addicted

Just a weekend to sort out a daughter's bedroom? Oh if only! In the days before my daughter moved out it would have taken a great deal longer than that. We used to refer to her room as the Black Hole, where anything missing could be located from a teacup to a lawnmower! (not literally) After she moved out she was burgled and one of the attending police remarked what a mess the burglars had made of her bedroom. Saying it was totally trashed. She was forced to admit that she had disturbed them and they hadn't got as far as her bedroom. Carole

Lovely write up/photos as usual Sam. We've noticed for very many years how the river suddenly gets busy at the end of August. I've always put it down to boaters realising that the Summer is almost over and they are running out of time to use their boat. Glad you sorted out your battery problem and can now look forward to a trouble free 10 days. Enjoy! Carole

I used to have quite a few spider plants in our conservatory and then our cocker spaniel took a great dislike to them and would totally destroy them leaving all the other house plants intact. Carole

We moor on Ferry Marina and it would have been a very convenient venue for us however each time we thought we would maybe give it a try but the menu was not inspiring enough to tempt us. Carole

That's excellent news Ian. Such a relief for both you and Marina. Now you can concentrate on enjoying your boat without that constant worry that's always lurking in the back of your mind. very best wishes Tony and Carole

We moor at Ferry Marine and at weekends we see the maintenance staff turn up for work on the dot of 9.00am. they mostly comprise teenagers. They're laughing and joking and seem very happy to be at work. They are a breath of fresh air and a joy to watch. Always ready to share a laugh and a joke with us and each other. Carole

We had spent the day on our Fairline Mirage entertaining friends. The following day we left the boat on its mooring in Ely marina very early in the morning and travelled back to London to attend the 1st birthday party of our granddaughter. Returning back to the boat very late into the night we actually passed where we lived and being tired after a very full and energetic day I suggested that instead of going all the way back to the boat we spent the night at home and returned in the morning. Tony said he'd rather push on back to the boat and so we did. On arriving aboard I went straight to the aft cabin and found myself paddling in a few inches of water! Inspection revealed a considerable amount of water in the engine bay. We had no idea where this had emanated from or why the bilge pump had apparently failed. We could see neither the source of the leak or the pump.We started to pump out the water overboard and finally could see the source of the leak was the stern gland and the reason the pump had failed was that the previous owner had fitted a replacement bilge pump leaving the old disconnected one in situ. The float switch on the new pump had become trapped under the old pump preventing it from rising with the incoming water. Tony freed the float switch enabling the pump to do its job which quickly dealt with the water, although neither of us slept very well that night. Next day saw a trip,to the chandlers for replacement stern gland packing and stern gland thoroughly packed. Also old bilge pump removed to prevent recurrence. We were left with the uncomfortable thought that if we had done as I had suggesteded and left our return till the next day the boat would have probably sunk.

Traditionally September is the month that sees the most boats coming on the market. Good luck with your search. Carole

I spotted an item in the paper today that reminded me of an incident froim a few years ago. Apparently someone has installed a hidden camera filming people dumping unwanted junk in someone else's skip. While running a small building company this was a situation we were only too familiar with. On one occasion we had a skip at our own house in anticipation of planned works. it was sited round the corner and out of sight if our house. I walked round to put something in it only to find a chap in the middle of dumping a large box of detritus. In the skip was a load of old furniture so I told him to remove it and take it home with him. He was horrified and said it wasn't his and he had found it there when he had arrrived. I pointed out that what he was doing was illegal and tehnically it was theft as he was stealing space fromm the skip and I would call the police immediately and press charges if he failled to remiove it. He replied tht he would finish up with a lot of stuff that wasn't his. Exactly as we would have done if I hadn't caught you was my answer. What' s it to be removal or police the choice is yours. He took it and I wouldn't mind betting he never pinched some else's skip again. Carole

For anyone who's interested a new series of Floating Homes started last week. The 2nd goes out Thursday at 9.00pm on Channel 18 . We've watched each series of this programme and always found it very enjoyable. Carole

Back in the 70s/80s Vince Hill did a t.v show called Music Box which ran for several seasons. An old friend of mine used to choreograph the dance routines and his wife was one of the resident dancers. I remember them both saying at the time that Vince Hill was one of the nicest performers they ever worked with and they worked with most of the big names of the day. Carole

