Jul 1, 2023·edited Jul 2, 2023Liked by prue batten
Prue, I really loved this post!
Okay, I don't love that you need to be more careful on boats with your vestibular issue - my sister-in-law has a problem in that department and one of her deepest frustrations was whenever she would try to swim.
My husband grew up sailing on the sea, whereas my family were members of a reservoir sailing club, and we would sail every summer in the Lake District when we went to see my grandparents.
I was so glad to read of your interest in canal boating! My dad is a retired long-haul pilot, and given that air travel to exotic climes wasn't ever a holiday for him, for our annual family holiday we would always hire a canal boat every October half-term and pootle at 4mph along a variety of UK inland waterways in a diverse array - no, mostly ADverse - hang on, let's just say 'British' - weather conditions....! 🤣
If husband and self ever make it back to the UK, a long boat journey is on our bucket list. We were much enamoured of Timothy West and Prunella Scales on Great Canal Journeys and then with Gyles Brandreth and Sheila Hancock. But Covid and age swept all of them up, I think. Prunella developed escalating dementia and Sheila has such severe rheumatoid arthritis and manhandling those lock-gates doesn't look easy.
Have you ever written of your boating days, so that I can go back and read?
Lock gates are pretty well-engineered - all it takes is a bit of a 'lean' to get them started, provided the water level is equal either side (my brother and I used to try to get them open before the level had equalised - it was always a competition as to whose gate would open first!), but once it gets started it's okay.
Jim's got RA too - I think if we went on a boat now he'd be steering and I'd be doing all the windlass- and lock-gate-opening action!!!
I haven't written any posts about messing about in boats yet - but gosh, perhaps I will! Thank you for the prompt! 😊
Rebecca -- I love the word "pootle" - new to me - and the idea of moving slowly along in most any body of water. A former sailor here, but farming came along and took its place, a sad but necessary compromise to devote myself to something else I loved.
Would you mind clarifying the "4pm"? Is that time of day, or speed? Either seems possible and equally delightful.
'Pootle' and 'pootling' are among my favourite words, Elizabeth! I love that you farm but with sailing in your blood - that's a lovely combination!
Gosh - that's a typo! I'm so sorry. Actually, probably an auto-correct - but that's no excuse! I meant '4mph', as in speed, not '4pm'. I mean, 4pm is very much tea o'clock, so perhaps I - or my computer keyboard! - had read my mind!!! 🤣 I'll go back in now to edit my mistake - thank you so much for bringing it up!
Ha - not intended as a correction! As with "pootle," I thought perhaps it was a use I hadn't yet had the chance to learn. I very much like the idea of pootling at tea o'clock. Sounds like the name of a nice little book.
Pootle's been in my lexicon for awhile since I saw it a few years ago and decided it described what OH and self do when we picnic. Another word that's used often by Tom Ryan is 'coddywomple'. Marvellous - 'a journey undertaken without a specific destination in mind, taken simply for the pleasure of the journey itself.' which pretty well sums up 'pootle' too.
And don't you just hate autocorrect? The things it comes up with!!!
I think sailing in the Lake District, or any kind of boating there, would be spectacular. Lucky girl. And as for your long boat adventures - I'm envious!!! 4mph would be perfect for me!!!!
Dad was so used to travelling at 500+ mph for his day job, literally, that 4mph aboard a narrowboat was all that he ever wanted in his downtime! 🤣 None of my school friends could believe it. 'Why don't you fly to the other side of the world on cheap family tickets for your holidays, when your dad's a pilot?!' A valid question, of course, although those canal holidays, and sailing ones, were such fun! Lucky girl indeed. 😊
You and your red windbreaker balloon! I can practically smell the sea air filling you up! Thank you for adding another dimension to the Prue I'm getting to know. No real childhood boating for me, living as I did in a landlocked location, but as a young adult I took up sailing and ultimately met my husband because of it (a story for another time). So, I love your love of boats, the water, the openness of it all and am sorry that physical issues are limiting how you can experience that now. Thank heavens for the memories, and bucket lists. May it be so!
