#48 NARROWBOAT EXCITEMENT WITH PEEWITS AND SERVICE WASHES!
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- I have narrowboat chores to do but see how I make them enjoyable tasks. I also reveal who has won the prize giveaway competition. Sit back, relax and enjoy the Grand Union canal as I create some moments of mindfulness for you. Take care.
Email: themindfulnarrowboat@gmail.com
One of the most interesting and relaxing boat tubers l have found so far,Thank you
Steve, that is such a lovely thing to say and I am so glad that you enjoyed the vlog. Have a super weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻👍
I am so impressed with all you know about birds and plants, I'm learning from you, thank you! In my caravan, I too use bottled water from the store (in gallon jugs) or fresh from a tap that I know is good, and I don't use water from my tanks for drinking water. I empty and "service" my tanks every winter, but still I'd rather not trust the water there after so many years. Zephyr is such a joy. 🙂 Thank you for the peaceful narrowboat cruising time. You are wonderful.
Hi Ann, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I know what you mean about not quite trusting the water. Happy cruising! Take care 🦋🌻
Wonderful mindful cruise, as always! I can be calm and relaxed when I’m watching your videos. Thanks, Vanessa! 😊
That’s so lovely to know.🤗 Thank you for watching. Take care 🌻🦋
I love that area of the canal.stoke hammond leighton bussard.
It’s a great stretch isn’t it! Thank you for watching the vlog. Take care🦋🌻
Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland
Superb video. Not just a pretty lady then? Pretty tough and strong too. Water and washing all in the same day. Well done.
The birds were beautiful. Simple things on our doorstep that we tend to take for granted. Not any more thanks to you and your channel. My eyes are everywhere when we go out now.
Thanks so much.
I hope you are finding nature spotting as rewarding as I am. There is something very powerful about losing yourself in wonder whilst watching wildlife. Thank you for your lovely comment. Take care🌻🦋
Evening Vanessa the following day after last weeks vlog l noticed a gorse bush while out with my dog, so l went to investigate the coconut smell u had mentioned but to a sudden reaction l pulled my hand away l hadn't known they were thorny lol 🤣🤣. But u were right they do smell nice🙂. Congratulations to John for winning last weeks competition 👍. What l good idea to show and let us hear the birds song most people like me only know the basic ones. Thank u for this weeks vlog l hope u have a safe and enjoyable week to come🙂 xx💜
Simon, I should have mentioned how prickly the gorse is! It was once used to make brooms apparently. There’s lots of lovely blossoms to smell now on your walks and the sweet violet smell delicious too all of which should leave you unscathed. Thank you for your comments. Have a super weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻🦮
Thank you Simon. So nice of you to say.
I drink water from my tank. I use a filter tap and put sterilisation tablets in the water. Also I heard a bird singing that sounded like a bloke whistling. Just the first part of the song. Love bird song.
I thought about doing that with the drinking water but do you get through your water more quickly? It made me laugh when you mentioned the whistling music!😂 If you like birdsong, I recommend learning to recognise them. I started with chicken and cuckoo! 🦋🌻🐦🐤
@@themindfulnarrowboat chicken ha ha i do hear chickens on the cut.
Yes, Will. I was surprised to see that myself. If the tank is contaminated what can a narrowboater do? I wonder if a Britta or Zero Water counter top filter would fit tie bill here?
@@johnd7904 if your tank is stainless it should be ok. I fitted a filter tap which goes through a charcoal filter. It was only £14.99 it bolts onto the existing cold water line. To be honest on my own I don't get through much water but you have others on board. Something to think about Mrs mindful.
Congrats John you won the prize
What you put in it is only for your eyes
Will there be pictures and sketches of places near by
Will there be poems and rhymes just something to try
The birds the bees all the things one sees
Are there for your journal whatever you please
The words on the paper from thoughts of the day
Will be a memory to remember whatever they display
Well done John
Lewis, that poem is brilliant and such a thoughtful thing to do! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it; I’m sure John will love it! Take care🦋🌻⭐️
No, Lewis that was just a random drawing but your poem was outstanding! Thanks!
@@themindfulnarrowboat I do.
Coooool lol. Lovely video
Thank you, Clive for your kind comment. Take care🦋🌻
You deserve more views!
Thank you 😊 Enjoy your day🦋🌻
After learning a few bird songs why not try to imitate. On summer evenings I sit in the garden and chat to a Dunnock and a Blackbird. Eventually they come to a branch on the Larch which is about 3 yards away and have a chat. The wife thinks I am doolally, however I do also have a bottle of beer with me.
All the best, Peter.
What a wonderful thing to do! Thank you so much for watching. Take care 🌻🦋
Another thoughtful vlog. Thankyou!
