Outdoor Living

I have always been the sort of person who enjoys her home comforts, such as central heating, two showers a day, wash load every day, tumble drier, all my kitchen 'stuff' around me, etc etc.  I know that Pete was a bit worried that I would not like the reality of living on Carpe Diem and having to adapt to a 'rougher' style of living.  Well, the good news is that, not only was he wrong, but I absolutely love it!  There has been some having to adapt.  We do have hot and cold running water on the boat and a shower, but using that means that the water tank has to be filled more often.  Luckily, I have a shower room almost next to my office at work, so I just go in early and use that.  No one else does, so it is like having my own private bathroom.  There is also a washing machine and tumble drier at work that I can use.  I seem to have gone from clothes washing every day to two loads a week, but I am still wearing clean clothes and smelling sweet so I don't quite know how that has worked out! 
With only two rings and an oven and no freezer, I am cooking more simply and using fresh products.  Living on the boat is very much about 'outside living' and going to bed with the sun and waking up with the sun (with all the fresh air, sleep is definitely not a problem!).  Other exercise comes from walking the dog, it is really motivational when you just have to get off the boat to be on the sea wall.  With all that and working up at the allotment whenever possible, I am a lot more healthy than I was a year ago and definitely more relaxed and contented. Life is also a lot more sociable, so many people pop in for a cup of tea that I am thinking about taking out shares in Yorkshire Tea.   All in all, life is good at the moment and long may it continue.

A bbq on the boat with friends (the eagle-eyed amongst you may realise that is not Tollesbury but Dunkirk, but you get the idea!)