Last posting date for the Theakletuffin thing!

Just a reminder that today is the last posting date for print orders of The Theakletuffin Book before Christmas. So if you know a small child or a big kid that would like an unusual gift this year surprise them with this lovely coffee table book. The Theakletuffin Poem. (There's a video now as well.)
PS This is the last Christmas/Book promo you will see on this blog this year. Normal Narrowboat Wife service will resume next week. I am just so excited that I finally created my picture book! :-)

Books: The Perfect Christmas Gift

At Christmas you should receive something you want, something you need, something to eat and something to read. 

My friends at Ace Inspire have something to read covered: A special Christmas Business and Blogging Bundle for you. Get Blogging: The Essential Guide, Making Money Online and Marketing: The Essential Guide for £24 that’s a saving of £8.87!
They also have:
Commercial Writing: How to earn a living as a business writer £12.99
A Guide to Promoting Your Business (£15)
Plus a selection of ebooks ideal for those with eReaders.
The perfect gifts for business owners small or large.

Their last postal date is tomorrow 12th December so be quick!

Disclosure: I work for Ace Inspire writing the blog Become a Mumpreneur. It was my choice to share their Christmas offer on this blog, I was not paid for this post. But I do like their books - especially anything about blogging!

I made a video!

I just made a 3 minute video to tell you the Theakletuffin story.

• Quirky pictures
• Silly words
• Written by Peggy
• Narrated by Peggy

Watch the video.

View the book.

Book reduced in price until 2013!

Book Launch: A Theakletuffin Story

I have finally gone and done it and published a little book with pictures and everything. I wrote this twelve years ago when I bought my first canal boat and used to perform it in function rooms above pubs around London. I was a founder member of the Radge Poets but I wanted to be like Lewis Carroll. So I made up a lot of nonsense words and turned them into a quirky fairy-tale. 

I sent it to a major children’s publisher who surprisingly wrote back to me and said that everyone in the office loved it and laughed a lot. But regrettably they did not feel it was suitable for children. 

The grown-ups on the London poetry scene always liked it and my five year old daughter likes it too. I don’t think it’s unsuitable! But I’ll let you decide. 

This book will answer your question: What would happen to Theakletuffin Valley if the Theakletuffin queen was caught snibbledorping the Cumbleduffinbing?

Look inside the book: The Theakletuffin Poem

What do you think? Unsuitable?

Recommended Narrowboat Books

When I’m not writing, business blogging, parenting or narrowboating I like to get my nose stuck into a narrowboat book.

Terry Darlington, author of Narrow Dog To Carcassonne will be signing copies of his book Narrow Dog to Wigan Pier at this year’s Crick Boat Show. The new book sees him travelling the north of England with his wife Monica and their two dogs. Narrow Dog to Carcassonne was the bestselling travel book of 2006, and this latest will be his third book.

Terry’s first book is the only modern boating travelogue that I’ve read, so Steve Haywood’s books are quite high on my reading list. He’s written One Man and a Narrowboat: Slowing Down Time on England's Waterways and Narrowboat Dreams about his own travels and the history of the canals. I have however read the original boating travelogue: Tom Rolt’s Narrow Boat . This is a lovely lyrical log about Tom and Angela’s travels in 1939 through an idyllic rural England.

I tried to find books about narrowboat women and so discovered The Amateur Boatwomen (Working Waterways) by Eily Gayford. This is a fascinating account of the author’s experience training women to work narrowboats during the Second World War. I like the bit where they sit in a cabin laughing at the seemingly impossible thought that boats might one day have “a bathroom with hot and cold taps, fitted carpets, a Hoover, (and) a telephone!”

I then read Ramlin Rose, by Sheila Stewart: This is probably one of my favourite books ever! I met some travelling boat girls up the River Stort a couple of years ago and asked them if they’d read anything about narrowboat families: They recommended Ramlin Rose. Sheila Stewart had wanted to interview a Banbury boatwoman and write her biography, but ended up compiling a number of true stories into a fictional life story.

