Too Old For This? - Fran is Stuggling -Should we go back to LAND? - Narrowboat Life - Episode 199 

Thanks!

Keep living in the moment....living your best lives and doing things in your own unique way XXX

The time will come when your narrowboat days need to end but that is not yet now! YOU must make that decision. Others need to install the appropriate sized cork! Maybe your trips will become less far ranging but that narrowboat is your home. Enjoy it as long as you are able.

What a wonderful way to live and travel, enjoy life while you can, who knows what’s ahead. Such beautiful scenery, love it, thanks

What a great vlog!!

We have been thinking about moving back to land but Gary came up with another idea. He found a huge 60 foot yacht that’s about the size of a 2 bedroom apartment (flat). We had been in a 45’ sailboat that was equipped to sail around the world. (Solar, watermaker, and 200 gallons of diesel, electric toilets BUT difficult to do all the climbing up and down stairs and the huge mast. I took one look at the new vessel and having 2 bathtubs and huge frig, trash compacter, washer dryer won me over. I feel like I am living on land, only exception is the “boat” things like having a pump out service to pump our toilets every other week, and the occasional trip to the boatyard for bottom paint (2-3 years). If Gary passes before me - I’ll sell, if I go first, I think Gary will stay on the boat. Oh did I mention, we no longer cruise but are docked in a beautiful marina in San Diego - year around beautiful weather.

The first narrowboaters I watched was the series with Prue Scales and Tim West. Prue has dementia which is heartbreaking but she was there doing the locks so as you say if you are physically fit and able, carry on doing what you love as long as you can. Take care =-)

Hello my lovelies, just tell them to bugger off. They are pushing THEIR fears onto you both. Agree 100%! Carpus Diem! Seize the day! and enjoy.. Good to see you. I'm 62 & the last 4 yrs has been awful for sudden loss, it should make everyone go harder for their dreams & passions or unfulfilled dreams while we can. I love Judy Dench she's amazing & Betty White!

Love all your videos and it's great that you are still going, so many of the people that we've been quietly following over the years have faded away.... Anyway, I think Foxes Afloat had an explanation about these locks. I just googled diamond shaped locks and there many theories, we'll worth a read.

Great vlog, as always! Thanks for the candid conversation on aging, never an easy one to have but as usual, the two of you approached it with grace and humility.

Live your dream guys, live your dream. You earned it, enjoy it.

I’m glad you are living your own lives as you want to live them. And I love that you share some of your experiences with us around the world! Enjoy!🎉

100 percent agree with you both, as long as your able, stay with the life you want. Well done Fran on the lock gate!!!

Lovely video fabulous views, thank you both for sharing. X❤😊😊

Wow what a fabulous video. Thank you for sharing with your RU-vid family!

Too old for this Prunella Scales was doing this in her late 80s .

I am fiercely independent and two words that really irritate me are ‘you should’. People need to mind their never mind and get on with their own life choices. Wonderful views on your trip and the abbey is so beautiful. It’s such a blessing we can still see the amazing work of architects and builders from the past.

Love your view on life! Great job addressing people's comments. Thank you for sharing your travels and adventures.

Splendid views from your boat and the country around looks tranquil and beautiful. Do what suits you when it suits you.

Hi Fran and Rich great video and what some beautiful country side you certainly find some really beautiful places to visit keep it up love watching your videos xx❤

Love your videos. We watch from South Carolina from our boat we live on full time. I love the music at 10:50 and was wondering what it is. Thank you.

Go merrily on your way till the day it becomes too hard to do and not fun anymore. You'll know. Have fun till then!

I love it. Enjoy every minute!❤

Know this area well but was great to see it from your perspective on the water.

As long as you are enjoying your boat life keep floating. You are years and years away from not being to handle it. Cheers.

I would guess why that lock was built diamond shaped was for strength, let's see if a expert comes on.

More power to you both x I'm a bit younger than you two and you put me to shame with your energy and enthusiasm. Bless you both. Inspirational x

Thakyou Rich and Fran for a beautiful journey. Rich, I love your music choice......classical and baroque. Take care and stay healthy.

Haven't you eaten your spinach this week Fran! haha..

