Comments by "Rikki Harcourt" (@rikkiharcourt3868) on "The Mindful Narrowboat" channel.

  1. The story of flint for me was SO interesting. I live in a flint old stable and always imagined a lot of gnarled elderly men sitting around knapping the stones for my dwelling. Now I wonder if my stones were sold off being too big to grind down for Mr Wedgewood. Whither thou goest this summer I will follow……wouldn’t miss an adventure with you for anything.
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  2. I once had two Red Kites fighting over half a string of sausages in my back garden, their size was enormous and I could hear a huge noise from their wings as they thrashed about. That was about 10 years ago…..never seen them so close since, they have moved to a more promising area I suppose. We still have buzzards though and a sparrow hawk that sits on top of the bird feeder at sunrise waiting for breakfast to fly in. Lovely video, zephyr gets more and more impressive. She is much admired. Thanks again.
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  3. A lovely start to my weekend……yours are all quite different and this one was spectacular. Bats and snails……you will have to get yourself a pith helmet soon if you carry on like this!
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  4. How lovely to see lapwings again, way back in 1970 they were numerous. Had a delightful adventure this morning, woke to find my tuxedo cat Charlie pulling my bedroom to pieces, later saw a tiny wren flying out. Later later , found a tiny tiny wren trying to escape out of the kitchen window, scooped him up and freed him from the stable door. I would have loved to have looked at it closely but he it had had enough trauma so it needed its freedom. Charlie was still trying to find it and gave me a black look for ages. Thank you for your delightful vlog, I know all that area well. So good to see it again.
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  5. Just lovely…..and Zeph is one very happy dog.
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  6. It’s a long while since we have had peewits living in the field next to us. A real joy to see them again. I thought you must be sailing over a supermarket trolley when you encountered metal in the shallow water…..you do see life don’t you?
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  7. The sun is over the yardarm so I poured a G&T to watch you tackle all that engineering with the lengthy locks….what a great treat at the end, scenery as good as Britain at its best. Edith Wharton would have loved to have met you I am sure. Great vlog as ever, if not better.
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  8. Lovely. Lovely indeed.
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  9.  @themindfulnarrowboat  I am afraid the problem is far beyond green verges, we are surrounded my miles of fields. It has to be down to too much activity from people, vehicles, noise and all the rest of the things WE need to survive. It is all too complicated for quick fix answers.
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  10. I read The Edwardian Lady book years ago in my younger days. It’s a real classic and was total romance to a young girl brought up in London. I had the Thames and Kew Gardens so hankered for green fields everywhere. I have got them now but the swap was actually quite painfull. Perhaps it always is?
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  11. Me too please. I would love to buy your book.
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  12. I never knew herons socialised in a cluster, maybe this is one family. All facing the same way. Siege of herons…I like that.
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  13. I love that heron bridge, what a lovely thing to do to a road and water. Just a thought…do you think that winding (round and round) in the past was pronounced winding (moving air )? Coventry is such a surprise, I have got a soft spot for street art, maybe not so much just words but colours and imagination can be very exciting. Enjoying your Coventry trip.
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  14. You must be so well organised. You fill your day with interest then come home to an immaculate galley for tea. Never a dirty pan or plate anywhere. Envious.
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  15. I am watching this with one eye and KC3 Trooping of the Colour with the other. Not a greater contrast possible. You are winning so far ! Brass bands and otters…….no contest.
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  16. Winter in the country might lead one to the conclusion that it would be, because of leafless trees, like living in a black and white print. Not at all, you found an amazing amount of colour and it is lovely. Really lovely. I will ignore the damp, the cold and the noisy ice, perhaps we can think of it as like labour pains and forget the hardship when we are back to the good times. Summer is just heavenly I think.
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  17. Second and finding the idea very interesting. I am all agog!
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  18. Oh I do miss the thrushes. I could never work out which was more spectacular, a singing thrush or a singing blackbird.
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  19. Goodness, what a hardy soul you have. Ice for a whole week and you turned it into an adventure. Genius. I would have wrapped myself up in twenty two blankets and not moved a muscle. You are one very special person. Thank you for all the fun and nature events and updates.
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  20. You will appreciate I am sure how I enjoy travelling along with you and experiencing the nature and wildlife things that you and your camera see. I had an infection that knocked out my balance soI can no longer tramp over rough ground. It is so lovely to revisit one of my many favourite pastimes. A million thanks. You are special indeed.
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  21. I wonder if that rabbit was dropped by a large predatory bird…..it would have to be a pretty big one. I hope rabbits are brave enough to jump and escape …… it would be so vulnerable up there.
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  22. Now those little spiders are lovely. They don’t have long hairy legs and make me shudder at all. I wonder why.
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  23. Birmingham to me in my younger days meant exhibiting, and exhibitions balti suppers and wanting to look inside the bullring, all many years ago. I ate by the water but I don’t know where and have so enjoyed another view of the city. I like your view better, I love how wildlife just carries on alongside us all demonstrating their right to territory is as valid as ours.
