addicted

There were workmen/machinery there when we passed on the 23rd. Carole

We lowered the riding light mount on our roof so we were probably about 8'2". To help get your boat under why not round up a few fat friends who fancy a river cruise! Carole

We used to get our Fairline Mirage AC hard top under offord lock as long as we could see the mouse hole. Carole

I didn't find it irritating more disappointing. Apparently this policy, so the landlady told us, has been in place for 5 years. So pre-covid and not introduced to claw back losses incurred by that. Carole

It should be remembered in todays climate that it's not only businesses that are struggling financially. everybody is finding it tough going absorbing inflation and all these extra costs could make the difference on whether some hirers albeit reluctantly, decide not to return next year unless there is a drastic improvement in the cost of living. If that happens the pubs will really feel the pinch. Carole

I forgot to mention that while on our long haul back South, we passed BA just outside Horning looking her usual beautiful self and Papaver at St Benets Abbey looking just stunning. Carole

These two posts seem to have got into the wrong order of sequence , could mods switch them round please. Carole

Arrived at Acle bridge at about 2.30pm having left Brundall at 9 10 am. An enjoyable uneventful journey. We booked a table at the Bridge Inn a d sat on the moorings immediately outside watching the world go by. The garden was heaving with people and in particular children by the dozen. Great to see so many people having a lovely time. When we were there a few weeks ago achap came to collect a mooring fee,when we told him we were booked in for dinner, he went off without charging us. Yesterday however, a woman came to collect the fee and said there was no mooring fee discount or refund for diners. And so it turned out to be when we enquired while paying our bill. We found this disappointing. It isn't simply about money, It makes one feel unappreciated as a customer and smacks of greed and opportunism. I doubt we will ever return there. Carole Well things didn't go exactly to plan. My daughter was booked into Sprowston Spa hotel only to receive an email from them cancelling the booking with no explanation. She has since learned that this hotel has a reputation for taking a booking without requesting a deposit and leaving the room available at a higher price .If they get a booking at the higher price they cancel the first one! Things turned out better actually as she booked into Wroxham hotel which was about 2mins walk from where we were moored and was excellent in every way! Sadly the weather chose To go pear shaped on the day designated as their day to see the N. Broads for the first time but it didn't stop us from doing a trip through Wroxham to Horning then onto Potter heigham back for a little sortie round Roy's dept. Store then later dinner at the Wroxham hotel where we had another excellent meal and great fun with the waiters one of whom finished up giving Tony a shoulder massage (don't ask). Next day saw my daughter returning home via Wroxham barns. It had been our intention to head for an overnight stop at Stokesby before heading back South on Friday. But as we arrived at Stokesby Tony decided he preferred to push on so we kept going arriving back on our mooring at about 6.30pm having left Barnes in Wroxham at 10.35am. We were both a bit tired after such a long haul, so were not very impressed to be woken at 1.00am by the carbon monoxide alarm! Investigations found nothing untoward, however, this occurred twice more so we took the alarm into our bedroom, turned off the gas shut off,turned off the battery charger, took the fridge off mains opened the Houdini over our bed and went back to bed, neither of us sleeping very well.Further investigations this morning suggest the problem lies with the batteries which is what Tony had suspected. All part of the fun of owning a boat. Carole

Arrived at Acle bridge at about 2.30pm having left Brundall at 9 10 am. An enjoyable uneventful journey. We booked a table at the Bridge Inn a d sat on the moorings immediately outside watching the world go by. The garden was heaving with people and in particular children by the dozen. Great to see so many people having a lovely time. When we were there a few weeks ago achap came to collect a mooring fee,when we told him we were booked in for dinner, he went off without charging us. Yesterday however, a woman came to collect the fee and said there was no mooring fee discount or refund for diners. And so it turned out to be when we enquired while paying our bill. We found this disappointing. It isn't simply about money, It makes one feel unappreciated as a customer and smacks of greed and opportunism. I doubt we will ever return there. Carole

Came to the boat last Thursday. Planning a trip over to the Northern Broads tomorrow. Will be meeting up with my daughter, her husband ,,No. 2 granddaughter and Dexter the Boston terrier. They're booked into the Sprowston spa hotel for a couple of nights and we plan to show them some of the beautiful places we've talked about, They've never seen the north before. We've no firm agenda, just going to make it up as we go along, If you're out and about and spot Hi-Jinks on your travels give us a wave. Carole

Welcome to the forum. You've certainly come to the right place to find the help you'll need bringing Nipper back to her former glory.There's a wealth of knowledgeable Woodie devotees here. Carole

We often visit Gorleston. It always looks to me as if it's in a time warp 1940s/1950s. Carole