This month I have read my first historical boat novel; Water Gypsies by Annie Murray. This is a sequel to The Narrowboat Girl, but I was told the cut does not actually feature that much in the first book, so I went straight for the sequel. Water Gypsies begins in 1942 and describes a series of tragedies that befall the heroine, who is tormented by a miserable past!

Marie Browne’s Narrow Margins is a modern tale of a family aboard, trying to make a new start after losing their IT company and large house when Rover went bust. They move their children and dog onto a dilapidated narrowboat called Happy Go Lucky and teach themselves about narrowboat life and boat refurbishment as they go along.The sequel, Narrow Minds describes their return to the water on another run down boat. There's an interview with Marie Browne on the Sunday Mercury website.

Next on my list of books to read about families on boats is For Better For Worse, For Richer For Poorer by Damian and Siobhan Horner. This husband and wife team have written a memoir about leaving their careers and lives ashore, to travel the French canals with their two young children.

Of course, if I didn’t spend so much time reading narrowboat books I might finish writing my own: The Real Life of a Narrowboat Wife. Then it could be me signing copies at next year’s Crick Boat Show…

Come and say hello to me at the Boatshed Grand Union standat Crick this year.

For more information about this year’s Crick Boat Show visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742972.

Disclosure: I wrote this post for Boatshed Grand Union, and it contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Living Aboard Part 8 Where's My Nearest...?

If you're thinking of buying a boat to live-aboard and go on an extended cruise you may well like to know how far would it be between Elsan points and water taps, shops, pubs, visitor moorings and winding holes.

The Nicholsons Waterways guide for your local area (published by Collins) shows sewage or 'Elsan' disposal points and water points. They also show boatyards, refuse disposal points and recycling points. They are written with boaters, walkers and cyclists in mind and contain coloured Ordnance Survey maps marked out with locks, towpaths and boating facilities. The informative text contains navigational notes, places of interest, waterways wildlife, pubs, restaurants, walks and cycle rides. Many places are listed with their postcode which is very handy for locating yourself using the internet, sat-nav or a smart phone.

Every lock, aqueduct and bridge is marked so that you can plan your journey accordingly, and calculate your likely journey time. Add the number of miles to the number of locks on your planned cruise and then divide that figure by three. This will give you roughly the number of hours that your journey may take, but with narrowboating prepare to be relaxed about punctuality!

The introduction to each guide always contains some useful information for waterways users including boating basics, safety guidelines, mooring advice, and how to use a lock.

For grocery shops, GPs, cash points and the other bare necessities of life you will need the local First Mate's guide by Carole Sampson.

These focus on facilities within walking distance of the canal and include telephone boxes, internet cafes, dentists, vets, hospitals with A&E, chemists, travel links, launderettes, takeaways, churches and more: Everything you might need for a life on the move. Carole's friendly, informal introduction includes advice on using Poste Restante, and other tips on using the guide books. The layout is very different to the Nicholson's guide, focussing instead on the centre of each local town, it's facilities and good places to moor. I like her added suggestions of a “nip-to” now and then, which is something useful nearby, a very short walk from the canal. These are very helpful books containing essential information but without the descriptive narrative that is characteristic of the Nicholson's guide.

Pearson's Canal Companions cover much of the network, with a homespun feel and a chatty and lively narrative.

Richlow guides are "written by people who go there". Christine Richardson and John Lower set up Richlow  to publish books of the canals and rivers adjacent to the tidal river Trent. But the area has widened, with the whole of the South Pennine Ring, and the North Yorkshire Waterways added. Modern short-run production methods mean that they are kept up to date and very accurate.

On the internet you can find  http://canalplan.eu/  which is a very good route planner with itineraries and virtual cruises. Water-Way http://eureauweb.com/Water-Way/ is  based on the Nicholson's Guides plus much more.

So when looking for a boat to buy you can also enjoy planning the journeys ahead and how long it might take you to get to where you want to be.

