Paul

The attendance at Old Trafford was hindered by the closure of the local airport ......

End the season now and take that, if I were you.

Whilst I laud Norwich for their policy of sticking with the players who won them promotion the Premier League is a whole different world to the Championship. The latter, in my opinion is actually more competitive so the players will have that at least, but their opponents in the top filght will be stronger, faster, more skillful and better managed. The model of get promoted, spend nothing and try and cling on has been tried before but never yet been successful, I hope Norwich prove me wrong but I have my doubts. Promotion to the Premier League is worth in excess of 100m, I do wonder where all that money is going. There were a lot of pundits last night saying "keep playing like this and they'll be ok", I disagree. Keep playing like that and they'll get blown away, not just by the top six but also by the middle eight, the makeweights and also rans that link the competitive teams in the Premier League with the relegation zone, the likes of Everton, Leicester and Man U. There are not enough points available from the other teams in the bottom six to stay afloat, even if you take them all.

Gary Neville is looking as miserable as ever at half time ..... priceless

Nobody can take away from Norwich that they scored the first goal of the new season, shame they forgot which way they were kicking......

So the squad has been announced for the next Ashes test, and yet again our selectors have demonstrated alarming cowardice in not facing up what needs to be done. I feel for Moeen, I like him as a cricketer and he's a great guy, and very important to England when in form but right now he's so low on form and confidence that a return to county cricket to recover both is the only way forward. But he must go back and play some county cricket, not stay with the England squad which seems the modern trend. Anderson's loss is a big one but he was obviously not fit for the first test and I hope the selectors have learned their lesson. The decision on fitness lies with the physio's not the players, and any recovering player should always have a match under their belt before returning to test action, as Archer has done. This is almost certainly Anderson's last ashes series, of course he wants to play and that, inevitably, will influence his decision on fitness. After the shocking display at Edgbaston several other England players should feel themselves very lucky. Roy should be out. There is a lad at Warwickshire, Dom Sibley who's scored 900 plus runs on CC1 this season, he's 23 - the ideal age to start a test career and whilst the Ashes is not the best environment to bring in new players the ECB are out of options. Roy is a one day player, he lacks the technique or mentality for test cricket, as does Jos Buttler who should also be included in the "cull". A single 100 in 56 test innings and an average of 34 is not good enough for a top order batsman. Knives are out for Bairstow too who like Moeen is so out of form, with bat and gloves that swapping him for Foakes seems inevitable. It seems almost that he's been damaged by the world cup and cannot get back into test mode. He's certainly capable but if you don't perform you should be given a rest, which is probably just what he needs. Sadly, it seems that England cricket has returned to the dark days when selection was based on "members of the club" and "faces that fit" rather than performances and ability.

I knew those dinosaurs would get him in the end

The available torque is all down to the size and power of the motor fitted, just like combustion engines. I think the issue with the dayboats and weed up at sommerton is because they are fitted with go kart motors. Many of the worlds biggest cruise liners are electrically driven using aziprops powered by electricity generated by their diesel engines. Precisely. With it's exhaust after treatment system my V6 3.0 Mercedes emits less particulate matter than most PETROL powered cars. But governments and car makers don't want to talk about particulate emissions in petrol engines, and with 154gkm CO2 it emits less greenhouse gas than a 1.6 petrol Mondeo.

