<div><p><i>We were aware of a dreamlike quality to&nbsp;our trip. There was something far-fetched&nbsp;about it, something out of this world.</i></p><p>Austerity might be getting everyone else down, but Steve is waving&nbsp;his worries goodbye on another of his light-hearted trips around the&nbsp;picturesque English waterways. This time it’s a bit different, though. This time he’s not just cruising&nbsp;with his cat, Kit, but with his long-suffering wife, Em, who’s given&nbsp;up work and wants her share of easy living, too. They’ve rented out&nbsp;their home for the ups and downs of a life afloat, and there’s no going back now as they cruise from the historic River Thames, through the&nbsp;Midlands, and westward into the hills of Wales, meeting a familiar&nbsp;cast of eccentrics and oddballs along the way, and experiencing one&nbsp;of the hottest summers of recent years. But how, after life in a four-bedroom house, do they manage to&nbsp;survive together squeezed into a space the size of a potting shed?&nbsp;Other books pretend to tell you about life afloat – this one shows you&nbsp;what it’s really like.</p></div>