Latest Liveaboard Podcast Episodes
Living inside the Seasons
Nighttime on Still Waters - June 30, 2024 14:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThis episode was inspired by a sentence in Beth Kempton's Wabi Sabi and explores how calendars can connect us more closely to the world around us. Join us tonight as we explore the year through the eyes of some Japanese poets and celebrate the unfolding of the summer. Journal entry: 25th Ju...
The Children of the Children of Lir
Nighttime on Still Waters - June 16, 2024 12:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsJoin us on a wet and windy night as, tonight, we listen the strange and untameable tale of Fionnghuala, Oadh, Fiacra and Conn, the children of Lir, and meet up with our own (children of the) children of Lir who share their own wild mythologies. I also give an explanatory statement about the Y...
A Sunday Morning in May
Nighttime on Still Waters - June 02, 2024 13:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsSometimes episodes have a mind of their own and take you to unplanned places they think you need to go. This is one of those episodes. One ‘soft’ Sunday morning in May in John Clare country. Journal entry: 31st May, Friday “Standing looking south-west Across the vale. Four ducks circle abo...
First Impressions (On canal life)
Nighttime on Still Waters - May 12, 2024 13:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIn tonight’s episode we meet a couple of beautiful spring flowers with some fearsome reputations and go about spring cleaning a very messy and cluttered boat with the help of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Journal entry: 8th May, Wednesday. “A May evening of golden haze And drift...
The Dusts of Winter (Spring Cleaning)
Nighttime on Still Waters - April 28, 2024 12:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIn tonight’s episode we meet a couple of beautiful spring flowers with some fearsome reputations and go about spring cleaning a very messy and cluttered boat with the help of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Journal entry: 20th April, Saturday “A ring of coltsfoot heads has been pl...
Just shadows on a summer lawn
Nighttime on Still Waters - April 14, 2024 12:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsFor us the river of the year has, so far, been roaring and fierce. It is difficult, at times, to see the bank or to even know whether we are floating or sinking. However, that is only one small part of the picture. What follows is a rather incoherent attempt to find coherence amid the noise. ...
On Surveys and Winter Warmth (Listeners' questions - 6)
Nighttime on Still Waters - March 10, 2024 14:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsAs the slow march of Spring travels along the canal and towpaths, tonight I answer two more questions: How do we keep the boat from freezing when we have to leave it unattended, and how long does it normally take to buy a narrowboat? Journal entry: 7th March, Thursday. “A grey wind blows Fro...
Walking Home (In fading light)
Nighttime on Still Waters - March 03, 2024 11:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsAs a family, we gained a reputation for the way our 'short walks' often turned into marathon hikes which invariably meant staggering home long after dark (usually without a torch). In this week’s episode I reminisce on the lessons learnt, their prescient significance, and living in a culture th...
Rough Crossings
Nighttime on Still Waters - February 18, 2024 11:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsWelcome aboard the NB Erica on a wet winter’s night. It is a perfect night to snuggle down and listen to JM Synge’s turn of the 20th century accounts of his travels to the Aran Islands in a small currach on stormy seas. Journal entry: 14th February, Wednesday (St. Valentine’s Day) “Outside, ...
I Felt the Anchor Shift (An Update)
Nighttime on Still Waters - January 17, 2024 20:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIt has been a rather tempestuous year so far! Currently, I am many miles from the boat and have not been able to record any podcasts. I have rather rushed this episode out to update you on the reasons why I have been so quiet of late and to bring you up to date with what has been happening. A...
The Christmas Eves of Childhood
Nighttime on Still Waters - December 23, 2023 14:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsYou are invited to join us for a very special episode as we celebrate Christmas Eve onboard the Erica and remember the Christmas Eves of our childhood. Journal entry: 21st December, Thursday, Winter Solstice “The year’s turning And the longest night. There’s a rough wind And angry skies...
Afloat with Maggie (Listeners' questions - 5)
Nighttime on Still Waters - December 17, 2023 13:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsYou have seen the Instagram photographs/videos of happy boat-dogs gambolling along summer towpaths, dense with colour and sunshine, or happily curled up in front of cosy fires, but what is the reality of sharing a boat with a dog really like, especially in the winter? Journal entry: 15th De...
When Mum married Dad (95th birthday edition)
Nighttime on Still Waters - December 10, 2023 14:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsJoin us on a stormy December night to listen to the next part of ‘How Mum met Dad’ in celebration of Dad’s 95th birthday. This week, we hear about their crack of dawn wedding and their honeymoon on the Norfolk Broads in the Whippet. Journal entry: 7th December, Thursday “Untidy smoke trail ...
When Mum met Dad (95th Birthday edition)
Nighttime on Still Waters - December 03, 2023 13:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThis week is a very special episode as we celebrate Dad’s 95th birthday and we go back in time to hear about how a 1938 Hilman Minx was instrumental in how Mum met Dad. Journal entry: 1st December, Friday “Short sections of the canal Are covered in a frosted skim of ice. Wafer thin But fir...
The Battered Landscapes of our Edens
Nighttime on Still Waters - November 19, 2023 13:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsAutumn is a good time for contemplation and a place by the fireside encourages reflection. Recently I have been revisiting the journals of Thomas Merton and, with the help of John Moriarty, I have found myself relearning some valuable lessons. The Edens of our flourishing are sometimes not quite...
