Mouldy

They might give a degree of control over where you fish, but anglers using them on busy rivers during the main boating season strikes me as being selfish. Don’t get me wrong, if I see an angler, I will try to move into the middle of the river, but it really grinds my gears when one is hiding in the reeds, fishing with a pole, that you can’t see and you get a waved fist and a torrent of abuse from them as you pass. Surely, common sense dictates that you either make it so that either you, or your tackle (fishing) can be seen by passing boat traffic. It’s obviously not so bad during the quieter months with less boat traffic - save the poles for the winter!

The Ferry House at Surlingham has posted on FB to say that they are open again, after being closed on Friday due to flooding (the lane and beer garden, so no access). I think the southern rivers may be fairing a little better than the north. According to the weather forecast, there are more wet and windy days to come this week, although the wind direction is changing to predominantly southerly on Wednesday and Thursday.

Good one, Kate. I usually put being grumpy down to my age - never connected it to the weather! I’ll try that one!

But they were a little more refined than the cardboard ‘magic’ tree, dangling from your rear view mirror! 😁

I was verrrrrrrrrrrry tempted, but an uncharacteristic sense of diplomacy came over me and prevented me mentioning that . . . . . . . . … . .. as well as Grendel’s apparent profligacy in purchasing something so frivolous! Probably due to it being the season of goodwill! Enjoy your panto, Peter!

They were running something. If it wasn’t a genny, something was making a racket. Aside from the two of them, the rest of the staithe (which was full) was all quiet and peaceful.

We were moored at Ranworth earlier this year and two of the Woods hybrids were there at the same time. They might be quiet underway on electric power, but both were running generators and they do make a din!

And the quay heading is in very poor condition too.

I took mine into Brian Wards for replacement cylinders and was warned against over tightening them, as they would puncture and inflate the life jacket.

But not too tightly, or you’ll puncture the canister and inadvertently inflate your life jacket! 😉

We have these on NL: https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Seago/Classic-190N-Automatic-Life-Jacket/DT7 They were chosen because of their simplicity to repack if and when they were deployed. One thing to note is that the gas cylinders have a ‘use by’ date, so an element of maintenance is required.

Gee, thanks Ian! Your generosity clearly knows no bounds! 😉

After a very pleasant meal out with good friends at The Bridge Inn at Acle last night, it’s back to normal tonight, with me on kitchen fatigues! Eat your ruddy heart out Aunt Bessie!

Are you? Still?

No dpf, but the egr valve was prone to failure. Surprisingly lively little car though and the run out Race Blue versions with full leather are still worth a fair bit of cash.

The biggest issue with dpf’s is using vehicles so equipped on short journeys, which doesn’t allow them to get hot enough to work properly. Ive had two issues with my diesel Skoda in 96,000 miles, water pump failed at about 60k and a glow plug failed about two years ago. My previous Skoda was a petrol one and that had more issues at a lower mileage, the butterfly in the (plastic) inlet manifold failed costing about £800 to replace and shortly afterwards the coil packs failed, which wasn’t a cheap fix either. All cars have become more unreliable as more and more electronics have been introduced. There are far more things to go wrong and everything now seems to be throwaway. Just wait until some of these dance LED lights fail and instead of a bulb costing a few pence, new lamps have to be fitted at a cost of several hundred pounds. As for electric, just not interested. Too expensive and currently (no pun intended) too impractical.

Not strictly true. My 2016 Skoda Octavia vRS TDi DSG doesn’t use AdBlue, but is ULEZ compliant with just a dpf in the exhaust.

Good to know that you’re doing your bit for the environment, Danny!

Never mind the ruddy hose! Wonder when they plan to fix the damaged quay heading. I guess that may be on hold until they find out if their toll increase will go through following the intervention of the local MP’s and other objections.

I think that blaming a pubs demise, even only in part, on the ban on smoking, is grasping at straws. Smoking in pubs etc. has been banned since 2007 and we are all used to that by now, surely? The number of people who smoke anyway, has been in decline for years. What is more likely the cause, is a combination of a cost of living crisis coupled with ever more expensive food and drinks in pubs and restaurants. I know costs for the hospitality industry have risen too, but faced with the choice of paying your mortgage or going out for a meal, most folk will protect their homes and forsake eating out. As for the mooring charge, some folk will avoid Ranworth, but for a family looking to go out for a meal in a restaurant or a pub, whilst on holiday, is the mooring charge going to make that much difference. After all, there is a charge to moor at Thurne Dyke for The Lion, at Womack for The King’s Arms, at The Bridge Inn, Acle, at Salhouse to visit The Fur and Feather and atbThebNew Inn, Horning. As a boat owner, I don’t like the charge at Ranworth and I think that the BA are bang out of order imposing it, but I’m not going to let it spoil my holiday. If I wanted to overnight there, banging toe rails with the craft alongside (which I don’t), then I’d pay up, go for my meal and just get on with living. I have read elsewhere that the landlady is not in good health, which if true, may also be a factor in the pub’s closure.

The last time I tried The Maltsters was sometime during November 2022. We were there with our son, his wife and three children. Like Ian, we wanted something light for lunch, but they were only able to offer main meals, all of which were quite expensive. Haven’t been in since. Is it fair to blame the BA for this, bearing in mind that The Granary started to offer main meals this year and seems to have flourished? Perhaps their success has been at the expense of the pub. Without trade from the locals, surely any business there will struggle after the tourist season has finished. The Bridge Inn at Acle and The White Horse at Neatishead must be prime examples of pubs not being dependent on tourism, as both appear to continue through the winter months quite successfully.

Err, no.

I’ve messaged Duncan Baker through Facebook to request his permission to reproduce the letter on the Forum. He has agreed.

I’ve just read an interesting letter on FB, sent by Duncan Baker to the Good Doctor, on behalf of the MP’s whose constituencies cover the Norfolk Broads. Obviously, I am unable to reproduce it on here, but if you do Facebook, search Duncan Baker MP and read it for yourself. Its worth a read, really.

Wonder if the current issues at Upton will scupper that idea. There’s obviously insufficient trade to support the pubs that are there now without another one reopening.