JonC

you can get 10% off any Hoseasons holiday if your a member of CAMRA.

Not pensioner discount but it might be worth checking to see if any organisations you are a member of give a Hoseasons discount, I CAMRA members get a 10% discount. There might be other organisations doing the same.

If you want to write letter and do basic word processing in win10 (04 7/8) just use wordpad, its free and built in. If you want to do more intensive stuff Libre Office seems to have overtake open office as the go to free office suite. If your really desperate for MS office then its often on offer for £50 a year, its also discounted for NHS workers, people in education, etc.

Think the most fuel we have used in a week is about £60, we always get a refund from Richardsons.

That 4 bore is rather nice, John Forsey is the North Kent specialist wildfowling shop, tends to have a lot of big stuff in there. Which reminds me I have to take a 10 bore up to him at some point to see if he is interested in it.

all that the edp24 article says is that the planning officer advised that change of use is required, it does not say if it was applied for. If it was applied for has anybody got the reference as I would like to know if the planning officer supported the change of use. Change of use obviously cannot be approved under delegated powers if its not applied for.

The planning officer has not used delegated powers to oppose this, they have used their training and knowledge to interpret the law. Planning officers generally have a degree in planning, somebody sitting on the planning committee might have done a day or two on a course (if they are lucky). The planning officer has a legal responsibility to apply the law, just because its a parish council doing something nice does not mean they can ignore the law. Change of use concerns the use a building is put to, not what it looks like.

the crossing has not been sold to a French company, they just collect the tolls, it stilled owned by the Highways agency. Consultation has begun on another crossing scheme.

Get a cheap android tablet and run this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=psyberia.alpinequest.full&hl=en_GB it has a variety of maps, including full OS maps that can be downloaded free. Works on android phones and tablets. I use it on a very old tablet, displays a moving map, speed, location, etc.

Richardsons do supply all hirers with a rather good map, I prefer it to the OS that we also have on any boats we hire.

Scan and PCSpecialists both do custom and semi custom PCs that are more than capable of doing what you want, but certain hardware setups might benefit you more than others, I did notice that Scan do pre configured sound, video, and rendering configs. I build me own rigs, but I get the info on the config from the computer forum Hexus http://forums.hexus.net My advice would be to join there, do an intro post, then post in the hardware section detailing the software you use, and your budget. There are several professionals on there doing CAD, video eiting, sound editing, etc. Scan specifically will be anything you want, PC Specialists will probably have a better price on a pre-configured rig.

Good idea about the foam Fred, might try that next time. With a few minutes work the boat was fine, I would be happy to hire Concerto any time of year. Just in case somebody else is looking at hiring this boat and reads this, there is no 12v power socket near the helm, the nearest power socket is 240v, its just behind the seat but would need a long cable to charge any kit used at the helm. I had a tablet mounted on the windscreen providing a map, it also has the speed on it. The software I use is called Alpinequest (android), and you can download 1:25K OS maps for free, and store them on the device. The software will display your location, record a track, distances, speed etc. To be honest Concerto was quietest at around 3mph, so thats the speed I went at most of the time.

Tuesday, woke up early ish, had coffee, sneezed and my back went. I just about managed to hobble back to bed, spent the next couple of hours curled, up, managed to straighten out a bit around mid afternoon, this is the bit where I really appreciated the type of bed that's fitted in Concerto, spent all day in bed, pretty unable to move. Early evening got my back together enough to walk with a stick, but moving around helped so we set off towards the Recruiting Sargent, slow hobble down there and very impressed when we arrived, nice range of beer, think I had Grain and Humpty Dumpty. We just about managed to get a table, lots of people phoning being told no, and a few walk ins, but they were very busy. Everything about the food was excellent, one of those times where I really felt price was well worth it, not cheap, but excellent. Ended up overstaying the 24hrs moorings, purely because I was unable to safely drive the boat or assist with mooring, was worried that if it went on too long we would have to phone Richardsons to come and get us. Wednesday. Back had improved enough so that I could drive the boat so we headed back towards Wroxham and the bridge!! Lovely journey back down river and moored up near the bridge, had a chat with some other holiday boaters who had gone up river the previous day, the river level had been so high the bridge pilots had worked in teams of three to get the boats under, and had warned that passage on Wednesday might be an issue, luckily we had turned up at the low water, even then the gauge showed less than 6 1/2ft, Concerto is 7ft eekk. Had an interesting chat with another hirer, he was on one of the newer Ricos boats that also had a sliding roof, he had resorted to filling gaps with newspaper to keep the boat draft free, so not just the old boats then. Bridge pilot came over to look at who was waiting, decided to take us as one of the higher boats and off we set, again a very close pass under the bridge, going at speed seemed to help. By this time the weather had improved, lovely sunshine and the journey down to Horning was beautiful, we decided to carry on to Ranworth. Claire is more than happy to take control of the boat so she spent a couple of hours at the helm, this game me a chance to get the camera out.

