Nighttime on Still Waters
A narrowboat-based audio journal on canal life, living aboard, the elements, and the night. Perfect late-night listening for dreamers, insomniacs, night owls, nocturnalists, drifters, and nomads. For lovers Fagen's 'Nightfly', Auden's 'Night Mail', Hopper's 'Nighthawks' and the 'drifting sea-dark streets' of Dylan Thomas. For all those who used to listen to the transistor under your pillow, love the sound of distant trains and rain against the windowpanes, canals and drover's tracks, lost music, splashed puddles, fireflies and bats, hares by moonlight, windsong among pines, owl-light, the shipping forecast, and all the wonderful, terrifying, grand and tawdry avenues of the night...
Listening (under the pterosaurs' sun)
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Tonight, we walk through deep time. Ours is a generation who are the witnesses to the Great Unravelling, but we are also part of the Great Remembering. With handfuls of seeds and ancient soil, we walk out of our books, our learning, and our language, to pick up something once lost.
Journal entry:
16th October, Friday
“Robin song and yellowing leaves
Float down upon the silent canal.
A moorhen swims into the mist.
Jackdaws play around the One Oak,
Their voices stabbin...
Playing hopscotch (across the great abyss)
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While work pressures have made tonight’s episode a little shorter than usual, the pause feels serendipitous. This evening, we embrace the quiet, celebrating the small, sacred pockets of stillness that naturally invite us in and away from an increasingly tumultuous and noisy world. It is a gentle reminder that even a brief moment of reflection can anchor us, offering the support and connection we all need to navigate the chaos.
As we slow our pace, we are also invited to look through the window of lock-wheeler and fellow boater Ana Mc...
Autumn Drift
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The slow drift from summer into autumn is underway and with it comes gentle shifts (both seen and unseen) that are the pulse and rhythm of the earth and life along the canal. Join us tonight on the Erica as we celebrate this slow dance of the seasons. We also join Jeff Van Booven for a special night-view from his window in the sultry darkness of a summer midnight in Missouri.
Journal entry:
18th September, Friday
“Standing beside the convocation of oaks
First geese fly ove...
The Uncertainties of Geese
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It’s a beautiful night, but there is an autumnal damp chill in the air. So, snuggle up with us aboard the Erica as we enter the mysterious, but perhaps not so different, world of geese, and we find out what happened when nine of them flew in on one late summer’s afternoon.
In celebration of the life of Wendell Berry, we read his poem 'Wild Geese.'
Journal entry:
3rd September, Thursday
“Awake to a jewelled morning
Fresh washed in last nigh...
Slipping beneath the surface
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Welcome to the Erica on a still summer’s night. The canal may seem quiet, but below the surface the fish are busy and it is far from silent. Join us tonight as we listen in to their world and find out what it sounds when ducks swim above your head. We also get to step aboard the NB Precious Jet and take a look at the view from her duck hatch.
Journal entry:
20th August, Thursday
“An oak leaf.
Parched and crisp by summer...
The impression of remembered light
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It is a glorious summer’s night, but the canal is officially closed. Join us tonight, as we ponder over what this shutdown means for permanent liveaboards and the fragile ecosystem left behind. Plus, we playfully ask: does the canal miss us when we are gone?
Journal entry:
6th August, Thursday
“From here, the alders look black
The sky behind them afire
With the sun’s setting.
Ducks swim through
Clouds of baby pink
The fish are rising.
The wate...
Boater (Summer Readings - 8)
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Summer is finally here, and nothing quite beats finding a cool and last spot (preferably in the dappled shade of a willow tree or two) and idling away a few hours while losing yourself in a captivating book.
Why not wrap up your evening with us tonight for this year’s review and recommendation for your Summer Reading? Join us as we explore a wonderful book that gently carries you along England’s peaceful (and not so peaceful) waterways while drifting through centuries of history: the poet and archaeologist, Jo Bell’s Boat...
