Malanka

The original Corsica is currently a beautiful example named the Corsican currently owned by Geoffrey of cooking on the broads fame . A super design and a super paint job. Inside she is super too, an amazing coal burner and some fantastic company. Say hi if you see them. M

Not really seeing as 60% of the population does too. Fitting battering ram to Malanka’s bow as I type. Peculiar looking sailies beware......he he Ramming speeeeed

Pay the money to use a properly registered professional transport company and fannies your Auntie. Never use a haulier who doesn’t have a CPC certificate. And can show it to you, preferably an international CPC . Unbelievable they didn’t have correct escorts flags, mirrors and routing. Very poor show and total amateurs IMO. When my brother and myself ran our transport company in the 80s and early 90s this sort of thing would have been a finisher reputation wise. What’s happened to the business it never used to be like this M

Thanks Robin We already have a heated towel rail. Heated as part of the engine cooling system. Toby designed and fitted it when he was at Moonfleet. Works a treat although it does delay achieving operating temperature if chuffing along at 4 mph by about twenty minutes in the summer and 45 or so in the winter. Mal is not really big enough to fuss as we don’t have the number of cabins that BA does . We have two and the D2 works fine. When that dies I can see Fiona asking for a towel rail in the galley a heated foot rail in the wheelhouse and bed warmers in the front cabin. Watch this space. I bet bed warmers has got Mrs G thinking sorry Robin more research required. M

Never taken Millie to the track, can’t afford four new tyres. New pads ( non ceramic) and new disks. Especially can’t afford the replacement crumple zone which includes the supercharger at the front when the red hot brakes give up and die. M M

I know it’s amazing and a genuine tremendous skill. M

Was driven in a 2 liter calibre by a rally driver years ago. He let me have a go when I had more sphericals than I do now. I learned then that unless you’re driving a lot of horsepower and sometimes even then the rapidity or lack of it is a lot more to do with the guy with the squeaky bottom behind the wheel than what’s under the bonnet. Millie and I plus 1 have been on autobahn at 279kph. Years ago that would have been 315, but I just didn’t feel like I wanted to go any faster. Flat dry straight deserted two lane road no traffic and naaa just didn’t. Was way fast enough for me. I drove slower when by myself too. Must be an age thing..... lol passing the cops at 200kph was lots of fun though. They waved.... petrol heads.... M

Yes John and therein lies the issue.

Naw too much a religious zealot for me but good intentions lol. M

Well said my friend.... well said

Call me an old cynic however had 4 million votes resulted in the 65 members of parliament that they deserved, maybe the “ lurch to the right “ resulting from the disillusionment resulting in genuine activists leaving resulting in a hard core lunatic fringe remaining. Then maybe we wouldn’t be worrying about lurching and opposing anyone. To be frank if we had the 5 million people north of the border represented by proportionately the same number of parliamentarians as represents the 56 million living south of the border this discussion wouldn’t be taking place. In such a world there would not be a hope in hades of an alternative to the blue rinse brigade and the youf of today would be even more disillusioned than they are now ( I know I have three of em) I don’t have an answer other than to respect the opportunity for people to disagree. It seems we like to oppose views in any way we can when we don’t like what they say when we should be supporting their right to speak, no matter how abhorrent and disgusting their views may be and opposing them with argument rather than labels. Shining the light of publicity on extreme views is usually sufficient and the resulting ridicule enough to let the movement wither on the vine so to speak. Remember when one doesn’t do this, one day, “they” come for you ! That is what democracy is about. M Rant over

Dear Griff, does Robin do contract work and how much does he charge. Joking aside. We have a D2 which has worked beautifully for the past 9 years. It heats the front cabin to a sauna, where we provide towels and some twigs. And heats the saloon to jammy film watching chocolate melting temperatures in October. when it breaks I know who I will be talking with. Robiiiiiin... he he Youre a treasure not to be wasted Robin you really are.... M

