Useful, Beautiful AND Minimal and preferably transparent.

All my life, I've applauded and failed in equal measure to follow William Morris's excellent advice: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." 

However, he lived in gorgeous roomy Arts and Crafts houses and not in 41 square metres on an ancient boat, SO, I have added to his criteria.  Yes, useful and beautiful but also smallest size available with highest performance and preferably see-through too so as not to take up space or appear to do so.  Here are this week's first Hero choices: The slimmest, most powerful, cordless Dyson hoover.  Life may be chaotic but it feels a whole load better when the bits of the carpet that survive each wall demolition don't look scuzzy.

And a 'thing of beauty' glass infuser mug from Whittards for the mint and ginger tea which is my drink of choice these days before sun/yardarm time. 

Both this items are life enhancing 'things.'  We won't have much on this boat but I am determined that whatever we do have will gladden our hearts however mundane their function!  Surprising what deep joy a good vacuuming can bring some people!  

We arrived with two dinner plates, side plates, a set of cutlery each, two glasses, two mugs a kettle, saucepan and frying pan, sharp kitchen knife, a fish slice and slotted spoon.  I've added two bowls, an oven tray and a serving platter. Will report further on what other bare necessities I succumb to feeling I need.  (And yes, I know my Whittard mug wasn't essential but it ticked all WM's and my boxes!) 

Opening the roof when the sun shines......

Bristol lies in a basin, surrounded by hills and as a child I remember there was often a hazy pall that hung over the city on even the sunniest days.  I haven't seen any trace of it since we moved back a couple of years ago and although the news said Bristol was suffering from the European smog yesterday, it turned into another glorious day and we opened the hatch over the front cabin which is our bedroom.    

I have fantasies of lazy lie-ins and afternoon snoozes while catching some rays.  I wish!  I don't think the word lazy comes in the boating lexicon because there is constantly so much to do.  

The boat used to sleep eight people when it was a Norfolk Broads cruiser.  Goodness knows how.  We are gutting it to make one bedroom, a decent shower room and a larger living area and office.  Much more about that as we progress, but here's some before and after from this week.  I head off to get some work done each morning and come back to the boat getting a bit more spacious by the day. 

  

Plain sailing or choppy waters ahead?

The moment I took this photo was possibly when I stopped doubting that we had made the right decision moving onto our little boat in Bristol for the summer.  It was the fifth evening since we'd arrived from Devon and although the night was going to turn bitterly cold, the sun had shone in all day making the boat so warm we opened the bow doors and took our glasses of wine outside to watch the sun set.

It was so peaceful - hard to believe that we are right in the City Centre and surrounded by boats with our fellow boat dwellers and all the houses on either side of what is called The Floating Harbour that flows past one side of Spike Island.  The last few days have been a chaos of settling into new routines and adjusting to living in a tiny space 40ft by 12ft that needs completely gutting to become properly habitable all the while having to be our office and business HQ.  It will be interesting seeing how we adapt, if we cope, who we meet and how life changes......again!

The Dead Eyes of Politics

The eyes are the windows of the soul they say and as I've watched the Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce drama play out I've been struck by the faces of both them and many of their former political associates who have been called upon to make media comment.  There has been an extraordinary deadness in the eyes.  No appearance of passion, no fear, no shock, compassion, contempt or outrage.  Just a black deadness.  

As someone who once was very engaged in politics I was aware how, if you let it, its toxicity could contaminate and eat away at the soul like a tumour - but at least that was an aggressive active force that could be challenged and that defied being ignored.  This dead expressionless presence (or should that be absence) is more sinister.  Have the bodysnatchers done their worst?

Steady the Buffs and Peeling Oranges

Every family has its code language, sayings and catchphrases that provide conversational shortcuts. Ours include "Steady the Buffs" and "Peeling Oranges."  These sayings exist and get used without any real reference to their origin and in fact there has been some dispute about where they come from and when they started being used.  We say "Steady the Buffs" when there is any sign of panic or chaos.  In fact The Buffs were the 3rd Regiment of Foot in the British Army who's nickname came fro their pale yellow(buff) jacket facings.    In 1858 an adjutant shouted out 'steady the Buffs' to get his men in order.  It became a popular phrase in the British Army.

As for 'Peeling Oranges?' that's a chastisement we use when someone gets themself a coffee or drink without offering to do the same for others.  I can't find any source for it although we suspect it was used by family after the war when oranges came back into Britain and Grandma would peel oranges for the children.  While googling the phrase though  I did discover this story that touched me.  

Ernest Hemingway, the author would spend hours peeling oranges and gazing into a fire before beginning the write a new novel.  When he was asked about this, he said he was preparing his soul to write - like a fisherman preparing his tackle before going out to sea.  "If I don't do this and think only the fish matter, I'll never achieve anything."

Be Fabulous.....

The Life Audit three stage time management and personal development programme covers 10 aspects of life.  Relationships, Health, Home, Work, Money, Citizenship, Leisure, Mortality, Soul and .... Style.  Yep, along with all the big stuff there's a whole section on how you look and present yourself to the world.  

I've lived in my customary black jeans and jumpers since Christmas it seems but saw these amazing confections in designer and dressmaker Gilly Woo's window this week.

I only have two words to say about them and they are simply......

 "ONE DAY!"

None of the Above - Stump at the Pump

As I write, the candidates will be counting the minutes to when the polls close in the Eastleigh by-election in Hampshire, UK.  In just a few hours time one of them will be named the Member of Parliament.  They will all be relieved it's over as its been a bloody battle - the campaigning, positioning and mud-slinging has been less than edifying.   Meanwhile, the voter, as so often before, has been left looking on in dismay at the choices before them.   It's felt like a farcical private dance between the politicos,  with the community left as something that exists outside the in-crowd manoeuvring.

The constituents would no doubt be chewing the cud over the shocking quality of today's politics over a pint of beer or a glass of wine in their local pub, if it hadn't probably closed.  Where do people go now to put the world to rights, now they don't talk about stuff in The Snug.  Online of course is where they are, in their bedrooms and in front of the telly - compounding loneliness and allowing anonymity.  This is certainly not a substitute for the warmth of human interaction and the heat of real live debate.  

I think its sad so many of our pubs have closed in the UK, research from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) puts the number at 18 a week - which is shocking for such an iconic feature of British culture

So what about this for a solution - to return politics to the people and custom to the pumps.    

• Let's start a political party called the 'Z - None of the Above' party, which will ensure it is listed at the bottom of the voting slip.  
• One struggling pub in every constituency will sponsor a parliamentary candidate covering the £500 deposit.  (They'll get this back many times through increased trade)
• Anyone can apply with each pub's customers choosing the candidate with local hustings in the bar.  
• Our party will be entitled to the electoral benefits such as the free postage of a leaflet to every elector broadcast airtime etc.  

What a great way to claw back politics for the people and away from the political closed shop and get people talking properly again, bolstering a local community venue and promoting a local business.