The Gentleness (of the shortening days)
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A welcome breeze plays among the reeds and carves ripples on the canal. Tonight, the Erica is moored on a perfect summer’s night. We welcome you to join us as enjoy the quiet and go searching for older attitudes to summer, the shifting dates of Midsummer's Eve, and just why Midsummer Night’s Dream was so unsummery.
Journal entry:
10th July, Friday
“Sitting chatting over a mug of tea
On the stern of the boat
The sound of music and children playing
A sw...
In the Cool of the Evening
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As the heat begins to settle, join us tonight on the narrowboat Erica as we enjoy that special time of a summer’s day, when evening falls and cool breezes ripple the water’s surface. The heat and work pressures have meant that tonight we are freewheeling a little. We also take a peak out of The Land of Green Ginger's window. Settle back in the cool and enjoy a gentle ride to wherever.
Journal entry:
24th June, Wednesday
“Back from a hot city
In a hot...
How old is Mindful's Vanessa (and other questions I don't have the answer for)
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As we edge towards midsummer night, we’re reminded how everything is in constant change. This is particularly the case in the fast-moving world of podcasting. It is a good opportunity to reflect on what it all means for this podcast; the challenges and plans for the future, and also why is everyone suddenly so interested in Vanessa's age (and why would they think that I know what it is)?
Journal entry:
12th June, Friday
“Soft the wash of rain
Soft the feathered touch of yarrow...
Moonlight on Ox-Eye Daisies
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It’s the night of a blue moon. Following a hot and busy sunny day the canal settles down into a contented stillness. It’s a perfect night to join and to sit back, let the quietness wash over us, to relax and to let our minds play with some big ideas.
Journal entry:
23rd May, Sunday
“Voices lift across the water
No words, just sound
A copy of Baisao in my hand
Lingering over phrases and lines
In the soft evening sun...
More Raven than Rook (The clock-winders)
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Tonight, as the rain falls softly outside and the kettle sings on the hob, we are letting our thoughts roam free. Together, we shine a light into the forgotten corners of history to explore a quiet, essential rhythm; the often-overlooked role of the people who wound the parish clocks, and the precious gift they gave, the burden of time,
Journal entry:
11th May, Monday
“Mother and a host of tiny ducklings
(Don't count them. Just enjoy).
A raven alights on the One Oak
...
Evensong of the Wild
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Join us tonight, in the golden glow of a late spring twilight at our favourite mooring spot under the Forest of Arden’s mysterious gaze. As twilight begins to fall settle back, relax and enjoy the majestic splendour of the ancient evensong of the wild; a symphony in which every voice has a part.
Journal entry:
1st May, Friday, Beltane
“The dip and swell
Of these gently folding fields
Home to shadows and sheep
And trees who have become
Old friends.”
Epi...
Finding Erica (On choosing a boat)
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There’s a warm welcome aboard the Erica tonight. But why the Erica? Why not any of the other boats we viewed and discussed? What was it about the Erica that made her special enough for us to buy, even though there were other boats that seemed to be stronger contenders? How did we know she was the right choice? Jo Bell’s brilliant book Boater helps us to find some answers.
Journal entry:
12th April, Sunday
“From Bridge 55
Children and old men
Lea...
Between the Borrowing Days
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Join us on a noisy and stormy night of high winds at the tail-end of winter as we contemplate the messiness of these between times that lie at the edges of the seasons. In a world used to binaries, these times can feel messy, frustrating and even unsettling. The old idea of ‘borrowing days’ helps us to navigate these ‘untidy’ seasonal borders in a different way.
Journal entry:
30th March, Monday
“Sometimes,
The canal is silent
Biding time
Keeping counsel.
Don't ask
Let...
The Seeds of Spring ('Somewhere, right now')
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The temperature is dropping and it looks like a frosty night is ahead of us. So, why not join us in the Erica’s cosy cabin as we contemplate the coming of spring, the therapeutic and philosophical aspects of planting seeds, and joy of sunshine on your shoulders.
