Our World This Week

This week we’re catching up on the small things that have filled our days recently.Fran has finally faced the dentist — expecting the worst and discovering it wasn’t nearly as bad as feared. Meanwhile the first real hints of spring are appearing around us: blossom on the trees, birds getting lively and the allotment beginning to wake up.We’ve been busy sowing seeds, experimenting with grow lights on the boat and enjoying the rare feeling that we might actually be ahead in the garden for once.There’s also a new fascination with ancient trees after discovering the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Register, which has sent us looking at the landscape around us in a completely different way.Along the way we wander into memories of childhood freedom, playing outside until dark, tight blue jeans in the 1970s, and why debate and conversation seem harder to come by these days.Just a gentle chat about everyday life, the changing seasons, and the small things that catch our attention along the way.

After eight years of cruising, we’ve made a big decision.A letter from the Canal and River Trust pushed us to rethink how we live aboard. We’ve taken on a mooring on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal — not to settle permanently, but to slow down and protect the life we’re building with our allotment and creative work.We talk rain, blossom, spinning, sheds, funding for the canals, and finding contentment without constantly chasing miles.Sometimes freedom means moving less.

This week was meant to be simple. It wasn’t.Noises in the night, allotment chaos and conversations about why a “normal” life never really suited us. This episode wanders through shed talk, dogs aboard, nightime storms and the joy of choosing freedom — with a laugh never far behind.

In this episode we talk about our ultimate dream journeys — the physical ones and the inner ones that change how we live. Rich explores the idea of going minimalist with tech: what would we really keep if we stripped everything back to essentials?Meanwhile, Fran takes us back to her childhood, reminiscing about wandering around London alone at just ten years old.You cand send us an email to: info@floatingourboat.com

Possibly our last podcast of 2025. We chat about our Christmas preparations, how we actually spend the day itself, and what really matters to us at this time of year.

In this episode we talk of the gentle start to the day and how it set the tone for the morning. Rich shares his thoughts (and frustrations) about the greenwashing surrounding solar farms, while Fran catches us up on a very busy week of weaving ahead of an upcoming Christmas fair.We also share a few podcasts we’ve been enjoying recently, and of course, Archie the spaniel makes an appearance in his usual slightly grumpy way.

We start with a particularly sharp jar of pickled onions and quickly move into reminiscing about our childhood food traditions and the performance of Sunday Tea and memorable family dishes. We talk about World Television Day and the move from three fixed channels to democratized, on-demand viewing. We also check in on the allotment after the season's first major frost, exploring the rapid shift in the garden and our struggles with the 'no-dig' approach. Finally, we challenge ourselves with a taste test of some preserved goods, including pickled nasturtium seeds.

This week on Floating Our Boat, we drift through all sorts of topics: the mighty River Severn, the magic of winter murmurations, Fran’s well-deserved moan about Black Friday, Rich’s fascination with Samuel Pepys’ diary, a chat about climate change, and a slightly ridiculous musical quiz that puts Fran’s knowledge to the test.https://floatingourboat.comYou can support us through:patreon.com/floatingourboathttps://buymeacoffee.com/floatingourboat