The original plan had been to book one of the similar boats that lack the sliding roof, but I wanted 240V and a Friday start date so it was Concerto or more ££. I had taken some stuff to insulate the boat, but the gaps were a bit bigger than expected, an investment of a couple of quid on bin bags (pack of 30) and 4 pack of kitchen roll and it turned it in to a pretty snug boat. I had meant to put the costs in above, will shove them in here Concerto £ 343.00 Non-Refundable Security Waiver £ 45.00 Fuel Deposit £ 125.00 1 x CAMRA Discount £ -30.90 Fuel refund £92 Total £390. On the fuel front, considering we used the heater more than before, but did slightly less miles due to my back, we only used £33 of fuel in the week. Did have to pay £12 for the bridge pilot, but well worth it to get to Coltishall.

As we approached Wroxham I noted that the river level was a bit high, but we had already decided to moor up there for the night with the idea of getting under the bridge the nest morning and heading up to Coltishall. . We got off the boat, then back on, chased by another hail shower, then back off again and a stroll around Wroxham. Grabbed a takeaway then back to the boat for a glass of beer from my St Peters mini cask Whilst enjoying beer a Barnes boat moored up in front of us, crew included people in fancy dress, another boat tried to moor alongside them, bounced off thrashed around a bit, then moored up in an odd place. Have to say I did worry a bit at this point, but they headed off down the pub and were perfectly quiet when they returned. Monday morning we left the Barnes moorings at 8am and moved up to the pilot moorings. Grabbed the chance to get stome stuff from the shops, unfortunately the coffee place wasnt open so headed back to the boat. River level still looked a bit high. Phoned the bridge pilot, he came over and gave it a squint, thumbs up and off we go. Have to day I held my breath as we went under, there was not a lot of room. Soo off to sunny Coltishall Have to say the stretch of river heading to Coltishall is lovely, probably my favourite on the broads. Nice relaxed cruise up there, plenty of wildlife, and the weather improved. Not long after leaving Wroxham we had a deer swimming across the river in front of us, didnt seem that bothered about the boat, then again we tend to cruise at a lower speed than most people, aiming for quiet rather than speed. Once we moored at Coltishall I went for a stroll, checked out the Red Lion (very good) and purchased some kit to winterise the boat. Couple of minutes work with kitchen roll and bin liners and we had a nice warm, draft free boat, and the hail couldnt get in All the proper saftey vents were left unblocked, holes letting daylight, hail, small birds were all blocked. Back to the Red Lion later to meet up with a friend and to have a proper session, very good drinking pub, locals also make their own cider which was available in bottles and won the Claire award for outstanding cider. Headed back to the boat around 10.30 for some much needed sleeeeppp.

Thought I would do a quick recap of our week on Concerto, with some comments on the boat. We left Kent at around 10am on Friday 22nd April and headed of to Stalham to pick the boat up, traffic was on our side and we did it in under 3 hours We decided to head straight to Richardsons to see what time we could get aboard, low and behold the boat was ready so we could get sorted. We grabbed a quick snack from the food wagon (nice hotdog and chips) grabbed some bits from Tesco and then went for a chat with the handover guys. After running through the basic safety stuff, ropes etc, he double checked that we were happy with boat handling, were experienced and then we completed the handover (we have previously hired similar boats from Richardsons). Concerto 4 initial thoughts. Concerto is a pretty standard RIchardsons bathtub, rear mounted engine, sleeps 2 adults and 2 (small) children. The double bed is a good but odd size (bed sheet didnt fit that well), the children's bunk beds would be cramped for teenagers, but theres just the two of us so the bunks were used for storage. Toilet / shower cubicle is a bit larger than on some other boats, bog is of the straight drop with foot pedal (prefer this to the pump ones). There is a corridor running from the front compartment to the back door, sleeping compartments are not full width of the boat because of this. Main compartment has has full sliding roof and sides, access out front door to the front well. All the onboard kit worked perfectly, cooker cooked, fridge chilled, 240V electrics kept my laptop charged, etc. Like previous hire craft from Richardsons the boat was perfectly clean, all the kit we wanted was in the kitchen and it was all spotless, bedding was clean and ironed, extra blanket to compliment the duvet was also provided. Helm was just about wide enough for two people to sit at, there was also a 3 seater settee, reasonable sized dining table and 4 stools. For our first nights (Friday) mooring we decided to head to Neatishead, either Gayes Staithe or the village moorings. Rather happy to get in at the village moorings, but my attempts to turn the boat on the ropes were defeated by the wind, but that wasnt a big problem. So off to the pub (White Horse) for a few pints and enquire about an evening meal, we got booked in (several didnt). The beer was good, the menu was a bit uninspired, but the food was good just lacked the wow factor. Cider selection was also limited, maybe not many ask for it. Headed back to the boat for an early night, slept very well, found the bed to be hard but that suites my back, more about my back later. Saturday morning, woke up with the sun, read in bed for a bit, got up and made a coffee (freshly ground and made on an aeropress) chilled out for a couple of hours, then head down to How Hill for a shower and coffee. We decided to head to the Lion at Thurne for a meal, some drinks, and some music. Moorings were plentiful at Thurne, we sat onboard and watched some intrepid sailors rigging their boats and heading out in to the windy wilds. We had a great evening in the Lion, the food and beer were very goodm the music provided by One Hand Clapping was excellent. Sunday morning started a bit windy. Most people (including us) were struggling to get off the moorings and turned around, took me a couple of goes to get out. Once back on the river all was well. Decision made to head up to Horning and beyond. It was at this point I realised that all was not bliss and happiness with Claire (my wife), bobble hat, scarf, wool gloves and winter socks had all been donned, she was also huddled under one of the blankets. Enquires concerning her level of warmth also received a decidedly negative response. I think it was around this time it started to hail, big time. And because of the gaps around the sliding roof it was also inside the boat! Bit of work with towels and we were hail free, for now. Horning was busy so we decided to head to Wroxham to look at getting under the bridge and head up to Coltishall.

