Jo & Michael of Minimal List Narrowboat Answer your Burning Questions

[@TheGardenKitten]

the video was fine no worries about the quality. Thank you, and please give George a big hug from me

[@davidwatkinson7552]

It was nice to see your boat speed passed our moored boat yesterday. Nice chatting with Michael, twice, especially this morning at 8am. I hope your day is going well. Great Q & A. Thanks for being so nice to my partner Jen, when she pounced on you yesterday as you were mooring up, in the rain. You take care, David.

[@maggiekavanagh2801]

Interesting stuff. I've never made plans, life just happens and is far more interesting. Good to hear that George is a little better, he's such a trooper. Take care you three

[@eekee6034]

I like all the "How is George?" lines in the thumbnail. 💛 My youngest sister, not my younger sister but the youngest of my sisters, and her hubby lived largely self-sufficiently for many years. They tried a bit in their first home in a Sussex village, but then they moved to Isle of Man where I guess they could have more land, (Sussex is expensive!) and kept chickens, ducks, a pig, sometimes lambs, and later a cow. I heard about the stupidity of ducks, that chickens were far more intelligent, and how the pig was actually quite affectionate. I can't remember if they had crops, but I guess those weren't as much fun to talk about. We didn't keep in touch much. After about 15 or 20 years of early winter mornings on this cliff in the middle of the Irish sea, age drove them to the city. :) The IoM's capital is quite a small town by global standards, it's nice. They now have a florists shop and still keep a cow, a highland cow which my sister says keeps her sane. :) I like the analogy of "feeding" a giant RV. :) I couldn't imagine keeping up with it either. I have better ideas at the other extreme, wandering the canals in a little boat-trike hybrid just big enough to sleep in. I'd want to buy all my food, cooking nothing. This is a bit limiting and a little bit expensive, but I'm all right with 1-2 meals a day being simple sandwiches. Honestly, I'd be surprised if I ever did this for a whole week at a time, never mind living aboard. Oof! Speaking of eating out, "You need to be there really early in the day before things shut down" is the story of my life! It's a feature of smaller British towns that all the cafes and sandwich shops close 2-3 hours before the restaurants open. I call the in-between period "ennui o'clock", and I hate it. :) Some (emphasis on _some)_ fish and chip shops stay open, but I can hardly stand chips for some reason. I'm mostly all right with noises if I can rationalize them into something that doesn't matter, but I have to work at that rationalization and sometimes I have to really fight an alternative disturbing explanation for the sound. In my last place, the young lady downstairs regularly used something which was either a punch or a thing for fitting poppers to clothes. Those were perfectly good explanations, yet for a couple of weeks I couldn't resist thinking of that bit in the Sherlock Holmes books where Watson remarks upon Holmes having made a "very patriotic" V R (as in Queen Victoria's initials) in the lounge wall-- by shooting bullets from his gun! The punch/popper thing also sounded very much like a silenced pistol. It helps that I don't mind people doing people things, but I have to make myself get over the paranoid alternative explanations. It's worse when my paranoia says the person is going to judge me, which is more realistic as I've actually experienced far too much of exactly that, but I've also got so much more practice in shutting that particular thought out. Piercing noises are a problem no matter what. Upstairs's kettle is a problem some days, or maybe it's their radiator valves. The recently-replaced radiator valves in my home are nearly unbearable themselves, though not so piercing. I use the one radiator with an old valve together with electric radiators. Re. George getting onto the boat, I recently heard of a vet who treated lots of dogs for injuries jumping into cars -- the backs of estate cars, but none for jumping out. I dunno if it's applicable to George and the boat, but thought I'd mention it just in case. Oof long comment! I hope it's not too long~

[@caz-nbgalatea1528]

Great questions and great answers. Hope you guys are enjoying cruising this time as much as you did last time! 🙏

[@beverlyberesh8469]

As far as boat renovations...I was amazed with what you learned.while doing them!

[@MinimalList]

Happy Birthday!🎈

[@carolinecaiger6717]

I really enjoy the Qs & As. It seems the more we learn about you, the more interesting you become :)

[@MinimalList]

@carolinecaiger6717 What a lovely thing to say. Thank you.

[@rbagrizzly]

Even though you don't eat meat a charcoal grill is great. Asparagus tossed in olive oil and sea salt, corn on the cob w/Mexican street corn mayo type coating are absolutely fantastic on a charcoal grill. Submitted for your approval! LOL

[@elund408]

Fresh pineapple cut in rounds and grilled is fantastic.

[@grahambates1740]

Fascinating stuff 👍

[@timhill1389]

Great stuff, thanks both.

[@joanneiler2415]

Awesome video!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍Stay safe and George too 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@MinimalList]

Thank you.

[@philipwinter8729]

Really interesting !!!

[@MinimalList]

Thank you!

[@grahamkelly3289]

Hiya guys. I guess from this Q&A that you have moved down to Wakefield? I moored next to you in York two weeks ago but you were gone when I got back from Ripon. (Thought you may have headed up there). It was a nice surprise to see Perseverance and a shame we never got to say hi. Best wishes. Graham

[@dulciebarnes6228]

Enjoyed it, thanks

[@lorencolt]

How about doing The Great Loop and all the side trips here in North America? My wife and are planing a trip down the Missouri river from the furthest up we can float in a 30' long houseboat to the Mississippi. We met a descendant of Louis of Louis and Clark fame doing a dug out canoe trip down the Missouri in South Dakota and my father in-law gave him a ride to pick up supplies. He said that it was going to be his last time. He had done it many times but his health was getting bad. He is the inspiration of our dream trip. I just have to build the Pugly houseboat.out of Aluminum.

[@MinimalList]

Sounds like an amazing trip. Happy planning.

[@carolinecaiger6717]

Those earbuds are noise cancelling and are great.

[@KarenSFrancis]

RV boondocking... is our plan, in a Class A with expanding bits.... I use a thermal pot a lot for curries ,dals, korma spaghetti sauce. Love to the bestest dog.

[@MinimalList]

I had to look up what boodndocking meant. Sounds like a brilliant adventure is on the cards.

[@Idle-Days]

Plans are for the birds.

[@MisterStuzy]

Has Michael thought of trying those loop style earplugs? Might help turn down the volume of the outside world.

[@beautifully_wonderfullymade]

I have hyper vigilance, it’s overwhelming and actually can be quite painful in my head. I use Loop earplugs and they help me a lot. My main complaint with Loops is they cost too much. There are cheaper versions now, if I ever lose my loops I would purchase a cheaper brand.

[@MisterStuzy]

@@beautifully_wonderfullymade ah glad they help. I noticed Hannah from Art in the Corridor (another narrow boat channel) uses them for something similar, so wondered if they help? Glad they do (for a price)

[@MinimalList]

Sorry you suffer too. Thanks for the tip on the ear plugs.

[@18robsmith]

That was a great 🙂 Just one question.... Knowing you would find it more than a little bit difficult to get your boat up there what about the Scottish lowland canals?

[@carolinecaiger6717]

Those earbuds are noise cancelling and are great.

[@MinimalList]

Thanks for the tip.