Comments by "" (@michaelpilling9659) on "The Mindful Narrowboat" channel.

  1. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Your very own island - how exciting! Great to explore I bet. What a pity there wasn't any treasure. The cruise down The Thames was beautiful. Hambledon looked a wonderful place to while away a few hours. This video was lovely especially the coromants. So far from the sea too. Thanks again for taking me along with you.
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  2. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. WOW! - that was exciting. I've never seen that much water in a canal before. The cruise to get some water was nail biting, but you got there in the end. Well done you and Zephyr on getting the boat to the repairers in one piece, all on your own. Beautiful birds - especially the magpie and the buzzard. Superb photography skills despite the awful weather. Your commenatry and expalnations about what we were looking at was great.
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  3. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland That was lovely. How nice to see Neil the Seal again. Clever how he got himself out of the water and up onto the bank. The whooper swan was a treat. I can't recall seeing one before. As for Jimmy Cricket - I honestly didn't know there were crickets in the UK. See - another educational video. Thanks so much for producing it.
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  4. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland A lovely video full of 2020 memories. Taking a break between lessons, gives me an opportunity to thank you for all your hard work you've put into producing these high quality vlogs. I feel part of your channel family now and look forward to seeing what happened in 2021. Were you trying out your row boat on the River Colne or in the sea? I hope you're not considering going into competition with the ferry to Brightlingsea!
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  5. he Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is the rarest, and only globally threatened, passerine bird (IUCN status “vulnerable”), found in mainland Europe, with a very small world population of only 13,500-21,000 pairs. Once widespread and numerous on fen mires and wet meadows, this habitat specialist has disappeared from most of its former key range in northern Germany and Poland due to habitat loss and degradation.
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  6. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Nowe Slupno in Poland What a wonderful video. Beautifully filmed with your excellent commentary. So much industrial archiology and many bridges and tunnels to wonder at. Considering these waterways and their infrastructures were built in the early 1880s, it's remarkable that they still survive for us all to see. Again, I was amazed at all the different birds and mammals that call this part of Birmingham home. Parakeets - who would have thought they live here! absolutley fabulous cruise. Thanks so much. See you again soon. Stay safe please
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  7. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland We don't have very many Starlings here in this part of Poland. So seeing a flock that big would be an impossibility. A wonderful video. The nature walk was superb. Wetlands at their best. The little church was interesting. I wonder if it used very much these days? Thanks so much.
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  8. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. What a shame the Middle Level Adventure has had to finish. A fabulous journey - thanks so much for taking me along. A summer of new waterways, new places, new people and new nature. Great shame about the weather as you rejoined the River Nene. There is nothing worse than a long-faced Labrador who is wet and miserable. Still, she could have gone below! Another wonderful video. Thanks so much for making it.
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  9. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Spring - the bringer of new life and regeneration. What a fabulous video. You captured the season down to a "T" Willington Power Station - if you would like to find out more, I suggest you take a look a my freind Ants YouTube channel called Trekking Exploration. Go into Playlist, Abandoned Exploration. Item number 1 will give you chapter and verse about the site plus some incredible drone footage. Loved Chris and Alfie. I wonder if the same reaction would have taken place if you lived on land? I doubt it very much I'm a firm believer that you are as young as you feel. As long as you feel fit and well enough to do something, then do it. Your body will tell you when it's time to stop. I'm 74 and live my life to the full. I'm not giving up yet! Sorry about the dandelion honey. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Thanks so much - brilliant vlog
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  10. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. I've been meaning to ask this question for ages. Now I think is the right time. Where on earth do you get so much knowledge from, to enable you describe everything we see? I'm sure it's not just from the internet. A brilliant video. Superb camera work, especially the end sequence shot at dusk. Thank you so much.
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  11. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Thank you so much for making this wonderful video. In my humble oinion, one of your very best vlogs, ever! Full of nostalgia, memories and excitement. A fabulous journey using canal and railways. Superb camera work, brilliant commentary and plenty of birds and nature shots. Thank you again. See you next week. Stay safe please,
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  12. Hello Vanessa - greetings from a very spring like POland What a beautiful video. Superb camera work and commentary. You used the word miracle at the end of this weeks video. It certainly is a miracle to see how the seaons change and colour begins to come back into our lives in March. So many gorgeous animals and birds really makes life worth living. I love the Leek Branch very much and look forward to visiting other canals in Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire on our travels.