We have moored opposite the Horning village moorings, then just crossed over when something has come available. Think you can also moor at the Ferry Marina boat yard and walk in. We were very lucky at Ranworth, moored up straight away, but it soon filled up. We got there 12.30 ish, plenty of boats comming and going during the day, a couple sitting on mudweights waiting, no dramas apart from the wind. Had afternoon tea up at the church which was very nice.

Howard, I will chuck some NBSS scores in for them tomorrow. Just remember I have missed one Maltsters Ramworth. Beer was OK, perfectly good session ales. Food was poor, my local Wetherspoons does a better job. It would be the only moorings I would probably cook onboard and go in the pub for a beer. I would be interested in the pizza den when its up and running. The White Horse is interesting. If it was in my branch area I would be a happy chap, it seems to cater to drinkers and eaters, and the beers brewed on site that I tried were good. It was being used by locals for a drink, and had a nice feel, and with CAMRAs emphasis on beer quality it ticked all the boxes for me. Its just seemed odd how they organised the food side of things. There were four blokes on a boat moored near us, they went in to the pub, had one drink then left so they could get a take away. They obviously liked a drink from the number of bottles that went in the recycling, the pub probably lost £200+ of takings from that lot, there were several other groups and couples that also had one drink then left.

My findings from last week, White Horse Neatishead. Very good beer, nice range of real ale and craft keg. The food we had was nice, but felt the menu was a bit limited, a bit boring. They turned away a lot of people on the two nights we were in there, boaters were legging it back to their boats to find alternative moorings to get food. This is despite there being empty tables. You would have thought they would do food from 4 or 5 on a Thursday - Saturday to get the boaters that have moored up to drop boats back. Lion at Thurne. Good menu, food was of very good hearty quality. Beer was very standard, but great condition. There was music from One Hand Clapping the night we were in there, had a fantastic evening. Red Lion Coltishall. Very very good beer, and cider. A bunch in the pub make their own cider, which is sold at the bar. Wife voted this her favourite cider of the week. Spent a couple of hours talking to the staff and locals, probably my favourite drinking pub of our visit, but it was very nicely set out, wife was very happy in there. Recruiting Sargent Horstead. One of the best meals we have eaten anywhere, absolutely fantastic. I had a monster steak that was perfectly seasoned and cooked, the starters were fantastic and very imaginative, good beer as well, including Humpty Dumpty from Reedham. We go the last empty table, people were being turned away from a full pub/restaurant on a Tuesday night, it was great. Photo below of the steak, the knife was the size of a small sword.

Dramatic sky this morning, we spent last night at Neatishead. Picked up a mini cask of St Peters beer to keep the cold at bay.

Bing maps has 1:25000 OS coverage of the UK, just select Ordnance survey form the map types. https://www.bing.com/maps/=

Think it can be done by phone, or log in to the CAMRA website and go to the membership benefits bit http://www.camra.org.uk/benefits Its valid for any hoseasons holiday, but for boats its the boat cost not fuel of the damage waiver thing.

We nearly got taken out on the Reedham quay. Woke up in the morning after a good evening in the Ship (great pub) to find the boat in front at a bit of an odd angle, the hirer (dressing gown and slippers) is hauling at the ropes trying to let them out, he manages to undo the front rope and saunters towards the back of boat but the tide has caught the front and is swinging it around, he spots this and just manages to undo the rear rope, jump on and apply full throttle so he just missed us, hes now heading downstream, sideways towards the bridge support, manages to avoid that but did go through the bridge sideways. I might seem a bit judgemental but some people are just plain thick, it was our first go down south, the yards literature warned us, and so did the yard owner, but its pretty obvious that the flow at Reedham is fast and strong, and there that great big sign.

We tend to use Hoseasons, but will also book directly with yards that are not with them. One reason to use Hoseasons is that they offer 10% discount for CAMRA members, they will also sometimes do discounts not advertised by the yards.

Thanks for the otter info, will have a good look on the map and figure out where we can get to. Airdraft on the boat is 7ft so doubt we can get it above Potter, but I can take the canoe up there, or just go for a walk with the camera.