Primrose Hill

We woke early to check the election results, Micks shorts still drying by the bedroom window confirmed that we hang a hung parliament. To our surprise a group of Corbynite revellers walked past Oleanna at about 8am, chanting and knocking on our bedroom window, soon followed by someone playing Vienna very loudly as they walked along the towpath.

Christine  and Kath joined us this afternoon for a while. Being so close to where Christine lives she had to come and say hello. After a cuppa and much talk of the election we decided to stretch our legs and headed for Primrose Hill. So we walked along the towpath and climbed up to road level just before the sharp right hand bend and then walked to the park. The expanse of green stretched up the hill interupted by large trees, London does big trees really quite well. Other people had also had the same idea and the viewing point was quite busy. But wow what a view!

Canary Wharf, the Gherkin, Walkie Talkie, St Pauls, Shard, BT Tower, London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, London Zoo Aviary and Crystal Palace all in view in one hit. It’s well worth the walk if you are in the area.

We said goodbye to Mick’s sisters at the top of the hill, our time in London is nearly up, so it will be a while before we see them again. They headed off towards Chalk Farm and we walked down towards the zoo and canal. Our walk took us over the canal and onto the Outer Circle which follows the edge of Regents Park and the canal. Peaking in through the fence of London Zoo we could see zebra and giraffes. We’d thought about visiting the zoo but at nearly £30 each, so £30 with the two for one offer it was still quite steep, so we made do with the brief look inside.

Back across the canal we walked on past Oleanna to find the way up the steps at the Pirate Castle and into Morrisons for some cream. Tonight it is just the three of us again. Apart from that nosy neighbour! Climbing all over MY boat!!! Well, and the extra trip boats going by with diners and drinkers noisily floating past.

Three years ago today we started writing the blog of our travels on NB Lillyanne. I have to say ‘we’ as in the beginning Mick would occasionally write some entries, but now it is all my words with occasional comment from Tilly our cat. We first set out with the aim of living afloat for a year, Lillian our second hand yellow boat was to be a bridging boat until we had Oleanna built. This, for various reasons, took longer than expected and we decided that the year afloat should actually start when we moved onto our new boat. Three years later and the clock has been ticking already for two months and we have plans for next summer, so maybe the year has had some elastic added, we’ll see how far it can stretch!

I could do a round up of our miles, locks, tunnels etc for the last three years, but that doesn’t feel right to mix the two boats vital statistics up. Things have changed somewhat over our time afloat, we’ve travelled around 3800 miles and life afloat suits us. A simpler, slower way of life and being closer to nature have replaced our lovely house. Both Lillian and now Oleanna have most definitely become home to us. Our garden changes most weeks, apart from the herbs and beans in the well deck, and our life revolves around the weather and social engagements set out months in advance. We meet new people and make friends as we go, how often do you have a conversation with the person who’s parked their car next to yours in a strange town and end up going for a drink with them? Only a few of the reasons why we love our life afloat.

0 locks, 0 miles, 36 trip boats, 2 cat neighbours, 2 goboats, 2 returning visitors, 1 hill, 10 mile view at least, 2 horses with stripy legwarmers, 2 zebra, 2 giraffes, 1 set blue flashing lights, 1 balcony cow, 1 evening just the three of us, 3 years of being boaters.