Old friend, old life

Posted on August 2, 2017 by pensitivity101

I did a post some time ago about how transient the boating life is, and regular readers will know that we are no longer a part of it now. The couple mentioned in that post have now found a buyer for their boat and we have exchanged telephone numbers and emails.

Photo: just after our arrival July 2014

We made friends with several people, couples and singles alike, and I’m glad to say that most are still talking to us although we are classed as Landlubbers now!

Coming back from weigh in last night (I was walking) I saw one of our single friends and raised my hand in greeting only for them to put their head down, even though they were crossing the road towards me.
I was surprised to feel a pinch of hurt as they seemed intent in concentrating on the path ahead, and didn’t so much as look in my direction, yet I’m pretty sure they saw me.
OK, I thought. That’s fine, especially as this particular individual didn’t think we’d tried hard enough to keep the boat when we took it up for brokerage.
Their exact words were ‘If you were true boaters, you would’ve found a way.’

Our financial business is our own, although friends know we are on a low budget.
Most understood our decision to sell, that it wasn’t made lightly following the horrendous increases in mooring and licencing fees, but a careful thought process to address current health issues and our lives in the long term.

We saw this person again today as we were pulling out of the car park. We got a look, a hard stare, and when I waved, a strained smile before they hurried away.
We speak to several people who are still on the marina, and all have said that the atmosphere has changed, that the community spirit has died. So it would appear have some friendships, but then this is to be expected with change and when people move away.
There are new faces (and dogs) here but none of the bright cheerful ‘hellos’ we experienced, though in hindsight maybe we generated the initial greetings anyway like some kind of unofficial welcoming committee.
Photo: marina after revamp ( May 2017).

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About pensitivity101

I am a retired number cruncher with a vivid imagination and wacky sense of humour which extends to short stories and poetry. I love to cook and am a bit of a dog whisperer as I get on better with them than people sometimes! In November 2020, we lost our beloved Maggie who adopted us as a 7 week old pup in March 2005. We decided to have a photo put on canvas as we had for her predecessor Barney. We now have three pictures of our fur babies on the wall as we found a snapshot of Kizzy, my GSD when Hubby and I first met so had hers done too. On February 24th 2022 we were blessed to find Maya, a 13 week old GSD pup who has made her own place in our hearts. You can follow our training methods, photos and her growth in my blog posts. From 2014 to 2017 'Home' was a 41 foot narrow boat where we made strong friendships both on and off the water. We were close to nature enjoying swan and duck families for neighbours, and it was a fascinating chapter in our lives. We now reside in a small bungalow on the Lincolnshire coast where we have forged new friendships and interests.
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4 Responses to Old friend, old life

  1. Kate Crimmins says:
    August 2, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    No one should judge anyone’s life decisions. That person was rude.

  2. stevetanham says:
    August 2, 2017 at 7:38 pm

    So sad. But your own ‘newness’ will unfold.

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