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Lewis Carroll

If your boat is quite long, (ours is 70ft) you may have to factor in plenty of time to turn around at the next winding hole. How far apart the shops are depends on how far apart the towns are where you are cruising. But I can guarantee that you are never far from a canal side pub. http://www.canalsidepubguide.co.uk/

If you want to buy a canal boat to live-aboard, have a look at the boats for sale on Boatshed Grand Union. Search terms like "narrowboat", "broad beam" or "Dutch barge" will help you to find the second hand boat you are looking for.

Thanks to John Warner for the idea for this article.

Disclosure: I wrote this post for Boatshed Grand Union. It was my choice to republish it here.
This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

The Narrowboat Wife Shop is Open!

A selection of lovely things from my narrowboat life. 

Emily's shop Image Credit

Emily's shop was rather an unusual shop because it didn't sell anything. You see, everything in that shop window was a thing that somebody had once lost, and Emily had found, and brought home to Bagpuss.

Everything in Peggy's shop window was either something she'd made, or something she'd found, and liked, and brought home to her narrowboat. She didn't have a shop window. Just a page. You will see it's quite a random selection of things, with prices ranging from absolutely free to £35.00 It's only just opened so browsing around will take just a few moments. I'll let you know when I find more lovely things to put in the shop.

Uxbridge Lock: Watercolour

An 8" x 6" canvas print of this painting is small enough to hang in any narrowboat, or could fill a niche in the house of someone who just loves the waterways. 

Painted in watercolour by Peggy.

Uxbridge Lock: Canvas Print £35.00

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live on a narrowboat with children? Is it cold in winter? What if the children fall in the water? All of your questions answered! 
Free ebook!

Massage For Your Mind: Hypnosis MP3 £8.99

This hypnotherapy MP3 download offers help to improve mental calmness, physical relaxation, confidence, competence, and better quality sleep.  Suggestions spoken by clinical hypnotherapist Peggy Melmoth.

Relax and imagine you're drifting along England's waterways.

Narrow Margins by Marie Browne  

I was looking for memoirs of families living aboard (and there aren't that many about!) when I discovered this one. I have great respect for any family that attempts to refurbish a boat while living aboard. Marie’s boat is called ‘Happy Go Lucky’ and at the beginning of the story Marie is anything but that. But I loved the way that as the story progresses the couple become more relaxed and dishevelled, the waterways begin to change them, and they find out that sometimes less is more.

Have you read any good narrowboat books? Let me know!

Free eBook: Narrowboat Families

It's finally here! The brand new ebook, Narrowboat Families. So what does everybody think of it so far? The following writers and media peeps have had a sneak preview.

"I love the way that you describe life on the waterways in such a perfectly poetic way - my favourite kind of Narrowboat Wife writing! I think this ebook gives a wonderful insight into boating life, perfect for any family (or individual) who is curious about what it's really like. The addition of interviews with other boaters gives an even broader understanding of life aboard."

Alice Griffin, author, columnist, travel writer. www.alicegriffin.co.uk

Tales from a Travelling Mum: Navigating Europe with a Babe-in-Arms

"May I say what a fascinating ebook! I read it through 'cause it was so interesting. I am not slightly boaty at all but you almost had me convinced to get on the cut!"

Star Khechara, author of  The Holistic Beauty Book: Over 100 Natural Recipes for Gorgeous Healthy Skin

"Peggy's book is a great insight into life as a narrowboater with a no holds barred honest approach with not just the good bits but including two year olds on gangplanks, noisy geese, toilet troubles and all!"

Hulya Erdal Chef/Writer/PR www.madebythechef.com

"What a beautiful tale of your everyday life.  None of the fantasy, just all of the nitty gritty but still romantically beautiful...  I read it all in one sitting and my cup of tea went cold!"

Nickie O'Hara   www.iamtypecast.com

Wikio Top 10 Parent Blogs

Cison/PeerIndex Top 10 Most Influential Parent Bloggers on Twitter

Tots100 Top Parent Blogger

To receive the brand new ebook by Narrowboat Wife, sign up to the monthly Narrowboat Wife newsletter.  Each newsletter includes a round-up of the best of this month's blog posts, waterways news, other random thoughts from me, and a download link to the free ebook.

