Fracking, owls, singing and boat life

Hi there, thanks for being a loyal follower, and welcome if you are a new reader. Its hard over the summer holidays to keep my mind on track with my business at times, as most of my time is taken up with managing and entertaining my soon to be 8 year old. So this week I have decided to do a 'lazy' blog, and just fill you in on a few things I have been up to.

Whats this all about?  read on...

I went up to my folks the last week of July, and had some fab days out, with my oldest friend and her two girls, they are permanent residents in Qatar, and over visiting for a month to escape the immense heat there. We have been best of friends since we started primary school, so lets just say its about 40 years now (ouch), and we were both pregnant at 38, she had her daughter 6 months after me. So natural play friends they are. We had many laughs over the week we spent with them.

This made my heart melt on Cleethorpes beach

I also got some time to do a bit of anti-fracking campaigning, and one day visited Tinker Lane site, which is near to Retford, where I went secondary school, and spent most of my teen years. the camp is on some parish council site, and they are making it in to a nice visitors place, and home from home, for any 'protectors' that are living there. I must show you a photo, of their front door, fully equipped with a working door bell that speaks to you. The regulars at the site, need something to keep their spirits up.

After a grand cup of tea, I headed out with a group to deliver update pamphlets to the local residents in Ranskill. Good job done.

Tinker town, Barnby Moor, Notts

Later that day I went to work in my dads recording studio, doing some backing singing for him. He has written and produced a song for the anti-fracking movement, as he too is appalled by the governments latest decision to give Cuadrilla the go ahead to frack Preston New road, in Lancashire. Over his many years as a composer he has asked me to sing for him, but I never had the guts to do it, as my dad is such a perfectionist, and I would worry I wasn't up to his standard. However, i really enjoyed it, and although at moments it can be frustrating when you the sound comes out of your mouth wrong, my dad has immense patience (never thought I would say that) and put me at my ease. Love you dad (I know he will be reading this).

My dad has been working on the video accompaniment to the song this week, and soon we shall be airing our collaboration, well I say collaboration, its all dads work really, I just did a few oohs, ahhs and the chorus.

I also went to a wonderful event at the Misson Springs IGas site, just down the road from my parents, to the national Owl Awareness day. In the SSSI area that Misson fracking site is at, holds the largest collection of variety of owls in the UK, so Misson has taken the owl as its emblem. An old boater friend of mine and her husband, who are artists, and big anti-fracking campaigners, made some beautiful Owl models for demos. I knew quite a few people at the demo, as I have know been involved for around 5 years, and have picked up some lovely friends along the way. Some of which are musical, and we had a jamming session, with a guitarist (I was singing, and playing my emergency maraca I have in my van). It was a lovely vibe, and was great for solidarity. Unfortunately I had to leave the 'party' as I was heading back home to Foxy Lady, that day.

Frack Free Misson owl

Jamming protest songs at IGas Frack site Misson

Find out more about fracking by clicking here

Back at the moorings, we (Foxy Lady crew), are undergoing some massive DIY work this summer, as Richard has designed, and is making us a new living space. He is renovating my workshop come dining room, and when its finished i will have more storage (always welcome on a boat), and the table, when turned over will convert it into a double bed too. i can't wait, so have been helping out with the varnishing this week.

We had an annual event at the mooring yesterday when the coal boats turned up. Every August, the Narrowboat Trust boats, Nuneaton and Brighton and crew, deliver us around around 125 bags of coal for the whole moorings. Its all hands on deck helping them lift, slide and shift the bags onto land, it took a few hours, as we were barrowing them straight to their places of storage too. Its great camaraderie on days like, this, and we spend some time with the crew at the end, having  cups of tea and sharing boating stories. We thank them for their time, especially as they are all volunteers, and see them on their way with some local special ales we bought them.