Thank you, Kelli. Have a great Sunday and week ahead.🦋🌻
@@themindfulnarrowboat Thank-you.
I’m gradually working through your videos as only recently found them. I love the lapwing one of my favourite birds. There are flocks of them at Carsington Water reservoir. Though this summer the water is very low
Hi Joan, it is so kind of you to be working your way through the videos, thank you 😊 Lapwing are magnificent birds aren’t they? And when the sunlight catches their feathers, the colour of them takes your breath away. Have a fabulous Friday and weekend ahead, take care🦋🌻
Good evening Vanessa, the greenfinch and the blue tit are quite common here in Belgium, the lapwing a little more rare, their name in French are Verdier, mésange bleue,et vanneau huppé, have a good weekend and a good week
Thank you for the translations, Jean-Louis. It’s sad to know that the lapwing is in small numbers where you are too. Have a good weekend and week too🦋🌻
Hi Vanessa, very interesting to learn the birdsong sounds. Super impressed you transformed their sounds into readable words! I'll share your posts with my Essex Wildlife Trust friend. His name is John, speaking of which, Congratulations to Vlog follower John on winning your competition. Loved the drumroll! 😀
Hi Francesca, I will confess that I copied the sounds from my bird book, but don’t tell anyone will you!🤣 It is so kind of you to share my vlogs with your Essex Wildlife Trust friend. If they have anything that they want me to film to highlight anything then let me know and I will see what I can do. I’m sure that John will be delighted with all of the congratulations that he is getting. I loved the drum roll sound effect too and now I’m just going to have to try and find a way to fit it into the weekly vlogs!😂 Take care🦋🌻👍🐤
Your channel is like a breeze of cool air here in the hot and humid tropics.
I use two 100watt solar panels, a deep cycle battery and a small inverter for my power needs. If you were to go to a yacht chandlery and explain your power needs to run your washing machine, I'm sure they would be able to supply the correct inverter to do so.
Oh to have some hot and humid weather! I think asking a chandlers is a great idea although once I can use the washing machine that will mean that I’ve actually got to do my own washing again!😂 Have a great weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻🧺
I checked with some narrowboater's and here are their responses to your washer question:
liftoff_oversteer says: Have decent set of lithium batteries and a beefy inverter.
bikerchef1200 says: Hi, I'm totally off grid . I run mine on a cold setting washing half a load at a time as it doesn't like too much weight. I have the machine plumbed into the hot water too ( although some people say this isn't advisable but I have done for the last 3 years) . I have the engine running along with 975w of solar recharging 4 trojan t105 6v batteries . I do believe it's better to have a more analog machine too as some inverters can't cope with the electrics in the circuit boards of the fancy ones. The inverter i use is a cheap modified sine wave one from China it was advertised as a 3000w but I don't really think its anymore than 2000w, it works for me to run a fridge tv and all of the usual charging.
This is really useful, John. We have an electrician coming to fit more solar and we will get them to have a look too. I will now investigate all of the replies that you got and hopefully it will work, but I am rather enjoying paying someone else to do all of my washing!😃 Thank you!
@@themindfulnarrowboat Oops, I answered this in the wrong place, sorry.
Vanessa, that was a particularly outstanding poem. You write books all of the time for your students, perhaps you should publish a book about your Mindful Narrowboat experiences and include your journal entries. I know that you have the talent for that. Have a wonderful week. Let's circle May 7 for the 2K celebration!
Thank you, John! I just really enjoy writing poetry and have done ever since I was little. Have a wonderful week too🦋🌻🐤
Did you win Journal
Super relaxing vid and well done john for winning !
Thank you Indi for your kindness and I’m so glad you found it relaxing. Have a super weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻
Thanks but I was just a random name in a virtual hat. But it was so nice of you to say so. I just love this vlog. I'm looking forward to the upcoming journey. Aren't you?
@@johnd7904 super excited !
Filling up large plastic water bottles strikes me as a lot of hassle. I know a lot of boaters do it but if you have the tank blacked with the correct paint it is safe to use and drink. You could also fit a a water filter system. I have one with a separate tap and the water tastes amazing. Admittedly the replacement filters are expensive at about £50 a time but they do last about a year. Without having to lug those bottles back and forth how much more time you would have to film more wildlife for us. You are entering red kite country so can you try and get us some footage of them. Your wildlife footage is amazing you must have a very good piece of kit. Another super vlog and may I say you looked very elegant in that smart black top! Not boaty clothing at all.
Great ideas about the water tank, Chris. I think that I will look into doing that. Thank you for the comments about the filming. I was using a beginner bridge camera: Nikon CoolPix500 which is such a great, little camera however on Thursday it broke! I have upgraded slightly so hopefully I will be able to get clearer zoom shots which will be great for Red Kites. Have a great weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻📸
Thanks Chris, I wonder just how good the water is at each water point. One would think that a filter of some sort is an absolute necessity.
