Misty frosty morning

Another stunning winter morning.

Sitting outside

Another nice thing about this new home mooring (as if there weren't enough) is that we have a lovely level place to sit outside on the bank. It felt like early Spring today. Wonderful!

First white frost of the winter

It's been a long time coming, this winter. This is our first serious frost of the season and it's already January. The delightful frazzle got a bit thicker than usual overnight and we heard the familiar ping sounds as Bella started to move a little with our morning. 

2014 starts our seventh year afloat. It's hard to recall living in a house! We were this cold inside a house on winter mornings, but it never seemed as easy to bring up to good heat. A few minutes with Squirrel and we're toasty again.

We had fun doing the stats for 2013. We managed to travel just under 300 lock-miles in the year, just a third of our busiest, 2010, and just 60 lock-miles more than our quietest, 2012. But it felt that we travelled more than in either of those years. Well, we experienced more. Rather than as in 2010, covering the miles but not really seeing anywhere, or 2012, packing in trips in the little time we had, in 2013 we slowly lived through Pete's patch. From May through September, we lived a week here, two there, a night over there after just an hour or so travelling. We took in scenery and wildlife like never before. We were treated to wonderful weather, sightings of otter, mink and kingfishers. We got to know new communities and pubs. We now have new garden furniture, multi puposing as extra dining room chairs and a cruising chair for Elizabeth. 

It's been a good travelling season in 2013 and we hope to do similarly in 2014. In the meantime, Happy New Year and happy Winter!