[My Day]

7 minutes ago, Ray said:

That boat next to her looks nice too 😁

Give you that, Ray, but don’t ask me to polish that one too! 😉

[My Day]

My var’s turn for its MoT today.  The nearest main agent is in Norwich, so I dropped it off this morning before 10:00, collected a courtesy car and drove to the marina to give Norfolk Lady some much needed tlc.

The grey/green parts of the superstructure were compounded and waxed, leaving the roof over the helm to do hopefully next week.  It was hard work, but the old girl looks much better for it!

The car passed its MoT with no advisories, by the way!

 

[My Day]

Took the wife’s car to the main agents in Thetford yesterday morning for its first MoT, which it passed with no advisories.  To be fair, for a three year old car with just 25k on the clock, I expected nothing less.

Back home, after some lunch, I took my bike out for another ride, trying to build up the mileage, ready for its first service.  It’s been limited to 4000rpm (equivalent  to 52mph in top gear) up until now, with the digital rev counter flashing like a strobe light if exceeded, but as I passed the 300 mile mark, I was grateful to see that I can now use another 1000 rpm, allowing me to reach the dizzy heights of 65mph!

Maybe, the next 300 miles (until the first service) won’t take so long! 

[Beauchamp Arms]

Just read on FB, that there was some kind of rave happening at The Beauchamp Arms yesterday afternoon.  Must be the owners way of causing further stress to the BA!

Im guessing that the HERAS fencing was to prevent the revellers from falling in the river!  

[Paying For Everything On The Broads]

1 hour ago, kpnut said:

I do too Andrew. Didn’t save me on that walk mind you. Maybe we should be more ferocious still. 
Apart from long grass on moorings themselves, which is just part and parcel of amenity provision and open to interpretation, most of what we’ve been discussing falls under county council statutory responsibility, and is being neglected. 
 

Yep, and leaving everything long just allows strongly competitive species to take over, meaning far fewer of our more delicate native wild flowers surviving. Nettles, thistles, grasses all have their place in the ecosystem, but given half a chance they are thugs.

And having done a bit of Googling, I think that many of the plants that are overtaking the path from Short Dyke to Rockland Staithe may be Giant Hogweed, which apparently are an invasive species that can be dangerous to humans as well as dogs.

[Paying For Everything On The Broads]

3 hours ago, kpnut said:

Wow. That’s lovely.
But where was that line of mooring on Fleet Dyke? Between the ‘bend’ moorings and the ‘straight’ moorings that are there now?

Or perhaps where all the wild moorings spots are?

I know those two mooring sections are EA rather than BA  

A few years ago the EA ripped up a lot of this type of quay heading and reprofiled the river bank.  The idea was to reduced erosion of the banks by replacing the quay heading with banks sloping at about 45 degrees with no piling.  These sections were often used as semi wild moorings and their loss was generally not popular at the time.

2 hours ago, Wussername said:

I thought that Mouldy's picture's of a pathway absolutely delightful. A cascade of wild flowers, ideal for insects, birds, and other creatures.

As for overgrown public footpaths it would suggest to me that they are not or rarely used and not subject to wear and tear as one would expect in the normal  course of events.

If you wish for manicured footpaths it does beg the question as to who has to pay for them or indeed wants them.

Andrew

Not asking for manicured pathways, but trimming the vegetation back two or three feet to allow someone to walk along the path without having brush through nettles etc. surely isn’t too much to ask.  Maybe I should have included my wife in the photos to give an indication of the height of some of those plants, but many were three or four feet taller than me.

 

3 hours ago, kpnut said:

There we go Malcolm. 

Get it, Kate, but this is supposed to be a made up path, but will soon become impassable as it’s swallowed up by the towering triffids that line it.  It was noticeable how few people were walking along the bank at Short Dyke yesterday, which is normally frequented by walkers and dog walkers.  Obviously the weather may have had some part to play, but I wonder if the challenge of negotiating the path now deters folk.

[Paying For Everything On The Broads]

19 minutes ago, kpnut said:

The answer of course is for councils to have more money for these, what many would call ‘extra’ things. They are in fact basic services. 

And for councils to have more money, they have to be given it from somewhere. Either council tax payers of their area, or from central govt through an increase in general taxation. 
As the saying goes, you can’t have something for nothing. 
 

The sadly logical outcome of footpaths /cycle paths / bridleways / green lanes being overgrown is fewer people bothering to venture out. Eventually the network we have in this country of accessible countryside falling into disuse and passing into the history books. I hope not, for my children’s and grandchildren’s sakes. 