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  13. Hello Vanessa - New Year Greetings from Poland. An astounding video, showing just how fantastic, in certain light, the countryside is. Your commentary was so lovely, expressing your passion for nature. Brilliant camera work with your infectious laughter bringing a constant smile to my face. The Hatton Flight looked hard work but rewarding once you got to the top. A beautiful cruise. What a shame the house has been demolished. That's progress so we are told. Thanks so much for a gorgeous video. See you again soon, Stay safe please.
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  14. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. I think the canal system is a poorer place without characters like Ernie. Life was hard, but as Ernie said, he was fair. I thought your magnet fishing was very exciting. Fancy catching 4p. WOW! I hope you found plenty of yellow things, but remember, all that glistens isn't gold. However, natures golds are well worth searching for, in my opinion. The cruise to the pump out was very relaxing. Thanks for taking me along
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  15. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland What a wonderfully interesting video. Full of facts, information and new knowledge. We collect woodland/forest mushrooms during October. They're dried or pickled and eaten through the winter months especially at Chrismas time in soups. Fantastric shots of geese - the best burglar alarms ever invented. I liked the bird on your roof. I wonder what it wanted? Thanks again.
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  16. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland What a fabulous videos. So many things to se - so good and some not so good. A lovely cruise up to the lock full of weed that looked like a body floating in the water. On to the swollen river - a bit scary for a while. The siskins were beautiful. The steam train wonderful and the pub, brilliant. Take a rest with Nanny before you venture back through the torrent. Superb camera work and commentary. Lovely to see Zephyr was completely unphased by the adventure.
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  17. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. How lovely to meet the green parakeets. I remeber seeing them for the first time in the early 1970s at Esher Rugby Club. They were quite distracting! The video was superb. The Plughole however, quite terrifying. Despite the downpour, the deer were gorgeous and I'm so happy you got the cakes back to the boat, undamaged. Your poetry is lovely. Ever considered putting pen to paper and getting your drawings, memories and poems published in one book? It will be a winner for sure.
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  18. Credit where credit is due. Your channel is superb
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  19. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Good to see that repairs to the engine have started. I hope Phil performs his magic and the job is completed successfully. What ba lovely walk along the canal and dissued railway line. The station cafe and ajoining transport museum were superb.. Zephyr certainly enjoyed her sausage biscuit and cream delight! Beautiful flowers and birds - wonderful camera work and commentary. Last but not least, congratulations on moving the boat across the canal to the boatyard. Good job, well done.
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  20. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. I'm no expert, but I think you did a grand job getting Alice Grace through the Buckby Flight. Zeyphr looked impressed too. Beautiful camera work and phortographs of birds, flowers, mushrooms and insects galore. A beautiful video. Thanks so much
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  21. Hello Vanessa, Michael and Zephyr - greetings from Poland A really wonderful video. Looking back over your journey through 2022, brought back so many fantastic memories. Vanessa - you've have become a brilliant film maker, story teller, naturalist and friend over this year. I'm looking forward to travelling with you and supporting your channel in 2023. A Very Happy Prosperous and Healthy 2023 to the three of you. Lots of love.
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  22. Hello Vanessa- greetings from Poland. Even in winter, isn't the Ashby Canal lovely? This is the 4th time I've been on this canal, via 4 different channels I follow. Your video is very special because it shows nature in it's raw state. Your camera work and commentary bring everything to life and the information on what we are looking at, is superb. Thanks so much for doing all the your hard work so that we can enjoy your journey.
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  23. You are the 4th. The other three are Narrowboat Life unlocked with Paul and Anthony, Foxes Afloat with Colin and shaun and Cruising The Cut with David.
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  24. Me too!