In theory there is no reason why you cannot take a boat, replace it's diesel engine and gearbox with a genset, be it diesel, petrol or even LPG fuelled. Add a battery bank, some clever charging circuitry and controllers, perhaps a solar panel or two to maintain the charge when the boat is laid up and away you go. Charge your batteries from shore power and if you run out of amps on comes the genny. The real question is would you want to? The cost is not cheap. I have a friend who did just that on his narrowboat on the nearby Ashby canal, though he worked for Brush Switchgear as an electrical engineer which no doubt helped. He even fitted remote control so he could manouever the boat in and out of locks when cruising single handed (before anyone tells me, yes I know there are no locks on the Ashby, but he does venture further afield). He used a shaft driven generator linked to a Renault 1.5 dci 90hp engine which he marinised himself and it worked really well. But it cost him in excess of 50k, albeit using all new components. I know I'm going to get shot down now but Electric cars make no sense in the majority of cases, even with the unfathomable support of governments who see them as a means to meeting their emissions targets. They're fine maybe as a second car, used for commuting or shopping when fossil fuelled cars perform very badly but they take too long to charge and have too little range for most applications. A friend of mine has a Leaf, which cost him 36k, twice what a comparible petrol or diesel car would have, His batteries, which he owns not leases, are warranted for 100k. Even of the car completes 200k which few do, without any intervention or additional cost that's 9p per mile just in intital outlay. Then he has to deal with range anxiety. I believe the official figure for his car is "upto 230 miles" but he has never managed more than 160, perhaps he's a bit heavy on the gas, or whatever the "e" equivalent is. So from here in the East Mids he has to stop each time he goes to Cornwall and recharge. Now Nissan say it can recharge in 45 minutes using the appropriate fast charger but that is not a full charge, it's 75% and the range he gets after such a charge is only 120 miles. The last time they went down (the charger is at The Mall in Bristol) his wife went on a shopping spree and spent 200 on a new outfit and shoes. How many pence per mile that adds up to I don't want to work out. Interestingly, Toyota/Lexus has recently reaffirmed their long term commitment to fuel cell power units in all but their smallest cars. Even they, who pretty much invented the Hybrid, acknowledge that electric or hybrid cars are merely being produced to make governments think they are doing something about vehicle based carbon emissions. If they really want to tackle that issue then removing heavy freight from the roads and getting it back on railways is the only sensible way forward. When I changed our main car last year I desperately wanted to go down the plug in hybrid route, but I need the ability to tow, caravan, boat and or trailer. That immediately removed 90% of the hybrid market as their electrics cannot handle towing. It left me only two main options, a Volvo V60 plug in diesel electric which can pull 1800kg or a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV petrol electric which can tow 1500kg, albeit not very well if running on the rather underpowered 2.0l petrol engine only so really leaves just the Volvo which produces much lower MPG when running on diesel than the non hybrid equivalent. When I worked out the running costs neither could get close to the V6 diesel E class convertible I decided upon, which was also cheaper to buy than the Volvo. When I change the CRV later this year, which will be for something smaller then I will look again at hybrids but I still can't work out how it will add up, and as this will be a used purchase I am wary of taking on the potential failure of somebody elses old batteries.

I've seen people filling boot fulls of 20l cans at Morrison's at Beccles. As long as your credit card is not in the name of "Bin Laden" I guess they don't mind.

The law states you are allowed to fill one metal 10 litre can or two five litre metal or plastic cans at a time, but many petrol stations in boating areas will turn a blind eye. Otherwise stop at two or three different stations on your way to the boat. Petrol syphon pumps should be the bulb type, not powered. You are asking for a barbecued polo if you use something like a 12v pump or a drill powered pump, (which I have seen people do) as they have exposed brushes, meaning sparks and petrol vapour. Not a good mix.

So much is made about the amount of cricket the top players play nowadays but it's nothing like what they did when I was a kid. For a start the twelve for the test would be announced the previous day and those players not in it would be released to their county. Even the twelfth man would be sent back to his county, often taking the field after lunch following a frantic taxi journey. Now those not in the playing eleven lounge around the dressing room doing nothing, then when called upon are "out of practice"

Sadly no, my opinion of wine is a waste of grapes. I am partial to a glass of decent white, very dry and slightly astringent like a good chablis but alas such pleasures are denied to me on medical grounds.

Because of the decent weather we had, especially during our first week there was lots of barbecuing and not so much pub visiting. We did make it to the Locks one lunchtime but as I have already posted about that elsewhere I shall not bother doing so here. Being big fans of local entertainer Tosh Ewins we headed down to the Caxton Club in Beccles on Saturday 27th, it being my birthday and have to say the welcome we got as guests was very warm and friendly. Lovely pint and somewhere I'm sure we'll be visiting again. Tosh was at his best, so much so we decided to head up to Yarmouth on Monday to see his gig at the Burlington Palm Court Hotel. This was a real nostalgia trip. During thirty years or so in the travel business I've spent more nivghts in hotels than I have had hot dinners, or at least it feels that way. From the very best in the world, the likes of Raffles, The Taj Palace, Peninsula Hong Kong etc, and sadly some of the worst. The Palm Court is a typical UK Resort Hotel and bought back weekends spent in Great Yarmouth and similar resorts for cricket tours and other various, nefarious reasons. We made the obligatory trip to the Ferry House at Surlingham for dinner one evening. Every time we visit this pub it seems to get better and better, along with the Bridge at Acle which sadly we didn't manage to visit easily the best riverside pub on the broads.

