Some winter pics from my towpath walk this morning

[tulip]

The canal boats are interesting, at first I thought they were for some kind of commercial application but looking over the additional pictures at your blog I see they are in residential neighborhoods and your description of the canal system is interesting, something I did not know, so I see how functional the boats are.

I hope one day to live on a canal barge in Europe. There's a whole community of canal boaters who live on their boats full-time. It's been a dream of mine for a while, and I don't want it to remain a dream so I'm making plans...

[hebe]

I love all the little bird footprints! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for snow here.

You can have some of our snow! This morning there were fox tracks on the snow on the canal too. It is so bizarre to see it all iced and snowed over.

Great pictures. The snow covered bike looked so forlorn.

The canal boats are interesting, at first I thought they were for some kind of commercial application but looking over the additional pictures at your blog I see they are in residential neighborhoods and your description of the canal system is interesting, something I did not know, so I see how functional the boats are.

Many areas of Michigan and Florida have inland waterways and series of canals too.

The water in my lake is all frozen over so the ducks, geese, swans and other assorted waterfowl have moved to rivers with open water so I don't see them daily. It's so interesting to see real time photos from other parts of the world!

Most of the canal-side houses have a mooring at the end of the garden. The canals here connect rivers and are often very close to railway stations too, the system was largely built in the 19th century for transporting goods. Now that roads carry most of the freight many have been repaired. They are fantastic as they provide nature-abundant waterways (and paths) right into the centre of even the most industrialised towns and cities. I love them.

[hebe]

I hope one day to live on a canal barge in Europe. There's a whole community of canal boaters who live on their boats full-time. It's been a dream of mine for a while, and I don't want it to remain a dream so I'm making plans...

I have a friend who did this for a few years. She loved it. There is something so nice about walking past a narrow boat with the scent of woodsmoke on the air and a glimpse of a pot of tea inside. There is a hairdressing business run from a barge that goes up and down our local canal, I keep meaning to go there once my current hairdresser emigrates.