Paul

Re Beccles, not personally convinced that it has gone downhill I remember Beccles with the coloured lights on during summer evenings, with showers that worked, and that you'd want to use. I dread my little boy needing to use the facilities at Beccles now, during recent visits they have been somewhere between poor and disgusting. Oulton hasn't suffered so much, admitted. The best thing about Oulton YS is the staff who are all first rate, but the last twice we have visited the baths have not been available. Problem with the hot water.

Didn't WDC do something similar some years ago with the Yacht Stations at Oulton and Beccles? Beccles especially went downhill dramtically.

I thought such faux pas never happened on syndicate boats. You are shattering my illusions.

cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war! Good luck with the rm's, there are far too few of them.

I understand there are two proposals being submitted side by side but which should be seen as totally separate. One to restore the Marina Quays buildings and restore (some) visitor moorings and one to build eight new homes with private moorings elsewhere on the site.

Interesting. I wonder how they will get around the prohibited (residential) development restriction on that site.

I like to cast videos and music from my laptop to the TV via the wi-fi. I right click on the video and use the cast to device option, then select the TV. Simple enough, even for a luddite such as I. Windows 10 opens a program to handle the casting which gives me simple controls over what's playing, pause, next previous etc, but that's about it. Does anyone know of a substitute for this which allows greater functionality such as random play and the ability to create and store playlists? I've tried googling and found some that do, but they cast to a device such as a chromecast or amazon stick type thingy. I'm looking for something that will still cast direct to the TV via the DNLA compatibility. I asked in our local hi-fi shop yesterday but they suggested I need a media server, which they could sell me for a princely sum, but I feel sure there should be something out there which will do this direct from my laptop?

ah, but according to the OED definition a globule could be a drop or droplet of tear or pear shape, so the spherical reference provides vital clarification as to the actual specifics of the matter and extends to the reader the precise intent of the author, whoever he or she may be, and is essential for the avoidance of doubt. Yes, I know Sir Humphrey was my second.

sorry to be pedantic, but you can't have globular shaped spheres. You could have spherical shaped globules. Yes, Bernard Woolley was my favourite character in Yes Minister.

Sadly since Molson's takeover of Sharp's, Doombar seems to crop up all over the place, though it's not a bad ale. I do wonder about the need to ship an ale from Cornwall to Norfolk though, especially when there are so many good beers brewed much nearer. I wonder about the combination too, Ghost Ship and Doombar. They are quite samey, 4.5% ish amber ales. 95% of "real ale" drinkers would struggle to know one from the other. Regardless, it sounds like the pub is on the up, has someone in charge with a bit of sense and is doing well so thumbs up for that.

Haven't been to the Priory in many, many years. Too many by the sound of it. Our first visit was caused by necessity. We moored alongside another establishment nearby only to be told they were not doing food that night (it might have been a Sunday). We (four lads, early twenties perhaps more used to a night out on the pop!) trekked across the road and up the drive desperate to find something to eat. The receptionist was very dubious that we were at the right establishment but found us a table despite not having booked and they proceeded to serve up a right royal feast, which was very well received. It became a firm favourite stop over for lads week.

is there some kind of Google translator to switch that to English?

I updated windows 10 a few weeks ago, as I imagine most people have. Since that update it seems to have been a bit slower (bear in mind I'm I7, two trillion gb of ram, SSD etc etc). My laptop just didn't seem to be zipping about like it did. I did all the cleaning jobs I normally do. Registry clean, crap clean, etc etc, but no effect. This morning I noticed the battery monitor was showing "plugged in, not charging". I deleted the battery and charger in device manager, shut down, unplugged, removed the battery the reconnected everything and switched back on. Not only is the battery now charging but the machine seems to have regained it's old zip. Startup from power off is about four seconds, from sleep in about one second. Programs open almost instantly and no lag on some of the more demanding games that I occasionally play. If your machine is struggling try it.

Some kind of small launch or day boat is on our shopping list, something we can trail to different waterways, so when (if ever) that happens maybe we'll have another go.

