addicted

perhaps I should also have mentioned that we buy diesel at a concessionary rate of £1.00 per litre. Carole

We have just spent our first week on our new mooring on Ferry Marina and have no complaints at all. We found our water tap ran so slowly it took 5 hours to fill our tank but a mention in the office and a new tap was fitted a day or so later pretty good service I think. We have managed to park our car immediately to the rear of the boat each time we leave the marina to get papers etc. so no problems there. True the extra journey is a bit of a pain but I think it'll be worth it. The cruising is very beautiful and very interesting. We spent a night moored at the quiet moorings Potter Heigham, the howling wind and spectacular thunder storm made for an interesting night. Out with the torch at 4.00am to check the mooring spikes were holding their own, noticed the chap in the boat behind doing likewise, all was well no need to fret. On the whole it was a lovely week and we're looking to our return next weekend . Carole

Don't worry that a a dodgy hip will curtail your agility on your new boat I had a new one fitted last year and it's brilliant no problems using the boat at all unlike last year before it was replaced using the boat was really hard .Congrats on your new purchase you'll soon begin to wonder what you did with your life before you had it and your money!!!) Carole

Now you own our own boat you will probably find as with us that winter becomes just a time for marking off the months till boating time arrives. Since retiring 19 years ago ( We retired quite early) we have used our boat as a second home with a routine of staying on board for 10-12 days at a time then home for a few days - mow the lawn, do the laundry spend a day in London with the family then back again. Marvellous! We really do get the most out of Hot Gossip. We originally moored on the Great Ouse, moving to the Broads in July 2010. At that time we had a Sheerlne 950 aft Cockpit It pretty soon dawned on us that no longer being governed by the restrictions of locks we could have a bigger boat and the Sheerline 1050 Aft cabin was acquired in October 2010. We still have her But do wonder how long it will be before we feel we need something a little smaller thus easier to manage It will be with very heavy hearts that we will part with her when the time comes. Carole

Hi Tim I really enjoyed your tale Hope the ankle recovers soon. Looking forward to the next instalment. Carole

I am quite partial to fish in all guises, however Tony hates it - big time! When we eat out I invariably have fish because he makes my life such a misery if I attempt to cook fish at home, He's almost paranoid about the smell of fish,. He actually quite likes my fish pie, which I hasten to add is never made with any of the 2nd rate stuff described by Jenny Martin, however even though he quite likes it I am not allowed to make it as he can't stand the smell! I don't dislike the smell of fresh fish as long as it is fresh that is. Carole

Thanks for the info' Lulu, it's very nice to get some positive news about our new permanent berth. look forward to meeting you also. Carole

We're still working out the best route having only made one journey home, but each time we've been so far we've managed to park our car exactly behind out boat. A lot less distance to carry all the stuff aboard than we had on our Brundall mooring. Manoeuvring is a little tighter than we had at Brundall admittedly ,but we had a good look at the situation before choosing the mooring we settled for, having looked into all the pros and cons. We have only brought the boat in once thus far and had no difficulty although it could prove tricky in windy conditions but then that applies wherever you are so hopefully it will prove manageable long term. If at the end of the season we find we are not liking it we'll return to Brundall Carole

Hi Alan, Having only just arrived at Ferry I can't really comment on your observation as the jury is still out, however, we have no complaints about Brundall whatsoever and hope to find things similar at Ferry. Have to say our experience so far is very positive. Carole

After 10 seasons at Brundall Bay marina we decided we needed a change of scenery and have moved our permanent mooring to Ferry marina at Horning. Saturday 13th was the best day for us to get the air draught we needed to get under the bridges at Yarmouth. With us being 12'6" high we need to take down the canopy, radar arch etc. and crossing Breydon water in inclement weather is not much fun I can assure you. But it was O.K. on Saturday a bit overcast and breezy but nothing too dire. Taking our time we berthed in Ferry marina 5 hours 50mins after leaving our berth in Brundall Bay. We've vey much enjoyed our years in Brundall but have had a hankering to try the Northern Broads for some time but it was a case of finding a berth that met our criteria which until this year we have never managed to do. We realise we have arrived just as the holidays are beginning making everywhere super busy which may come as a bit of a shock after the relative quietness of the Southern Broads but Heigh-Ho nothing ventured nothing gained. Carole

