JennyMorgan

Welcome back Pops. Yarmouth Girl jokes anyone? Years ago I studied graphics and illustration at Lincoln Art College. The good folk of Lincoln soon picked up on my use of the English language, namely the word bastard! Me being from Suffolk would say a drawn out 'baar-stid', them being from Lincolnshire would use an abbreviated, acute 'bass-tid. For whatever reason they though it highly amusing!

Mustn't forget those Amsterdam trams either, absolute nightmare!

How true, all bow to the shore, fenders doing their job, sterns swinging to the tide, all very neighbourly, where was the problem?!

I'm pretty darned certain it isn't!

Sad but true!

Well over fifty years ago now a very wise Harry Last, then landlord of Coldham Hall, when it was a legendary spit & sawdust pub, warned me that after a few pints of Bullards mild (one up from ullage), a handful of arrowroot biscuits, a couple of pickled eggs and a Mars Bar then 'thaass bess yew dun't stroik a maatch'!! Notice the subtle difference between Norfolk & Suffolk.

Now I know what the good Doctor is on in regard to his proposed 'folly' at Acle!!

Double moorings anyone? Big old wherry coming alongside, could be 'whoops' as you are bashed by the Bishop! (Slight variation on last year's rendition of what's becoming a traditional joke, and a weak one at that!)

Anything but Estuary English please! To this untutored ear that sounds more like a speech impediment than it does an accent. Mind you, said users of Estuary English might well consider Norfolk in exactly the same light!

So long as they can get back!

Socrates, hats off to you & your crew.

If this evening's low tide at Oulton Broad is anything to go by then there should be plenty of room under Potter bridge.

Not the wife of Harry, at least I didn't think so. Confused or what? Did Hazel work in the fishing tackle department? If it was she was a lovely lady and we always had a chat.

Getting on for 45 years ago my wife to be & I were in the Anchor Bleu at Bosham in Sussex. We sat one side of a chimney breast chatting away when a body looked round the corner & told us that I came from Oulton Broad and that my girl-friend was from Lowestoft, he came from Camps Heath. He was quite right! Strange thing is that I went to school in the heart of Norfolk, place called Taverham, where more than half the pupils were rich farmers, or boatyard owner's sons, would have thought that I would have picked that up & lost the Suffolk influence.

Good to hear some praise. The front-line troops generally do a grand job!

That's great for folk who like such holes! Long dykes with nothing more fancy than a post or two are more in keeping with the Broads. Marinas and shopping malls, ghastly, soulless places, at least in my opinion.

I met Harry in Lathams when it was Lathams rather than QD. He was talking to a proper talking Norfolk friend, I was introduced to Harry, not that I had anything much to add to the conversation, but I did rather wish that I had had my cassette recorder with me, if you know what one of those is! My now departed friend worked in the warehouse, apparently it was no good putting him on the tills as none of the 'izzerts' or 'settlers' would have understood him either! He too was 'Po'er' born & bred. His wife worked in the fishing tackle shop but that was because she was bilingual, she could also speak English, wen she spuuk orl fancy!

Was chatting to a friendly yard owner today and as usual one topic lead to another, not least Mel at Topsail Brokers, a well respected business and used by a number of local yards. Anyway, apparently 30 or so boats on her list is the norm at this time of the year, only that this year she has over 60 and many are Broads boats. Seemingly the biggest problem is the difficulty in obtaining moorings, especially at reasonable prices. Driving around the area recently and I was surprised to see so many boats out of the water. I wonder, is the bubble bursting? Looking at broker's list shows that there are some real deals out there, that is until you want to moor your pride and joy. Does this mean that the days of budget boating are numbered? By the way, it's worth searching out Topsail on the web!

Undeniably true but that's provided the cabin lights are off and dashboard lights are masked. Last summer I witnessed a small US built sports cruiser go by in the early hours with its cockpit aglow with a mass of blue illuminated dials and the like, hardly helpful!

Fisher Row, Oulton Dyke?

Talking of whom, when is the old blighter back? Am quite missing him.

If you're talking football then I couldn't agree more!

Gone is the monster, weighty old diesel engine and the half ton of diesel. replaced by a light weight leccy motor and a couple of batteries, will she now float higher, or to put it another way, does the bridge seem nearer?

People hope to reach a formal mooring by sunset, but what happens if they don't? Do they just stop where they are or do they carry on?

I was about sixteen, at art school, a pipe was part of the image I suppose so I went out and bought one. Dad was surprisingly supportive, 50 Senior Service a day man, and he bought me an ounce of tobacco. I duly had a good puff, in fact several, was as sick as a dog, a dying dog even. I lay on the floor of the bog, retching my gut up, never again! Dad had wisely & craftily bought me roll-up tobacco, I was never to smoke again. Snogging a bird what smoked, urghh, further cause for not smoking!