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What did you think? Leave me a comment below. What would you like to see in a bigger, better, extended version of this book? More interviews? More articles? More pictures? What questions were left unanswered?

Boat-Wife

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Narrow Margins - Marie Browne

"Rover has gone bust," Marie's husband told her. As the car manufacturer completely funded their rather nice lifestyle Marie and Geoff suddenly had to sell up and downsize considerably.
"I have a cunning plan," said Marie. "Let's live on a houseboat."
Marie, Geoff, the kids and their dog decide to buy an ex hotel boat in need of some serious TLC and set off for Cambridge with absolutely no boating experience and limited enthusiasm.

Marie begins her adventure by moaning a lot, very conscious of the comfortable lifestyle she has so suddenly lost. I’m grateful for the voice of reason, her friend Helen who tells her to get a grip and realise what an amazing opportunity she has.

“The sun is shining, you have no work to worry about, you’re off on a weird experience, you have money, you’re warm and safe and fed, you have no responsibilities and you only answer to yourself, yep, I can  see why you are so fed up, it must be terrible to be you – oh poor you!”

I enjoyed the hilarity of the couple learning to steer a boat by taking an inland waterways helmsman’s course with ‘Dave’. Marie sees the funny side of learning to navigate canals and rivers on what she describes as a ‘floating coffin’. I have great respect for any family that attempts to refurbish a boat while living aboard (Zoe at her blog Give an Earthly is having a go at that right now!) The Doctor and I are rarely brave enough to attempt DIY. Marie’s boat is called ‘Happy Go Lucky’ and at the beginning of the story Marie is anything but that. But I loved the way that as the story progresses the couple become more relaxed and dishevelled, the waterways begin to change them, and they find out that sometimes less is more.

Although there are several travelogues about narrowboating out there, there are not so many memoirs about family life on board. I wanted to find out about other mothers who had experiences that are similar to mine. How is Marie’s life different to mine? What is it like living on board with older kids? How different is it having a mooring? What’s it like throwing a load of refurbishment work into the mix? I think this memoir is pretty unique. 

Narrow Margins is available on Amazon right now. Why not grab a copy for yourself of this funny story about a family’s triumph over adversity?

The Boatgirl From a Parallel Universe



Lyra: Intrepid Boat Cat



I met a girl on the Grand Union Canal who had travelled here from another dimension. Amy comes from a universe like ours, but different in many ways. We first met in cyberspace, a dimension that connects our two universes. In Amy’s world, on the River Cam, continuous cruisers must move every forty-eight hours! So Amy and James travelled like 'gyptians' for some time, until they found a mooring in Cambridge. This summer they left that mooring and headed for London, in our universe; the place where they first dreamed of a narrowboat life.

Unlike us, they travel fast. Amy and James cruised from Cambridge to London in 10 days, doing more than 185 miles and 136 locks along the way. As our ships passed in the night Amy, her daemon and I took shelter in a nearby tavern and, although we'd never met in real life before, we talked about boating and blogging incessantly before happily wandering home up the towpath. Amy's daemon's name is Lyra and she has taken the form of a cat.

"You don't have daemons in your universe?" hissed Lyra through the darkness.

"We kind of do," I said. Philip Pullman wrote books about them; daemons and other things."

"His dark materials," mused Lyra. She had heard of the books.

"But some of it is based on truth don't you think?" said Amy.

"You mean, there could have once been travelling narrowboat people with their own kind of dialect: People that had their own community and didn't have much to do with those on the bank? Working boatmen who people mistakenly thought were like gypsies because of the coloured painted designs on their boats?"

"It's possible," said Amy.

"Well I think Philip Pullman made it all up," I said.

Click each image to see Philip Pullman's legendary best selling books about Lyra on Amazon.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this post is true. Except I did once meet a travelling boating girl called Amy and we did go to a pub. She writes about her true adventures living on board a narrowboat with James and Lyra at http://nbluckyduck.blogspot.com  Catch up with them now (they’re fast!) and read the archives to follow the journey they made to London and back to Cambridge again.

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

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nb Lucky Duck