What a thoroughly enjoyable read that was. I so envy you your grandchild of that sort of age. Ours are all grown up now and past that age of being interested in anything and everything. I remember with great nostalgia no. 1 g. Daughter helming our Fairline 29 with great efficiency aged just 4. Happy days. Carole

We travel to London to visit family, from Cambridgeshire and back at least once a fortnight using the A1. usually coming home fairly late at night. We're sick and tired of the constant road closures we encounter. Often we follow a diversion sign only to be abandoned with no further signage in some God forsaken backwater in the middle of nowhere! the satnav usually gets us to somewhere we recognise and off we go again only to meet a similar situation a few miles further on. Carole

Hi Viv, a very warm welcome from me. Carole

Griff's tale reminded me of an incident some time ago on the river Cam. Together with some friends who were in a 31' Sea Otter narrow boat, we were in a Sheerline 950 aft cockpit we were heading up the Cam at dusk intending to moor at Fidwell Fen, having had dinner at the Old Bridge at Clayhithe where you are not allowed to moor overnight, when we came across a cow that had fallen in the water and was obviously in some distress and unable to get out. Using both vessels and boat hooks as a cattle prod we coaxed it along for quite some distance until we reached an area of bank it could negotiate an exit from. I'm pretty sure if we hadn't happened along it may well have drowned. Carole

This is the first weekend ever in more than 40 years of boat ownership that we have stayed home at the weekend because the weather was too hot and sunny! Carole

Welcome to the forum Hope you find it as useful and entertaining as I have. Carole

You're quite right Jean. What I needed was a reaction that showed someone in floods of tears because that 's what my reaction was. Carole

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. The mental impact was huge and for about 6 months I was completely unable to actually say the words "I've got cancer". I went to see my GP to ask her to arrange some physio to help me with my arm that had impaired movement following the surgery I had had done. When I was going to the surgery Tony insisted on accompanying me despite me saying that it was unecessary. I asked the doctor to arrange the physio for me and because I had had my operation privately the details had not shown up on my records so she wanted to know why I wanted physio and despite umpteen attempts I clouldn't get the words out and Tony had to tell her for me which was of course why he had insisted on coming She understood perfectly and said to me "and aren't you just bloody furious with your body!! How right she was. This time round, I dealt with the mental aspect much better. When I was given the news by the surgeon, the first thing I asked was, is it treatable? the amazement on his face that I should have asked what was clearly in his opinion such an absurd question was very reassuring. Carole

We got a call at 11.30 this morning to say our car was repaired and being valeted and that a driver would collect us from our home at 2.30pm to take us to collect our car, which he did. The usual superlative service from EMG Ely. Carole

I used to smoke about 30 Rothman international a day. I used to keep a lighter and a packet of cigs in my bag,ditto kitchen, lounge , bathroom, bedoom and ditto in both cars! Tony used to nag me to give up constantly. I had a close friend with whom I used to spend a lot of time. She was a single mum to 2 and didn't have an easy life. She met a man who was perfect for her but who was vehemently opposed to smoking and said there was no future for them while she smoked, so she promised to give up on New Years Eve 1989. I really wanted her to have this chance of happiness so I also gave up to make it easier on her. I've never smoked since. She failed to give up and he married her anyway! Carole

Thank you Ian.Tony and I will be thinking of you next Tuesday. I also valued your support when I was thrown my recent curveball. Tony knows only too well how Marina and the rest of your family is feeling. With every good wish for your speedy recovery, Carole

Nothing at all it's a Kia - 7 year warranty and it's just 2 years old. Just heard the car will be delivered back to us tomorrow. This is the 2nd Sportage we've had. The first gave us no problems at all for 8 years- hence we bought another. The problem with the fan belt tensioner comes from, I'm guessing, the fact that it's a mild Hybrid. Apparently they have been a bit problematical but they say this is the first one they 've had go wrong a 2nd time. Carole

Yesterday didn't go exactly to plan. We were on our way to spend the day with the family in North London and as we were pulling into Sainsbury's fuel station on the A10 Enfield, the car started to make a loud noise. Cutting a long story short it was a repeat of a problem we had last year with the automatic tensioner on the fan belt. We got to our daughter's and phoned Kia in Ely who look after the car. Their instructions were to get the car road hauled back to them for attention and to not drive it any further. Top marks to Qdos our roadside recovery people. Within an hour we were on our way in an air conditioned moderrn recovery truck with our car safely loaded on the back. We were back in Ely by mid-afternoon and today finds us awaiting the verdict on how long it will take to fix . If it's not back today they will send a hire car. Such good service softens the inconveniance of an incident such as this. Carole