stumpy

Valoma (13th Ipswich sea scouts boat) had a decorator's stepladder with pivoting feet just for Salhouse.

The first time I visited the Locks Susan greeted us with "You're off the Sea Scouts boat int cha? You're on halves 'til I say different!"The last time I was in the Locks I enjoyed a plate of bangers and mash with onion gravy, washed down with a few pints of,I think, very well kept Adnams. I wish them well but they'll have to manage without me.

Also, some straighteners (GHD for one) don't like the electricity from the less expensive inverters, they insist on pure sine wave or they let all the blue smoke out that makes them work.

I once spent a very enjoyable evening in the Butt and Oyster drinking Tolly with Des Pawsey, even remembered most of what he taught me! He's still going strong, if a little greyer about the beard.

I think someone is going loopy here lol

Hi and welcome Tom, thanks for putting up the general switchboard number - during what hours is this manned (personned)? Is it better to use this number than River Control on 756056?

As long as no-one says "He's fallen in the water"

20 Number 6 fags went from 3/9 to 20p - I gave up smoking in protest.......for a couple of days!

You've just brought back happy memories of ambling home from Scouts with a six inch sheath knife on my belt and four pennoth of chips (with scraps, of course)

Another vote for Broadsedge from us - ChrisB has it spot-on re. the Richardson's grand Prix though.

Oh I dunno - I had a selection of SD1s with the semi-square wheel, if you whipped the bottom of the wheel with butchers string you could steer with you left knee while rolling a fag. (I was told)

If anyone wants to see a narrowboat out of its element search out a copy of 'Wash and go" by Lawrence Hogg productions. It follows NB Progress from the Wash to the Broads, down to Woodbridge then up the Orwell. They were trying to get to Stowmarket via the Gipping but fell foul of Constantine Weir in Ipswich! My copy is on VHS, I really must get it transferred to a DVD. Progress is extremely modified for the lumpy stuff but even so.........

The charts are from Hamilton's Navigations. My copy is the 34th edition from 2001 and doesn't have the 56 In the box top left or 'BR' on the rail line down from the swing bridge. Could the '56' be the date of publication?

Panic braking - every little helps when you're trying to stop 10,000 tons. Saw it happen once at Felixstowe but I was too busy legging it to take snaps!

I can't wait to hear what Edwina has to say - nice one James!

My first 'car' was a Reliant Regal Mk6, 750cc sidevalve, thermo-syphon cooling and everything above the chassis was timber or thick fibreglass. It was used to collect parts for various motorcycles because I was going to be on two wheels until I was old enough to put a chair on it. That didn't quite work out so after re-arranging my right leg I had a number of Reliants and a Bond Bug. After taking automatic test a cracking 2l Capri then a succession of Rover SD1s ending up with a much more sensible Honda CRV.

Valoma (13th Ipswich Sea Scouts boat) had a modified decorators stepladder with pivoting feet stowed in the forepeak for just that purpose.

Take a pair of sturdy gardening glove for handling the line - cheap hairy polyprop can give you a swine of a friction burn! Also if the weight sinks too far to haul out, cleat the line off and drag it up using a good touch of reverse to break the suction.

Can anyone else remember when a two-course meal at the Locks was if you had mustard on your Walls/Harris' pork pie?

Cracking drone stills David. I don't know if Robert at Sutton Staithe boatyard is a member on here but I'm sure he'd be interested in the shots of his empire.

A classic example of this - I recently had to book my annual 'old gits check up' at my GP which involved,of course, presenting a urine sample. Previously this has involved a screw top plastic bottle (2 pieces of plastic) - this time I was given a pot to p*ss in and a sealable syringe with a snap-off plunger. Four pieces to dispose of - two incinerated, two in my bin. Go figure!

If the BA moorings are full you may be able to overnight in the boatyard pump out dyke if you ask Robert nicely but they like you gone before they open for business. We've done that before - the early start was fun after a lock-in at the hotel!

I've hauled some really nice perch out of that bay in the past - also great for kingfisher spotting.

Sutton Staithe - Diesel £1.16 litre, 60/40 split 16/4/19

Get above Bishop's bridge - its on our to-do list for this years trip South.