JennyMorgan

The Red Lion, ho ho ho, I have good memories of that establishment although I've never been in there. Fifty plus years ago now and we'd been to the Boat Show at Earls Court and, as a group, had hired a coach. It was the early hours as we approached the Red Lion, still with lights on upstairs when someone, more awake than the rest of us, spied a young lady, perhaps the landlord's daughter, stripping off. Phworrrrr, all the inebriated blokes aboard clambered over to the left side of the bus, I swear that the right side wheels lifted off the road as the driver was caught out and he had to swerve in order to regain control. An experience that was never to be repeated as the following year the A12 had been moved! Perhaps I will return but I suspect that the daughter may well be rather less pert than on that memorable trip.

I suppose that being a pseudo national park means that we should have composting toilets around the Broads. Actually they have them at the excellent Fair Haven Water Gardens at South Walsham. My wife used one but she did comment that it was rather basic.

Hi Andrew, I agree, we are heading for a financial buffeting this year but in fairness our toll is 'only' going up by about 3%.

I understand that a number of canal boats use them and those are hardly flush with excess room. Whilst I've been aboard the barge at the WRC I haven't sampled the joys of its bog but we do have a tropical garden nearby that has one and I have used that, perched up in the air, seemingly needing a degree of depth which maybe wouldn't be available on most Broads boats. Bucket & Chuck It, far easier!

I suppose there are two basic types of house-boater, the Chelsea set who consider it quaint and makes them interesting whilst at the other end of the scale there are people who aren't preoccupied with, or simply can't afford material wealth and possessions. There used to be a 'hippy' community in Carlyle Street in Norwich. It was a vibrant community of like minded people but, somewhat predictably, it didn't fit in with the narrow minded values of City Hall and the bulldozers moved in, replacing what had been good with a soulless high rise. Moving one community out in order to bring another one in is nothing short of ethnic cleansing, abhorrent in my opinion. Has that happened at Thorpe Island? You can bet that it has!

I don't know, M. I've been down there in the height of summer & haven't noticed anything unpleasant. The tidal rise and fall there is 6 to 10 feet & more so there is a good flush. Back in the day when the potential for pump-outs on the Broads was being researched I well remember a scientist from UNESCO commenting that it wasn't human waste that was the problem rather it was phosphates from soaps and detergents. I don't know if his opinion was universal but if nothing else human sewerage is just plain anti-social, especially when it used to float up onto my slipway!

I've had it at the Harbour in Southwold, served by a pump, that has been good. Down at the Butt & Oyster the tap was into the barrel and that was very, very good. As a matter of curiosity, Nog, is there a U.K. pint that you haven't quaffed?

The term 'live-aboard', whilst perfectly true, has possibly acquired derogatory undertones in its use by some people, but there is an alternative Was down at Pinmill, near Ipswich, today to meet friends at the always excellent Butt & Oyster. They served Adnam's 'Old' that can only be described as God's Pint on Earth, absolute nectar straight from the barrel. I digress, as always, my wife and I went for a toddle along the river bank, for a poke around the houseboats there. Houseboats have been a feature of Pinmill for generations, once ex Thames barges or even retired racing yachts, now more likely to be an old 'lighter' or ex harbour vessel of some sort. Mostly a bit of a shambles but nevertheless still fascinating. The houseboats are moored up on National Trust land, would you believe! Seemingly an open minded and tolerant land-owner, the Broads Authority could take a leaf out of their book. We got into conversation with a number of Houseboaters, as they appear to call themselves. Great community spirit, that was obvious, interesting people too. Houseboats, houseboat community and houseboaters, I like that. I'm not too keen on the dereliction but the place has character, interest and homeliness. Not everyone's cup of tea, I'm sure, but nevertheless its the home of choice for many good people.

So long as the company is good!

I've never spoken to anyone from over the other side before!

I simply can't imagine for the life of me to whom you might be alluding! That aside I really do find it hard to cope with the bullying tactics and manners of some people. I'm as up for a good discussion , even if we roundly disagree, as the next person but when some folk aggressively post purely for arguments sakes then I don't welcome their contribution to the debate. As for racism & homophobia, it goes on in life, don't we all know it and it has no place on any forum. One of my great grannies was Romani Gypsey, a fact that I'm quietly proud of. Should I comment when I see or hear someone use that unfortunate term 'Pikey'? No, I just ignore them and move on. There's enough intolerance in life without me being intolerant of intolerants! However there should be no room for abuse on any pulpit.

I always think that the real frightener is the realisation of the cost per trip. Add everything up, including transport to and fro, divide it by how many trips you have, oh dear, is it really that much! Sit down, take a swig of mother's ruin, convince yourself that it's all well worth it and go out and enjoy another year's boating!

Now boats are hermetically sealed and everything is soaked with rampant condensation. Gravy won't sort that!! All written in jest, of course

So often do I hear folk say that they will get a dog when they retire. Dogs live for fifteen or more years, fifteen plus sixty five, unless you retire early, just a thought. When I was sixty five I was going to do so much, seven years later and I'm not as able as I was. As I've said before I live besides a public footpath, a very popular dog walk. A young girl that we see everyday is now making a good income by walking several dogs for elderly folk who are now unable to do so themselves. A sensitive issue perhaps, but a dog is for life, but who's life?

Back then, Lulu, Oulton Broad's ice was regularly checked by the Harbour Master and it exceeded 20" if I remember correctly. We have skated on the Broad several times since then. I believe that I am right in saying that before our local authority condones skating the ice has to be at least 6" thick.

Trailer going backwards, so that's where I went wrong! To be truthful I'm not sure how I set it up now, it was largely down to guesswork, but it went forwards which was all that mattered. We didn't have Google back then. My friend's set up was based on a photo of a Canadian ice yacht and knocked up at Truman's boatyard so the expertise was there.

Nah, doesn't have the same ring about it!! There are times when I quite envy Norfolk.

Really Norfolk & Good!

Great stuff, I remember it well. My 'ice yacht', if you could call it that, was somewhat more basic. Like a number of others it was basically a modified, upside down dinghy trailer only in my case powered by a lugsail. Huge fun and yes I did tow folk on skates however, after a few days, its demise came when I ran over a mooring buoy, capsized and broke a perfectly good mast, my father was not entirely sympathetic! Fast, wow, not so close winded as the Wroxham ones but great fun! A friend's father subsequently had a 'proper' ice yacht built, the remains of which still exist besides what was his boatshed, and we all took turns on that one, with strict orders to be sensible which wasn't quite so much fun!

There are times when we need a double, even a triple like button!!

The balcony front row did seem to attract the trouble makers, at least in Ipswich and here in Lowestoft.

Good ol' days!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/01/antisocial-media-why-decided-cut-back-facebook-instagram Okay, so I'm addicted to NBN but not dear old Facebook, how about you?

Prime building land, say no more .

Certainly not poo-pooing the idea of storage, far from it. What I was seriously suggesting is that people put some thought as to what they have and keep aboard. Yes, I do live here but I have been known to travel elsewhere! My cloths tend to be of the type that can easily be washed and when hung up will be try in no time. I don't normally take anything that doesn't fit in a stash bag or that can't be carried, especially when flying. Being realistic my wife and I live in a fairly spacious home, and now, to be honest, too spacious for us two old biddies. If we were to downsize, which would be sensible but maybe not likely, then we would have no option but to de-clutter. I'm sure that all of us are the same, if we have space then we fill it. Storage is good, but if we are careful in choosing what we need to store then perhaps we'd need a smaller boat! Easier & cheaper to moor for one thing.