JennyMorgan

I suppose that the usual few will accuse me and others of simply knocking the Authority & John Packman just for the sake of it. However this latest blog, even if diluted, gives clear reason for valid criticism. I have watched this situation develop, John Packman has gained an unhealthy level of control. The Acle Bridge folly is now moving towards planning, costs along the rhond estimated to at least double. It is not just James Knight's dismissal that must now be questioned, the alarm bells are surely ringing loud and clear, even for the profoundly deaf amongst us.

Ditto

Fishermen pay for a fishing licence from the Environment Agency, the Environment Agency is paying many millions towards the Broads Flood Alleviation Scheme and towards water quality projects in general. Indirectly anglers money pays, in part, for the maintenance of the Broads.

A few weeks ago I would have confidently advised good friends where to find quality/large roach & perch on the Southern Broads at this time of the year. However, for various reasons that I can only guess at, said fish, whilst still about, have become unexpectedly harder to find. They must still be there, surely won't all have been eaten by rogues otters or succumbed to bad handling, just a case of finding and tempting them. Good luck, Dazza.

I've similarly met him, had a few good discussions too. He's certainly thought provoking. Like others I miss Gracie but I do understand why folk take a break. I used to post a great deal on an angling forum until one day I realised that I was going round in circles, answering the same questions albeit from different people or repeating comments in response to similar subjects almost ad nauseum, I ran out of fresh things to say. I suppose that it had become a habit. I still pop in but generally leave it to other folk to comment. Oh that he'd do the same here!!

Come back, Strowager, all is forgiven !!

Seems to me that what applies to mink also applies to otters, perhaps even more so.

At one time the Broads was Britain's premiere pike fishery. Pike eat fish, lots of them, regretfully the pike population on the Broads has plummeted thus lots of fish aren't being eaten, at least by pike! At one time the Broads eel population was also large and eels eat spawn by the bushel, however the eel population has also crashed. The balance of nature is ever changing! I'm not writing as an expert, just someone who sees what's going on around him!

At one time I had a riverside shop and sold newspapers, initially I made 20% which then went down to 10% and then 0%, that was 40 years ago! I was then charged a delivery charge which I passed onto the customer. At that time I also freelanced as a photographer and writer, the local newspaper paying me quite well so I was content to sell their papers at no profit. However the fees were cut until they too ceased, the paper relying on vanity writers. I stopped selling newspapers!

I rather think that we might be mightily surprised. Some years ago myself & two friends had fishing rods from ABU, Shimano and Shakespeare, all top marques in the wonderful world of angling and all the rod sections being interchangeable with each other!

Haven't seen a mink in years now, however I do see marsh harriers attacking ground nesting birds like lapwings, during the winter we have sixty or more cormorants on Oulton Broad gobbling up the fish stocks, whilst I'm on the bank at night I both see and hear fox rummaging through nesting areas and of course I see quite a few otters. What I don't see many of is duck, lapwings, moorhens, grebes and coots.

They might, in order to re-engine their lawn mowers!

That's a first! A Griff Joke that is actually rather funny!! By the way, what is under it?

That'll do nothing for his eyesight!!

The 50mm Rokkor was standard in many a professional and keen amateur darkroom back in the Eighties. Cracking lens in its day.

Now't wrong with J.Peg. It's useful, simple, does the job, what more can we ask of it?

Cormorants are cute & cuddly too, horrible things!

The old mayor can always come and chew the cud on NBN, so long as he / she cleans her / his hooves before attacking her / his keyboard, we don't want to encourage dirty talk, do we?

No longer a bank in Oulton Broad. Next door to where the Wine Lodge was, now Dinky Town, is a small but useful convenience store. The ticket machine for the trains has only just gone live.

Breydon, coincidently I had similar problems with both Sky & BT, I am now with Talk Talk and am well pleased with them, they have never upset me!

I never thought that Oulton Broad's Spar ever really grasped the fact that it is in a tourist area. As for moaning about the loss of the butchers, why didn't the Spar shop open its own or at least offer a half decent meat & deli counter? Anyway, order from Tesco & have it delivered to your boat, simples. Oulton Broad is otherwise alive and well!

Thanks, Paul. Better class of donations in Beccles!

I just knew that you'd ask me that ! Two are in the street that runs up from the yacht station & past the church, near Coopers, one is in the market place, one is opposite the always superb Twyfords Tea Room, carry on till you come to a fork and veer right for two more or left for one more. Come up from the yacht station and go hard left at Beales Department Store and first turn right, two more plus a very fine chippy!

The Waveney House Hotel, riverside upstream of the Yacht Station, does an extremely acceptable tea & cakes/cream tea.

Lowestoft (Waveney District Council) has just had one of its two multi-story, town centre car parks demolished! Apparently, amongst various reasons, it was under-used and lost money.