You alright Steve?
Yeah see you later!
I would love to say that everything in my little world is fine and the
coronavirus is not a problem and everything on the canals is all roses and
castles but although I don't have the virus and none of my family do i I do
know people who suffer from immune disease deficiencies when the
immune systems are compromised say but yeah people who would be most at
risk very close to me my family and my friends circle so yeah it is worrying
it's real this is a real thing like it doesn't matter if like me I'm on a
canal boat you know I'm not coming into contact with anyone I could easily self
isolate because it's quite you know it's quite lonely a solitary existence
anyway so you know I could say it doesn't affect me
couldn't i? but it does it does everything around me people that are most
dear to me but anyway you know I hope if you're watching this that you
are ok you're well and you're not having to self isolate although a lot of people
are, a lot of you over the age of 70 or whatever probably quite worried right
now or not and I would be I'd be pissed off if I was you being told you
got to stay in for up to four months I think that suggestion was but that's
just mad isn't it anyway
showing a bit of solidarity for my favourite lager but it's sobering
all this just it's mad absolutely crazy I've never seen
anything like this I think I was thinking back to November when my canal
boat Diaries series came out I was ill for about two weeks and could that have been
coronavirus I'm not sure no idea but I was absolutely
not very well but yeah but as you can see life on the boat is just as
normal I mean i'm having to do I've obviously stocked up the food let's show
you my food situation I've got a bucket load of everything from noodles to rice
to pasta all that sort of stuff even these I'm quite addicted to these
corn cracker thingies...oatcakes got yer oot kakes in there (terrible accent)
and here's all my food in here so let's just get the camera in there I've
got a lot of tin stuff... soups and that... flour and then like
you know the more perishable stuff vegetables and they'll keep quite well
in there and then I've also got...well I've also got all these! which I'll be
putting into the fridge...
and the fridge
well there's hardly anything in at the
moment but I'm gonna go into a shop and get some nice stuff tomorrow
I've got buttermilk in there that's for making bread parmesan there but the
boats looking I think one thing that I'm doing now that perhaps I've not been so
hot on is general cleanliness and hygiene so a lot of yeah just being tidy
and apart from the washing up I've got to do here just keeping everything you
know wiped over I've got... let me show you... this might interest you
I made up my own solution for cleaning this is alcohol, isopropyl
alcohol and I've just chucked it in a bottle with water, some essential oils like tea
tree and lemongrass and then am just spraying it down and wiping anything I
think you know... it's just...
I feel like oh yeah it's paranoia worrying about things
just because it's on the news but it's just a habit we've gotta get into I
suppose specially if I'm you know I'm
currently in a relationship with a
girl who's got a two-year two and a half year old
and I'd quite like to see them again!
but I can't at the moment because of public transport it's too much of a risk
you know and I just don't want to sort of put them in danger at all
I haven't got a car, if I had a car it'd be a lot easier to go and see them but yeah
so I'm trying to keep on top of cleanliness and tidiness
it's just... and washing my hands obviously I'm filming on an
iPhone and yeah just washing that is something that perhaps I hadn't
thought about but everyday I'm doing it now the case and the screen
give it a wipe over with some alcohol on a rag or something and I'm just yeah
trying to be trying to be good about it it's difficult isn't it because I'm on
my own so who am I gonna infect? I'm not gonna come in contact with... well I do
come into contact with quite a lot of people and I'm headed into towards a
city at the moment which you know there's more people there and this is
mad doesn't it?!! I want to talk about supermarkets - you go to a supermarket and
yeah it's just there's loads of people milling around obviously stocking up but
also isn't that what we're trying to ban at the moment? hundreds of people in
the same confined space you know in queues and everything but yeah
apart from maybe some cheese and meat and stuff
— not having milk at the moment — apart
from that I'm alright for food and toilet rolls my wonderful girlfriend
managed to reach me the other day in her car and she dropped off some
toilet rolls and some beers and things so that's all good
but yeah I do miss her I just can't see at the moment cuz she's she's gonna go
back to work and doesn't know whether she will actually have to go to work or not
she might have to go and look after her nan it's just... it's crazy
I could be very selfish and think oh I'm on my own you know I don't used to rely
on anyone I'm just you know Robbie on my boat but there's a lot of people around
me who have different lives that I have to think of as well so I think if
anything to take away from this coronavirus pandemic is think about
others you know it might affect you but it could affect other people that you've
got to think about and support and I'm I hate to think of this but it might be
good for us youngsters I'm 37 so I'm not that young but for younger people to
realize that yeah you're gonna have to look after your elders especially
if they do bring about this which they probably will do won't they bring about this
self isolation and obviously anyone who's ill and they're self isolating
they're gonna need help you know you need help so hopefully we could all help
each other .... but it certainly doesn't stop canal boats
— there's another one going past
suppose like one of the best holidays would be on a narrow boat at the moment wouldn't it
because all the flights are getting canceled
as far as narrowboats are concerned
still floating... still only can go that way or that way...
and yeah I feel healthy
in myself I think I've already had coronavirus!! so I think I'm alright but
it's just you know I'm thinking about how can I support others a tweet
that I put out recently was really well received and it's great because yeah
just people seem to agree with what I was saying about trying to support
those that might need it most and there's a lot of people on the canals
who could probably do that anyway/do with some help anyway so you know just I
think the only only way I can is just retweet that's the only help I can give is
like retweeting it's not cries for help but you know
anyone who's in trouble to tweet me whatever and all and I'll retweet that
to other people and see if someone in your area if you're a boater, someone in
your area to come out and help you or even if you're not a boater you know
someone who maybe shares the same interest —
this [incredibly niche] narrowboat channel
then maybe they can help
anyway stay healthy and I will catch up with you on the next
video and hopefully, well definitely the next one will be more upbeat and you'll
see some classic cruising but I've not forgotten about what's going on
right now it really is happening and yeah we'll get through it
alright Cheers bye bye
now where's my beer...