I've just realized that in the past few weeks I've gotten a great new ritual for the start of the work week: boot up the work pc while watching The Mindful Narrowboat sipping my tea! Life's good!
That is great to know Miguel! I’m so glad that you enjoy the vlogs. Don’t work too hard though! Take care🌻🦋👍
A nice hardy breakfast Miguel!
My Daughter got addicted to making too many steps!
To use the washing machine you need to get a generator built on to the engine...which will provide enough power to run the washing machine.....
Thank you for your help! I was hoping that I could solve it without a generator as they are noisy and I will have to store petrol on board which makes me feel uneasy; however I think you are right about needing one to run the washing machine. Take care🌻🦋🧺
There must be lots of bird feathers as you journey to your destinations on foot....I wonder, do you pick them up and keep them. Where I live in a forest amongst birds there is often a feather of two on my path and I do collect them & place them in my journals. Only the ones that my path crosses, I don't go hunting. As usual a lovely vlog.
I used to collect bird's feathers that I saw on the ground until we had a bad outbreak of avian flu and the advice is not to pick them up anymore. It is a shame as they are wonderful to collect. Thank you for your lovely comment. Take care 🌻🦋
@@themindfulnarrowboat Oh my, of course there has been avian flu, I must remember this. Thanks for the advice.
Suggest you get a trolley to carry the water bottles..easier on your back.....
I am looking into which one to get so that it folds away well but is sturdy and hard wearing. I definitely need one though. 🦋🌻
Hi Vanessa, we use solar panels, with a 3kW inverter and decent batteries. We can run our washing m/c which at tops uses 1200W. Most people use the smallest electrical kit they can get away with. False economy IMHO. We have no generator and use the engine when solar is missing.
Thank you so much for your help with this. We have found out that the issue is our washing machine is heating the water rather than calorifier and it is that the causes the machine to cut out. So we will get a plumber to connect it. To be honest, I’m still not sure!👍🙏
The lovely lap wing keep up the fun idea's V Ray.
Thank you, Ray. I wish that I could have got better footage of the sound that they make when flying as it is very Star Wars like. Have a super weekend and week ahead!🦋🌻🐦
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Yes, Vanessa, it's nice to have someone do your laundry however how are you going to get that done when you are cruising every day?
Yes that is something to think about but I don’t think we will move every day. I can always wash my clothes in the canal!😀
@@themindfulnarrowboat And then there's that!😊
Fab vlog 👍 Love that you had a vegan fry up 💚 Do you always eat vegan food? xx
I am mostly vegan and I don’t eat meat. I was a strict vegan until recently. I can’t handle the supplements and I was worried that i wasn’t getting enough omegas and calcium. Thank you for watching. Take care 🦋🌻
I think its so difficult to describe a birds song/whistle.... Has Zeph ever jumped overboard Vanessa? Congrats John ..I was 12 months too late :( ..those bottles must have been heavy was your hubby with you i noticed someone holding the lead when you carried the laundry...after you had lugged the water home??? Why keep the washing machine? and don't you have a dishwasher too? again why keep it when you out source. You could add in some more storage cupboards or baskets instead...cheers from WA
Hi Jenny, thank you for still watching and commenting. When we go to marinas, then we can use our washing machine and dishwasher and I know that we would have more storage space without them, but it is such a little treat to be able to use them on the occasions that we can use shoreline power. We have a plan moving forward to get the washing machine to work, but I don't remind Mr M very often as it is rather lovely having all of the washing done for us!😁 And having space to dry washing can be a problem on a boat. My daughter was with me on the laundry day so she took the dog lead and carried some washing too. Great questions, Jenny!🦋🌻
Do Canals get cleaned?
Occasionally and normally by volunteers. Take care🦋🌻
What do you teach?
Primary subjects and EFL
Third row
I realize your husband doesn’t want to be in your Vlogs but the way you’re presenting it with him absent it looks as though he does absolutely nothing. Does he have a job? Does he ever help with any of these chores that you only show you doing? Are your children on board not helping? You could round out your family life by simply mentioning them even if they don’t wish to be on camera so that we know they actually participate. I do see your daughter go on nature hikes, but does she help with laundry or water halls or things like that?I know your family can’t be lazy so at least include them in the mention. Unless it turns out you actually do everything by yourself, then we are getting a true picture.
My husband can’t be in the vlogs as he works in education and with vulnerable families so it would break his code of conduct to be on UA-cam. I live alone for part of the week as my husband’s work is too far away for him to commute. Both my children are in their mid twenties and live abroad but come back and visit when they can. I don’t go into too much personal stuff in my videos as they are about narrowboating and nature. Hope this explains it, Carol. Take care 🦋🌻