Shows
Nighttime on Still WatersBack from Blacking (And the ingenuity of drydocks)Send us a textCould the humble drydock be the perfect example of canal engineering ingenuity? Find out why in our latest episode and join us back afloat onboard the Erica as we explore some surprising facts about this often-overlooked marvel.Journal entry:1st August, Friday (Lammas Day)“Fields the colour of linen and calico Under turbulent skies of heavy cloud. As I chew on a blade of grass The wind whips up dust devils Across the dry, hard-baked hill. Apples fall, half ripened. Ha...
2025-08-0336 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWith Tom Rolt on the North Stratford Canal (Summer Readings)Send us a textIt’s been a long sweltering day. Darkness is reluctantly beginning to fall, and a restless heat lies heavy over the canal. Let's settle down and listen to some echoes from the canal-side past as we hear Tom Rolt’s account of his journey up the Stratford upon Avon Canal (North) and the ‘battle for Bridge Number 1 (Lifford Lane).' At a time when many of us are feeling the strain of today’s network, Rolt’s account reminds us of just how far we’ve come — and of the grit and vision of t...
2025-07-2023 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Summer Wind among the Alders (Speaks of Lludd and Llefelys)Send us a textStories have always been part of our world. From antiquity, stories create the light that help us find our way through the darkness. We need to rediscover those stories to help us face the dragons in our lives. Join us tonight as we listen closely to the summer wind play among the alders and hear a very old story that understands our modern world. Journal entry:3rd July, Thursday“Walking up the hill. The grass crackles and scrunches With each step.If I...
2025-07-0652 min
Nighttime on Still WatersUnsettled at the Still-Point (Of the year)Send us a textIt is a hot midsummer night of warm winds that makes the Erica creak at her moorings. Tonight, we find ourselves at a year’s turning point — caught between the stillness and the unsettling. Join us as we explore the solstice, the shifting seasons, the rhythm of carnival swings, and the restless nature of the mind, uncovering the connections between them all.Journal entry:16th June, Monday“Cresting The eternal now The carp and I Share the summer sun”Episode Inf...
2025-06-2235 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA brooding sky and mirrored waters (Fen Country)Send us a textJoin us on a quiet night of summer rain as we listen to rooks and explore the beauty and ambiguities of two liminal places with a lot in common. We learn about the web-footed fenmen and are guided by Luke Sherlock to a ruined church under haunting skies. Journal entry:6th June, Friday“We walk through the sheep field As the rain pours down. My boot socks still wet from last night. The rooks muster noisily at the One Oak.Even th...
2025-06-0842 min
Nighttime on Still WatersErica's PlaceSend us a textWelcome to tonight’s episode where ‘Erica’s Place’ by Mindshambles awakens a kaleidoscope of reminiscences about Mum and ‘elevensies’ and her never ending supply of fresh scones. As the different memories flow and glide past, it slowly becomes clear how much of ‘Erica’s place’ and Mum’s philosophy still lives on and unconsciously shapes these podcasts. Welcome to Erica's place. Journal entry:20th May, Tuesday“The yellow flag are out. Unfolding the origami of their petals From the squashed chrysalis of their buds.Yellow i...
2025-05-2539 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Totally Worthwhile Risk - 4Send us a textTonight, we float upon a starfield of hawthorn blossom under a waxing moon. Why not join us as we continue with the final part of Mum’s account of the ‘totally worthwhile risk that was never regretted.’ Journal entry:9th May, Friday“A westering sunLays long shadows acrossThe towpath and canal.Two geese in a fieldwatch me from across the water.A pheasant’s raspThe scent of may.”Episode Information:In this ep...
2025-05-1135 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Totally Worthwhile Risk - 3Send us a textJoin us tonight under a waning April moon as we think about the local ducks preparing for the ‘long sit’ and hear more about what happened to Mum and Dad after they had landed in Canada to start a new life together. Journal entry:25th April, Friday.“Down in the engine bayDe-rusting for painting.I am once more a clumsy adolescent.My feet grow too large and my kneesand elbows get in the way.I no longer can bend...
2025-04-2747 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Totally Worthwhile Risk - 2Send us a textTonight, clouds build as the high pressure breaks. Speculative gusts of wind kick blackthorn blossom ghostly white along the towpath and the full moon seeps heavy and watery through a blanket of cloud. Join us tonight as we continue hearing Mum's account of a risk that was totally worth taking. Journal entry:7th April, Monday“Warm snowflakes Of blackthorn float and drift Along the towpath Among cowslip yellow And bluebell blue.The sheep are loathe To move, preferring to lie
2025-04-1344 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Totally Worthwhile Risk - 1Send us a textIt's a spring, moonless night - not quite 'Bible black', but nearly! It's a perfect night for stories. Why not join us to hear the first part of Mum’s account of their great adventure when, 68 years ago, almost to the day, Mum and Dad embarked on a totally new phase of their lives. Journal entry:26th March, Wednesday“The ash are heavy with bud Blistered garnet, raspberry- Shaped jewels That glow warmly in The low sunshine That picks out the Slow...
