The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Photography: Carmel King

Photography: Carmel King

Good reasons to live on a houseboat

Iona Bower July 31, 2021

In our August issue, Pete and Emily Francis showed us around their houseboat and had us all hankering after a life on the ocean wave (or at least a life on the canal). To tempt you to the same, we’ve put together a watertight list of reasons why living on a houseboat is the best way to live. 

  1. You never need to declutter. If the item wasn’t essential in the first place, you’d never have brought it on board. 

  2. Whenever you’re sick of the view, you can change it. 

  3. It’s very hard to have accidents because every surface has a ledge on it. No more broken mugs. 

  4. You never have to shout up the stairs when it’s dinner time. Your family will simply see you put dinner on the table from six inches away. 

  5. If you fall out with your neighbours you can move house the same day. 

  6. You’ll never have trouble falling asleep; you’ll be rocked to the land of nod every night. 

  7. And it’s never far to walk to the loo in the middle of the night either. 

  8. You’ll save a fortune on ‘calming water sounds’ apps for your wellbeing. 

  9. You can legitimately call yourself ‘captain’. And if you make a friend in the boating community you can promote yourself to admiral of the fleet. 

  10. And if you ever suffer from dissent in the ranks you can make your family walk the plank. 

If you need any more (sensible) reasons to live on a houseboat, you can read about Peter and Emily’s lives aboard the Navah on page 88 of the August issue or follow them on Instagram at @littlefloatinghome.

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More from our August issue…

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More watery inspiration…

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InFun Tagsissue 110, water, canals, canal boat, houseboat
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Featured
 MARCH ISSUE   Buy  ,   download  or  subscribe   Pre-order a copy of  our new Homebird bookazine   Buy  Flourish Volume 4 , our wellbeing bookazine Order our  our new Celebrations Anthology   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Listen to  our
Feb 27, 2026
Feb 27, 2026

MARCH ISSUE

Buy, download or subscribe

Pre-order a copy of our new Homebird bookazine

Buy Flourish Volume 4, our wellbeing bookazine
Order our our new Celebrations Anthology

See the sample of our latest issue here

Listen to our podcast – Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2026
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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