You’re not wrong there, Kate.  We walked round to The New Inn for a welcome libation and a light lunch from the Short Dyke moorings.  The path has always been well maintained, but yesterday was something of a challenge, with weeds towering possibly nine feet tall overhanging the path.  I’m not sure to whom I should write, as I don’t know who is responsible for the path, but it won’t be long before it becomes virtually impassable.

[Too Sensible By Half]

1 hour ago, Gracie said:

I'd also just like to say in regards to setting a good example to hirers, some hirers have been hiring boats longer than some people have owned one. That's not a dig at anyone whether boat owner or hirer, I am a huge fan of both camps  x

That’s very true Gracie.  I’ve been hiring in my own name since 1974, but only joined a syndicate five years ago and an owner four years ago.  I always treated a hireboat as if it was my own, always trying to return it in a better state than when I took it out.

Weve spent a good few Saturday afternoons at Pyes Mill and I have to say that Pacific look to give very thorough handovers, including side on and stern on mooring and from our experience when hiring, Summercraft we’re also very thorough.  Thinking back, Gales at Chedgrave and Russell Marine were excellent too.  All were, or are family run yards, so I do wonder if that is the difference.

[Beauchamp Arms]

57 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I’ve heard it said that, once profits started to be made the rent was increased which eventually made it unsustainable. 

I was under the impression that the pub was owned by Mr Hollocks, so how would increased rent be applicable if that is the case?

[Too Sensible By Half]

2 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

This morning whilst travelling downstream on the Ant we encountered two boats speeding excessively , both of which were private boats .

The majority of hire boats we have had dealings with over many years have been respectful of the speed limits and to the Broads in general , that is why those that do behave in an improper fashion stand out so much .

 

Must be quiet for no mad dash back up The Ant to Richardson’s on a Saturday morning.  When we were on Moonlight Shadow back in April, we spent our first night (Friday) at St Benet’s moorings.  We were passed by plenty of Richo’s Fleet, doing well aver the speed limit between about 07:00 and 09:00.

[Beauchamp Arms]

On 28/05/2022 at 09:46, YnysMon said:

We have taken walks past Berney Arms last year and this year, and the number of caravans on that site are proliferating there too, and the main building is looking more and more tatty. Did I read on another thread that Berney is owned by the same guy that owns Beauchamp? 

And Loddon Marina.  Just think how attractive that is when you walk past!

[Beauchamp Arms]

6 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It has to be the least enticing pub I can think of anywhere.

Agreed!  In all the years I’ve been visiting The Broads, I’ve never set foot in the place.  There’s something about it that just doesn’t encourage me in.  Mr Hollocks clearly has another cunning plan in mind.  No doubt we’ll read all about it in due course in the EDP.

[Beauchamp Arms]

Cruised past The Beauchamp Arms a short while ago and noticed that new measures have been installed to attract passing visitors.  It’s now closed to visiting boats with a copious length of HERAS fencing.

[Paying For Everything On The Broads]

Maybe we don’t pay enough!  Having lost the moorings at Langley Dyke, from our base at Brundall, there aren’t a huge amount of options for decent moorings when we only have a weekend on board.  We tried for Hardley Mill last night, only to find it full, so stayed at Cantley.  This morning we decided to head for Short Dyke (Rockland) to spend the rest of the day and arrived a few minutes ago to find that ‘no mow May’ has extended well into June and almost into July.

What’s the plan @BroadsAuthority?  Do our tolls not cover a bit of strimming to maintain the few moorings we have left on the southern rivers?

[Too Sensible By Half]

2 hours ago, Vaughan said:

I agree and I think speed limits on the Ant in general are too low.  There are many occasions when I have found the need to actually come into neutral and drift, almost half the time, in order to stay behind someone dribbling along at what they think is 4MPH.  That's fine for me but to expect new customers out from Richo's in one of their big boats, to be able to control it in neutral, in a cross wind, when coming into a narrow, dead end mooring dyke, is asking too much. . . . . . . . . . 

I suspect that to many people, both hirers and owners, speed limits are only there as a guide, much the same as on our roads.  A small percentage have no regard for them whatsoever, some folk know they’re there but think that adding an extra 10% (or so) won’t matter, some conscientiously control their speed using an app on their phone and some have no idea and potter about at whatever speed they feel appropriate.

Do we honestly think that imposing a speed limit on a short stretch of river, when so many craft are not even fitted with a GPS speedo, just a guide stuck to the dash using Dymo tape (remember them?) based on engine revs, will have any effect whatsoever?

 

[A Close Call....]

15 hours ago, PaulN said:

In all my years I've never been called for Jury Service and often wondered why, yet there's Grendel our fine upstanding forum tech man, whom I had the pleasure to meet at Beccles last year, being summoned 3 times!