Journal entry:
19th March, Thursday
“On Horse Hill
The light scrubbed clean
By the sharpness of frost
Two rooks harry a buzzard pair
Who fly on wings
Of feathered nonchalance.”
Episode I...
An Under-Sung Companion (to the canal)
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Join us tonight as we reflect on that often under-appreciated companion to the canals, the humble towpath. We uncover its vital importance in the past and how in, recent years, its relationship with the canal has been changing. We also meet up again with E Temple Thurston and the good captain Eynsham Harry as the meet a figure of the forgotten past.
Journal entry:
5th March, Thursday
“A warm sun that hums
With the buzz of big bodied
Bumblebees busy among
The soft f...
The Seventh Word (Reflections on canal-life - 2)
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In tonight’s episode, with the help of a few of our listeners, I continue to reflect on life aboard the Erica and how it might have changed our lives as well as go on a hunt for the elusive 'Seventh Word'. There is often a lot of talk about how canal-life is helpful for mental wellbeing. Is this really the case? We also go in hunt for some mysterious bramble cutting vandals.
Journal entry:
21st February, Saturday
“A silvered dawn.
Milder air
With th...
In the Belly of Winter
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This year, the Bita kaulo munthos (the little dark month) has brought with it yet more rain. This time of year can be a hard time. Mid-winter; the time of lambing, Imbolc and the Cailleach. Strung halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox, Imbolc heralds the mid-point of what for many seems to be turning out to be a very hard winter. Join us tonight around our fire as we contemplate how this time can help to prepare us for the uncertainties of the coming year.
Journal entry:
6t...
The Sixth Winter - 200th Episode (Reflections on canal-life - 1)
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Tonight, we’re celebrating our 200th episode while enjoying our sixth winter aboard the NB Erica. To mark the occasion, I’m looking back at how the watery path of canal life has reshaped our lives, sometimes in unexpected ways. So, settle in as we ponder the intricacies of synoptic weather charts to the quiet, unique qualities of living on the water.
Journal entry:
24th January, Saturday
“A silver sun
Leans on a lonely wind
Casting hard light
Upon the world.
I can t...
Canal Life (Now and Future)
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The failure of the Whitchurch embankment offered sobering viewing for those on and off the canal. This episode responds to listeners’ concerns and questions and then reflects on the wider implication of incidents like these on the future of life on the canals. *Spoiler -it is not all doom and gloom!*
Journal entry:
6th January, Tuesday
“Colder night
But slightly milder dawn
A few desultory snowflakes fall
Flightless feathers
With no wind
Upon which to dance
Will these smal...
The Remarkable Tale of Bertrum Crane (A story for Christmas)
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It's Christmas on the canal, and the time when we traditionally gather around by firelight and tell stories of wonder and magic. So, tonight, there is an extra specially warm welcome aboard the Erica as we turn the lights down low and listen by firelight to a rather remarkable (and I think wonderful) tale of canal-side Christmases past and the magic hidden along the towpath. Grab a mug of your favourite drink, settle into your cosiest chair and join us into the heart of a canal-side Christmas.
With special thanks...
An Advent on the Canal
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As advent candles burn into their second half, and berries blaze along the towpath, why not join us tonight aboard the Erica to hear about what it feels like to experience this advent on the cut.
Journal entry:
8th December, Monday
“A ragged river of rooks
Stream across
A watery sky
On purposeful wings.
They rise and circle
Around the One Oak.
The fire of their
Jubilant chatter
Warms the day.”
With special thanks to ou...
The Night Speaks with its Silences
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These are the days of the long nights, when ¾ of our day gives way to the dark. If we listen carefully, their gifts are rich and restoring. In these strange times we need, once more, to slow down, look up, and hear the night speak to us with its silences. Come aboard the Erica and let’s journey into the night.
Journal entry:
27th November, Thursday
"This morning,
The kingfisher wakes
To a softer, kinder day.
