Monday 1 February 2016

Black Swan and Green Kettle

We are getting used to being at Mercia and all that a 600 plus boat marina can offer. Mainly advantageous but, on a still night, the smog from hundreds of boat chimneys can be bronchially challenging.

Furness Vale - where we were until December - is small, picturesque and tranquil but it has no facilities.

Now on shore power for the first time in over 3 years, we have a lovely green electric kettle. Very sophisticated and many times quicker than our vintage French stove top. That vital mug of morning tea is soon ready.

The Marina has a nice wine bar, great cafe and a few expensive shops selling such things as Radley handbags and other labelled  fashionable nonsense. 

However, walk away from the Boardwalk and you are soon in a wildlife haven. There are many species of waterfowl including a black swan who knocks spots off Natalie Portman in the film of the same name.

We are unsure how unusual or rare a black swan is. But it seemed worth  juggling a camera phone whilst trying to calm a restless Mr Jones. He has had a few snipes from these aggressive birds and is rightly fearful.

Just wondering whether those lads we saw with a can of matt black spray paint had anything to do with it.

3 comments:

Marilyn, nb Waka Huia said...

Hi there, Love your kettle! We like Mercia - and being able to walk to that lovely Indian restaurant down the towpath (turn left over the overbridge, if I remember correctly) - and the facilities at Mercia are lovely.
Your black swan is Australasian apparently - I wonder if it migrated there from Australia? - they are our most common swan and there are not many white (mute) swans around this part of the world - I found this on google:
"The mute swan was introduced to New Zealand during the 19th century as an ornamental species both privately and for municipal parks and public ponds and lakes. According to Acclimatisation Society records, there were four releases to the following regions; Canterbury (1866), Otago (1868-69), Auckland (1869, by Sir George Grey, and again in 1871). The mute swan is monotypic with no subspecies. Its closest relative is the Australasian black swan."

Now, I didn't know that!

Hope you are keeping warm. Cheers, from a wonderfully hot NZ summer...
Marilyn (nb Waka Huia)

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Anonymous said...

My name is Oli, sorry for having to message you via your comments section I couldn't find your email.

I'm the marketing executive for www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk the UK's leading marketplace for boats.

We are looking to create an article based around living on a narrowboat/houseboat and would like to feature your blog in it.

The article will be discussing why people are heading to the waters to live. May that be because of house prices, retirement or for a slice of adventure!

Under this we would like to provide our users with a list of some of our favourite living on a boat bloggers, to help inspire and to answer any questions or worries they may have about living on a narrowboat/houseboat.


If you like the sound of this or have any questions, feel free to email me at oliver.nelson@fridaymediagroup.com
Many thanks

Oli