You may say I'm a dreamer

Hi, my name's Ian (why do I feel like I'm at an AA meeting?) Just to put you in the picture, I'm in my early 40s and have lived in Cambridge for nearly 25 years. For the last few months I've been nurturing a crazy dream... to start a brand new life living aboard a narrowboat on the river Cam. Not that I've ever set foot on a narrowboat, you understand; let alone lived on one! Still can't shake off this feeling that I'd love it, though!

Hmm. Mid-life crisis, p'raps?

Anyway, last week I put my name on the waiting list for a residential mooring, and have even thought of a name for my imaginary future boat - Viola Mac (in memory of my late mother).

You see? Halfway there already!

In all seriousness, I have been doing as much online research as I can. Scouring brokerage sites to get an idea of the current boat layouts & prices, and 'liveaboard' forums to learn from those who've done it all before. There's also been a certain amount of navel-gazing going on...

Am I physically hardy enough for such a lifestyle? Those last two winters? Brrr!!!

Will I fit in with the river community? I'm not sure I fit in with this land-based one!

It'd be such a radical change, that I'm definitely going to have to curb my initial enthusiasm. More research needed. But hey, there's an estimated 3-5 year waiting period for my residential mooring, so no rush!