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  25. Hello Vanessa - greetings from a slightly snowy Poland. Yes! - we are currently having our first snow fall of winter 23/24. It;s 17/11/23 and 20;19. A wonderful video. Nice walk along the towpath too. Nice to leave the boat for a change. Amazing bridges with their rope burn marks, The calside scenery is very beautiful. Made even better by your superb camera work and very educational commentary. Wherever you live, however you live, you have to pay. The main thing is that you and Michael are living the way you want to.
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  26. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland A lovely return cruise in sweltering heat. Gorgeous views across the countryside. Brilliant acrobatics from the tern. Good job you didn't moor Alice Grace where you suggested. If you had, I don't think Alice Grace would be any more. A wonderful video with one of your best poems.
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  27. Hello Vanessa - greetings from a very cold and snowy Poland An exciting cruise this week, all be it stuck between two lock closures. Beautifully photographed with a superb commentary too. The bird life was incredible, especially the acrobatic geese and that beautiful buzzard. From your description of weather to come, I recommend you batten down your hatches and close all snow and watertight doors! Stay warm and safe please.
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  28. Me too!
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  29. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland 3 different canals, loads of locks, beautiful wildlife, a fox and nature and a tunnel with 3 boats to negotiate and a bat to see. WOW! What a brilliant video. So much to see and do. I was amazed to learn about the eel! How on earth did it get there? You camera work was superb. Beautiful photography with Zyphr to assist you. Thanks so much for taking me along - I loved it. See you again soon. Stay safe please
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  30. English Conversation lessons with Janek and Zofia went very well thanks. Aged 15 (with Aspergers) and 13 respectively. Still fascinated with the story about the eel. I'm guessing it's an escapee or somebody dumped it.
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  31. Hello Vanessa - greeting from Poland. I've found out that there isn't any form of butterfly count in Poland. BUT, there has been a beaver count last year which was published in March 2022 - 36,019 in total! A fabulous video. Beautiful scenery to count your butterflies in. What a shame there weren't many more specises. The frog hopper was fascinating. Never heard of it - now I have. How lovely to see Zephyr behaving like a hooligan again. No ill effects from her leg wound. Thanks so much
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  32. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Video No. 26 - That was a beautiful video. Thank you so much for making it. I loved the pies and Christmas Tree. You're very clever. Bulborne was fantastic. The egret and the robin were wonderful. Thank you for the tranquil cruise to the water point. Now you're filled up, where to next I wonder?
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  33. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. The secretive Kingfisher and the explosion on the waters surface as the Cormorant took off were my favourite bits in this superb video. Thank ytou so much for the brilliant camera work. Congratulations too, to Michael for his expert helmsmanship skills in negotiating the turn from the Thames onto the Wey. The cruise was very peaceful - much different from the harrowing experiences of weathering the storm. I hope you got the loo pumped out before catastrophy happened!
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  34. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland An exciting video,. Scary storm and even more scary tree that might fall on Alice Grace. All on your own too. I felt for you. I hope AG enjoyed her Christmas at Barby Moorings and that the Family had a great time at Mersea. I loved the Starling Wars. Those filths of birds always remind me of gansters. Stunning filming Vanessa. Thank you
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  35. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland That was lovely! The ant hills at Croxley Common were amazing. Wow! - The facts and figures you supplied were incredible. The cruise from Rickmansworth to the pumpout point was gorgeous. The autumn colours were qite superb. Thank you so much
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  36. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Butterflies and creepy crawlies. Lovely! Without them, our eco system would come to a grinding halt. They are a necessity and should be treated with care. The cruise was gorgeous. You have a very clever narrowboat. It appears to steer itself! Do you have a steersman and if you do, do we ever see him? A wonderful video, drawing of a butterfly and poem. Thank you so much
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  37. Alice Grace is a magic boat! Thanks for the info
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  38. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. Oh dear! A few mishaps during this vlog. A christening in the river, unable to close the carriage door and digging up an unripe artichoke. Never mind - worse things happen at sea, so they say. I do hope you managed to recover your bank card from the depths The trip on the ex. L&NWR was pretty good. Better to be pulled by a steam engine than a class 14 diesel though. A lovely video. Thank you so much for making it.