2025-03-3043 min
Nighttime on Still WatersCloud Herder (Won't you spin us one last story?)Send us a textAlong the towpath, the battle between winter and spring has begun with days of warmth and days of sleet. Although even the young ducks teach us a lesson in conflict avoidance. Join us tonight as we celebrate the lives of two people who were central to the creation of Nighttime on Still Waters. Journal entry:12th March, Wednesday.“The day winds down.A last walk along the canal side.Pebbled rings form in the open water.A kick of sleetDrives...
2025-03-1638 min
Nighttime on Still WatersOn the Leading Edge of SpringSend us a textAlong the towpath winter slowly fades. If we are not quite in spring yet, we can feel it close at hand. Join us tonight as we celebrate the shifts in light and tone across the landscape and from deep within. Journal entry: 26th February, Wednesday“For me, there are few things more beautiful and soul inspiring than this: Rain on water, Old growth by the waterside, Time-bleached reeds Standing like Nepalese prayer flags. The song of home. Signals of transcendence.”Episod...
2025-03-0237 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWinter Readings ('The Great Frost of 1895' and 'Day of the 'Iceberg'')Send us a textA winter’s night on the canal, starless and wind gnawed. A snug cabin with a warm stove. A hot drink in a favourite mug (and a biscuit or two). A cosy chair waiting for you. It’s just the perfect kind of night to curl up and listen to some accounts about life on the canals in winters past, when the ice was 2ft 6in deep. Journal entry:14th February, Friday "Steel-grey half-light. Rooks swing round the naked oaks. The daily clamour of heading...
2025-02-1626 min
Nighttime on Still WatersOrion Still Looks Down (On the land my shadow knows)Send us a textIt’s a bitingly cold, sleety night. There’s a warning of snow in the forecast for later. It’s a perfect night to sit together around a warm stove snug inside the Erica’s cabin, while the wild world rages outside. The kettle is singing, the biscuit barrel is full. The night belongs to us. Journal entry:7th February, Friday.“Yesterday’s spectacular Blood-orange dawn Has given way to a dawn Without colour or feeling.We pick our way between Rutte...
2025-02-0934 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Changes that ComeSend us a textThere seems to be an awful of change happening recently, often unasked and with far-reaching consequences. Knowing how to deal with it can be difficult and lead us to feeling unbalanced and overwhelmed. Tonight, we try to find some still-points within the chaos. Journal entry:23rd January, Thursday“A robin, one winter, Riding out a sleety squall On the flailing branch Of pyracantha fire.He often springs to mind When squalls hit And my world lurches Fearfully beneath m...
2025-01-2636 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWrapped in Freezing FogSend us a textJoin us aboard the Erica, as we sit around the stove on a raw night of ice and freezing fog. Tonight, we reflect on boat (and other) life in the times of hard frost, the trials of swan and kingfisher life, and we finish with a short reading from Tom Rolt. Journal entry:9th January, Thursday“The shatter of January light On fractured ice. The smouldering Of fallen leaves Frozen into the ringing silence Of stilled waters.” Episode...
2025-01-1231 min
Nighttime on Still WatersInto the Silence (The Undreaming)Send us a textI am probably not the only one feeling a little disoriented and uncertain about what the upcoming year will hold. While it is great to have plans and dreams, these are not always possible and sometimes, I think, not even desirable. There are times for wisdom to be silent and for the 'undreaming' to occur before we can begin to discover new music and new dances. Journal entry:1st January, Wednesday“A dawn of tobacco and salmon And racing clouds.A solitary rave...
2025-01-0423 min
Nighttime on Still WatersPractically Speaking (Listeners' questions - 7)Send us a textJoin us tonight under the soft light of a veiled full moon as we consider the wash of winter tree colours, when to start looking for a mooring, and how practical do you have to be to live on a boat? Journal entry:11th December, Wednesday“All week, a north-easterly Has raked across the bevelled Waters, aching and raw, Rattling the stern hatch doors.The reeds whisper cold Lullabies to the moorhen. A kingfisher darts dimly Through the dusk...
2024-12-1532 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWinter's Whispers (The wisdom of the long nights)Send us a textJoin us round the stove tonight as we celebrate the joys and reflect on the lessons of living on a boat when winter approaches in the good company of Tom Rolt and Christine Rigden.This episode is dedicated to Dad, who would have been 96 today. Journal entry:28th November, Thursday.“Old moon Curls with his back To the dawn. A slivered, sickled Crescent of cold silver That bathes the ivy In frost.My feet slide On b...
2024-12-0138 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Days of No Shadow (... and then a deer barked)Send us a textRecently, Britain experienced a blocking high pressure system, leading to an extended period of ‘anticyclonic gloom.’ Such are the conditions in which myths are created and as Blodeuwedd and Lleu indicate might still be created. Journal entry:15th November, FridayEarly light. Thick mist Licked with salmon On the eastern edge. Frost glitters Along the cabin roof And rimes hoary On the solar panels.Rooks pour off The music stave Of telegraph wires Whirling around...
2024-11-1738 min
Nighttime on Still Waters"Stretched into Tales that Leave a Mark"Send us a textTwo rather wonderful things have happened recently that has prompted this episode to take a reflective look back at this podcast and the journey we have taken together. Join us tonight on NB Erica as we celebrate sharing these night-times on still waters. Journal entry:31st October, Thursday, Samhain – All Hallow’s Eve“Still air. Wood smoke blends with night mist. A tawny’s call shivers Across the fields to the south.I pass a couple of boats With pumpkin jack...
