YnysMon

Thank for the tip Kate. I have a bottle of liquid seaweed lurking in the greenhouse.

Trouble with 10 day weather charts is they can be seriously misleading, especially after the first 5 days or so. Before now we’ve looked forward to having a wonderful sunny holiday only to be disappointed by lots of end and showers.

Somehow I don’t think JR’s taste as good as they did when I was younger. I bet the farmers don’t go to the trouble of using seaweed as a mulch nowadays. That would be too much like hard work.

Ah…the tantalising smell of bacon wafting from another boat. Delightful, but simultaneously infuriating. Especially if you’ve set off extra early and haven’t yet had breakfast.

I always knew you were a softie at heart Mr FF. Must admit I like my boat comforts nowadays too. Grown too old to enjoy camping, though it was great when we were younger. A wonderful sense of freedom. Guess that’s why we’ve fallen in love with boating on The Broads.

Well, there were parts that were a bit challenging, but overall my memory of it was good. Maybe because it was the first time I’d spent much time with Graham. The following day we were advised by our Scout leaders not to traverse Snowdon via the peak, due to the weather, but to go around it. That involved a hike down the Gwynant valley as far as the lake then walking along the road to Beddgelert camping site (a few miles beyond Beddgelert). It was one of those Snowdonia days of relentless rain. Unfortunately, some of our party hadn’t followed advice and protected their gear within their rucksacks with an extra plastic bin bag layer, so when we got to the camp site they found their sleeping bags were wet. Scout leaders phoned Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel and we managed to get accommodated there. My first experience of youth hosteling, and not the last. I doubt that Graham and I would have got into youth hosteling if it hadn’t been for that experience. A year or two later we had our first youth hosteling holiday as a couples walking the South Downs. Another precious memory. When Harry was little and I was expecting Alec we stayed in the Fowey youth hostel. By then youth hostels were already ‘adapting’ and we had a family room to ourselves. Edited to add…somewhere in our loft is a Force 10. Not been used for quite some time though. LOL.

Brundall has two Co-ops too, which I thought odd. Seems there’s a ‘National’ Co-op and also regional variations (East of England). It still seems odd that they would complete against each other though. I’ve also noticed that Co-op branded products are increasingly visible in other local stores in villages that don’t have a Co-op, like Roy’s and Thrower’s. That’s encouraging anyway.

I’m sure that a lot of boatyards found several of the ‘Covid’ measures they brought in helpful. For instance, staggering check-ins. Seems like a no brainier now.

I’m sure they never get over it, just like we humans wouldn’t. Edited to add, taking on a rescue dog is a huge responsibility. Even more than taking on a puppy. Not that we regret anything, but you do have to be prepared to adapt to their needs in the long term rather more than if you get a puppy.

I agree about the enjoyment of ‘roughing it’, we have loved our trips on Hunter’s boats. Even with camping though, there’s degrees of ‘roughing it’. I find the best memories are of the most ‘roughing it’ experiences. My first camping experience was with my Venture Scout Unit. Graham was another Scout on that weekend, but it was before we started ‘going out with each other’, as was the phrase in the 70s. It featured a memorable night camped between the two lakes that are half way up Snowdon, on the route above Pen y Pass. It was very windy, and we were camped in a bowl below the peak. The wind seemed to have got trapped in the bowl and every few minutes a strong gust would hit our tents. Most of us were in ‘Force10’ tents, which fortunately stood up to their reputation, but one lad had brought his own tent which collapsed during the night, so he had to crawl into the tent Graham and another guy were in. None of us slept well, but it was certainly memorable!

We were worried whether Pozzie would be okay on Moonlight Shadow, given his previous, rather traumatic, experience on the Broads. I’m not sure what we would have done if he really disliked it as I don’t think he’s a dog we could put in kennels whilst we go on holiday. Having been abandoned once he still has anxiety issues. He hates it when Graham takes Seren out for her agility classes, even though I’m home with him. He’s okay if just Graham is out, but both Seren and Graham being out stresses him.

Yes, I think so. I’m sure I read somewhere that people not on boats that weekend are welcome to ‘drop in’.

Exactly…word salad! Agree. You only need to experience camping in Snowdonia (Eryri) over a very cold Easter weekend (snow on the peaks) to realise it’s nothing like Broads boating. I had a (theoretically) winter sleeping bag and several layers of clothes, woolly hat and gloves and still couldn’t sleep as it was so cold.

I didn’t realise you could hire on the Lancaster. I’ve watched a few slightly hairy YouTube posts of the Ribble Link crossing (Foxes Afloat, Minimal List). No doubt others have posted more recent versions.

There’s an American expression I quite like… ‘word salad’. Basically a new version of waffle’. Applies to managers (and marketing execs) who want to sound impressive but haven’t a clue. I know…high time I retired.

It still sounds like a load of waffle. Just to talk something up doesn’t mean the customer’s experience is going to be any better. There’s a fine line between marketing and customer reality. If you over hype something you stand less chance of repeat sales. If you fail to capture the market, you go under… Seriously though, given we have so few boatyards now, if some mis-sell that could have a dire effect on the Broads.

Love this thread.

I have posted this one previously.

Heard on the rhond (in reality, via WhatsApp from a fellow boater)… Rosie Lees tearooms will be reopening soon (possibly Monday) in a premises on the opposite side of the road from Caroline’s previous tea room. Good news for Loddon and us boaters!

Only one week before we are next on Moonlight Shadow. Whoo!

What Seren would say (but convert the 'he' to 'she').

Bump the boat is obviously just a game to some idiots. As you say…grr. I was thinking of making a bee line for Thurne Dyke next Saturday morning (in search of good TV signal). Maybe Acle or St Benet's would be a better bet. Mind you, we have had an early morning ‘nudge’ from a departing privateer at Acle before now.

I hope you don't end up moving furniture (and in our case a piano) past midnight. That's what happened with our first house move when we didn't get the keys until late afternoon. Mind you, it was just the two of us with a hired van. Thank goodness we didn't have that much furniture and belongings in those days.

Ah, the type Dame Edna Everidge referred to as a 'half-timbered car' (when in Stratford-upon-Avon)? Can't believe I'm posting on the car thread either! The most scary one for me was the road from Voss to Ulvik on a bus. The bit where the road zig zags down what seems like a cliff! You do feel a out of control as a passenger, especially on a bus. Getting around those bends was fun - for the driver, not so much the passengers!

Anyone need any bubble wrap? No. 1 son is wanting to get the Wolsey Hornet that’s sat in our garage for almost 30years back on the road. He hit a snag trying to unlock the fuel cap, but once he did get it off realised that the tank looked very rusty. A rather large parcel arrived today…replacement fuel tank. Very, very well wrapped. Unwrapping it was a bit like a pass the parcel party game.