I’m getting really fed up with this depressing weather, but I’ve done all my jobs for today so am staying on top of things for when it picks up. 🏃🏻‍♀️💪🏻 Ollie and Seren are in because they’re angry that CRT gardening blokes have invaded their towpath in silly hi-vis clothes with their noisy strimmers. 😄

Ollie, Seren and I took advantage of a rare rain free day to get a decent walk yesterday. This morning we will do the same before my new washing machine arrives at noon, and the rain returns this afternoon. I’ve fixed so many things on the boat in recent days. 👩🏻‍🔧 It’s almost habitable after 4 years!

It’s a cold but sunny morning here. ☀️😎❄️☕️ Ollie and Seren were out at 7:30, and they came back in sparkly clean because the mud and puddles were nice and frozen. 😄👍🏻 There might be snow between now and the weekend ☃️ when the temperatures are due to go up quite a bit. Spring is picking up momentum!

It’s a rather nice spring day here. ☀️😎 My wheelie truck has had a busy day, bringing supplies back to the boat. It’s a nice feeling to be stocked up and not have to do anything for a while. 🍷🏖️ Hopefully the sun will be less of a stranger from here on. 🤞🏻

Yesterday was a rain soaked write off. 😤🌧️ It rained so hard the ground couldn’t absorb any more water and the towpath disappeared. Ollie and Seren were very good. Today they need and deserve extra walkies. I’m fiddling with boat electrics. ⚡️ It’s all safe and functional, but needs £s spent for 1/

The ‘trans debate’ is just a bunch of shockingly ignorant cis people talking about fictional strawman stereotypes from their own imaginations. It’s nothing to do with us. We’re not seen or heard. We just live with the consequences of how they think abstract, made up characters should be treated.

Happy Valentine’s Day. ☕️😒 Disappointed to see no snow. It was sleeting when I went to bed. Nothing has settled, so I’m denied the morning pic I wanted. 😤 Today will be cold but very sunny. ☀️😎 I’ve missed the sun. 2026 has been a dark rainy year so far. I think we could all do with some brightness.

The most harmful 'guidance' in the western world that the government are well aware is only going to further increase suicides in a vulnerable demographic, and it's still not draconian enough. The United Kingdom in 2026, everybody.

If you believe what you're saying, how can you stand to be in such a sadistic party that is so viciously destroying our lives? All of Labour are complicit now. Your party is killing us. If Labour members and MPs gave a shit you could stop it. You're in a genocidal party and all of you are to blame.

Seren's meds arrived and worked quickly, resulting in the most peaceful night since she got home. 💜🤞🏻 It's going to snow tonight. Winter will take one last swing at me, but I have a new bag of coal and loads of wood, so it can swivel. 😛🖕🏻 More boat jobs today ⛵👩🏻‍🔧 with a possible epic journey in mind.

Getting lots of little jobs done today. 👩🏻‍🔧 Two of which have been waiting 13 months. It does lift the ol’ mental health a bit to tick these things off. 😄👍🏻 Next up: The electrics. ⚡️ That’s been waiting 3 years, and I only have one year left to do it in time to pass my next boat safety certificate. 😱🏃🏻‍♀️

Morning. ☕️🍳 Seren is having some tummy issues. I’m picking up some medication today that will sort what I think is wrong. Ex has been spending money on vets and silly formula foods. Let’s hope I’ve got it right. 🤞🏻 Was up at 3 cleaning up puke. 😫 This is a dog that can steal vindaloo and be fine. 😓

Today will be 12℃ and the sun will appear between showers. ☀️😎🏖️ We’re off to a super start this morning as Seren wolfed hers + Ollie’s breakfasts in 5 seconds, then projectile vomited across the boat. 😭 A cleanup operation ensued, which will be just the first in a busy day of important boat jobs. 👩🏻‍🔧

Morning. ☕️ It’s great to be back on my mooring, and one of the things I love is this view of the ancient turnover bridge. You really feel part of the canal’s ongoing history here. Ollie and Seren had me up at 6. They’re back asleep now, and I’m making my breakfast and planning the day ahead. 🥓🍳🥚🍅☕️

Back on our home mooring ⚓️ after a very pleasant morning’s voyage. ⛵️🌍🧭

I must buy a pair of roller skates.