Boating laces through my bestest memories, Elizabeth. It, the sea and coast pretty well shaped me into what I am today and probably built the foundation for 'hiraeth'. I sometimes wonder if I'm actually a selkie at heart and I certainly know I want a Viking funeral - as per Rocket Gibraltar, the movie...
When the vestibular event happened, I remember sitting across from the ENT specialist as he read out the figures of the loss of balance and all I could think of was my life and the sea are done and I was shattered. But through therapy (like stroke therapy) my brain has adapted the best it can and I managed to get back to boat, kayak and swim with restrictions. The brain is an amazing computer.
PS: Your boating assignation with your OH is definitely a story that must be told.
Loved this essay Prue! I'm a water baby too, and love nothing more than being in (warm) water or on it. Or if needs must, next to it. When we lived in Plymouth, I took a small water taxi every day to work. Over certain wind directions and speeds, I would pretty much freak out at the short crossing: the waves were huge and the tossing of the small boat terrifying. Our surly but lovable captain installed a special app on my phone with our location so I could check wind speed and direction every day and know whether I had to take bus. Mostly, I love living where one is aware of the winds and tides every day. You have captured that feeling beautifully!
I love the idea of catching a water taxi or ferry to work. You were very lucky.
It's big in Sydney, not so much here in Hobart. It used to be but it faded and I often wonder if folk realise what they're missing out on. If nothing else, that ability to switch off and be nothing but mindful of one's surroundings.
Weather and tides tend to dominate my life, its the first thing I check each day when we are coastal. I used to take it and the outdoors all a little bit for granted until Covid. Having the freedom removed to indulge in the outdoors whenever I wanted, was such a big lesson and now I appreciate what I have access to more than ever.
Thanks for reading and subscribing and especially thanks for commenting.
Prue, I really loved this post!
Okay, I don't love that you need to be more careful on boats with your vestibular issue - my sister-in-law has a problem in that department and one of her deepest frustrations was whenever she would try to swim.
My husband grew up sailing on the sea, whereas my family were members of a reservoir sailing club, and we would sail every summer in the Lake District when we went to see my grandparents.
I was so glad to read of your interest in canal boating! My dad is a retired long-haul pilot, and given that air travel to exotic climes wasn't ever a holiday for him, for our annual family holiday we would always hire a canal boat every October half-term and pootle at 4mph along a variety of UK inland waterways in a diverse array - no, mostly ADverse - hang on, let's just say 'British' - weather conditions....! 🤣
Oh, my gosh - how lovely. Seriously.
If husband and self ever make it back to the UK, a long boat journey is on our bucket list. We were much enamoured of Timothy West and Prunella Scales on Great Canal Journeys and then with Gyles Brandreth and Sheila Hancock. But Covid and age swept all of them up, I think. Prunella developed escalating dementia and Sheila has such severe rheumatoid arthritis and manhandling those lock-gates doesn't look easy.
Have you ever written of your boating days, so that I can go back and read?
That was a lovely series, wasn't it?
Lock gates are pretty well-engineered - all it takes is a bit of a 'lean' to get them started, provided the water level is equal either side (my brother and I used to try to get them open before the level had equalised - it was always a competition as to whose gate would open first!), but once it gets started it's okay.
Jim's got RA too - I think if we went on a boat now he'd be steering and I'd be doing all the windlass- and lock-gate-opening action!!!
I haven't written any posts about messing about in boats yet - but gosh, perhaps I will! Thank you for the prompt! 😊
Rebecca -- I love the word "pootle" - new to me - and the idea of moving slowly along in most any body of water. A former sailor here, but farming came along and took its place, a sad but necessary compromise to devote myself to something else I loved.
Would you mind clarifying the "4pm"? Is that time of day, or speed? Either seems possible and equally delightful.
'Pootle' and 'pootling' are among my favourite words, Elizabeth! I love that you farm but with sailing in your blood - that's a lovely combination!