2024-11-0342 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Long Village (Villages and tribes)Send us a textTonight, we are hunkered down awaiting another storm. So, come and join us for a cosy night as we reflect on the fairly unique nature of canal-life and the community that it supports, with thanks to Wayne (NB Spudley) for drawing attention to a great new canal-based charity and some wise words from Rich (by Bike & Boat). Journal entry: 16th October, Wednesday“October drips onwards.The towpath washed with mud And brushed silvers Wet with fallen leaf And windfall twigs Gre...
2024-10-2038 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Touch of Autumn (Apple picking time)Send us a textJoin us on the narrowboat Erica on a moonless, star-filled night as we celebrate autumns, real and imagined, present and remembered. Although October (at the moment) is far from 'golden', it is apple picking time mem ries of which take us meandering down the wandering paths of my childhood.Journal entry:3rd October, Thursday“Afterglow of sunlight Ash etched into ice blue Overseen by a watching rook.Smoke curls Listless on no wind. Cabin lights call me home.”Epi...
2024-10-0636 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Consolation of DucksSend us a textDid you know that ducks participate in ‘coordinated loafing’? But that might not be the only surprising/endearing thing about them. Tonight, we celebrate the joy ducks bring thanks to video posted by a stranger in Canada.Journal entry: 20th September, Friday“Hanging at the still-point between Summer and winter’s Swing and counter-swing.Rooks roister joyously westwards, Red with promise. Above them, fourteen successive Straggles of geese Head eastwards Flying on swift wingbeats Against the grain of the...
2024-09-2233 min
Nighttime on Still WatersIt turned a bit wet (Afloat in Hiroshige's rain storm)Send us a textJoin us tonight as Erica a wends ‘snailward’ home through a heavy rain storm - recorded, aptly enough, during another heavy rain storm! Hear also about our adventures with a drowning pigeon.Journal entry:3rd September, Tuesday“Cruising through a Hiroshige Woodblock print; Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge. Even the reeds look like bamboo.A heron pilots us home.” Episode Information:During this episode I read a short poem by Issa and re...
2024-09-0851 min
Nighttime on Still WatersShot through with wonder (First glimpse of the sea)Send us a textTraditionally, August has been the time for Britons to head off to the seaside for their annual holiday. This week’s episode celebrates this custom and causes me to reconsider the momentous moment when I saw the sea for the first time. Journal entry:23rd August, Friday“All night the winds blew; Battering and hooliganing Around the boat. Perhaps that’s why I woke In a disquieted mood.I stand on the bank And feel my feet set squarely...
2024-08-2530 min
Nighttime on Still WatersHoliday Interlude (& the Cap'n's Dad)Send us a textWe’re on HOLIDAY! And so, a rather truncated and spur of the moment podcast tonight. However, join us as we enjoy a spot of tranquillity canal-style. We also hear a lovely story from one of our long-time listeners and lock-wheelers. Journal entry:25th July, Thursday“The sun flashes off the canal in a shimmering dance of light.Sweet fruit hang amid The dappled leaves and butterflies, Rotting on the higher branches. We below them look up Rueing such waste...
2024-08-1131 min
Gladness & Hunger with Leanne W. SmithDr. Richard Goode: “Pursuing the Life of the Mind”When a student suggested that Richard Goode visit Death Row, it started a chain reaction that led to Richard launching the LIFE program (Lipscomb Initiative for Education) at the women’s prison in Nashville. His story begins with higher education only a distant dream, then he got the chance to enroll at a school he once deemed magical—the first, but not the last dream that would lead to a beautiful reality.Richard is the author of several books on church history and reconciliation, including his latest, co-authored with Dr. Caleb Clanton, titled Great Ideas in History, Poli...
2024-08-0532 min
Nighttime on Still WatersMeursault's Walk & Mine (Dad's ashes)Send us a textJoin me tonight as I recount a strange and rather unnerving experience that I had just over a week ago, of feeling as if I were walking in the footsteps of Meursault, the main character of one of my favourite books, Albert Camus’ The Outsider. Please note that this episode contains themes relating to death and cremation.Journal entry:25th July, Thursday“First light of iron and steel. A mist of rain On the back of A wind from the south.
2024-07-2846 min
Nighttime on Still WatersSpun by Wonderment (above Hemel Hempstead)Send us a textThere are times that can touch us deeply. Very often they are not about finding a place of peace or somewhere outstandingly beautiful. It is something else. Something beyond these things. It is about encountering something wonderful, and being spun by wonderment. Join us tonight as we recover from dragging a very smelly and wet dog out of the canal! Journal entry:13th July, Saturday“Loosestrife sets alight The greyness of the day With purple fire.Chiff chaff squeak Like rus...
2024-07-1434 min
Nighttime on Still WatersLiving inside the SeasonsSend us a textThis 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 June, Tuesday“First day this summer Of real heat. All day, my shirt has stuck To my back.This evening The clover field Hums with The w...
2024-06-3034 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Children of the Children of LirSend us a textJoin 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 YouTube podcast channel.Journal entry:11th June, Tuesday“Standing knee deep In a green ocean of grass. The woodpecker’s Seagull laughter Tumbles among the trees below....
2024-06-1641 min
Nighttime on Still WatersA Sunday Morning in MaySend us a textSometimes 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 above the water. Then swoop down and land in unison.The fields and hills in the distance Fade into soft light.” Episode Information:In this e...