Another highlight for us, not so easy if you're boating is a trip to Southwold and Aldeburgh with lunch at Thorpeness Meare tea rooms. I like Aldeburgh, and though we love the Broadland villages it's the ability to tour away from the rivers which has led us to prefer cottage holidays, rather than boats, at least for our main holiday. We had a walk around the town, then along the beach. The Martello Tower south of the town is now available as a holiday cottage and I really fancy it for a short break in the depth of winter, fire raging and the sea lashed to madness by a strong easterly. Sadly having looked at the prices I think that will remain a pipe dream. That built a good appetite for lunch so it was off to the Meare Tearooms who do the most divine quiche's in several different varieties and I'm very partial to a good quiche. On sunny days, such as we had be prepared to wait for a table. We had to wait about 15 minutes but it's well worth it. It's a lovely place to sit and watch the water as you eat, and smile at some of the attempts by those brave enough to venture out on the rowing boats, skiffs and canoes which you can hire. https://thorpenesstearoom.com/ After that we had a drive up to Southwold, another of my favourite places. I had intended to walk along the "harbour" up to the reopened footbridge to Walberswick but we sat rather longer over lunch than planned, after all we are on holiday and had no intention of rushing, so we strolled around the town, hunted down a bargain or two then headed back to the cottage with plans for a Barbecue. We had been up to Potter the previous day and Lathams were selling Metal Kegs of Adnam's Ghost Ship for 9.99 (also available in QD at Beccles). I have plans to make a dent in it, or at least the contents this evening.

Oh dear .... Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I can barely believe that on Thursday afternoon I sat on the meadow at Beccles with my new DAB bought the previous day listening to Australia tumble to not a lot for 8 whilst Jamie and Breydon played on the park. Now I am watching the worst English capitulation since the fall of Singapore. Sadly, I predicted just as much on the recent world cup thread. I'd like to say if defies belief, sadly it doesn't. I would be surprised if England don't suffer a whitewash defeat in this test series, the first ever on England soil. The ECB made clear that their priority this summer was the world cup, which by hook or by crook they managed to win (with a lot of help from India!), so they I'm sure will consider this summer a success regardless of the outcome of what once stood unsurmounted as Cricket's premier competition. Never have I seen an England team so lacking in preperation, or technique at the start of a test series. Can we declare now and save the suffering?

Returned home on Saturday from what is becoming our annual fortnight in Loddon. My sister reccommended a holiday cottage they had found some years ago and we never got around to trying it until last year. We loved it so much we booked again for this year, and have done the same this time around for next year. I'm not going to bore you with the typical facebook style account of what we ate for breakfast and whether I wore my shorts or not, but one or two observations to share. Sunday 21st we visited the Barton House Railway in Wroxham. I've been trying to visit since Noah ran aground but despite fifty plus years of visiting Norfolk have never been around on the right weekend, it's open on the third Sunday of each month. This year we finally put that right. There is very little parking on site so best to park in Hoveton and use their electric boat service from Granary Staithe which is included in the modest admission fee. £3 for big 'uns, £1.50 for ankle biters and nippers free. It's worth it for the boat trip alone. The admission includes one single trip on the riverside railway which takes you around the Wherry sheds to the bottow of the garden where you will find a number of restored railway buildings including a fully working signal box which controls the railway, a hut selling reasonably priced refreshments, another small ride on railway, an OO gauge Thomas layout which the younger ones can control and an engine which you can learn to drive yourself, which Jamie loved. Unlimited ride tickets were an extra £10 for all of us, making a very reasonable afternoon out. It's run by volunteers aith all proceeds going to charity so well worth a visit. http://www.bartonhouserailway.org.uk/

A good description of careening in "Great Easton" The danger grounding on Breydon would be catching the edge of the channel and putting too muchangle on the boat as it comes to rest, allowing it to swamp as the tide rises. Make sure you have a flat bottom under you.

I do have some concerns if the new Locks can last, long term. Under Colin's tenure the Locks was a unique offering, not only attracting the all important holiday traffic but maintaining a regular local clientelle through the winter, albeit with limited opening hours. It also built up a regular smattering of the slightly weird. Dwile flonking, solstice celebrations, green man festival, etc. It will be interesting to see if the new Locks can, or even wants to maintain this. Does it fit in with their new mantra? Pie night seems to have been replaced with supper night, which at £40 a head is likely to be a special occasion event, rather than a regular. I just wonder if, come November, when the nights are dark and the weather not too great people will bother to make the journey along locks lane for an offering which is no longer unique, but cometes with many similar such offerings whic are more easily accessible. Add to that the fact that there is another very good hostelry in the village. Can the Locks survive on summer trade? I notice that the main menu has dissappeared from the web, should we read anything into that?

