Friday 5th November

It's bonfire night - another 'holiday' which, like Halloween, I've never been particularly bothered about, ever since the years spent at The White Lion fireworks display in Rochdale where I'd invariably beg to be taken home after about five minutes. It's not that I don't like fireworks, more that, well, they're just bloody loud aren't they?

Tonight promises to be a bit different though, as K and I have been invited to a bonfire party at a strange community of houseboats, moored no more than 100 yards downriver of Tower Bridge. The boats are very much permanent, each with well-tended gardens on their roofs, and connected by a communal area with a stage, tables and chairs. We walk down the South Bank to try and find it - succeeding only when we see the huge bonfire at the back of one of the huge boats.

We head in with Ellie and meet her boyfriend Mike on his friend's boat. We say hello and sit on the floor with a beer, where the rocking of the boat momentarily confuses me into thinking I might be about to pass out. The odd feeling passes, though, and we enjoy a nice chat and learning a bit about what it's like to live on a houseboat in Zone 1.

The only problem with tonight is the weather - which makes the planned fireworks display a complete washout. It's not even nice enough to stand outside for long, so after K has had her fun with a Giant Sparkler we say our goodbyes and head back to London Bridge for the tube. Like the guy we met who lives on the houseboat says, it's not somewhere you could stay forever, but it's fun to say you've done it. And leaving home in the morning to the sight of Tower Bridge, the Gherkin and Canary Wharf must be pretty thrilling.