The willow leaf
Finds the current...
The Colour of Storms (Storm Claudia passing through)
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Join us tonight aboard the Erica’s warm and cosy cabin as storm Claudia rages outside. Let us experience together the intimate feeling of being snug and safe in a tiny home afloat on the storm lashed canals.
Journal entry:
14th November, Friday
“Sky of smudged greys,
Chalky, sooty, dirty laundry water,
And a light of such silvery metallics
Lead and steel, iron and zinc,
That makes the canal surface shine
And adds richness to berry and leaves.
Why is it, that...
Morton's Rise (A canal story for Halloween)
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Welcome to Halloween on the canal. It’s a perfect night to turn down the lights, curl up in comfy chair with a warm mug, and listen to a spooky tale. Can anyone explain what really did happen on that celebrated (or notorious) section of canal at Morton’s Rise under the glowering presence of Draid Hill?
Journal entry:
31st October, Friday (All Hallows’ Eve)
“The day grows thin
Between light and darkness
Heron spanned
Silent as owl flight
The canal listens.
A Common Thread (Sunday at the moorings)
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Have you ever wondered what it was like to visit a ‘moorings’ along one of Britain’s waterways and to stand and watch and listen as this small world flows to its own daily rhythms? Although every 'mooring' is different, we explore the common thread that unites them. Why not join us for a sunny autumnal Sunday and listen to the day unfold.
Journal entry:
6th October, Monday
“Wind buffets and rocks the boat
The mooring lines tighten and then slack.
Fenders creak and the cal...
That Very Particular Joy of Friday Nights (and crisps)
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It's a blustery, moonless, and nearly starless night tonight, with the ever-present hint of rain in the air. So, why not come aboard the Erica for a while and reminisce about inconsequential things, the joy they bring, and how they form such strong bedrocks to our lives in an unsteady world?
Journal entry:
17th September, Wednesday
“Summer has left
And strewn all along the towpath
Is the detritus of its sojourn.
Rusting wires of sorrel and dock,
Hogweed spokes like upturned
D...
Down to the River (On this blue and grey September day)
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Tonight, for a little while, let’s leave the sleeping canal in peace as it slowly recovers and heals after the summer long drought. Instead, let's go down to the river where the water is alive with light and chuckles and laps under rowing boats and let us see what we can see.
Journal entry:
4th September, Thursday
“Clouds pillow and pile
Black skies behind us
A fleeting sun catches
the scarlet of bryony berries
That wrap themselves around
Spiky vines of...
Under a Canopy of Trees ('Your word')
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A newly born moon is still below the horizon and the parched ground breathes in the quiet of a summer's night. The water levels may be low, but you're assured a welcome that is full and warm aboard the NB Erica as we catch up on life with all its ebbs and flows, and unfuriating complexities that make it all so worthwhile.
Journal entry:
18th August, Monday
“Rain in the night
Woke up to streaks on the windows.
I take the rake off the c...
Back from Blacking (And the ingenuity of drydocks)
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Could the humble drydock be the perfect example of canal engineering ingenuity? Find out why in our latest episode and join us back afloat onboard the Erica as we explore some surprising facts about this often-overlooked marvel.
Journal entry:
1st August, Friday (Lammas Day)
“Fields the colour of linen and calico
Under turbulent skies of heavy cloud.
As I chew on a blade of grass
The wind whips up dust devils
Across the dry, hard-baked hill.
Apples fall, half ripened.
Ha...
With Tom Rolt on the North Stratford Canal (Summer Readings)
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It’s been a long sweltering day. Darkness is reluctantly beginning to fall, and a restless heat lies heavy over the canal. Let's settle down and listen to some echoes from the canal-side past as we hear Tom Rolt’s account of his journey up the Stratford upon Avon Canal (North) and the ‘battle for Bridge Number 1 (Lifford Lane).'
