Mouldy

So, what about the couple on board Moonlight Shadow, who tried to moor at the same Staithe and suffered the same thuggish reaction? Are we saying that they should be categorised as the individual on the Freeman? Frankly, I think not. I know the people personally and have no doubt as to their integrity. The behaviour of these ‘anglers’ is unacceptable.

I’m guessing, as a non angler, that they may have been pike fishing. Most anglers (I believe) don’t fish for pike again until the autumn, following the end of the current season next week. As for any suggestion that the video was selective in its content, showing only the actual confrontation, I would suggest that the careful placement of the fishing gear in the centre of the Staithe was purely to prevent any boats fro mooring. Fishing from either end of the available space would have left adequate room for someone to moor. Their intent, in my opinion, is obvious. Furthermore, I wonder whether they would have shown such aggression to a party of four or five ex squaddies who wished to moor there. Their behaviour was more in line with what we mistakenly assume to be that of football supporters, not folk engaged in angling. There can be no excuse to threaten to throw a solo boater in the water, or for the torrent of profanity heard in this video. If I’m lucky enough to find a space there through the summer and after the beginning of the fishing season, I will ensure that I have either my phone, or a video camera to hand, should a similar situation arise.

Fellow owners on Moonlight Shadow were given the same treatment at the same place by the same anglers last week. They decided not to moor, but to move off to avoid further confrontation. I can assure you, as a member of the Syndicate Management Team, that Moonlight Shadow is tolled, therefore has every right to be on the river. As Tempest mentioned earlier in the thread, there have been other incidents at other moorings over the years involving anglers and members of the baiting community. Yes, these anglers are clearly an exception, however threatening to push the boat owner in the river, interspersed with fouls and abusive language is not the way to handle this situation.

I’ve just been notified that this is a recent posting on YouTube. Fellow members of the Moonlight Shadow Syndicate told me last week about some aggressive anglers at Irstead Parish moorings and it would appear that they have now assumed rights to use the Staithe for themselves. There is a fair amount of foul and abusive language here, so those of a certain disposition shouldn’t watch: https://youtu.be/Wx7MQZsWSwg?si=oiuAE6529gxuk1xU

I’ve been taught that - when I took my HGV Licence in 1978 and again when I took a motorcycle training course in 1982. Assume that every other driver on the road is trying to kill you and drive/ride accordingly. If you read Roadcraft or Motorcycle Roadcraft, it’s called defensive driving.

Call me cynical - I know I am, so no offence will be taken, but this appears to be a body representing six water management boards and in association with a seventh, who are collating data, presumably to take to The Broads Authority, EA, IDB and Anglian Water. How much evidence is required to prove that there is an issue with water levels on the Northern Broads. The amount of red tape that needs to be unraveled before anything gets done is frankly ludicrous and at what cost? I must just be getting old and intolerant! No, not getting, I am old and intolerant!

You’ve not met my wife, then! She needn’t bother! It doesn’t matter what I do and how I do it, I already know it’ll usually be wrong! Hmmm. Yep, that sounds familiar. ‘Turn around when possible!’ Sat nag or sat nav amounts to much the same thing! Doh!

Has the point been missed here? If the river levels remain high, there will be more depth in the rivers, so no grounding and an excuse not to dredge. Could be they’re not blaming each other, but working together!

Gracie’s car would never wine - she’d have drunk it first!

Surely you’ll get under Wayford in a bathtub. Wroxham is unlikely though. Just to cheer you up, it’s been hammering down again in Norfolk, as if the levels needed topping up a bit more!

Hope you’ve hired a boat with a low airdraft, Simon. Unless we get several weeks of dry weather and favourable winds, I can’t see these river levels dropping for some time.

As Good Friday falls on 29th March, I’m surprised that the BA aren’t capitalising on an early Bank Holiday and starting to charge from then.

I saw this earlier today. It does make interesting reading, especially the table of tolls. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the actions of the Blessed Authority, but we could be paying a whole load more elsewhere. https://www.broads-society.org/post/tolls-on-the-broads-and-other-inland-waterways I think my biggest concern with regards to the good doctor and the actions of the BA as an organisation, not the individuals who work for it, is the value we get for the money we pay - no new moorings, apparent reticence to renew leases on existing moorings, lack of maintenance etc. There is a huge amount of apathy towards the organisation, which seem to treat the boating community as a cash cow, which they seem impervious to.

I tried to upload these yesterday whilst at Horning Pleasurecraft, but for some reason, I can no longer post photos direct from my phone. Anyway, these were taken around 13:30, high tide was due at just after 16:00.

