stumpy

Cod liver oil and malt - I loved that stuff!

Walking the couple of miles to Scouts at about 13 with a six inch bladed sheath knife and a hand axe on my belt and getting a wave from the local bobby on his bike as he pedalled past with a fag in his mouth.

Every now and then LIDL do a head torch with a removable red led on the back of the headband - mine cost less than a fiver last year. Worth its weight in gold when dog-walking in the sticks but remember to turn it off when you get to the pub or you look somewhat silly at the bar!

We've had a shared space in Felixstowe for something like ten years - the main shopping street and pedestrian route from the railway station to the seafront and its a 'kin nightmare! Hardly a week goes by without some form of coming together, I've found the best way to negotiate it is at under 10 mph,all lights on and window down to facilitate gay badinage with fellow 'sharers'.

We had beige Treadmaster on the slippy bits of Valoma - repainted every couple of years with fine grit Snowcem!

We were last in mid- November for our laying up supper it was "Sorry, no food tonight,kitchens closed". Went back up the road to the Swan.

Lol - snap!

I see from the Yarmouth Mercury website that the Staithe is on the market - asking £1.1m! Guess that explains the huge re-furb and tree felling last year.

I can confirm that - my introduction to Broads stink pottering was in '70 on Miss Mystic from Maidencraft. Two couples on a Seamaster Cadet 24, it was very snug! But sowed the seed for where I've ended up now.

I'm sure I recall a pub at the end of one of the two dykes - The Wherry? My Hamiltons is on board in a sucky bag or I'd check.

Floydraser - it might be worth getting in touch with Ipswich Transport Museum, they have a Scammel Scarab which I think is up and running. The museum is run by volunteers who are very knowledgeable (I used to work with one who is a total bus-geek). They're closed until after new year but an E mail to the office on 'enquiries @ipswichtransportmuseum.co.UK' can't hurt.

I well remember the first Trabant to make it to Zeebrugge rolling off the Felixstowe ferry - it was given a standing ovation as it chugged through the car examination hall in a cloud of two stroke! Apparently they were going to London, hope they made it.

No Worries came with a Smev 4 ring oven 8 years ago which hasn't given us any problems. The ignition was off a separate motorcycle battery sitting beside it which was a pita so was soon skipped! It's no hardship to use a long gas lighter as we already had one for the good old ThermX catalytic heater. They've both sailed through 3 BSS checks so far but we are over-ventilated with an extra solar vent from the standard spec.

Only 60 pints? That's not even a firkin - what'll you do after Tuesday?

'Lady Day' often used to fall in our lads week - had some very entertaining nights and early mornings in the Lion!

Does the Ferry still sell the handmade chocolates? They're to die for!

And the thicker the cable,the more magic smoke come out!

Caesar adsum iam forte.......ooooh I'll get my coat shall I?

There's almost enough water to get up to Wilford Bridge in that pic Smoggy! I learned to be a WAFI on the Deben before I saw the light.

Good point Jeff - the houseboat has certainly been well 'picked over'. A couple of weeks ago its pontoon back garden was tied behind Pelican on Paddy's Lane.

Yesterday there was what looked like the other half of that duvet up on the bank just upstream of the turn to Barton Turf - thought it was a very dead swan at first.

I seem to remember Winkle's bird having quite a rich vocabulary at closing time - African Grey?

Thames Tonnage was used to determine the amount of Light Dues paid on first arrival at a UK port if a vessel came in 'from foreign' as opposed to coastwise. In theory the boarding Customs Officer would take a (very large) number of measurements, sit down with a large book of tables and a slide-rule for a few hours and eventually come up with a sum to be paid to Trinity House. In practice there is a TT certificate held on board which if one was really keen could be compared with the number welded into somewhere inaccessible! I did attend a three day course to learn how to do it - instantly back-filed!

I passed my test on a Cub, cost something like £75. The old man came to sign the HP papers when he discovered he went to school with the owner of the shop - the transaction took longer than I expected! One exchange I'll not forget - Dad: "How come none of your bikes have an oil puddle under them?" Bob Nicholls: " 'Cos I don't put any oil in the buggers 'til they're sold!" After my test I got £50 trade in on it for a T100 Speed Twin and that was me launched on the slippery slope.

Many years ago on the Deben Ernie Nunn,a wonderful old boy and waterman told me "When you think 'I wonder if we should put a reef in' - you should have done ten minutes ago!"