2024-06-0232 min
Nighttime on Still WatersFirst Impressions (On canal life)Send us a textIn 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 drifting willow down And the busy day winds down.Nearby, lambs call as mothers graze and nuzzle Beyond them, chiff-chaff, robin, and bluetit. Further distant, the sound of children p...
2024-05-1235 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Dusts of Winter (Spring Cleaning)Send us a textIn 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 placed In the crevice of an oak-beam used as a picnic table. They lie bleached and desiccated Shrouded in fine cobweb and dust. They look just like the vestige Of some preh...
2024-04-2836 min
Nighttime on Still WatersJust shadows on a summer lawnSend us a textFor 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. Journal entry:10th April, Wednesday“This morning dawned in chilled silver I wore my coat up to my chin. Now the sun is out And coltsfoot down da...
2024-04-1419 min
Nighttime on Still WatersOn Surveys and Winter Warmth (Listeners' questions - 6)Send us a textAs 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 From a grey sky Troubling the surface Of the canal.Damson blossom Torn from branch Spun snow-like With each gust.Sweet smell of woods...
2024-03-1034 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWalking Home (In fading light)Send us a textAs 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 that does growing old and dying so astonishingly badly.Journal entry:24th February, Saturday.“Cloud cliffs, grey and climbing Early spring sunshine Catching the stonework traceries And Benedictine flint and brickwork.The hub...
2024-03-0334 minNighttime on Still WatersRough CrossingsSend us a textWelcome 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, No coat, On the hill that runs down to the cut.Warm sun, fleeting, Cloud chasing with the gulls And the circle of two buzzards....
2024-02-1834 minNighttime on Still WatersI Felt the Anchor Shift (An Update)Send us a textIt 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. Apologies for the sound quality of this episode. I do not have my recording gear with me at the moment. Episode Information:In...
2024-01-1726 min
Nighttime on Still WatersThe Christmas Eves of ChildhoodSend us a textYou 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.The polestar oak Finally felled.The ducks don’t seem To notice." Episode Information:Can I take this opportunity...
2023-12-2330 min
Nighttime on Still WatersAfloat with Maggie (Listeners' questions - 5)Send us a textYou 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 December, Friday.“All night, The owls echoed Along the valley In the long tunnel Of the night.This morning, A magpie scratched Her jagged song Across the metalled do...
2023-12-1732 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWhen Mum married Dad (95th birthday edition)Send us a textJoin 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 of jackdaws Stream across an iron sky Of scalding wind and rain flail.Maggie and I pick our way Across the sheep field, December sings through the oaks.”...
2023-12-1038 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWhen Mum met Dad (95th Birthday edition)Send us a textThis 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 firm enough to bear a moorhen’s weight.She walks parallel to the offside bank Left foot raised in a high arc Then place it fl...
2023-12-0343 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Battered Landscapes of our EdensSend us a textAutumn 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 what we dream them to be. Journal entry:15th November, Wednesday"Across the fields, A train clatters it's way to Birmingham. The lit carriages flickering like A procession of glow worms Through the hedg...
2023-11-1942 min
Nighttime on Still WatersWhen Guy Fawkes wore my old dressing gownSend us a textI'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.“Look down for the healing. A reluctant dawn this morning, South wind plays with stray raindrops And birch leaves. Scars of grey paving slabs lined with green.
2023-11-1227 minNighttime on Still WatersNovember Fireside NightsSend us a textIt’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 born brave This morning.The dark water is alive With movement And a scatter Of light.The walk from the boat To car...
2023-11-0539 minNighttime on Still WatersAutumn ForestSend us a textI 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. Mizzle transforms the water Into star-fields of pinpricks of light. Evanescent.Like walking Through the tangle Of watery Spiders’ webs.A dance of tiny drop...
2023-10-2935 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Rebellious Light of Beauty (The last dandelion of summer)Send us a textIt 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 of the world I stop to watch the free-flight of rooks Diving from an oak into the full force Of a westerly gale.Gothic wings outspread, The...
2023-10-2242 minNighttime on Still WatersWords & Music (Listeners' questions - 4)Send us a textThe 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 winds of the world I stop to watch the free-flight of rooks Diving from an oak into the full force Of a westerly gale.Gothic wings...
2023-10-1532 minNighttime on Still WatersSwings and Roundabouts (Listeners' Questions - 3)Send us a textThere'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. Maggie follows a rabbit’s scent-trail Through the long, wet grass. Two rooks head east into darkness.I struggle in the half-light With the padlock on the gate
2023-10-0835 minNighttime on Still WatersUnder the ghost of a Harvest MoonSend us a textA 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 the swan slipping Light upon the night-time mists.Behind us, Cows stood knee deep in milk- white meadows.This is the stillness that falls After the storm.”Episode Info...
2023-10-0119 minNighttime on Still WatersUncertain Futures (Listeners' questions - 2)Send us a textThere’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 the setting sun Shared the same length of skyline. A fiery bronze heart and the ghost of bone.Then a robin sings as rain drops fa...
2023-09-2341 minNighttime on Still Waters'No Regrets' (Listeners' questions - 1)Send us a textOn 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 drizzle. The jackdaws sound like Monosyllabic gulls this evening. Woundwort heals the breach between The canal and me. Red berries. Some days that is all you need: Rain...