Don’t feel too bad about it!  I’ve never been called either.

[My Day]

I’ve spent the last two days watching some people make a ruddy mess of our living room.  Fortunately, they tidied up after them, but they’ve left a huge hole in the carpet!

To be fair, it was planned.  With just one room left to decorate, it was time to get it underway.  This is the first property we’ve had with a fireplace and chimney, so we decided to have a log burner installed.  One of our neighbours had some similar work done, so based on their experience, we got a quote, which was less than I expected and they duly turned up yesterday to start.

The first thing to go was our already disconnected and rather old fashioned gas fire, followed by the fireplace and hearth.  The aperture had been lined with fire board, tje chimney swept in preparation for the installation of the liner and the chimney breast has been re plastered.  We also took the opportunity of getting rid of the hideous Artex on the ceiling, by having it skimmed to leave a smooth finish.  Just got to wait for the plaster to dry before I can pop the lamps back.

The contractors have taken relevant measurements for a granite hearth to be cut and are due back next Friday to finish the work.

[Paying For Everything On The Broads]

17 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

So how much to depend a penny,

Gents toilets at Looe in Cornwall are 20p to access, even if you just want a jimmy riddle!  Stand up, no paper used and cold water at the basins (I suppose I should be grateful for that).  It’s pretty much the same everywhere now.

[Signed In Or Logged Out?]

1 hour ago, oldgregg said:

I bet if we didn't apply an update and your passwords etc got compromised you'd be asking why we didn't apply the updates....

Get that, but fixing one issue and creating another isn’t helpful to anyone.  Do they not test the updates before releasing them, or is that the end user’s responsibility?

[Signed In Or Logged Out?]

37 minutes ago, Lulu said:

“Its just come up again as logged put but i just used the back arrow key on my ipad and it shows me as logged in and able to view latest post section without having to press accept and sign in”

 

ignore that, I cant view latest posts at all now

 

 

Sorry Sam.  Had to laugh.  What’s that old expression - ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’

[Signed In Or Logged Out?]

46 minutes ago, SwanR said:

It’s a bit more of a pain than I first thought because it’s not showing unread items correctly now. I also got a random message notification earlier as well for something from a long time ago. 

And me!

[Signed In Or Logged Out?]

Yep, me too!  And, I can’t sign in on my phone, just on my tablet.  Trying to sign in on my phone results in a loop of clicking to sign in, ticking to accept the terms and returning to the original screen!

[Water]

24 minutes ago, Hylander said:

I see lots of problems with Anglian Water today especially in Horning.  Hope they get put back on soon.

 

I gather it has affected Neatishead and surrounding area.

Hardly a week goes past, where we live, without Anglian Water digging a hole to fix a leak.  It’s obvious that the infrastructure is long overdue a massive overhaul, but I guess that spending money to improve their service, might impact bonuses to their board and shareholders.

Shameful!

[Cornwall 2023]

Yesterday saw us up bright and early.  I wanted to take my drone to the beach and get a few photos.  There are two airfields nearby, RNAS Culdrose and Predennack, so a lot of flying restrictions exist in the area.  We walked down to the beach around 08:30.  The tide was out , so whilst Deb wandered about on the beach, I went up onto the headland between the east and west beaches, prepped a drone and sent it up.

When I’d taken a few shots, I landed it and packed it away, before descending to the beach to find the wife and Harley.  We had a lengthy chat to a couple of fellow dog walkers before heading back to the van.

I fancied a cooked breakfast, so ambled to the site shop for bacon and mushrooms, having already got some fresh tomatoes and eggs.  By the time it was ready, it was more brunch than breakfast, but it was a welcome change from toast.

The rest of the day was spent on site, it was hot and and sunny.  Neither of us wanted to venture out, so I read and did a couple of crosswords while Deb knitted.  Talk about Darby and Joan! 😁

We wandered down to the bar for a refreshing beverage later, before cooking a couple of steaks with salad and jacket potatoes for dinner.  Not wishing to become dehydrated in the heat, we both had a couple of glasses of wine to wash it all down.

The weather forecast for the remainder of out holiday was less favourable, with some precipitation predicted for Friday afternoon.  I can only hope that it’s as accurate as usual - we’ll have to wait and see.

 

[Cornwall 2023]

2 minutes ago, Ray said:

We stayed in Boscastle at the top of a path so steep that by the time you got back up to the hotel you were sober however you had spent the evening 🙂

They suffered a terrible flood disaster sometime later so we saw some of it before it was lost forever 🙁

Just photos with my phone, Ray.  I need to download the ones off my camera at home and convert them to a format the Forum understands!

I remember the disaster at Boscastle.  Devastating flooding that altered parts of the village forever.