The flowers Ollie found are beginning to bloom. I think they’re crocuses.

Seren returns on Saturday. I still haven’t found out what she did immediately before this photo was taken.

We actually saw the sun briefly yesterday. Now my weather app is saying it’s going to rain forever again. 😰🌧️ I’m keeping my mental health afloat by making manic plans for future voyages to wonderful far away places, all of which, north and south, involve one of three terrifying 2 mile tunnels. 🧛🏻‍♀️💀🦇😨

The party on the whole is quite happy for me to be expelled from society. Many openly want this, and even boast of wanting the most extreme human rights abuses to happen to people like me. Labour can never again be trusted by anyone who values human decency. You’re too far gone now. Rotten through.

Another dismally dark day is starting here. 🌧🧛🏻‍♀️💀🦇 Today I intend to catch up with overdue boat jobs and overcome S.A.D. with stubborn brute force! 💪🏻🏋🏻‍♀️👊🏻

Obviously I'm not dead, because I'm conscious and can type on my phone, but I am feeling like the life has been purged from me. 💀 It's all I can do to let Ollie out and get myself a coffee. I can't do any boat jobs. I have no motivation or any energy. S.A.D. has all but utterly defeated me. 😭

Morning. ☕️ This dark weather is getting to my mental health. 😤 That and the state of this world. They say it’s always darkest before dawn. Things turn around. February is a bleak month, but it’s when the land starts coming back to life. Buds swell. Flowers appear. Suddenly it’s a brighter picture.

Ollie got me up at 3. It was bloody freezing. So I let him out for his piss, chucked a couple of logs in the burner, and got back in my bed to wait for it to warm up. 2 hours later it’s still freezing 😤 so out I go to clean the chimney in the dark January frozenness. 🥶 Fire’s going nicely now. 🔥😛☕️

Just saw a rather womanly woman on the shop’s CCTV and thought: “She looks like a more naturally feminine me. I’d like to look like that.” Then I realised it was me. 💃🏻 I passed 6 years on HRT this winter, and I’m STILL changing. Now and again it pleasantly clobbers me!

For the transphobes reading this...

The Swan Family greeted me back to the village yesterday. 🦢 Well 3 of them did. I don’t know where the other 3 cygnets are. It’s been an adventure over the last couple of weeks or so but it’s been hard work, cold, and very muddy. It’s nice to be back somewhere I have everything I need close by. 🔥🪵☕️

Get out of the way, Mr Goose!

Heading back to my mooring this morning. ⛵🌍🧭 CRT make me pay for it, so I might as well moor on it now and again. I need a good breakfast first. 😛🍳🥓 It's very cold atm and I've learned my lesson about winter boating on a less than full tum.

Storm Chandra is hitting as I type 🌬️⛈️ and will be with us all morning. It’s a good job I got deliveries of coal, logs and food yesterday. A young Mr and Mrs Swan appear to have chosen this stretch of canal as theirs. If they’re building a nest somewhere, I hope Chandra doesn’t mess it up for them.

I just wanted to solve the mystery of why women remove their eyebrows and then draw them back on. Now I know. 🤫

Happy Monday. ☕ Was going to get moving again this morning, but you know what? I'm staying here. This is the most peaceful spot. It's doing me good. I like looking at the pine trees I can see from my window. They look like 'literati style' bonsai trees to me. Very Japanesey and pleasing on my eye.