Hi Fran and Rich. The river Avon is certainly very picturesque. Pershore looks to be a nice town. Take care. Nick

I don't blame you both for not getting involved with a property. Those that want to buy can. You both live your lives as you want. Age is only a number, it's so important to live life, appreciating all that we have and keep a sense of humour and adventure. I wish you both happy, healthy and safe travels in Laura Maisie and Percy. Love, health and peace Gail, Czech Republic ❤️ ❤️

Really, thank you SO much... the music was particularly lovely as a backdrop to the river and the town and the beautiful church.

Beautiful Vlog! You’re as young as you feel!

Great video thanks for sharing your life with us.

What was that Doris Day song...xx

What a beautiful old Abbey. Breathtaking! Thank you for sharing it with us.

Beautiful cruise. Amazing scenery. Great video. Take care and hope your trek up the hill was exhilarating. Thank you.

You keep going seriously❤❤❤❤

Fantastic blog as usual good on you both carry on regardless I have found as iI have got older i have stopped listening to those people who have an opinion on what's right for you. They need to remember that what's right for some is not necessarily right for everyone. The places you take us to are gorgeous. thank you for sharing xxx

We are in the lucky position to have a house and a narrowboat (the best decision we have made to buy it) We always have the discussion about the future If I had to I would move full time on the boat I’m not sure my Mrs thinks the same but if I could make the sun shine a bit more that would certainly help

Pershore looks beautiful. I'll second those comments about A E Housman and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Thanks for another lovely relaxing cruise. Cheers.

Stay FREE keep boating or buy a House BORING and wait to DIE No way

The previous comments have been spot on! Treasure the time together living the life that you love!

You had me worried for a moment! I'm of a similar age to you guys, and only just thinking about getting my first boat...! (30 years of living in the same house, and 15 of them working from home... I want, no, NEED, to get out and be more active and see places that are not my neighbour's garden! While I still can. (and sod the rest, lol)

My parent's last house, in Southern California, was named Bredon Hill. Yes it was named after that one. The previous owners had ties to that area.

I bought my boat from Evesham so the Avon was my first ever experoence of cruising. I still think its a beautiful river.

Hi Fran and Rich, really enjoyed watching your latest vlog! Completely agree with you re your point about aging and canal life - good for you! 👍 The scenery was so beautiful makes me try to relive the remnants of Summer! Has been so cold and wet here of late up until yesterday! Fran, I've made a couple of apple crumbles recently using windfall apples from neighbour - tastes so.much better when they're free!😅 Please could you pop your receipe on your website? I have a feeling yours will be better! 🙂 Take care both of you.

Great video! Brings back happy memories for us. We did the Avon ring on a two week holiday. Had to keep moving on to get the boat back but it was wonderful. We met a family that were doing it in a week! We moored at Pershore where you did, happy days.😊

Enjoy your videos if you both still feel up to it carry on regardless more importantly if you still enjoy floating your boat and it makes you happy why stop.

We are not promised tomorrow! Do what you want today and enjoy!

Lovely video & catchup! Beautiful town. You'll have to get busy painting while Frans away .. 🙂

Good for you ! It's your life. Enjoy it to the gilts for as long as you are able!

I just drop in and out of your channel. Shame on me, just linked with too many old groups. I will say I really liked your page as an original canal page, along with Captain Gary Philips Your page as you get off the canals and explore ! I may have to take a day and catch up on RU-vid ! (stay on the canals)!

Absolutely stunning scenery. I love your commentary and humor. You two are an inspiration. It's nice to hear the encouraging words "it's never too late" from time to time. I just learned about narrowboats and canal systems within the past year or so... and have been thinking on it ever since. I've always loved exploring. All the best!

When I went on a "barge trip" (as we called it) with friends back in 1980 we wanted to go on the Avon from Stratford to Tewkesbury, but unfortunately Stratford basin was closed, so we never got the chance. You're right - you can't change the future. Like with being on a river, you go with the flow. One point though: Harvington Hall is about 20 miles, as the crow flies, from Harvington Lock and is located near the _hamlet_ of Harvington (as opposed to the village of the same name near the lock) about 2/3 of the way from Bromsgrove to Kidderminster :-)

We stopped for a night above the lock in Evesham last Tuesday week (17 Sep) on the Avon ring. The Abbey ruins are great but on balance I think you were right to go for Bredon Hill.

