Nights by firelight and owl song

WORDS once SPOKEN now CAPTURED

March 10, 2024

On Surveys and Winter Warmth (Listeners' questions - 6)

As the slow march of Spring travels along the canal and towpaths, tonight I answer two more questions: How do we keep the boat from freezing when we have to leave it unattended, and how long does it normally take to buy a na…
March 3, 2024

Walking Home (In fading light)

As a family, we gained a reputation for the way our 'short walks' often turned into marathon hikes which invariably meant staggering home long after dark (usually without a torch). In this week’s episode I reminisce on the …
Feb. 18, 2024

Rough Crossings

Welcome aboard the NB Erica on a wet winter’s night. It is a perfect night to snuggle down and listen to JM Synge’s turn of the 20th century accounts of his travels to the Aran Islands in a small currach on stormy seas. Jour…
Jan. 17, 2024

I Felt the Anchor Shift (An Update)

It has been a rather tempestuous year so far! Currently, I am many miles from the boat and have not been able to record any podcasts. I have rather rushed this episode out to update you on the reasons why I have been so quie…
Dec. 23, 2023

The Christmas Eves of Childhood

You are invited to join us for a very special episode as we celebrate Christmas Eve onboard the Erica and remember the Christmas Eves of our childhood. Journal entry : 21st December, Thursday, Winter Solstice “The year’s tu…
Dec. 17, 2023

Afloat with Maggie (Listeners' questions - 5)

You have seen the Instagram photographs/videos of happy boat-dogs gambolling along summer towpaths, dense with colour and sunshine, or happily curled up in front of cosy fires, but what is the reality of sharing a boat with …
Dec. 10, 2023

When Mum married Dad (95th birthday edition)

Join us on a stormy December night to listen to the next part of ‘How Mum met Dad’ in celebration of Dad’s 95th birthday. This week, we hear about their crack of dawn wedding and their honeymoon on the Norfolk Broads in the …
Dec. 3, 2023

When Mum met Dad (95th Birthday edition)

Join us on a night when the boat is wrapped in freezin fog, but the stoves are warm and the cabin is cosy, for this week's very special episode as we celebrate Dad’s 95th birthday and we go back in time to hear about how a 1…
Nov. 19, 2023

The Battered Landscapes of our Edens

Autumn is a good time for contemplation and a place by the fireside encourages reflection. Recently I have been revisiting the journals of Thomas Merton and, with the help of John Moriarty, I have found myself relearning som…
Nov. 12, 2023

When Guy Fawkes wore my old dressing gown

I've always felt that there is something rather singular about the month of November. Tonight I try to find out what it is and end up recounting the time when Guy Fawkes wore my old dressing gown (which might or might not ha…
Nov. 5, 2023

November Fireside Nights

It’s a foul November night, so why not come and join me tonight by the glow of fire light. I have with me a lovely little book, that I found last year in a second-hand bookshop, and think that it might be perfect for a night…
Oct. 29, 2023

Autumn Forest

I am not sure if it is just me, but so far autumn doesn’t feel quite so ‘autumny’ as it usually does. Therefore, I think that it is a perfect time to savour a reading from one of my most favourite childhood books, Brendon Ch…
Oct. 22, 2023

The Rebellious Light of Beauty (The last dandelion of summer)

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the global events of the last couple of weeks. Following the battering of Storm Babet, this week’s episode offers a space for us to reflect on a world that can be often violent and far from …
Oct. 15, 2023

Words & Music (Listeners' questions - 4)

The temperature outside is dipping down towards zero, so join us for a cosy night by the glow of a hot stove, as we chat about two subjects close to my heart and the surprising way that living on a boat has altered my attitu…
Oct. 8, 2023

Swings and Roundabouts (Listeners' Questions - 3)

There's an old and trustworthy adage on the canals: when two or more boaters meet up it is only a matter of time before the conversation will turn to the subject of toilets. So guess what the topic of this week's episode is?…
Oct. 1, 2023

Under the ghost of a Harvest Moon

A week of serious problems with our internet has meant that I have been unable to record the episode answering listeners’ questions. However, join us tonight to enjoy a special meeting under the ‘ghost’ of a harvest moon. Jo…
Sept. 17, 2023

Uncertain Futures (Listeners' questions - 2)

There’s a chill in the air tonight and there will be mist on the water in the morning. Join me tonight as I answer some hard questions about how viability is a long term in the Erica on the canals? Journal entry : 21st Septe…
Sept. 17, 2023

'No Regrets' (Listeners' questions - 1)

On a dark night that is damp with an autumnal chill, join us as tonight I answer some of the questions posed by the listeners of this podcast which range from the decisions and motivations behind our choice to live afloat to…
Sept. 10, 2023

Home thoughts of a Pilgrim (Chasing the wind)

It's a hot sultry night in the late eve of summer. Join us tonight as we spend time with the gentle words and wisdom of a friend of mine. Journal entry : 6th September, Wednesday “This evening The wool of traveller’s joy has…
Sept. 3, 2023

Roots do not hold you down (Hedge wisdom)

The hedges are ablaze with colour and they call to us of lessons that we have long forgotten. Journal entry : 2nd September, Saturday “At the edgings of the day. A delinquent V of geese Transect a sinking sun. As they reappe…
Aug. 27, 2023

As long as the rain talks (I will listen)

A warm dry week has ended with chasing shadows and showers. It looks like a dampish Bank Holiday! Therefore, this might be a good time to consider more deeply on the quality that rain has to touch us both physically and emot…
Aug. 20, 2023

An August-coloured Evening

Tonight, we celebrate and enjoy a special August evening at the moorings, filled with golden light, gentle chatter, a rolling wind, duck call and church bells. A rare ‘August-coloured’ evening. Journal entry : 15th August, T…
Aug. 6, 2023

Adventures and Departures (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 4)

Life afloat can throw up some rather singular challenges from being frozen in to sinking, running aground, being attacked by wild kittens and the dangers of runaway working boats!! Join us tonight as we ride out Storm Antoni…
July 30, 2023

The New Baby Arrives (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 3)

What was it like to give birth on small 30 ft boat in the 1960s? Mum continues her account of her life afloat on the Kathy in this week’s instalment of ‘The Kathy Chronicles’. We hear about the some of the challenges and joy…