Was going to continue my voyage this morning, but this is too nice a stop to just rush off now the sun is out. ☀️😎🍷🏖️ Juicy looking ‘jelly ear’ mushrooms are prolific on the elder trees here. They will be a prominent ingredient in this afternoon’s curry! 👩🏻‍🍳

So, I put the location into Just Eat, and find Sainsbury’s deliver here 🥳 AND they’ve given me a £15 discount code! 🙏🏻 Went to the bridge to meet the driver, and there’s a dead tree for me to knock over and drag back to the boat to chop up for firewood! 🪵🔥🙌🏼 So I’m stocked up on food and fuel! 🍗🍰🍔🍷💪🏻

Made a move this morning. ⛵🌍🧭 Wish I hadn't. I'm such a wimp these days. I've had to moor up and get back in my bed, in physical pain because of the cold. 😭 And it's not even proper cold. Just a year ago this sort of weather wouldn't have bothered me. Either it's age catching up or I'm not well. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This sunken boat has a familiar letter from the Canal and River Trust attached to it, kindly informing the owner that it’s been moored in the same place too long and politely requesting that they carry on cruising.

Just had a familiar knock on the side of my boat. 🤗 This is a new Mr and Mrs Swan that seem to have chosen this stretch as their territory. If I'm still here in the spring, I expect there'll be a new Swan Family to watch in 2026. 😍

Another washout is forecast for today. 😒🌧 I'm looking at my waterways map, googling places, and maybe planning my next adventure. 🤔 This time of year is about cosying down and surviving. 🔥☕ Soon it will be spring. ☀️⛵🌍🏖

Morning. ☕️ Another voyage awaits me today. ⛵️🌍🧭 By lunchtime, all being well 🤞🏻 I’ll be moored amongst other boats, outside a pub. 😛🍷 I’ve enjoyed the solitude of this location, just outside the village. Now it’s time to bravely sail a tad closer to humanity.

Happy Sunday. ☕️ I’m in semi hibernation atm. Today I will take my wheelie truck to the pet shop to pick up a sack of kibble for Ollie, grab supplies from the shop, and retreat back to the boat with the fire on 🔥 and a constantly hot kettle. ☕️ Might do some writing if I can get my brain in gear. ✍🏻🤓

“The reason I don’t like transphobes is because they tend to hate other people too.” 🤦🏻‍♀️ Fuck’s sake.

Morning! ☕️ I like this place. Waking up here is a joy. Ollie and I were out at 6, and since then I’ve had a big fry up 🥓🍳😛 to power my body through the morning’s boat jobs and a super walk with Ollie this afternoon when the sun is forecast to come out 🌞 and we might stop at the pub for a cider! 😛🍺🍎

This should be a resigning matter for Bridget Phillipson who employed Stephenson against the wishes of WESC, for one reason and one reason only: To push for the eradication of a vulnerable demographic the EHRC should be defending. In fact, she should be facing criminal charges. It’s that serious.

Safely moored up at last, at the destination I planned for Wednesday. 🙌🏼 Good job there’s never a hurry on the canal! 😄 The local shop has some parcels for me. I’ll walk into the village and get them at 3, because that’s when the fantastic local kebab shop opens! 😛

Set off. Got chased by geese. Was enjoying a nice cruise… Then I’ve had to make an emergency stop. I started shaking, sweating, and went so dizzy I was going to fall in. 😨 I think it’s because I set off in the cold without enough breakfast. 😄 A fry up is being made now! 🥓🍳

Just having my cup of coffee ☕ then I'm setting off to continue my journey. ⛵🌍🧭 Goodbye, tree. 😢👋🏻

Horrible day here. ⛈😤 Was just alarmed to see a bloke with a wood chipper going towards my favourite tree. 😨 Good job he went past, or I'd have had to fight him. 💪🏻 I like it here. Didn't intend to stop. Thinking about whether to continue my journey tomorrow, or enjoy this place a bit longer.

Morning. ☕️ Today’s going to be a washout according to my weather app. ⛈️ I’m in a race now 🏃🏻‍♀️ to get my face on, get a bag of coal from the marina, and get back to the boat before the heavy rain starts. 🔥⛈️☕️

Well. I set off at 8, noting that my weather app said it’ll briefly dip to -2 between 8 and 9. That’s okay, I think. It won’t be long enough to freeze the canal. And the canal freezes as I’m moving. 😤 Never had that happen before. I think it’s dipped more than my weather app thinks it has.

Ollie has got the right ump with me because I’ve been doing boat jobs all day and he feels he’s been cheated of attention.