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  24. I think that beautiful seed wants to be near you and deserves to find a bit of earth…….maybe in one of your pots. I think any day with nothing awful happening is a great gift, some may call it boring, I don’t! The quiet days when we can listen to ourselves are a blessing………..there are many who would like the chance.
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  25. That was lovely all through. When I saw the man in the water so matter of fact and calmly doing a nasty job I couldn’t help thinking how our view of men has changed. We couldn’t do without them. There are machines to do stuff but they don’t cheer us up as much as a big grin from a man who knows his worth and who knows that nobody does it better. That scenario really cheered me up.
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  26. Fens are fabulous .l really enjoyed this exploration, best done from a boat. Thank you.
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  27. I had two red kites in my garden about 8 or 9 yrs ago. I was leaning on my kitchen stable door only about 10 feet away as they squabbled over raw sausages. They are huge and very beautiful with a massive wingspan. They no longer hunt in my neck of the woods though.
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  28. Just what I want from a canal programme, from dandelions to cuckoo and lots of birdsong. I am going to ride along with you….it will be lovely. Thanks.
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  29. I feel like I am going to be a stowaway with you all this summer. That was so beautiful.
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  30. My teenage terrorist kittens occasionally bring home a little land shrew….I have been able to save a few but my goodness they have got a bite on them. Hurts for hours afterwards. What lovely scenic pics, beautiful dark and light water and stunning skeleton trees. Oh, the visual pleasure. Can you hear my sigh of gratitude?
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  31. Swooping past lovely landscape in a narrow boat is such a different experience. A motor on a road is far too fast but doing the same on water allows time for reflection (ha!) and mental growth. Bit like walking. Loving riding along with you.
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  32. Neil the seal is a wonder. How self possessed and independent he is. Found a lovely spot to call his own. I wonder if he feels he is a famous seal.
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  33. You won’t ever be mouldering and boringly old will you? Not with narrow boat adventures everyday. Many many people must envy you even though there must be a few hard moments. I am one of them.
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  34. Philanthropy in the grand style of Cadbury set the standard. Not anymore though, though the whole system is handled by the anonymous powers that be now and there are homgreat heroes who
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  35. Many years ago when we moved into our old stable we found there were a few glow worms in the drive beyond our house. The Old Retainer told that they had once been there in droves. As time went by we saw fewer and asked the concern that moved into the big house if they would change from mowing the grass in July when the Lady Glows climbed the grass stalks to attract a mate. Sadly they took no notice and now there are glow worms no more.
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  36. A lovely reminder for me of my childhood sailing with my father on the Thames, Teddington, Strand On The Green, Putney etc. happy happy days.
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  37. I have broken my plan by having 2 vids today……irresistible and quite lovely. You are a talented film maker and lady. Cheers.
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  38. @ don’t blame you one bit ……….if it were me it wouldn’t have been a little cry!!!
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  39. That was lovely and you land up in many beautiful places. If ever you became a landlubber would you settle in a favourite village…..you see so many beauties I am sure it would be hard. I would be quite tempted by today’s! Happy Friday.
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  40. You were well and truly weathered with this trip……this one I started in order to calm down ready for sleep! It must have been really exciting on the edge of danger and a shocking change to all the duckweed on the last blog I watched. I am falling in love with herons, such a sculptural bird. Another great vlog……you are top notch indeed.
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  41. Believe me, the kite story is an unusual high spot. Most days it is a couple of blue tits and very little else. Oh maybe a pigeon or two.
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  42. Maybe a buttercup to partner your lovely daisy?
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  43. I can’t help loving starlings. We used to have them all the time, they lived with us and the next door neighbours and “Me, the Missus and the Boys” would forage the lawn for leatherjackets.
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  44. I am curious and excited by all the amazing architectural insects……except spiders, those great big summer and autumn hairy things. I am rigid with fear and don’t know how to cope. But the rest are welcome, maybe not fleas or mossies though.
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  45. “Nobody loves me and I’m only little”. We can all speak chick. Other chicks chuck their siblings out if the nest themselves so who can tell. So interesting.
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  46. Sounds like you have travelled from the ridiculous to the sublime!
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  47. I think I have fallen in love with terns too, so graceful and have tails like swallows. Your search for shade reminded me that in theUSA people build their houses absolutely right under the trees because then the bugs don’t bite. They bite anywhere here. I remember when some local town wanted to build houses and factories on some deserted chalky land at the edge of the chilterns overlooking an old car dump. I went for a walk there, it was quite isolated except for what looked like thousands of butterflies of all sorts all flying around me. It was just wonderful, now only see them in twos and threes where I live .
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  48. I have bats in my roof, but I never hear their sounds as they are far away in a hayloft. If I try to see them in the evening I get eaten by midges. Nothing is perfect!
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