Gosh - that's a typo! I'm so sorry. Actually, probably an auto-correct - but that's no excuse! I meant '4mph', as in speed, not '4pm'. I mean, 4pm is very much tea o'clock, so perhaps I - or my computer keyboard! - had read my mind!!! 🤣 I'll go back in now to edit my mistake - thank you so much for bringing it up!
Ha - not intended as a correction! As with "pootle," I thought perhaps it was a use I hadn't yet had the chance to learn. I very much like the idea of pootling at tea o'clock. Sounds like the name of a nice little book.
'Pootling at tea o'clock' would absolutely be a book I'd pick up off the shelf - that's fabulous! 🙌
Pootle's been in my lexicon for awhile since I saw it a few years ago and decided it described what OH and self do when we picnic. Another word that's used often by Tom Ryan is 'coddywomple'. Marvellous - 'a journey undertaken without a specific destination in mind, taken simply for the pleasure of the journey itself.' which pretty well sums up 'pootle' too.
And don't you just hate autocorrect? The things it comes up with!!!
Coddywomple! Prue, I'm in LOVE with this word! 🙌 Thank you for introducing me to it!
I think sailing in the Lake District, or any kind of boating there, would be spectacular. Lucky girl. And as for your long boat adventures - I'm envious!!! 4mph would be perfect for me!!!!
Dad was so used to travelling at 500+ mph for his day job, literally, that 4mph aboard a narrowboat was all that he ever wanted in his downtime! 🤣 None of my school friends could believe it. 'Why don't you fly to the other side of the world on cheap family tickets for your holidays, when your dad's a pilot?!' A valid question, of course, although those canal holidays, and sailing ones, were such fun! Lucky girl indeed. 😊
You and your red windbreaker balloon! I can practically smell the sea air filling you up! Thank you for adding another dimension to the Prue I'm getting to know. No real childhood boating for me, living as I did in a landlocked location, but as a young adult I took up sailing and ultimately met my husband because of it (a story for another time). So, I love your love of boats, the water, the openness of it all and am sorry that physical issues are limiting how you can experience that now. Thank heavens for the memories, and bucket lists. May it be so!
Boating laces through my bestest memories, Elizabeth. It, the sea and coast pretty well shaped me into what I am today and probably built the foundation for 'hiraeth'. I sometimes wonder if I'm actually a selkie at heart and I certainly know I want a Viking funeral - as per Rocket Gibraltar, the movie...
When the vestibular event happened, I remember sitting across from the ENT specialist as he read out the figures of the loss of balance and all I could think of was my life and the sea are done and I was shattered. But through therapy (like stroke therapy) my brain has adapted the best it can and I managed to get back to boat, kayak and swim with restrictions. The brain is an amazing computer.
PS: Your boating assignation with your OH is definitely a story that must be told.
Loved this essay Prue! I'm a water baby too, and love nothing more than being in (warm) water or on it. Or if needs must, next to it. When we lived in Plymouth, I took a small water taxi every day to work. Over certain wind directions and speeds, I would pretty much freak out at the short crossing: the waves were huge and the tossing of the small boat terrifying. Our surly but lovable captain installed a special app on my phone with our location so I could check wind speed and direction every day and know whether I had to take bus. Mostly, I love living where one is aware of the winds and tides every day. You have captured that feeling beautifully!
Thank you so much, Sabrina.
I love the idea of catching a water taxi or ferry to work. You were very lucky.
It's big in Sydney, not so much here in Hobart. It used to be but it faded and I often wonder if folk realise what they're missing out on. If nothing else, that ability to switch off and be nothing but mindful of one's surroundings.
Weather and tides tend to dominate my life, its the first thing I check each day when we are coastal. I used to take it and the outdoors all a little bit for granted until Covid. Having the freedom removed to indulge in the outdoors whenever I wanted, was such a big lesson and now I appreciate what I have access to more than ever.
Thanks for reading and subscribing and especially thanks for commenting.