) and returns soon.  Colin did inform us we could 'fast track' his application in ten days - if we want to pay another NZ$500! Er, no thanks! Anyway, Barry still has to sell the shop and catch up with his nearest and dearest who are all very much looking forward to seeing him again.

Today we're moving just a few miles and two locks to Bardbridge, which we expected to take us less than two hours. We bought Northern Pride from the boatyard at Barbridge in April 2009, so it'll be good to see the canal there again. We started out at 12, it's now almost 5pm, and we have yet to go through the second lock! Admittedly we just stopped for diesel, gas, a pump out and a water fill-up, but we've never experienced queues like there are here on the Middlewich Arm, nor as many hopeless hire boaters taking an age to negotiate the locks.

About ten boats ahead of us

In the lock at last - following a hire boat driven (badly) in and out of the lock by a young girl of about 12, while her father walked the towpath - incredible!

We're meeting up with Tom and Jan in Barbridge this evening, and splashing out on a couple of drinks at the local pub - to swap visa tales and traumas! He was fortunate to get in before they changed the rules to five years.  Reading their blog post from yesterday, we can sympathise with the complexity of the UK visa process he and Jan are also experiencing.

It's very challenging to understand why it's so difficult to get Barry a UK residency visa.  We've been together seven and a half years, his father and grandfather both fought FOR ENGLAND, in Europe, having travelled all the way from NZ, in the first and second world wars respectively. Oh yes! And New Zealand is still a British Commonwealth country.  If anyone can enlighten us why we have to jump through so many hoops, we'd be most grateful. 

However, it is what it is, and we know it's bigger than us so we're just ticking the boxes and spending an awful lot of money in the process.

We're hoping nothing happens to my dad while he's away, as, without the visa, he can't return for six months ...