At a time when many of us are feeling the strain of today’s network, Rolt’s account reminds us of just how far we’ve come — and of the grit and vision of t...
A Summer Wind among the Alders (Speaks of Lludd and Llefelys)
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Stories have always been part of our world. From antiquity, stories create the light that help us find our way through the darkness. We need to rediscover those stories to help us face the dragons in our lives. Join us tonight as we listen closely to the summer wind play among the alders and hear a very old story that understands our modern world.
Journal entry:
3rd July, Thursday
“Walking up the hill.
The grass crackles and scrunches
With each step.
If I...
Unsettled at the Still-Point (Of the year)
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It is a hot midsummer night of warm winds that makes the Erica creak at her moorings. Tonight, we find ourselves at a year’s turning point — caught between the stillness and the unsettling. Join us as we explore the solstice, the shifting seasons, the rhythm of carnival swings, and the restless nature of the mind, uncovering the connections between them all.
Journal entry:
16th June, Monday
“Cresting
The eternal now
The carp and I
Share the summer sun”
Episode Inf...
A brooding sky and mirrored waters (Fen Country)
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Join us on a quiet night of summer rain as we listen to rooks and explore the beauty and ambiguities of two liminal places with a lot in common. We learn about the web-footed fenmen and are guided by Luke Sherlock to a ruined church under haunting skies.
Journal entry:
6th June, Friday
“We walk through the sheep field
As the rain pours down.
My boot socks still wet from last night.
The rooks muster noisily at the One Oak.
Even th...
Erica's Place
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Welcome to tonight’s episode where ‘Erica’s Place’ by Mindshambles awakens a kaleidoscope of reminiscences about Mum and ‘elevensies’ and her never ending supply of fresh scones. As the different memories flow and glide past, it slowly becomes clear how much of ‘Erica’s place’ and Mum’s philosophy still lives on and unconsciously shapes these podcasts. Welcome to Erica's place.
Journal entry:
20th May, Tuesday
“The yellow flag are out.
Unfolding the origami of their petals
From the squashed chrysalis of their buds.
Yellow i...
A Totally Worthwhile Risk - 4
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Tonight, we float upon a starfield of hawthorn blossom under a waxing moon. Why not join us as we continue with the final part of Mum’s account of the ‘totally worthwhile risk that was never regretted.’
Journal entry:
9th May, Friday
“A westering sun
Lays long shadows across
The towpath and canal.
Two geese in a field
watch me from across the water.
A pheasant’s rasp
The scent of may.”
Episode Information:
In this ep...
A Totally Worthwhile Risk - 3
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Join us tonight under a waning April moon as we think about the local ducks preparing for the ‘long sit’ and hear more about what happened to Mum and Dad after they had landed in Canada to start a new life together.
Journal entry:
25th April, Friday.
“Down in the engine bay
De-rusting for painting.
I am once more a clumsy adolescent.
My feet grow too large and my knees
and elbows get in the way.
I no longer can bend...
A Totally Worthwhile Risk - 2
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Tonight, clouds build as the high pressure breaks. Speculative gusts of wind kick blackthorn blossom ghostly white along the towpath and the full moon seeps heavy and watery through a blanket of cloud. Join us tonight as we continue hearing Mum's account of a risk that was totally worth taking.
Journal entry:
7th April, Monday
“Warm snowflakes
Of blackthorn float and drift
Along the towpath
Among cowslip yellow
And bluebell blue.
The sheep are loathe
To move, preferring to lie
A Totally Worthwhile Risk - 1
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It's a spring, moonless night - not quite 'Bible black', but nearly! It's a perfect night for stories. Why not join us to hear the first part of Mum’s account of their great adventure when, 68 years ago, almost to the day, Mum and Dad embarked on a totally new phase of their lives.
Journal entry:
26th March, Wednesday
“The ash are heavy with bud
Blistered garnet, raspberry-
Shaped jewels
That glow warmly in
The low sunshine
That picks out the
Slow...