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  39. You have excelled yourself with this video. It was brilliant. What a magical place the Wendover Arm is. Full of surprises round every bend. We live in a very small world. In my past life I worked for an international insurance company and one of the clients I used to visit was Heygate Flour Mill on this Arm. Was it still working when you went pass? The plaque was an extremely kind thought. There for all to see and something to be proud of. The cruise and walk around the reservoir - fantastic. Thanks so much for taking me along
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  40. Absolutley no mushrooms in our local forest this year. Magda thinks it's because we had a very dry June and July. In Auguat the spores should germinate but becuase of no rain, nothing has grown. Deforestation hasn't helped either.
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  41. Hello Vanessa - greetings from a very cold and snowy Poland. What a fantastic video. I really hope your voice has been heard about HVO. Many thanks to Phil for all his hard work in fixing and rebuilding your engine. I hope you now can run your boat safely. You still found a smile and laugh despite all the adversities. A lovely cruise, great test drive (super polite to those fishermen). It just proves that if you are nice to people they are usually nice to you.
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  42. Hello Vanessa - greetings from a very cold and snowy Poland. A wonderful video - yet again, I've learnt some new things. I loved the visit to Cadburys. I bet the smell was gorgeous. What a kind and thoughtful employer he was. Mind you, there's no pub! Wonderful wildlife this week especially the kingfisher and the jay. Your poem was lovely. I was surprised about the ice. Will it damage the boat? See you again very soon. Stay safe please
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  43. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland You've excelled yourself this week. Nature wise, one of your best videos yet. "A Fox at Foxton" was absolutely stunning, The starlings, kingfisher, heron and insects were all beautifully filmed with a wonderful commentary to go with it. A gorgeous cruise towards Foxton Locks, admiring the autumnal golds reds and browns as we went by. The journey through Saddington Tunnel was very exciting. Gorgeous colours inside were photographed expertly. Congratulations - superb vlog. "One spot for one week" - really makes sense to me. Stay safe please
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  44. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. These videos of yours are getting better and better as I go through them. That was an early. start. I hope you didn't wake up too many boaters. They say the early bird catches the worm. Getting to your destination was obviously important to you. Ducks etc. - so many. I've never heard of a cayuga duck. New one on me, As for the goose - absolutley no idea. Sorry. The cruise from Teddington to Brentford was very relaxing thank you. Can't wait for the next one.
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  45. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland One of your most interesting videos - The Foxton Locks. You brought the history of this fascinating place to life. Superb camera work with a wonderful commentary explaining everything we were looking at. A great meeting place for people and dogs. No wonder you enjoyed the flight so much - loads of people to talk to! The autumal colours were magnificent. The wild life, unbelievable - especially the Kestrel, Wren and 5 Herons, who were in a field all together in one place. Zephyr was incredible. Showing you how to take her stick through a gate, knowing it didn't fit. Last but no least, was your beautiful poem and the chance to look through your journal, bringing back so many wonderful memories of cruises and videos gone by. Thanks so much - a fabulous video. Love to you both. Stay safe please and I'll see you again soon.
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  46. You now have a new Patreon!
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  47. I'm feeling a lot better thanks. Recovery period is longer than I thought but recent tests have shown that my rightkidney is working a lot better than it used to. However, drinking between 3 and 4 litres of water every 24 hours is hard
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  48. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland I'm an early bird, going to bed quite early too. I find the early morning quiet and peaceful - an easy time to get things done before the rush begins. A wonderful video this week. Full of of lots of things to see. I must admit, time spent with you is precious to me. Your channel is so relaxing. Beautifully photographed, superb commentary and of course lovely Zephyr.
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  49. Thanks Vanessa, I'm feeling a lot better. Healing slowly but I'm getting there.
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  50. Hello Vanessa - greetings from Poland. News from here first. We had a visit from a family of wild boar during the night. Today is bio bag collection day - I think the pigs knew! Ripped up bags everywhere. Luckily not ours - not put out until I took the dogs out at 7am. Another superb video. Thanks so much. The cruise was very pleasant. Question - Alice Grace shows Heywood as her base. Is there a story here?
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