Eh? A dry pub? What are you doing there?

I think that you may well get a discount from the BA . . . . . . . . . . they will discount any approach of that nature without further consideration!

It may be the start of meteorological and horticultural spring, but the astronomical spring this year doesn’t start until the vernal equinox on March 20th. Pedantry aside, the rain falling outside looks pretty much the same as the winter rain that fell, in quantity, yesterday! At least it’s getting light earlier and dark later!

Our mobile contracts came up for renewal at the end of December. We could have kept the old handsets, but we wanted to upgrade. The options on line were all very expensive, so I got prices from the Apple website for new phones, using our old ones as trade ins. The new phones were cheaper direct than buying from EE and the trade in price was far more generous. I then called EE to discuss and instead of being difficult, the process turned out to be really easy. Our home internet had been provided by BT, a 500mb ‘unbreakable’ service with a 4g router as backup should the full fibre break down, but as they were now being branded as EE, they would transfer it with no penalty, increase it to a 1Gb unbreakable service for an extra £5 per month and offer 2 sims with unlimited calls, texts and data for £13 per month each. Because the wife works largely from home, the back up of a 4g router for home broad band is very useful. Everyone I have spoken to from EE seems to have been UK based and very helpful. By comparison, I was called yesterday by someone who seemed to have difficulty in speaking English, called Steve from Three, asking if I would be interested in their offers that would end on 31st of this month!

With the increasing river levels and decreasing headroom under Ludham Bridge, it’s probably just as well it wasn’t ever finished.

We had planned to spend the weekend on Norfolk Lady, finished off by meeting up with friends (by car) for lunch at The Kings Arms, Ludham on Sunday. However , the high river levels and scarcity of moorings that wouldn’t overtop, prompted a change of plans. We’d been to a garden centre for a few plants on Saturday and were still going to drive to Ludham from home for lunch yesterday. After the early fog lifted, it had turned into a bright day, albeit a bit chilly, but more importantly it was dry! Not wanting to waste an opportunity, we set off from home early enough to go to Horsey Gap to see the seals. It was the first time I’d travelled there from our bungalow and despite a couple of road closures, one for water main repairs and the other forced by flooding and related diversions, the journey didn’t take long at all. It appeared, from the number of cars in the car park, that we weren’t alone in taking advantage of the clement weather. After I’d paid my parking fee, we made our way through the gap in the sea defence wall and onto the beach, turning right towards the seal colony. There were certainly a lot more than I recall seeing there the last time we visited. I overheard one of the Seal Wardens, who were controlling the visitors, making sure they didn’t stray to close to the seals, talking to someone saying that the seals were moulting, necessitating them to stay dry for several weeks, so few of them were in the sea. I’d taken a few photos as we wandered along and with lunchtime approaching, we climbed up some steps onto the dunes to make our way back to the car. I did stop briefly at Horsey Mill to snatch a quick photo there, too, before making our way back to Ludham for a very enjoyable lunch. We’ll try for a weekend on board our boat again next week. Fingers crossed!

We’ve not long been back from a trip to a garden centre on the western outskirts of Norwich. The route took us across The Wensum, near Ringland or Taverham and the flooding in the area is awful. One of the routes was impassable due to floodwater, necessitating us to turn round and go the other way. This was also flooded, but passable. I couldn’t take photos, as I was driving, but the course of the river was impossible to distinguish, with all of the surrounding fields underwater. There’s an awful lot of water there to eventually make its way through Norwich, merge with The Yare and drain out to sea.

Photos taken last Friday. It was no different on Wednesday, but with recent rainfall (Wednesday and yesterday), could even be worse.

Take wellies. I was there last Friday and again on Wednesday. Lower Street is closed due to gas main woks, so access is from the opposite end and by the school.

Been there, done that! Plus crockery and a few kitchen utensils - not every bottle of wine has a screw top! Arrived at the checkout and the assistant asked ‘New house?’ to which the wife replied ‘No, new boat.’ Talk about feeling smug! Cutlery from Costco, pots and pans from Argos, and some other bits and pieces from IKEA. It’s surprising how much ‘stuff’ one accumulates on board to make it your floating home from home.

I believe that Paul accessed that area by removing the light fitting in the galley, but I have been known to be wrong!🙄 The additional instruments were already fitted when we bough the boat. I’m not afraid to admit that I tend to leave ‘tinkering’ to someone who knows what they’re doing. I’m scared of cocking up and having to pay for someone to undo my wrong doings and rectify them, so if I know I can’t do it, I leave it to someone who does!