Enjoy yourselves , keep going as you only live once , hot food on the way and a free cook who does the locks , What more could any one want ? . Stay happy .😉

Live life to its fullest and don’t worry about the future. You deal with the future as it comes. Nothing is guaranteed so enjoy every day and do what pleases you.

I’m 70 and had to make the decision of whether to go back to land or stay on the boat after my Husband died suddenly last year. I’ve never learnt to steer the boat so am permanently moored in a Marina, but I won’t leave the life, I love it! Maybe I’ll learn to steer, maybe I won’t but I know I don’t want to live in bricks and mortar paying all those bills. Narrowboats aren’t cheap but still much less than a house. It’s just me and my JRT, we don’t need much space and life is slower and much more peaceful. You carry on and ignore all those who can’t understand how we feel about life on a narrowboat. xx

You are so right Fran life is for living just go for it 😂😂

Nope, definitely not too old. I work on Geriatric wards and what you are doing will hopefully prevent a trip ever being there!

As Billy Connelly said, Do as you dam well pleazy, you have one life, your own, we don't want to be doing what others think we should do. Keep it up, as I can see the life style you have chosen seems to suit, and I am speaking as some one who did gave up that life (for good a reason) and I/We still miss it.

What a beautiful river. It would be great to spend more time on it at your leisure. It's truly lovely! The scenery is so nice too. It's turned a bit chilly here in arkansas too. Brrrr, take a bit to climatic to fall. Thanks for the video.

Live for today and to hell with tomorrow ❤

Yep I agree, age is only a number. Id do it but my bubble cant. Good luck to you both enjoy every day xx

So refreshing to see the two of you embracing life and each other, keep a piece of that apple crumble for me. Being stress free is so important these days. Love you Bothe..

Rich, enjoying your music again. Fran, you look great in that outfit!

Hi Both, loving the new format!. Glad you're enjoying the Avon - we did it earlier this year and weren't as lucky as you have been with moorings but its lovely!! You didn't miss anything passing Evesham as while the riverside/church area is lovely, go past it and its seen better days and you wont have heard any english voices at all... ignore those set in their ways re housing - as you have found so many people arent lucky enough to retire and circumstances catch up with them....

Lovely video thank you

Thanks guys for reducing my stress levels again, and giving us an another look at the green, gentle country side, and Jess and Archie.Take it easy and wishing you all the best luck in the world..........Thanks again you two, from a overcast and rainy night in Sydney.

I enjoyed that video. I love watching you both. You’re so interesting. Keep up the good work. Can’t wait to see more.

Look at the Property Market, your Lovely boat would be lucky enough to get you a Deposit on a One bedroom Flat!

very nice video great editing well done

Great vlog yet again!

Thank you for another delightful video, I can agree with your sentiments one hundred percent. As Septuagenarians my goodlady and I have been together sixty years and we are going to go as far and as fast as we can for as long as we can. So more power to you. I did the right thing and found an older Young woman, she took a lot of flack at school as she was a Fourth year going out with a Mere Third year :o) Stay Safe.

I've always known you two are solid, good people. Tomorrow is promised to nobody. Even in our safe little home, wherever it may be. If you can't live the life you love, what's the point. I always look forward to your posts, but today was not only beautiful but special as well, because you two made it that way. Thank you.

Thankyou. Take care

beautiful as always.

Enjoy the moment.😀

Excellent 😎⭐️👍

Hot apple crumble with cold custard on top - nothing better

The music in your Pershore clip is absolutely beautiful!

Lovely vlog!❤

Lovely episode! You just keep going. Don't let the fearmongers dent your purpose!

Thanks 😊

Beautiful day for cruising!❤ such a lovely river and scenery. So peaceful!

Oh my gosh! We live on a small farm in Colorado and our daughter is getting after us to downsize. NOPE! We feel like all the work and animals keep us going and healthy. That said, we do look at the UK so my husband can be closer to his school friends in our retirement. A NB is not out of the question…😂. We had a similar experience one Christmas Eve at a big echoey cathedral in the UK with our daughter. I heard her screaming all the way out. Fun memory which we re-tell frequently to her horror. BTW…same daughter who is trying to pry us off this property! Also..my father is 95 and still lives on 10 acres, alone in Kentucky!! All that to say….KEEP ON KEEPING ON!!