2023-09-1740 minNighttime on Still WatersHome thoughts of a Pilgrim (Chasing the wind)Send us a textIt'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 the nettles glow Translucent with the touch Of unspeakable wonder.” Episode Information:In this episode I read Chasing the...
2023-09-1032 minNighttime on Still WatersRoots do not hold you down (Hedge wisdom)Send us a textThe 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 straggle North.A cool whisper of air As we round the base of the hill. Distant voices float across the water. As the sun sinks below...
2023-09-0338 minNighttime on Still WatersAs long as the rain talks (I will listen)Send us a textRain 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 field-edge and thistledown smoke. A moorhen scatters at our approach Leaving only a fading trace in the water. Maggie methodically sniffs the undergrowth While I search for gold in the clouds...
2023-08-2736 minNighttime on Still WatersAn August-coloured EveningSend us a textTonight, 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 yesterday's rain We walk the loop, Maggie reacquainting herself With familiar places. Me too. It seems a while. It's good to be out again. The air smells green and fresh."Episode Information:In t...
2023-08-2029 minNighttime on Still WatersAdventures and Departures (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 4)Send us a textLife 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 of The Kathy Chronicles, where the decision is made to leave life on the canal and embrace new adventures. Episode Information:You can see some family photographs from this time by going to the noswpod website. List...
2023-08-0630 minNighttime on Still WatersThe New Baby Arrives (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 3)Send us a textWhat 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 battle with the Pithers stove and a strange event that remains a mystery. Episode Information:You can hear earlier episodes of 'The Kathy' Chronicles here: One, Two...
2023-07-3032 minNighttime on Still WatersCrochet by Lantern Light (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 2)Send us a textWhat was it really like to live on board a 30ft canal boat in the late 1950s before there were such things as service points and fully equipped marinas?This week we continue with ‘The Kathy Chronicles’ where Mum describes how they began to settle into life afloat, whilst making extensive alterations, as well their plans for the arrival of a new baby. She provides a fascinating picture of the realities of what it was like to live-aboard a canal boat in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Episode Informa...
2023-07-2331 minNighttime on Still WatersLow along the Fox PathsSend us a textIt’s a wild and wet July night of wind and rain. So why not step aboard for a while as we meander down some fox trails and contemplate the pleasure of sunshine and dark skies.Journal entry:11th July, Tuesday“A quarter to midnight. Lying in bed and listening To the drum of rain On the cabin roof.All day I have watched the dark Clouds boil in the cauldron Of the west. Storm heads tower In ca...
2023-07-1629 minNighttime on Still WatersChanges (lessons from a field edge)Send us a textJoin us tonight on a hot sticky night of lingering light and stubborn twilight. With the summer’s tilt shifting wider and deeper changes are felt. "Life is a motion. Life is growth. It is never static," says the corner of a field.Journal entry: 4th July, Tuesday"Goldfinch carnival Among the teasel heads And early sun.Dark clouds to the west Bringing rain. Spindrift of fine drizzle Freewheels on the breeze.The cows are in no hurry
2023-07-0930 minNighttime on Still WatersFacing the Fears with MaggieSend us a textThis has been rather an unexpected and eventful week. This is a special episode where we welcome a board a new fellow traveller (along the canals and through life).Journal entry: 30th June, Friday“Endless motorways. Endless traffic. Red lights all the way. A frightened face and soulful eyes. I sit on the stairs out of sight; out of the way.A short drizzle of rain. The smell of hay in fields. Sitting as darkness falls, My arm is li...
2023-07-0223 minNighttime on Still WatersFive Finger Widths (above the horizon)Send us a textWatching the sun sink below the horizon, particularly after long sunny days such as these, can evoke a mass of mental and emotional responses that seem to tap into something deep within us. Join us this week as week count down a setting sun and reflect on the rich culture it created. Journal entry: 23rd June, Friday.“The alder saplings are growing thick at the water’s edge Vying with the green spears of teasel And purple knapweed plumes.This time last yea...
2023-06-2534 minNighttime on Still WatersThese are the Long Days (on Windmill Hill)Send us a textThese are the days when the nights are short and the days are long. On the cusp of the summer solstice, the year's turning reaches its zenith, join me tonight in celebrating the unique joys (and challenges) of the long days with a special visit to Windmill Hill (Grid reference SP 33 42).Journal entry:14th June, Wednesday“Sun down. A lone swan swims up the canal. Serene strokes from strong feet. Each ripple she makes catches fire. The goldcrests’ chatter falls silent And...
2023-06-1830 minNighttime on Still Waters'A Little Clinker-Built Boat' (The 'Kathy' Chronicles - pt 1)Send us a textTravel back in time to the scorching summer of 1959. Although the canals were still mainly used by working boats, leisure cruising was growing in popularity and so too the idea of living on a canal boat. Tonight, I take us back to that world as I read Mum’s reminiscences of the decision to live on a boat with a young baby, eventually finding their future home, the Kathy, and their nail-biting journey taking her to their home mooring. Some of which could sound all too familiar to modern canal users! Jou...
