Broadsword

I spoke to a member of the tolls team yesterday... although the plaque less route is under consideration, the problem at the moment is that Rangers don't have the kind of equipment on board to readily check from registration numbers (in the way that Police do with car tax) whether a boat is tolled... I don't think that will be a serious obstacle. As a police officer years ago, neither did I, but a simple radio call to someone in the ops room enabled an immediate PNC check. This surely must be the way forward? If every boat is required to display registration and therefore toll status can be checked; not to do so would be an offence - simples.

Ready and waiting suckers...

We love the Greyhound, well worth the walk if you have the time... Steve, why not aim to head back to HW/Potter Heigham early enough to spend your final day above the bridge? You could still come back and spend your last night on board.. Have a fantastic trip

Definitely stay North for the first trip... otherwise you lose a big chunk of your holiday motoring down and through Taking and back again! If you want to spend a week down South, better to hire there... Lots to see and do on the Northern Rivers, but take it easy... don't try to do it all! If you want to go a bit further than the bridges permit, hire a dinghy as well!

Congratulations to you all - good to know there are still some long stayers around... We will clock 36 years in September which, I admit, must be hard to believe for those of you who have met us...

Definitely about on OBY over the weekend... SWMBO fancies a trip under the Bridge, to play with the new boat on Hickling and Horsey... Forecast not amazing...

This issue just frustrates me - more than it should, probably... I wish they would do what they always did, years ago and talk about 'The Broads'; I don't mind adding Norfolk, Suffolk or both, but Broads NP is simply not the way people speak of the place and they shouldn't be trying to force the change... Happy that the Broads are 'a part of...' etc. it's honest and truthful and has been the case for a long time, without the need to be titled differently. I don't buy the notion that the change of name would be hugely beneficial... I just don't buy it...

Marketing... well, stretching the point... Would the magazine have been any less attractive without it?

How many times is the phrase used, Peter??!!!

That should be fine Looking forward to next Monday!

To all those who turned up for a quiz, my humble apologies - my responsibilities this evening kept me from logging on and presenting the quiz - even though I have one prepared! I run a residential centre and we have nearly 100 guests in this week... on top of which, family pressures took SWMBO to Brighton at short notice and my other colleagues were away... If I can pitch the quiz another day - let me know! My apologies again... hope you had fun either way!

I haven't got mine yet - but will do, just as soon as I have taken over the new ship... perhaps by then they will have sorted this out... It is a rather dated system TBH - and I wonder why they don't just go over to an online record approach? All you have to do is permanently display your reg. number and the rangers can tell from a simple db on board their launch whether or not you have a toll. Equally, if vessels are not paid up, it should flag up and shouldn't be too hard to check up on them... Too sensible?

OBY is being craned in on 19th and we take her over and to get mooring on 22nd... hoping to be back for Easter weekend

I was jesting Polly, although we have really liked our little tent/awning on the Prelude and I'm not sure we have one with the new boat. I think we would aim to get something, but probably not a full tent...

For me, the best moorings are not the popular, near the pub/shops/loos etc. moorings... Give me out of the way; peace and quiet and a nice view... There are several lovely places that meet our needs - just as long as we can get the dogs off for a constitutional... Ideally a walk! We love Horsey Dyke, and the moorings through White Slea; Catfield Dyke; Cockshoot; to name a few...

Walking the dawgs this morning, at an early hour, I spotted a buzzard on the ground at the end of one of our fields... It flew off a few yards, but not away, so I wondered what he/she was after... a few minutes later she took off across the trees... Moments later, my Westie ducked under a hedge and flushed out a Muntjac deer who scuttled off down the drive at speed! The flushing Westie didn't spot where it had gone but the elderly Westie gamely gave chase at plodding speed... I was amazed to think that she may have targeted a Muntjac but am sure it is why she was down in the grounds - we usually only see them airborne.

Can I put in an order for a cockpit tent Polly?

It's a back shed at OCC isn't it Stuart?

The FSA website: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/hygiene-rating-schemes/ratings-find-out-more-en 'The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) helps you choose where to eat out or shop for food by telling you how seriously the business takes their food hygiene standards. The scheme is run by local authorities in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and applies to restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other food shops. Each business is given their hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from the business’s local authority. The food safety officer inspecting the business checks how well the business is meeting the law by looking at: how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored the condition of the structure of the buildings – the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from 0-5. The top rating of ‘5’ means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards. Any business should be able to reach this top rating. ______________ The emphasis above is mine... no excuses... A rating of 4 is not bad, but even then, businesses will know what they should do to improve. The evaluation is based on several criteria - many good food establishments fall down on poor record keeping (temp charts etc.)

You are absolutely right Kfurbank, and any self respecting manager/tenant would do so. The inspectors are thoroughly fair in my experience, pointing out the problems, updating on changes to legislation, advising on the clear improvements needed etc. We inherited a rating of 2 which we were very concerned about - and my excellent colleagues have seen that turned around to our current 5. It was immediately increased to 3 on the basis of greater confidence in the management (aka SWMBO) and then on fulfilment of the required improvements we were awarded 5. 2 is serious enough - 1 is a small step away from closure and should be taken extremely seriously. They really do all relate closely in the end to the handling and provision of food - including risk of contamination from pests, build up of grime in extractors etc. that all can affect food hygiene.

It's been on and off all day at Letton; a bit frustrating as we had a lot of people on site and moving around between buildings - so, muck being walked in most of the day!

http://www.ruffwear.co.uk/k9-float-coat We bought these for our Westies and have been very pleased with them... This the newer version - looks slightly improved; ours leaves long tags when adjusted to fit. The dogs never mind wearing them and the 'handle' on top is a great help! Key thing is to be sure the jacket has been well tested and will hold up your dog's head if he goes in... Even though ours have lifejackets, we don't leave them free to roam... I hate seeing dogs loose on the back of cruisers with all of their humans facing forward. If the dog toppled in, they might not even realise...

It's a familiar story, both in UK marinas and elsewhere - Huge amounts of money invested in a very underused resource. I don't think it is so different on the Broads either, well maybe a bit... Certainly in some marinas and boatyards there are a significant number of boats that rarely move. Is it a symptom of busier lives? I know we didn't use our boat as much as we would have like to last year or the year before, for a number of reasons, but we still had two or three holidays a year on board and got out quite a few other times, if only for a day-sail. However, and this is the key for me, owning my own boat and using it modestly is still a lot less expensive than hiring for a similar amount of time - and I am free to enjoy it whenever I choose. In the coming year, even with paying for a mooring, my costs would only hire a yacht for a week and a half from a boatyard. So, any use above that is a bonus!

Couldn't agree more... I hate religion too... Lovely resource Peter... There are some fabulous old churches in the county...

We do have a space thanks Pauline, but I am also in touch with your contact - possibilities across the water... Interested but not sure - and a lot of money if I have to get a dinghy too!