Well G-minus 20 days - we are hoping to complete the house sale on the 16th August and we went to the marina yesterday - got off to a bad start as dogs have to be on leads when not on the boat - they were quite confused by the slipway,although Shiva went in for a paddle. We looked around and then went off to find Riverside Park, next to the Bollin - the dogs really enjoyed "splashing around on the river" and there is 70 acres to explore. Chris wasn't sure about the marina, but as I said to him; if we were CC (Continuously Cruising), you wouldn't let the dogs out off the boat without being with them, especially with the amount of dogs being stolen these days. We can only see how we like it. I think we may be better at the far side of the marina, where you can get straight in and out of the canal to leave, rather then from the actual basin. We shall see.

Now to start seriously downsizing the kitchen - am doing a car boot tomorrow and next week and that will be our lot before we move (I have also mucho trips to the tip to get in!)

Chris has had a busy week - last week, he was in Norway

as you can see, it was a beautiful location and he had a lovely time! On Thursday, we had some good news - the kidney stone has disappeared, so now to concentrate on the pain; although it might be better to do that once we have moved GP's.

We are getting quite excited now - just want the next three weeks to be over and we are away to our new liife!.
Interesting story in the Daily mail yesterday (I don't normally read it, but there was a stroy about people moving aboard a narrowboat - not a good liveaboard IMHO, stove not in the middle of the boat and little storage - they also don't have solar panels and as for CC, I think they might have put themselves on the Canal and River Trust's radar! (You need to keep a log and be constantly moving in an onward direction to qualify - I wonder if they know that?)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2375836/Cash-strapped-family-save-fortune-selling-house-moving-NARROW-BOAT.html

and so the count down begins - Chris has flown to Norway today (photos WILL be posted!) to be at his youngest daughter's wedding tomorrow - I am off to see our moorings in Macclesfield tomorrow and I have the house buyers coming Saturday - so am hoping to get a provisional completion date from them. 
The weather is still hot and sunny - I am on leave today to dog-sit! We are going out again shortly to take the afternoon air and for the dogs to have a dip in the Bridgewater Canal
Chris is back Sunday and then it is one appointment after another with hospital, ATOS etc

A philosophical note as it's Sunday

A note on the spiritual aspect of our journey - we put our faith in what we were doing was right and that all would work out - I have always found this in my life; you just need the faith that the Lord has you safe and if you put your trust in Him, everything will be OK. A lot of people think this is quite bizarre; however, everything happens for a reason and we don't know the grand plan (I always say it's because He doesn't want to scare me!); but if you have faith it will all be OK in the end - it is hard to see the rightness of any decision when you are at the bottom of the hill - you need to get to the mountain-top; look back and see how it unfolded. 

You always have the choice of course not to follow His path; but I have found (through bitter experience) that when I didn't do that things were pretty bad - although He has always ensured that at the end, once I got back on the path with Him, that it worked - there are many times in my life where, when I look back, there will be just the one set of footprints in the sand and for that I thank the Lord for ensuring I found Him in me. In the end that is what it is all about - finding God within yourself and behaving in that way - whatever religion you have or follow.

Peace be with you all (and in the UK) in what will be the hottest day of the year so far they tell us - 34C - i can live with that - I hope it is still warm when we get onto Gracie!

Pleased to say we have a residential mooring at Freedom Boats in the middle of Macclesfield, not far from the Railway Station - the Universe is conspiring to make things happen. We have arranged with CoverIt to have both a Cratch Cover and board built over the bow and a fold-down Pram Hood over the stern 

This will give us the extra room we will need to dry wet dogs, as well as the ability to go under the bridges on the Macclesfield Canal (low,so you need to fold the hood down)
We have the contract signed ready to drop off at the solicitors and now we await a completion date after the 10th August - i hope the weather holds whilst we bring Gracie up from Chester to Macclesfield - although rain would be truly a baptism - in more ways than one!

Chris is excited to go to Norway next weekend for Theresa (his youngest daughter) and Steven's wedding - the ceremony is in a place called Valle and looks beautiful - they are marrying in the open air next to the lake called Honnevje (resting place) and then using a farmhouse called a Nomelandshus. The forecast for the wedding is 24C & sunny and it looks as though Chris is going to have warm weather while he is there. I wish I was going; but when we booked it we hadn't sold the house and logisitics of cats/dogs and selling a house was a bit much - we have agreed that Steven and Theresa will come here for a holiday and we will repeat the wedding for the family here! 

Then we have the delights of an ATOS Assessment ( so the govt will continue to pay his MI Stamp) and hospital appointments on his return to see if they can get rid of the kidney stone using Lithotripsy to break the stone up in his left kidney and so that he can start life on the boat with a little more energy. At present, he struggles to walk anywhere or do anything - although yesterday he made a fruit cake and it is very nice!

Things to do before we move

1. downsize the kitchen - do we NEED 3 casserole dishes!
2. go through the cupboard in the dining room
3. do car boot sales - we have stuff stored in a garage so will get that gone
4. find homes for furniture or arrange to take to the tip (not much left - bed, chest of drawers, dining table and 2 settees)

So if anyone knows anyone who wants anything let me know

Links below: 

 http://www.freedomboats.co.uk/contact.html 

http://www.coverit.co.uk/

I shall have to be more diligent about updating this - potted history from March 2013 - (and a moral) never sell to a footballer - they try and drive the price down ; which is what happened to us and then we had the most wonderful surprise from the fabulous savings scheme the banks have going - I am sure you have heard of it - called PPI! Anyway, they paid enough for us to completely redecorate, re-carpet and then have our own structural survey done

 We started with the hall, stairs & landing and re-carpeted and then realised that in fact the whole house needed repainting! It took us a month and then we put the house back on the market and it sold in 18 days for nearly our asking price.

Of  course, we thought Gracie would have sold in this time; although, I always felt she was waiting for us; however, we embarked on a reasonably fruitless search for a longer boat - going all the way to Northampton to scour a marina. There was one boat (which, when we thought about it) was a longer version of Gracie; but she needed work doing and they couldn't bring her out of the water until the end of August and we wouldn't have been able to move before the end of September. On the 2 hour drive back, I said, "I saw Gracie on Apollo Duck, she's still available" and Chris said "I know, we're going to buy her aren't we", so a phone call was made and that was that!

We cannot get her until the middle of August as her owners are away visiting family; but as we have signed the contract and the Deed of Title today; we feel as though it is moving apace and we are counting the weeks now - the light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train coming towards us anymore!

So, the next few weeks will be busy - Chris is off to his youngest daughter's  wedding in Norway next week; then he has the ATOS medical to see if they will continue to pay his stamp (no benefits, but still has to go for a medical - this Government is insane). Following that, he has three Lithotripsy appointments to go to; plus we have to unpack, take out half of our stuff, sell it and then repack - a bit like an extended holiday!

Should find out the date for completion soon - I just hope this wonderful weather holds out, so we get a few nice weeks to start our new life. 

The dogs love swimming in the Bridgewater - Shiva's favourite game is to to drop his ball in the canal and dive in to get it out! So, we have booked a company who will fit a cratch cover, fold-down table and pram hood and then we had an e-mail yesterday to say there is a 52 foot mooring coming up in Macclesfield (right near the train station) so with a bit if luck, we will be living in Macclesfield from September. 
Maybe, we will see you "on the cut"