I nipped down yesterday lunch time to see what all the fuss was about. In terms of the rennovation then imagine some channel four (or 5) "grand designs" team getting to grips with a victorian house. Rip out the fireplaces and turn them into alcoves for the sound system, get rid of the period doors and refit with stainless steel and glass, remove the plaster cornice and victorian skirting mouldings and refit with upvc maintenance free stuff, then finally whitewash the whole lot, remove the solid oak floor and refit laminate and dig up the terracotta floor tiles and fit tile board. Now apply this to the locks. Everything that portrayed the character of the pub previously has been removed, with nothing added to replace any character, it is a sterile void. About the only thing to avoid the chop is the wisteria around the main door, which is no longer the main door but has been closed off to allow extra seating inside. There were half a dozen boats on the mooring, which were therefore full plus a similar number of cars in the car park. Most people were sitting outside enjoying the 90+ degree heat with just one table in the dining room occupied inside, we followed suit and grabbed the last table in the shade of the trees. I headed in to order drinks, though with the main door out of use you enter through the new ones between the old building and the dining room. You then have to fight your way through the archway into the bar which is blocked by people standing at the bar. The reason for the mass at the bar was a queue formed by the one person manning it chopping endless oranges in half and juicing them through an old electric juicer which kept clogging. Twenty minutes later I emerged with 2 diet cokes and a pint of Grain Best and rejoined the family on the lawn. Of the dozen or so tables occupied outside four were dining, the table next to ustook delivery of yoghurt chicken, which looked very nice and three other dishes which didn't,plus the biggest dish of cheesy chips, sorry haloumi fries, that I ever saw. The yoghurt chicken plate went back empty, the others only "picked" at. The fries went back largely untouched. Whilst I was filming by the mooring a lady returned to a large hire boat and declared the menu "awful", her words not mine, and that party emerged twenty minutes later with a picnic which they took across the bridge into the meadow opposite. Being objective, if I had just found the Locks I would probably quite like it. It is because I knew the special place that it once was and no longer is that I don't. The Grain Best was ok, average, nothing special but not a patch on Green Jack they used to sell or offerings from Humpty Dumpty and Woodfordes. They will eventually have to do something about the menu. I'm all for different options but they will have to offer more main stream options alongside to attract average diners. Of course, what I think doesn't really matter as my one or two visits per year will hardly be missed, they never paid the mortgage anyway.

As always with temps above 25c or more than two consecutive hours sunshine Somerleyton cnnot swing cause the rails are stuck. A couple of Brundall Navy frigates down at Beccles YS yesterday very worried about when they were getting back.

Yep ....

Sorry, but you can't make fish pie without smoked fish, or with ready made sauce. Poaching the smoked haddock in the milk from which you base your sauce is essential for the depth of flavour. If it is overpowering you dish, you are either using too much, or the dreaded coloured fish. Buy undyed smoked fish, 1 part smoked to 4 parts unsmoked fish. I don't like cheese or egg in my fish pie either, don't add anything to detract from the flavour of the fish. I tend to use equal parts fresh salmon fillet, cod loin, smoked haddock, queen scallop and tiger prawns. If I'm making it just for me I'd add a few mussels as well but Elaine diesn't like them. Heat the milk, not quite to the boil then remove from the heat, add the fish, large cubes, don't shop it too finely. They tend to do that in restaurants. Leave the fish in the hot milk, off the heat for five minutes, no more. Remove the fish carefully then make a rich lemon butter sauce, no garlic! Add four tablespoons of double cream and a small handful of chopped fresh parsley and about half that amount of chopped chive and two sage leaves, very finely chopped. Add the milk a little at a time whilst heating gently and whisking. A Kenwood cooking chef is great for this job and an excellent kitchen investment. It's almost like making mayonnaise. Dribble the warm milk in a little at a time so that you maintain the texture of the sauce, it should be smooth and light and velvety. Once you have the right texture of the sauce, (you won't need all of the milk) return the fish and leave on a low heat. The sauce should just hold a spoon, like softly whipped cream. In the meantime you should have roasted about a dozen medium rooster potatoes until soft througout. Scoop out the centres and cream with a small amount of creme fraiche and season to taste. Pipe onto a non stick baking sheet in rounds to fit your serving dishes and flash under a hot grill until it starts to colour. Place the fish into individual warmed serving dishes and gently place the roast potato mash on top, add a small amount of fresh chopped parsely and serve with buttered asparagus of sugar snaps, according to season. Just how they taught me to do it and Le Manoir

That's the HR view, it has no calculable impact on the bottom line, however intelligent employers realise the morale and loyalty of experienced staff has a very real impact on your bottom line. To quote another Branson one liner (I'm not a fan either) ... "Look after your staff, and your staff will look after your customers" This of course breaks down when the company, or organisation in question has no accountability to it's customers. In such cases HR madness can run unchecked.

So England win on boundary countback, who'd have believed it ......