Upstream of Geldeston the flood defences are all but gone and the river bank has naturalised. The former lock at Ellingham has been replaced by a weir, one of three unless my memory fails me which maintain sufficient depth of water to make the river navigable to canoes and punts but you have to port around the weirs. Last time I tried the passage, which is many years ago the river was all but blocked by Podgett's Island which seemed to be expanding (rather like me!) and scrub and brush stretched pretty much bank to bank. In places the rowing boat I was using was rubbing bottom so the depth was perhaps 8 - 10 inches Roger Deakin made the trip from the source of the river down to Geldeston in his canoe "Cigarette" for a BBC Radio program, and an extended clip from that is still available in the BBC archives HERE

As TeamElla has already said, this is the mooring at the Bridge, theoretically the limit of navigation at Waxham. There is a small boat dyke just under the bridge IIRC. When I was last there the water around the moorings didn't look too bad, but place along the cut was very weedy, especially around Brograve.

I hear what you're saying. I'm involved with two canal restoration societies myself but restoring, even rewatering a canal is a very different proposition from restoring a fluviatile navigation. The NW&DCT are doing a fabulous job, though even there I seriously doubt that section of canal will ever carry boat traffic again. At best it might see some kind of trip boat operating irregularly and will provide a valuable resource for small watercraft. From my own experiences I can assure you of one thing. The support of the relevant navigation authority is vital. One of the societies I support has the full backing of the C&RT and is making great strides with new stretches bought into water on a regular basis. The other doesn't and whilst it works just as hard has not reopened a single yard of navigable water in it's twenty odd years. Would the Broads Authority seriously back a restoration of the Upper Waveney Navigation? I doubt it. And if it involved significant capital outlay would we want it to, or to concentrate on proper maintenance of the existing navigable water? Anybody who knows me, or has followed my posts for any time will appreciate that Geldeston is my favourite part of the river. I just think sometimes we have to acknowledge the passage of time.

Just being realistic, Bungay will never see boats from the Broads again, not in my lifetime, my childrens lifetime, their childrens lifetime, childrens childrens lifetime et ad infinitum

I might be playing devil's advocate here, but is there any point? It's not part of the Navigation and never will be again. It's not in anyway aesthetically pleasing. What is left is of little if any historic value and these current repairs, to replace failing brickwork and pointing which has been damaged by plant growth will only be temporary. Plant regrowth will eventually bring us back to this point. Do we keep patching it up or do we simply accept the passage of time and let these things pass into history?

Perhaps an NBN CiC?

There's always a good selection of boats moored at the limit, by Bridge House. Last time I was up that way walking there were perhaps twenty boats, right up to Bounty 35's, a Dawn Craft and the regulation Hampton. I don't think size is an issue, I just didn't want to give the boat back with an overheating problem.

Agreed, although in all honesty we went up to say we had done it, cross it off the Broads Bucket List so to speak. I can't see the need to go up there with a view to mooring anyway. You can moor at The Ferry House which is a five minute walk away without the need to get all "David Bellamy" with the "undergwoth". The only part of the broads we haven't got a boat into now is above Brograve Mill. We tried it a couple of times but it was very weedy and when the boat you're using doesn't belong to you then you have to draw the line well on the side of safety.

You could look at it that way, or you could look back at it and wonder how much of our cabinet ministers very expensive time, which we pay for, was wasted on this garbage .........

A friend of mine has a way of getting around this. He carries a series of NHS cards. If asked for a sample of breath he draws one which says "Asthmatic, please don't take breath samples". If asked for a blood sample he draws another which says "Haemophiliac - please don't take blood" and if asked for a urine sample draws a third one which says "Doncaster Rovers Fan, Please don't take the pi**" I guess this is where the project ended. I can imagine the Brundall Navy loading torpedo tubes as we speak.

you could always remind people that "Donny Rovers" have won the FA Cup six times ...... no need to mention it was the Belles.