On my travels I spent a day in Oxford with a friend. We spent most of it escaping the crowds as we had made the mistake of showing up on a Saturday! So after a breather in a huge bookshop we went for a walk along the canal where I was delighted to see residential narrow boats moored along the shore.
These boats were all individuals. Some had been nestled up along the bank for what looked like years. They had post boxes onshore, and little gardens with flowerpots and bushes, one had a gorgeous and sleek black and white cat curled up on a deck chair that came over to be admired when it saw us looking at it. Some were colourful, one had a pirate flag draped over the side, some had electrical hookups, many had beautiful artwork in the windows, and all of them looked intriguing. The idea of not having to live a life defined by four straight walls is often what keeps me going, so seeing these boats was a thrill! And something I had not expected to see in Oxford somehow. I'm glad unexpected things still exist to remind one to keep one's eyes open and hope up... As I saw the first boat a little part of my mind started to imagine what it'd be like to live afloat: huddling in the cold under piles of blankets in the damp winter, being rocked asleep, watching the world walk past from a deck chair on the roof of my boat...
It is an exciting thought!
in the big city
places I drop by
About Me
- fools' cap
- London. That's where I've now found myself after four years in Swansea. I'm drifting - with my eyes wide open and getting involved in what I can.
2 comments:
I like the idea of living on a narrow-boat too. It's the tortoise in me: wanting to carry my home around on my back!
One of my friends bought a narrow boat after leaving university. He was moored in a marina for a while but recently became a fully fledged traveller and now moors on the towparth. He does have a lovely boat, although it is a bit on the cramped side.
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