Nice to see you still sailing and still smiling. :) Too much trying to plan for the future hasn't done me any good at all. Saving up has been good because money is flexible, but trying to plan has meant missing out on stuff which doesn't fit my plans, and then my plans fail anyway because my brain is all broken and my health isn't predictable at all. Nor is the weather in this country! :) Zimmer frames on a boat! 😂 But I've been thinking, if you went from a boat to a flat, how long would you be in the flat before you wanted sheltered or assisted housing? I'm not sure how these things work out, but if I'm not wrong, these places are rented rather than bought. I don't think "getting on the property ladder" will help you with renting. And renting is all right even if you do want a regular flat. I've been a renter all my life and it's been fine. It's a peculiarity of British culture that we think less of renting than owning our homes, but it's not very logical. There are pros and cons to both. Oh that lock-keeper's hut, which "was designed to be water-tight, but hasn't been used since the big floods of 2007." Oh the plans of mice and men! 😂 I'd be tempted to give up the boat for that cottage too! :) Apple crumble, sweet and fresh tomatoes... I envy your diet right now. :)

Well done

enjoyed this vlog after watching Wes and Amy on Boat Time give a tour of Bidford before settling down to watch yours.There are too many people telling other people what they think they should be doing, called nosey parkers offering unsolicited advice!!! Stick to your life style philosophy and to hell with what other people think!! Used to work near Pershore and the vicinity lovely spot isn't it. look forward to your walking to Bredon Hill.

If they build a bypass there will be no more lovely town , it will be dead. No nice shops to visit just empty ones. Oakham is suffering this fate presently

Always a pleasure to see you guys, and the beautiful scenery and interesting facts that you share. Your tomatoes look amazing Fran, they are very happy on your roof! Take care x Nell.

Fran / Rich can I ask please, have you in your earlier life travelled much outside of the UK? I have hit the magic 60 and travelled some but not lots, I read lots of posts on facebook where people have massive travel plans in retirement and I personally struggle to get excited about travel other than a real desire to see lots of the UK I have not seen.! I was just wondering what your experiences were?

Xx

Well, my outlook is Memento Mori alongside "Those who suffer before it is necessary, suffer more than is necessary". For me at least, it basically means that I try (key word being "try"...lol) to live the best life I can while I can. You're doing it right from my point of view. Oh, as far as the diamond shaped lock, my guess would be because it would make it easier to get the front and back of the boats against the side to get on and off? 🤷‍♂ It just seems like diamond shape sides would make easier to get the access points of your boat against the side as opposed to flat sides. And it would work for just about any length of boat. But, then again, I know squat (means I know nothing...lol) about narrowboating. 😂

Good video again🎉. Dont be pushed into something you dont want to do. Its your lives and your decisions. You will know when your not active or well enough to carry on with this active and special life you live. You are very talented with your baking/cooking and it always sounds delicious. Enjoy your weekend, stay safe and well🙋🎉🛥️

Rich, when my eldest daughter was a toddler we would drive 5 hours once per month so my wife could visit her family, and my daughter would cry and scream the entire trip. Thank goodness we moved closer after about 9 months.

Couldn't agree more, age is a number. If you don't move you lose the ability to move. Currently we are in Sth Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana and both over 70, still hiking biking etc. Keep on keeping on Fran & Rich - all the best

Episode 199 and you try to look into the future.Dear Fran andRich forget it ,take one day at a time when you don't plan more than a day in advance adjust tlet the future happen its a lot more enjoyable and sometimes some wonderful things happen that you never even thought about ,just like the beauty of the river Avon and the beauty of Gothic architecture.My wife is 90 andI'm nearly 88 and we enjoy a variety of things.Were not as spry as we were at 0 but we still enjoy life Like this weekend a Blues Festival and a winding drive home on back roads to take in the gorgeous Fall colours.Tomorrow I'm going make 3 Qiche Lorraines and the wife is making Pesto Tuesday who knows.fFor you congratulations on next week the 200th episode and maybe another yard of gorgeous woven fabric. Cheers from us and Canada

Love your videos keep on enjoying your life .English man living in australia love your canal journey s .