We used moor on the river Great Ouse and the fishermen there were on the whole a hostile nasty lot .We were pleasantly surprised by the altogether more friendly attitude of the fishermen on the Yare. We can honestly say we have not once been subjected to verbal abuse in the 10 seasons we have had here. Carole

What entertaining posts Chris/Grounded. P!ease keep them coming II'm thoroughly enjoying them. We're heading north from Brundal hopefully next Saturday (13th) as long as the tides are low enough(with a 12'6" air draught) we're somewhat vertically challenged at Yarmouth! Caro!e

Can't say I have noticed that but I have noticed that they tend to "hunt" in packs! Carole

Lovely photos Chris, We've never been to Palling although we've been told it's beautiful and it certainly looks it. If we fancy a day by the sea we tend to head for Gorleston which always makes me think we've stumbled into a time warp as it's exactly like all the seaside resorts I remember visiting as a child with my parents and gives the impression that it has remained unchanged in decades. The walk along the beach as far as the beachside café is quite far enough for me to walk as I'm by no means a keen walker. If I tell you that Tony says that my feet are only there to stop my ankles from fraying and not for any other purpose you'll get the picture! Carole

Boating experiences whether on The Broads or other waterways are always special. Boating is unique with a special ethos of it's own. When my husband and I got married We decided to go in search of a boat to buy. He had previously owned boats while I had never been on anything smaller than a cross Chanel ferry other than a rowing boat on the local park lake! While we were going round different brokerages I noticed people greeting my husband in a very friendly way and commented how amazing it was that they recognised him after so long away from the boating scene. He roared with laughter and explained that in "boating" everybody speaks to everybody as if they are acquainted and in the main are really friendly and helpful. I was astonished as I'd never come across that attitude anywhere else and - I still haven't. Carole

Althgough that one is very similar, mine had a smaller spindle that was black and also the knob was ridged. even though having to replace my oven fore the sake of something so small is annoying in the extreme, I must admit the idea of a nice shiny new oven does have a certain appeal Carole

E spares are unable to help I've tried them Carole

Thanks anyway. But I'm afraid not. Although one looks fairly similar. Carole

I've got a Bosch built-in oven which is 15 years old and which I wasn't planning on replacing any time soon. the Clock/timer is set using a little black knob on the front of the oven which was a little loose. Of course, the inevitable has happened and it has come off and gone missing! The oven is deemed obsolete and the part no longer available so for the want of a tiny plastic knob it looks as if I will be obliged to buy a new oven. I'm beyond cheesed off! Anyone got any suggestions? Carole

Did I imagine it or did someone post on the forum a couple of years or so ago that they had recently acquired the Beauchamp Arms and planned to make several improvements including making the mooring more user friendly? Carole

When we used to moor on the Ely Ouse some years ago we were moored for a couple of days at Littleport and observed a man walking 2 Bearded Collies 3 times a day each time allowing them to foul the footpath without making any attempt to remove the mess. We pointed out to him what an antisocial thing he was doing and his response was to say he would keep right on doing it and if we didn't like, too bad! Now that was truly disgusting Carole

In 2002 we bought a Rover connoisseur estate. Within a short time it developed a rattle from behind the dashboard that drove us crackers. It turned out to be a loose component that Rover were aware of and there was a scheme in hand to deal with it that dealerships were apprised of. It then developed a roar that sounded as if the baffles had been removed from the exhaust . Numerous trips to the local dealership failed to locate the problem. While at the annual motor show I buttonholed a chap manning the Rover stand who proved to be the National Sales director, He promised that after the show closed and he had time to deal with all that had cropped up there he would get in touch with us and see about getting our problem sorted. True to his word we had a call from him to take the car to Marshalls in Cambridge where he would arrange for a specialist mechanic to meet us.. The mechanic came as arranged and took the car out for a spin and on his return told us he had located the problem. It turned out to be something loose between the head lining and the roof! We collected the car next day - problem solved. We kept the car for 5 years in total and never had any other problems with it. We occasionally still see it around locally looking immaculate and obviously still in good running order. Carole

I can do it I know what to do certainly rings a bell with us, a certain 4 years Mollie Paige helming Beau jangles our Fairline Mirage up the river Gt. Ouse leaving Ely. Granddad, all you have to do is just say right a bit or left a bit Mollie, there's no need to touch.What happy memories, Mollie Paige is 23 now! Carole

Ditto Carole