Much the same happened to us when we hired on the Canal du Midi. The chap from Connoiseur came to show us the ropes and give us some instruction and after about 30 seconds asked us to drop him off at the coffee shop 100 metres away. Carole

When one of our neighbouring berth holders arrived at their boat on Thursday they were dismayed to find that someone had stolen their ensign complete with staff. I had already noticed that the union Jacks that flew from the flag poles sited at regular intervals along the front of the Ferry Inn had vanished. I found them a useful indication of wind direction and missed them. When we went in the Inn for dinner on Saturday evening I asked the governor why they had been removed. He replied that they hadn't and that he had flags all aong the front. Not any more you haven't I said. He went hurrying off to have a look and returned looking very bemused but made no comment. Carole

We yelled slow down at a boat load of oafs hurtling passed Horning Staithe they looked a bit shocked but they returned a bit later at a much more respectable speed. Carole

A conversation was being had between granddad and dad about when the girls could have boyfriends. there'll be none of that until you're at least 25 said granddad. That's right isn't dad. said grandad Quite right said dad. But dad you won't know said Phoebe aged 3 Ought we be worried about the future we asked ourselves. Carole

We thought we'd head off to the boat today for a week or so. First thing this morning I dedided to do a routine bp check as it's been a bit erratic recently and I need to keeep an eye on it. It was sky high (108/79) so I went to the surgery to get it checked. My appointment was for 10.30am but I wasn't called in until 11.45. a delay like that is a bit counter productive under the circumstances, hence when it wsas taken again it was (214/120) so she packed me off to A & E. Saw a triage nurse after 2 hours and a doctor after 4. He was less than pleased saying he's written a strongly worded letter to the surgery as it was the worst referral he had ever seen and the surgery had simply passed the buck. That it was high time they got to grips with it and for me to go back and tell them so tomorrrow. This could get interesting - watch this space. Carole

Sorry to hear this Ian. Let's hope they let you out not just for good behaviour but because you're on the mend. As ever thoughts with you and Marina. Carole

We went to the Waveney Centre for a long weekend a few years ago. The mooring basin was fine although we had a few near misses with less than competent helming so it wasn't the most relaxing place we ever stayed.We went to the pub for dinner. It was truly dreadful, resembling a holiday camp cafeteria in every way. No offence to holiday to camps but not what we expected or wanted. It was so bad that the following evening we paid a small fortune for a mini bus to take us into Beccles to have dinner. Carole

We lost our last bank (Lloyds) a couple of years ago and the ATM was sited at the corner supermarket that we use to get our daily papers until it was ramraided about a year ago and as a result no longer has the machine. Fortunately we do have a very good post office and we can usually manage to do what we need there, although paying money into our account is a bit more complicated. We also don't have and don't want a smart phone and do not do on line banking except basic stuff like checking balances and such. I suppose its correct to say that we are typically old people struggling to cope in an ever increasingly difficult world. It is very scary. A town where we frequenty shop has recently changed the payment methods in its parking facilities and requires the use of a smart phone so now we can't go there any more. Stop the world I want to get off! Carole

Not noisy at all. Adorable yes - in spades. Daughters never tell you everything - probably just as well they don't! Carole

We were moored inn Horning Staithe last Friday and didn't notice that the boat behind us was Springers Retreat until it pulled away We would have said hello had we realised. Sorry. We did notice that one of the passengers was a very young baby though and we gave them a wave as they departed. Carole

A somewhat bombastic acquaintance of my parents was telling me about his hire experiences during the 60s recounting how the yard recommended he mop the decks daily.He was indignant taking the view that he was on holiday and he wasn't about to spend any part of it cleaning their boat for them. The first few days were dry, then it rained and he found out why he should have swabbed the boat down as rain water poured through the shrunk open planking below decks! He was also scathing about their advice to put the boat into reverse to stop! Carole

The shower on Hi-JInks is so small that it is a real challenge for Tony but we also found a trigger shower head which makes it much more user friendly. Carole

This explains why for the first time I had no mobile signal on the mooring at ferry marina last weekend. Carole

Congratulations, Hope everything goes to plan and the day is enjoyed by all. Our 40th isn't for another 4 years. Carole