2023-06-1132 minNighttime on Still WatersIn Praise of Locks (and lock-keepers)Send us a textThere’s something almost indefinably special about canal and river locks. Tonight, I relate my struggle to outwit the ghost of Odd Lock as well as take time to celebrate the lock-keepers of old and their newer iteration – the volunteer lockie (I’m guessing at the spelling!) Journal entry: 2nd June, Friday“North easterly winds Grey skies. But there are five ducklings Braving the bluster And a swallow scissors low over A meadow of buttercups. This light makes the yellow Irises blaze."
2023-06-0435 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Sun that Shone on Eden (still shines upon us here)Send us a textCome with me for a walk by the canal and I will show you something wonderful! This week we explore how names and memories have the power to root and reinforce our connections with home and tell us something very important about ourselves. Journal entry: 27th May, Saturday“Late afternoon sun slants into The tobacco-coloured waters. Fifteen or more carp weightless Among the cow pastures of weed-drift.With a flick of a tail, they all glide as one In a lithe...
2023-05-2840 minNighttime on Still WatersA Nightingale Sang (and the world listened)Send us a textThis week marked the anniversary of what has been considered by many to be one of the most important cultural events of the twentieth century. Tonight, we try to recapture that moment and explore why its power to move still remains today. Journal entry:18th May, Thursday,“Is there anything more beautiful Than the softness Of April and May light While the clouds scramble For height Amid a sky of towering blue?”Episode Information:In this episode I...
2023-05-2142 minNighttime on Still WatersUp on the Roof (Waiting for the rain)Send us a textWe are back! Spring sunshine and showers are transforming the fields and the canal and it is wonderful to be behind the microphone once again! The roof of a narrowboat can acts as a special extra room offering you panoramic views of a world of thee worlds. Why not climb up here and join us up on the roof of the Erica to enjoy rook play and the approach of a thunderstorm.This episode is dedicated especially to Stu and Vania. Journal entry:1...
2023-05-1433 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Three of Seven (At the conclave of oaks)Send us a textTonight, the clouds are racing and the young moon has already dipped below the horizon. Spring comes roaring on the back of a raging southwesterly. Join the Erica on a windy March night as, with the help of Rory's favourite book, we explore the significance of the conclave of oaks on the hill top. Journal entry:21st March, Tuesday.“Long day. Darkness has long since fallen. On the bank, the two swans emerge, Glowing ghostly white. Their beaks quietly nibbling the grass.
2023-03-2634 minNighttime on Still WatersWhen blackbirds learn to singSend us a textAfter a blustery week of wild, mad, March weather, why not join us tonight as we enjoy a sunny moment beside the canal and contemplate on the powerful word-play of some very old Celtic bards. Journal entry: 17th March, Friday“The sun is warm To the west the clouds are Prussian blue Like mountains of the imagination. A woodpecker laughs From somewhere across the fields Which fill with lambs And the sound of young Calling to old. A branch han...
2023-03-1933 minNighttime on Still WatersNight Swimming (After the snows)Send us a textCurl up with us tonight as we enjoy the warmth of a cosy cabin as snow gives way to sweeping rain and our stove glows brightly in the gathering darkness.Journal entry:10th March, Friday“The convocation of oaks rises to my view From a swirling mist of snow and blown spindrift. Their trunks wrapped white. Icicles hang from their branches.I want to say, “Don’t worry, Spring is on its way.”But they know that. Th...
2023-03-1231 minNighttime on Still WatersTraveller's JoySend us a textThe pace of autumn is gathering and a chill is creeping into the air tonight, but the stove is warm. In tonight’s episode we go off to encounter Traveller’s Joy, and explore the potency and importance of names. Journal entry:“19th November, FridayThe ash tree held its breath as the moon grazed the darkness, Between cirrus sandbanks, in a halo of light.A handful of stars, misplaced and constellation-less, Breadcrumbs, no longer able to lead me home.And now...
2021-11-2131 minNighttime on Still WatersInto the NightSend us a textWhat is ‘dead sleep’ and ‘morning sleep’? Why are 'duck hatches' invaluable? What should we do with the feral ducks?In this far ranging episode. we explore the night-time of history and discover that, perhaps, the importance of the night for our well-being might not be purely as a time for sleep. We also talk about what scenarios we employed for choosing the right boat for us, and the problem of the feral ducks, So far month has been colder and wetter than the average. However, the world around us continues...
2021-05-2329 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Clerical HeronSend us a textWhat is it about the heron that makes it such a frequent subject for social media posts featuring canal and riverside birds? There is something about it that is strange, singular almost. Spotting one is often felt to be a significant event that should be recorded and remembered. This week we look at the heron in the company of Dylan Thomas, John Moriarty, and Wendell Berry, and explore why it has such an impact on us. Journal entry:“15th May, SaturdayThere are times, sitting her...
2021-05-1632 minNighttime on Still WatersMan on the BicycleSend us a textThe journey from winter into spring is often messy and ill-defined. Sometimes it feels as if we are making progress and at others the cold and damp of winter days returns. As we are also contemplating moving from lockdown it is not surprising that we can feel a bit of kilter. Reflecting on an encounter in WH Hudson’s book A Shepherd’s Life, there are times when we feel like a small boy lost among the ocean waves of the South Downs and at others the man on the bicycle. Journa...
