Hi Tony - thanks for your thoughts!
Yes, the first dream does come at a time of change and growth and also a higher profile publicly as something I've been working on has begun to get recognition nationally. Although, this has really become clear more since the dream, it was so before, too.
The canal dream is strange and the whole thing of others emotions is a bit spooky because last week, I was 'plunged' into a brief situation where someone else's emotions splashed into my life in an out of the blue type of way.
The thing about not being aware of other people is difficult to quantify because, well, I'm probably not aware of it!
However, with big changes afoot, it could be that this dream does also signal anxiety and fear about the situation and the future.