Schwimhausboot.

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(DISCLAIMER: I'm not actually skiving off. Frequently, after long face-to-face discussions or electronic battles with my boss, I feel the need to refresh the mind and rejuvenate the spirit. Or else I would surely sink to suicidal depression. So when you see me blogging during office hours, don't think of me of yet another useless civil servant burning away the taxpayer's dollar. Think of me as struggling hard to stay sane so I can keep my head above the water, to win your wars, to leave you free to worry about all the little things that may or may not give meaning to your lives.)

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You've probably figured out by now that I was a HUGE fan of the "Highlander: The Series", starring the luscious Adrian Paul as dark, broody and immortal Duncan MacCleod.

Mr MacCleod also lived in a houseboat on the Seine for those parts of his interminable life in which he had the misfortune of having to live in Paris. (That it was the Seine is entirely new to me. The whole time I followed that series I could've sworn he was in Belgium. But wikipedia is never wrong, right?)

Anyboot, check these out:

It's stuff like these that get me out of bed each morning. Maybe one day I'll get to live in one of those! They haven't got the rustic charm of a converted barge, but I could deal with clean modern lines and sunlight.

The Dutch have been really into this idea for a while now due to their constant fight against drenched knickerbockers and moldy clogs (why anyone would choose to stick around and build a civilisation on land that's mostly beneath sea level is beyond me, but then maybe they didn't mind so much since they're so tall). They speak good English, seem pretty tolerant of immigrants, and are also into the whole maritime and shipping thing. They also have cheese, tulips and Amsterdam. I could totally live in the Netherlands.

Bazza: I note that there're floating homes in Australia, so the plan to shift to Oz is still on the table. It might just take longer for me to get there though :-)

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