2021-03-2126 minNighttime on Still WatersMoving OnSend us a textThese are the days of swan nests and duck eggs, but the call of a lone swan circling overhead, perhaps captures more precisely the tensions we feel moving through the seasons. The seasonal shifts in the activity of the swans and ducks are becoming increasingly visible reflecting the wider patterns of movement. Boats leaving and others moving in. Everything is in a state of transition; we are all in a state of transition. Journal entry:“13th March, Saturday.Sitting here in the well deck, at the...
2021-03-1423 minNighttime on Still Waters'Boots as thick as a moderate slice of bread and butter'Send us a textThe fascination of boots and canals. Boots have always been one of the most essential pieces of equipment for canals and canal-life. In this episode we re-join impresario, journalist and social reformer, James Hollingshead on his journey up what would later be known as the Grand Union in the late 1850s. We will discover his fascination with the footwear of those working on the canals and find out that the importance of the boot for canal-life is every bit as true today as it was in Victorian times. Journal ent...
2021-03-0726 minNighttime on Still WatersA Whispered SpringSend us a textEverywhere the world is filled with the whispered spring. The first of this year’s lambs scamper and nuzzle in the field above us and skylarks sing high from under a bowl of Wedgewood blue. A softer, warmer wind blows, and the sun is strong. Humans and non-humans alike emerge to drink in the sunlight and warmth. It’s a spring that the poet John Clare knew well and understood its significance and it’s a spring from which Edward Thomas drew strength. Tonight, the stars of frost garland NB 506812, but we have felt o...
2021-02-2827 minNighttime on Still WatersHaunted CanalsSend us a textStormy nights like this, when then wind howls among the reeds under a hunted moon, are perfect for curling up with a ghost story or two. In this episode we hear about two ghost stories set in locations close to where NB 506812 is currently moored and explore what do these stories tell us about the worlds that produced them and us today. Journal entry:“18th February, Thursday.Each dawn and dusk skeins of geese fill the winter-bruised skies; soundscapes of the enclosing nights of autumn.
2021-02-2126 minNighttime on Still WatersWhen Ice SingsSend us a textTonight, the NB Erica is locked in ice. There’s a wolfish southeaster blowing and the night is filled with rasping creaks and groans. There are times when the ice sings. Acoustic lightning flashes that dart across the frozen water surface. Journal entry:“9th February, Tuesday.Last night’s snow low uneasily on the ground, like a miser’s blanket, threadbare and uneven. But it’s enough to see the lacework of indistinct and broken-formed tracks of night-time life. For once, I can see what Penny...
2021-02-1424 minNighttime on Still WatersCanal TimeSend us a textOne of the first things you will experience when you cast off onto the waterways is, what is sometimes referred to as, ‘canal time.’ What is canal time and how is it different to land time?Canal time functions not so much as a marker for time passing as a recognition of the many streams of timelines of things and lives that fall outside the sphere of human control. However, there is also a deep irony about it too... Journal entry:“3rd February, Wednesday.This mo...
2021-02-0726 minNighttime on Still WatersSnow on WaterSend us a textThis week the first proper snow of the winter fell. For a while, our world was transformed. If you love snow, a boat is the perfect place to enjoy it. If you hate snow, a boat is the perfect place to escape it!Journal entry:“29th January Friday.The last couple of mornings have smelt fresh. The trees bordering the canal sharp with bird song, not just the aural darts of warning calls but flowing rivers of melody entwined on the wind.Below o...
2021-01-3124 minNighttime on Still WatersDeep and WideSend us a textAnother January storm has passed over us. But, tonight we have a stock of gingernut biscuits and the knowledge that each day the daylight gets longer and the spring is coming. In this episode, with its usual sprinkling weather lore, we answer some more questions about the canals – principally – how deep are they? It is a subject that I have first-hand knowledge about!Journal entry:“21st January Thursday.Waxing moon in a Russian sky. A flight of gulls high, in clear air. Turned into gold...
2021-01-2423 minNighttime on Still WatersMorning Sun: Living the dark days of JanuarySend us a textJanuary 18th (2021) is 'Blue Monday'. The third Monday in January is considered by many to be the most depressing day in the calendar. As we enter the dark days of January, this episode considers the importance of the hope of spring and how the calendar and weatherlore enabled our ancestors to deal with the uncertainties they faced. Journal entry:“16th January Saturday.This morning the cormorant came on slow deliberate wings, swimming the thick grey porridgy skies. It circled twice before alighting on its usual bra...
2021-01-1715 minNighttime on Still WatersKeeping WarmSend us a textWhat is it like to be on a narrowboat in the grip of a winter’s cold spell? How do you keep warm on a boat? Living and working on the canal systems in winter has been notoriously difficult and hard. In this episode we reflect on what it entails to live on the canals in winter today. We also hear a piece of Victorian reportage by a journalist travelling on the Grand Union Junction flyboat, Stourport, in the late 1850s. We also find out why liveaboard boaters could be viewed as...
2021-01-1032 minNighttime on Still WatersGreet the New YearSend us a textFor most people, 2020 has been a stressful year of frustration, disappointment, fear and anxiety. It is not surprising that we look forward to welcoming in 2021. Join me on Narrowboat 506812 as we reflect on the significance of new beginnings (no matter how arbitrary), and the importance of having opportunities to re-evaluate and reset our lives. Journal entry:“New Year’s Eve, 31st December Thursday.Another frosty and icy start. This morning, in the dark as I got off the boat, I heard the ice sing. The...
