The winter has been a test of endurance, the amount of rain, not only affected the landscape, it also affected us; for the first time we experienced a seasonal low point within ourselves.  Nonetheless, we had to get on with it and that was our saving grace.  Driven by our inner strengths to live alongside and work with whatever nature lays before us, it turned out to be a very temporary glitch and from it we’ve grown a little more.

The Universe has been on our side tho, despite the hardships, wood foraging has been in abundance, we’ve got special places to moor and they’ve been available to us with each new cruise.  We’re getting more efficient at living off the land and we’ve managed that better through  winter.  Our new addition, Esme has found the winter very difficult, however with love, patience and consistency she has overcome mud, rain, wind and temperatures below freezing, all before she was 5 months; happily to report she is now enjoying the outdoors come all weathers.  Also with thanks to Universe, my dread appointments weren’t that busy, giving me the opportunity to prioritise on what we needed to stay warm and dry.

With the intense rain, strong winds and the worst towpath mud mire I’ve experienced to date, my truck then added to the situation and died.  Luckily, I have a fantastic mountain bike and we cruised to areas on the canal where I can get access to trains; we adapted as quickly as we could and daily life started to roll along peacefully.  Mid February, further storms were predicted, I thought it best for the few appointments later in February to be reschedule to March, it all worked out wonderfully.  The rescheduled appointments all understood and so weren’t put at any risk travelling to us nor anyone having to trudge through rain and mud to the boat.

I’m so proud of us all, the winter has been a huge challenge and we managed it amazingly well.  Spring is finally here, the dread diary is fully booked for March, almost fully booked for April and I’m already taking bookings for May.  We’ve replaced the truck with an old jalopy, which looks to be quite fun to get about in, Esme the new pup is soaking up the spring, jumping and running about as a happy care free pupster should do.  Life is good.  

Dreadheads visiting with their dread needs and don’t have their own transport, needing to use public transport, I offer a pick up and drop off service from and to the nearest train station and bus stop. I charge a small fee for the service, which over the past years has only been £5, I need to increase this a little, so increasing to £8 starting this month, January 2024. Thanks all for your loyalty, support and trust, see you soon.

November was a whoosh month, it came and went without any drama whatsoever, had regular visits from dreadheads, weather remained autumnal so we didn’t have to use much of our winter fuel stocks and every day began simply and wonderfully solitary.

December however, our world got turned upside and down and inside out, we welcomed in to our little family, a new member;  please meet Esme, puppy number 2, who was 9 weeks when we brought her home.  She’s doing well, Mia our present dog is lovingly gentle with her and over the weeks, they have bonded amazingly well.  After bringing Esme home, the rains came, which together with shorter days and longer nights, made housetraining Esme a challenge, we did it tho, happy days.

Winter Solstice our holy day, our homage to this auspicious time had to change somewhat, because Esme being too young for us to leave for a long time.   The change worked out well, especially as more rain came and towpaths, surrounding fields and woodlands were a mud mire.  We know of a ridgeway across the fields close to where we were moored, so with Mia, we headed up there before the dawn, the rain had stopped, the morning was windy, fresh and wholesome, eventually, there was a break in the clouds and we got to see a little of the sun rising, was wonderful.  Trooping back home I then set about cooking up a small banquet in celebration of a new lunar cycle and how that powers the earth’s cycle and all of nature begins again.

September was a wonderfully busy month for dreads, a lot of regular faces, great catching up with everyone.  October was equally busy, plus great to meet some new faces, especially as there are still a lot of deadheads who don’t want dread extensions; gives me hope and I’m grateful.

Priority this time of year is keeping the wood stack plentiful, so we’re out and about wood foraging for windfall most days, Mia the pup loves it.  Maintaining the chainsaws and sharpening up the axes, because preparation is fundamental in living off grid.  The second wood burner, successfully installed and is a delight early morning, making the sacred space warm for Sādhana practices.  

October is the Autumn equinox and we gave a little sacrifice of our time and attention to connecting with the earthly cycles.  Autumn is a magical time of year, the sap in the trees begins to go down late September, which we notice in ourselves as we begin to slow down.  We’ve noticed the berries this year are much more than last year, this may be nature telling us winter is going to be harsh, so be ready.  What I especially like this time of year is the crows caw, don’t hear the crows so clearly spring and summer, however autumn and winter, the caw can be heard above the trees and across the fields.  I adore this time year, I like the hard work, gives me purpose.

July was its regular busy self, the dread diary was fully booked. August, however, was delightfully quiet, not that I organised it that way, it’s simply how things naturally flowed.

We’ve cruised east on the canal, finding isolated mooring spots each time we moved.  We truly have been spoilt this summer with the most tranquil of places to set up home.

This year, for the first time, we experimented with growing potatoes on the roof, the grow was a success.  We’re chuffed and with our new confidence, we’re going to experiment with growing other foods; carrots, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce.

We’re now installing a second wood burner at the far end of the boat, because the boat is very long and isn’t open plan, the heat from our main stove doesn’t get to the other end of the boat.  This second wood burner will be a game changer for so many things.  Wood foraging, our favourite off-grid job, has already begun, we’ve got a huge stack of windfall, most of which we’ve sawn, chopped already; preparation is the key to living comfortably off-grid.  We’ve also been lucky to have acquired another solar panel.  The solar panels we already have do the job well, we run all our necessary electrics from them, which isn’t much at all.  However, the solars at present give power for 9 months on average, with an extra solar panel, we aim to get 10 months, thus reducing our diesel usage down to a bare minimum.