When Guy Fawkes wore my old dressing gown
Nighttime on Still Waters - November 12, 2023 14:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsI've always felt that there is something rather singular about the month of November. Tonight I try to find out what it is and end up recounting the time when Guy Fawkes wore my old dressing gown (which might or might not have anything to do with it!). Journal entry: 8th November, Wednesday. ...
November Fireside Nights
Nighttime on Still Waters - November 05, 2023 13:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIt’s a foul November night, so why not come and join me aboard the Erica by the warm glow of fire light. I have with me a lovely book that I found last year in a second-hand bookshop and think that it's perfect for a night like this. Journal entry: 1st November, Wednesday. “November is bo...
Autumn Forest
Nighttime on Still Waters - October 29, 2023 14:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsI am not sure if it is just me, but so far autumn doesn’t feel quite so ‘autumny’ as it usually does. Therefore, I think that it is a perfect time to savour a reading from one of my most favourite childhood books, Brendon Chase by BB. Journal entry: 26th October, Thursday. “Darkness. Mizz...
The Rebellious Light of Beauty (The last dandelion of summer)
Nighttime on Still Waters - October 22, 2023 14:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIt is easy to feel overwhelmed by the global events of the last couple of weeks. Following the battering of Storm Babet, this week’s episode offers a space for us to reflect on a world that can be often violent and far from perfect. Journal entry: 13th October, Friday “Battered by the winds ...
Words & Music (Listeners' questions - 4)
Nighttime on Still Waters - October 15, 2023 12:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThe temperature outside is dipping down towards zero, so join us for a cosy night by the glow of a hot stove, as we chat about two subjects close to my heart and the surprising way that living on a boat has altered my attitude to them. Journal entry: 13th October, Friday “Battered by the win...
Swings and Roundabouts (Listeners' Questions - 3)
Nighttime on Still Waters - October 08, 2023 14:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThere's an old and trustworthy adage on the canals: when two or more boaters meet up it is only a matter of time before the conversation will turn to the subject of toilets. So guess what the topic of this week's episode is?! Journal entry: 3rd October, Tuesday “Light fades. Dew Falls. Ma...
Under the ghost of a Harvest Moon
Nighttime on Still Waters - October 01, 2023 12:00 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsA week of serious problems with our internet has meant that I have been unable to record the episode answering listeners’ questions. However, join us tonight to enjoy a special meeting under the ‘ghost’ of a harvest moon. Journal entry: 29th September, Friday “Early this morning, We met th...
Uncertain Futures (Listeners' questions - 2)
Nighttime on Still Waters - September 23, 2023 13:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThere’s a chill in the air tonight and there will be mist on the water in the morning. Join me tonight as I answer some hard questions about how viability is a long term in the Erica on the canals? Journal entry: 21st September, Thursday “For a short while this evening The crescent moon and...
'No Regrets' (Listeners' questions - 1)
Nighttime on Still Waters - September 17, 2023 12:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsOn a dark night that is damp with an autumnal chill, join us as tonight I answer some of the questions posed by the listeners of this podcast which range from the decisions and motivations behind our choice to live afloat to canal etiquette. Journal entry: 14th September, Thursday “Thin dri...
Home thoughts of a Pilgrim (Chasing the wind)
Nighttime on Still Waters - September 10, 2023 14:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsIt's a hot sultry night in the late eve of summer. Join us tonight as we spend time with the gentle words and wisdom of a friend of mine. Journal entry: 6th September, Wednesday “This evening The wool of traveller’s joy has caught afire With the westward Apricot sun. And look at how ...
Roots do not hold you down (Hedge wisdom)
Nighttime on Still Waters - September 03, 2023 13:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsThe hedges are ablaze with colour and they call to us of lessons that we have long forgotten. Journal entry: 2nd September, Saturday “At the edgings of the day. A delinquent V of geese Transect a sinking sun. As they reappear Another flight has joined them. They continue in a loose strag...
As long as the rain talks (I will listen)
Nighttime on Still Waters - August 27, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsRain has a quality to touch us both physically and emotionally. Thomas Merton and Tristan Gooley are two very different people, but both offer insights into the language of rain and what we can learn through listening to it. Journal entry: 24th August, Thursday "We drop down the hill To fi...
An August-coloured Evening
Nighttime on Still Waters - August 20, 2023 13:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsTonight, we celebrate and enjoy a special August evening at the moorings, filled with golden light, gentle chatter, a rolling wind, duck call and church bells. A rare ‘August-coloured’ evening. Journal entry: 15th August, Tuesday “Chasing clouds and sunshine. The ground still wet from yeste...
Adventures and Departures (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 4)
Nighttime on Still Waters - August 06, 2023 14:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsLife afloat can throw up some rather singular challenges from being frozen in to sinking, running aground, being attacked by wild kittens and the dangers of runaway working boats!! Join us tonight as we ride out Storm Antoni (apologies for some background rain patter) for the concluding reading ...
The New Baby Arrives (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 3)
Nighttime on Still Waters - July 30, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsWhat was it like to give birth on small 30 ft boat in the 1960s? Mum continues her account of her life afloat on the Kathy in this week’s instalment of ‘The Kathy Chronicles’. We hear about the some of the challenges and joys of bringing up two very small children on a boat as well as Dad’s batt...
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