2021-01-0114 minNighttime on Still WatersChristmas EveSend us a textA chance to say to you Merry Christmas.This episode celebrates a Christmas Eve that is different and yet, in a number of important ways very similar to those our ancestors experienced. Journal entry:“Christmas Eve 24th December, Thursday.Last night’s storms have swept the sky clear. The on-coming tide of sunlight washes the eastern horizon the colour of blood oranges. This morning was the first morning this winter I have really needed gloves. The boat is a haven of warmth when w...
2020-12-2419 minNighttime on Still WatersWinter of 1962/3Send us a textA first-hand account remembering life aboard a small boat with a small family during the harsh winter of 1962/3.The time we lived on the Kathy were always very precious to Mum and she later wrote about them. Her writings evocatively describe life-aboard at a time when the canals were beginning to transition from working to increasingly residential and leisure use. In this week's episode, I read an extract from her writings in which she describes the winter of 1962/63. Journal entry:“16th December, Wednesday.Venu...
2020-12-1921 minNighttime on Still WatersCygnusSend us a textWhy is the swan an oxymoron and if it is so unlucky to kill a swan why are there so many recipes for them? In this episode we reflect on the place of the swan within its natural and cultural environments.Lockdown and being located within ‘Tier 3’ has meant that we have been more static this autumn and winter than we had previously intended. However, the positive side of this is that it has enabled us to get to know the local communities that live around our boat. These include my beloved rook...
2020-12-1324 minNighttime on Still WatersNightwalkSend us a textThe temperature is just above freezing and the ground is slick with mud. Join me tonight for a night-walk to Bearley (Odd) lock to see what sounds we can hear and feel the quiet stillness of the canal in the depths of winter’s night. Journal entry:“2nd December, Wednesday.The swan is back. Its serpentine reflection ghosts the water. I indulge myself that it is the same juvenile cob that disappeared a month or so ago. It now has a mate and the wa...
2020-12-0626 minNighttime on Still WatersWaterwaysSend us a textAs the weather gets increasingly wintery and frosts burn the air, we look at the waterways and the practicalities of boating. How do you turn a 58ft boat in a narrow canal? Can you boat through the night? What happens to the canals during the winter?Journal entry:“27th November, Friday.It would have been Mum’s birthday today.And there’s a November moon sailing in November skies.My breath is silver fire. My fingers burn deep in the my pockets...
2020-11-2820 minNighttime on Still WatersDown the CutSend us a text‘The cut’ is one of the old vernacular names given to the canal. It was the one most of us used during my childhood. The name reminds us of its history and construction. This episode explores the strange and sometimes ambivalent place that canals inhabit within our natural and cultural environments.Journal entry:“14th November, Saturday.Charcoal sketched tree against a rain faded sky. Clawed branches tangle in the dawn light. The cormorant is back, Pterodactyl winged, oily slick. A universe that barely t...
2020-11-1513 minNighttime on Still WatersNarrowboat LockdownSend us a textThe UK enters its second lockdown. Movement on the waterways is once again restricted to 'essential needs only.' It's the same, but different. This episode reflects on this and what it can teach us about ourselves. There is also more on the language and terms used by the original working boatmen and why to call a boatman ‘a sailor’ was the highest insult. Journal entry:“7th November, Saturday.A quick silver moon ghosting through a glistening night, caught in the branches of the old elm tree...
2020-11-0813 minNighttime on Still WatersTumblehomeSend us a textIn this episode we walk through NB Erica and answer some of your questions about life aboard a narrowboat. We touch on the vexed question of whether it is 'port and starboard' or 'left and right', and we learn about tumblehome. Journal entry “28th October, Wednesday. Yesterday. More rain. Damp clings to the air. The sky is filled with greys and Prussian blue. The oaks on the skyline still hold on to their full summer shapes even though the ground is a patchwork of sodden leaves. Three Shetla...
2020-10-3019 minNighttime on Still WatersThe Erica behind the EricaSend us a textIn this episode we explore the history of NB 506812 before she became our home and meet the Erica behind the Erica.Journal entry: “16th October, Friday. The canal continues to thread its silent way through autumn. There’s a hint now of mist on colder dawns. Today, it lies still and steely. Penny trots ahead, tail up, relaxed, contentedly sniffing the trail and foil of the unseen world. The hedges are garlanded with crimson, rosehip lanterns and bryony’s poisonous fire. The air is filled with the smell of damp earth, leaf mo...
2020-10-1811 minNighttime on Still WatersDuck calls in the NightSend us a textJoin me on the first Nighttime on Still Waters podcast. It is really a getting to know you podcast where I introduce you to the Erica 58ft narrowboat and this is the beginning of our audio journal about our life aboard and the changes and shifts we encounter following our move from land to water. These nighttime reflections draw upon our experiences and on life in general. On thing I have noticed is how our nearby ducks call out to each other in the night and in this episode I explore that...
2020-10-0413 min
Between the Lines (WPAS)BTL 14 - Richard GoodeWPAS speaks with pianist Richard Goode about his March 29th 4pm performance at The Music Center at Strathmore. On his program: Bach's French Suite No. 5 and Preludes and Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier, plus Chopin Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Waltzes and more. Tickets at 202-785-WPAS or WPAS.org.
2009-03-2300 min