Now in September, the hawthorn berries are in abundance and looking spectacular.  We’re having a mini-heatwave which is lush and the dread diary is already fully booked, with October, November bookings already coming in; looks like I’m going to be busy this autumn. 

Been on a slow cruise East of the canal since March, reaching a final destination just as the first summer heatwave came along, taking us into Summer Solstice, oh the joy of the warm sun, bringing people outdoors to enjoy nature is a wholesome thing.

Besides being fully booked with dreadmaking, I took a trip to Germany to spend time with my family and while we have the light in the early morning, I’ve taken my Āsana practice outdoors to a park, purely for fun mind; its so I can multitask my physical fitness needs with playing with our pup Mia.  It’s all working out rather well, we’re both having a lot of fun.

Summer weeks also offer the opportunity for dreadhead appointments, if they would like, to take their experience outdoors, some have a bit of both.  This summer, because of the locations we’ve moored, we’ve been able to sit out on the towpath and get right up close to living earthway.  I make every effort to provide a comfortable environment for all dreadhead visitors, keeping space as flexible as possible, so that all can enjoy and soak up the connecting, centring and healing energy of nature.  Thank you to all dreadhead visitors, for opening up and offering their likes and dislikes, in helping me to make each visit personal and meaningful.

Its the end of April and Spring is finally here, what a magical day it’s been, the sun has finally warmed us up good and proper, I didn’t need to wear a sweater and I’ve worn sandals today.  Ducklings and goslings are bobbing about the canal, bumblebees are bumbling, dandelions are reflecting the sun, rabbits are playing chase and trees are looking lush with leaves…… Happy days!

Tomorrow we’re on the move again, heading East, check ‘contacts page’ to find out more about locations.

If this lovely weather continues, I’ll be getting the outside space ready, so we can enjoy keeping company with Mother Nature, while I take care of your dreads.

A reminder that JataDreads has a Facebook page, which is a great for keeping up to date with available dates, cancellations, portfolio of dreads and bits and bobs about our travelling life.  Please, simply search JataDreads and follow.

We’ve been super busy and whilst sitting here writing this blog entry, I’m thinking how quickly these two months have passed.  My dreadmaking diary has been wonderfully, fully booked, feeling grateful.  The minus temperatures didn’t stop people committing to their appointments, on the contrary, their contagious excitement for the journey into the Wiltshire wilderness, trooping a sparkly frozen towpath to the boat, seeing the canal frozen and our houseboat frozen in, to stepping into our home and being greeted by a warm burner-stove, was an enchanting adventure.  Has been great catching up with familiar faces and wonderful to meet new faces, of which there have been quite a few.  

A little about our nomadic life these past two months.

The necessity to successfully living off grid is all in the preparation.  Be prepared for all eventualities.  We’re efficient at preparing for winter, tis something we pride ourselves on.  Observing the earthway around us, we’re accustomed to sussing out what weather is coming, however, we still check in with weather forecasts and I’m glad we do; as we were so prepared for the extreme minus temperatures.  

The canal froze over more than once, the first freeze was the most extreme, we were frozen in for several weeks.  We have ready, a couple of 25L containers should we have a water situation.  This winter our extra water butts froze, so did the water-point taps located at the convenience stops along the canal, which we couldn’t cruise too, because we were frozen in.  So Philip had to take the 25L containers to work everyday, fill them with water, bring them home, so I could keep the internal water tank topped up.   Wood foraging has been stepped up and I’ve been out most days sawing and splitting logs.  The burner-stove, which is our only source of heating, has been keeping us safe, warm and toasty, day and through the night; so for those of you, who might have wondered how we were doing in -13, -11, -6 freezes, we were comfy-cozy.  Taking Mia out for walks during the freezes were also restricted, it was too cold for such a young dog, so outdoor activity had to be short and sweet.  Instead of playing outdoors, we had fun and games indoors. Oh and Mia is 1 years old on 28th February.

We have enjoyed every moment of this winter, the extreme cold put us to the test, finding out what we are capable of and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved this winter.  I’ve come to favour the winter season much more, I’m almost a little sad to see it pass into spring.

Thank you to the passing Earth Cycle for all the life lessons good and bad 

I release and let go of actions and experiences from the passing Earth Cycle, that have caused negative attachments.

I now prepare and welcome changes and new lessons.

I welcome new opportunities to grow mentally and spiritually.

Yogaśanti (peace in union)

Winter Solstice is a special time for us, not only do we pay homage to nature, we also celebrate our union, our wedding anniversary.

The months September, October and November are in preparation for the season and our winter holiday.  Navigating our cruises strategically so we can be moored in the area where we have the deepest connection, together with daily wood foraging for fire wood.  Our winter break, a time for some self care and tidying our dreads. 

Thank you for your support, your efforts to travel to us to have your dreads installed or maintained and thank you for your trust. Great keeping company with like minded people nourishing the day with your visit.

January and February are already looking busy, with limited available dates, so looking forward to meeting new faces and catching up with regular faces.

Solstice blessings

Philip, Anna-Marie & Mia

Taking our regular winter holiday, dates this year are from Saturday 17th December 2022 till Tuesday 3rd January 2023. Also a heads up, already taking bookings for January 2023, so don’t leave it too long to get booked in for the New Year.