You from the south will not appreciate just how slow the market is 'upt North' so we were under no illusions that we would get a quick sale and completion. Luckily Ali was still working. By mid summer we had a positive offer on the house which we accepted, but the process was somewhat slow. We had decided to to sell our current home, put our goods and chattels into storage and move temporarily onto the boat. This would enable us to search our new area of the Southern Midlands for a new home. Triskaideka was moored at Crick Marina, but for various reasons we decided to move on and so we relocated to Dunchurch Pools, via a mini break up the Ashby Canal. Dunchurch is and was work in progress (which we knew) but the essentials were in place and we settled in nicely and feel it was the right decision to move.
So with our house sold and us on the boat we began the search for a new home. After trawling the area for suitable properties, it didn't take long before we decided to make an offer on a property in a small village between Leicester and Lutterworth. So we put in a cheeky offer and after much wrangling we eventually agreed on a price and the process of purchasing began, not easy, our Conveyancer was not the best and theirs wasn't much better. To be honest the Estate Agent was brilliant and despite our thinking that they are a complete rip off, in this instance they made the process much smoother. Eventually we go the keys in late October, but decided to remain on the boat whilst we did some decorating and some remedial work. Little did we know, after bragging that there wasn't much to do, we discovered the opposite. We are now quite au fait with local electricians and plumbers, and B&Q, Wicks, Homebase & Screwfix think we have built an estate! We have also cleared the shelves in the local supermarket of cleaning products (I'll say no more!)
By early December it was getting a tad chilly on the boat and we decided that this was the time to move into the house. We had achieved most of our goals of making the house ours and upgrading the electrics and the heating, decorating and cleaning to our standards! Our worldly goods came out of storage and we started the process of unpacking the boxes and trying to squeeze into our downsized house!! The boat has been a godsend, whilst we have been quite comfortable living on board the boat in quite severe weather, we are not winter dwellers on water and do enjoy our home comforts. So it was nice to move in and flush a toilet, without having to empty it! and not worry if the hot water was going to run out in the shower.
Apart from the odd weekend and bimble here and there, we haven't travelled any distance this year on Triskaideka, but hope normal service will be resumed in the spring.
So we wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope to meet up with as many of our boating friends as possible in the coming year and meet new ones. No route planned as yet other than a trip up the Soar, in the spring and our cruising will be fitted around 2 weddings as we both have a niece getting married in 2018! (and John says hopefully none of the other of the film title), but he is a wedding short!.
A trip out
Along the Ashby Canal
Hawkesby Junction, around in one and no bow thrusters
Our new home berth
Lovely views
A trip to Braunston
Our new house
Work in progress
Another little trip to Braunston to see the locks being repaired
The bridge into the marina is a replica of the bridges in Braunston the only difference being that the rails are closer together due to H&S regulations now! Does look amazing
A trip to York in November and something you don't often see the Shambles with no people!
Fuel still not available at the marina so Ryan comes in once a month
was a bit frosty on this morning.
and then the snow came
and finally
