A bit of background

I am not entirely new to canal boating, although admittedly very inexperienced.

With over thirty years of on/off canal boating, sailing, cruising, and scuba diving in the UK and abroad, I can operate locks, tie cleat hitches, clean, cook in a galley, perform basic maintenance on my car and steer boats in straight lines and around bends - don't ask about parking.

I am also a natural minimalist in terms of possessions, although what I call minimalist I suspect will be redefined as cluttered.

But I am aware that there is much, much more that I need to learn. So learning, both intended and unintended is on the cards.

There will also be decisions that may be tough to make, such as those involving my fish, my cats, my house, my car and my job. I want to have my cake and eat it, and know I won't be able to. But I'm going to try.