ChrisB

Beautiful picture Peter. I really worry about passing such photographic history on to following generations. There are billions more photographs taken in this digital age, but how many ever get printed? How many will be lost when we go? Dad's old phone, chuck it! Old PC here take the hard drive out and hit it with a hammer and put it in the rubbish! I am sure that on a family level the box brownie will leave more to history than the billions of digital devices in use today.

I knew a sailor out of Chichester harbour that drank Woods 54% (I forget what colour label it was) mixed with some herbal drink called bush, shrub, sapling or some such name. He drank in the Bird and Ham pub in Birdham a lot! I think he was not long livedby all accounts.

One must remember that he had the most dreadful accident in that gale of January 1990 (I think) and suffered severe brain damage from which he recovered very well. It must however have some bearing on ones longevity.

Don't do club nights as others have said. I have a problem with NYS that has not been mentioned. The moorings are lower than a very busy road, your head is just about at exhaust pipe height, Living right on the coast with wonderful air born out by the lichen on my trees I really suffer if I go there. My throat and chest really get to me.

For anyone who has never attended the firework display on the evening of the 1st January each year from Cromer Pier and if conditions allow a number of boats and buoys is a brilliant effort by a small seaside town.

On a positive note, my wife's four year journey with cancer starting with two extreme and invasive operations, intensive care and aftercare was always superb at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. When after three years her cancer returned they had capacity problems with their scanners, she was immediately sent to The Spire private hospital so there would be no waiting. They now have a bank of mobile scanners to address the problem. The eleven months of care, chemo, radiation and three spells in the Mulbarton ward, plus weekly acute oncology visits were all exemplary. When no more could be done she chose to be at home. Within twenty four hours they had installed a hospital bed, air mattress and all other equipment. We had morning and evening care and midday nursing to control her pain via a syringe driver. I administered more morphine as need via ng tube. Judith passed peacefully at her home with me at her side, the week before our youngest son flew in from Melbourne was driven up by his brother and we had a week as a family to say our goodbyes. All through this dreadful illness the care was superb. The palliative nurses and community nurses phone every few weeks to see how I am coming to terms with my loss. I could not have wished for better care.

I heard of a chap seriously cheating on his girl friend. Again this is going back to when shag pile carpets were all the rage. She waited until he had gone off to the Far East for two weeks on business, let herself into his flat and spread dozens of packets of mustard and cress seeds all over the shag pile. She then gave them a really good watering before letting herself out.

Had my first day for 15 months on Saturday. Following a near blizzard on Friday morning Saturday morning was very slow, even after pushing out a pen wood. So slow in fact we thought we had been wholesale poached. The afternoon drives were in the valley bottom along the River Thame. What a diffence, we now know where the birds go in bad weather, to the rough and osier. The beaters were literally taking one step and stopping as with every step something was flushed. We had pheasant, partridge, duck (teal mostly) and snipe. That one drive lasted 50 minutes. I finished my day with 3 pheasant, 2 partridge ( one of which was english) and 2 snipe. Don't ask about how many cartridges I discharged. Including half a box of 20 bore No5 Bismuth ( £ ouch ). Walking all day with my eldest son guns under our arms I felt better than I have for many many months. Back down for last day on 28th Chris.

Just a small word of warning when using these portable hobs. NEVER be tempted to use an oversize pan. Oversize pans can transfer heat to the area where the canister is located and has been the cause of several explosions.

I liked Dennis the Menace's dogs name "Gnasher" To other members of his fan club DING DONG. Now own up who knows what it means?

And you Roz and Richard. There that saved me an e-mail.

We never met, but you could tell that he was a "True Gentleman" very sad news indeed.

A massively gifted gentleman. So sad that in recent years his troubled life was all the gutter press were interested in. Not his music, his work for numerous charities and the listening pleasure he brought to millions.

Just downloaded the latest grib files. The wind over the top of the North Sea should stay SW. So no surge danger. Good news for pups.

Let us just hope that Barbara does not set up NWsters and cause a surge. I think as it passes over Scotland it will pass to far to the NE to cause a problem. However if it tracks further south we may have a problem.

Thankyou so much Gracie.

My wife and I met on bonfire night 1966. We were inseparable for 50 years and 18 days and married for 45 years 6 months and 8 days. After invasive and extreme surgery 4 years ago we really thought that we would make the 50 years but cancer is a very clever illness that twists and turns, lies low and strikes once more when you think you have the better of it.

Because the birds were so immature two days were lost in October. Therefore our shoot is shooting every Saturday in January. My best friend for 50 years and wife of 45+ lost her battle with cancer on the 23rd November, very kindly two friends have given up their days in January to allow me to shoot. But firstly I need to get myself fit, having spent 97 days in the NNUH sat on my backside with Judith my fitness level has gone right down and shooting on the Chiltern Escarpment takes no prisoners. Today I pulled on the Chameau boots and walked across wet fields from our home in Knapton to Bacton via Edingthorpe. I was tied with a big "K" but I will get there. As for the boat! Think that it is now a case of getting the yard to refurb in spring, We have always done the jobs ourselves but after 16 months of neglect the job is a bit beyond me, I think I shall throw some money at the problem and hope it goes away.

I admire your optimism MM. But must ask would you sink a six figure sum, be it starting with just a 1 or moving through 2, 3, 4, 5, ad infinitum. into a pub with vitually no access except by boat.

That attempt failed I think. The funding closed miles short. I have never been a quitter, but sometimes you have to know when a project is doomed. The Berney is just not viable as a pub.

Lucky S*d! I have had to sell all my days, onwards, this year due to wife's illness which has now entered the advance palliative stage. I have not seen our boat at Stalham for about five weeks all be it just twenty minutes away at most. How fortunes can change in just a few months.

As did the European Convention on Human Rights. Brought in after Nuremberg. This was very much championed by Churchill who also said (whilst lamenting loss of Empire) " We must now create a USE an United States of Europe" I hope that this has not crossed any Ts&Cs. it is historical fact, feel free to delete if it has.

I would not in any way say I have knowledge of the various ways of dredging. But, I remember being told that that the reason that the spoil is carted away ( this by a May Gurney employee at Rockland circa 2003) was that the practice of putting it on the bank caused much greater suspended solids in the water which was to the detriment of all marine life in the immediate vacinity of the dredging.

It seems to me, that today, people do not vote for a person, principle or organisation. Rather they would prefer to vote against something real or perceived to the detriment of what they would normally do.

I have heard of Heron Breast being eaten in the 19th century. Bittern was eaten and called "Butter Bump" by the marshmen and fowlers. Generally though fish and meat eaters do not make good eating. I would stick to herbivors be they foul or mammal.