When I responded to the survey my answers in terms of comments were quite fundamental. How can limiting when folks can fish be detrimental to fish ? Surely that’s what’s under discussion or was this about the people doing the fishing rather than the fish? God forbid that was the case!! I boat AND fish too and have done since my step grandfather took me fishing for brown trout at the base of Ben More ( same mountain where the phantoms crashed in the 70s) lovely deep plunge pool in peat tainted mountain stream water ( we swam in the summer) that was cold enough to pull out a ten year old brown trout less than 8 inches long. Was a wonderful time and the farmer that he was he led to my interest in Biology and hence my career of now 32 years. So how can limiting when people fish be detrimental to fish. Oh did I already say that??? Oh well M

Gee Charlie that last “sober” one is a toughie. M

And before that we had the PR vote which was rejected, personally I don’t like electing someone on the basis that they are disliked least. If that happens you get faceless beige morons who think they know better than the people. Oh hold on a minute???? M

Being elected doesn’t legitimize anyone but many forget this. In terms of the BA we need effective governance not vested interest governance. Hence I wouldn’t let the RSPB, the EA, or NE anywhere near money spending authority. Sometimes good governance is making a decision unpopular with everyone. lets not forget that. M

Anyone who has studied meeting dynamics will tell you it’s almost impossible to get more than six people to agree on virtually any singular response to a demonstrated issue. That’s human nature. There was one word missing from this discussion so far, the word is representative, we do not have representative democracy. If we did we wouldn’t have the number of Welsh and Scottish constituencies that we do. We wouldn’t have one party political view requiring tens of thousands more individual votes to elect an individual MP, yet this IS the case. The country was offered representative democracy and those that voted turned it down. First past the post is not representative in any way, funnily enough two prime ministers that raise more ire than others actually had more votes and more MPs. Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher ( post Falklands) If we agreed that all MPs should require similar numbers of votes to be elected would we then have democracy? What would happen is that one of the existing two major parties would be immediately eliminated as an electoral force. Is that democracy? Is that what we want? Personally my my opinion is the parliamentary bit is the issue. One option is for the national government should be elected by total votes cast, under that devolved local government and elected officials ( Sound Familiar) This seems amazing but who has the courage to deliver this? None of the current PPE morons in Parliament that’s for sure. M

Just to point out we gained 8 inches of airdraft when we had new planking and assorted bits. What happened was a re-balancing forward from aft so the stern went up and the bow went down. Leaving the highest point at the air vents on the dropped canopy roof. Before mods pulpit rail was 7 ft 2 after it’s 6ft 6. Also the pilot took fair Empress 2,through for us in 2009 the year before we bought Malanka. We spent two days in Hickling and horsey before returning. Fair Empress 2 is nowhere near 6ft 6 by the way. Kind of shoots the pooch about PH bridge a tad eh?? M

This season we started with a few bow boards. Ended up with two new oak chines new stern oak main member and 58ft of new Iroko boards. And a new paint job. After that lot they then got to the stuff we had planned to do LOL. Such is boating M

Only 3 / 2 how optimistic. Lol

My Dearest Clive, please accept our most heartfelt condolences and support for you and your family during such a sad time. Your humour and your down to earth way is a breath of fresh air in this modern time. We join you in celebrating the fantastic life you and your lovely life partner and wife Kathy had together. We will share a glass to you Kathy and the family. Our thoughts are with you Martin and Fiona

Both Fiona’s and my own response is identical and yes we get this is Switzerland too. Mostly in French occasionally German and quite often English. For the French and German ones we just answer in English they usually hang up. Last week a French one said do you speak French I replied in perfect French that no do not speak French.They hung up. The English ones with usual sub continent accent which sorry Polly is quite discernible are even more fun. Our response is “how stupid do you think I am” ? They reply pardon, we say nothing or repeat the how stupid and they then hang up. Fiona get calls from Mumbai or Bangaluru, or New Delhi all the time informing her that her computer has a problem with its windows system. She calmly and with relish asks them how Microsoft know that when her computer is a Mac. They hang up. Reverse call checks show them to be from the aforementioned locations on the subcontinent. Not saying we enjoy them but we know they don’t. M

OK so the next stage of the work has commenced with a new window being fitted on the starboard side to replace a monstrous bodge from many, many years ago (pre our custodianship) which was a plastic window! Yes I know plastic windows god forbid have a sit down to recover. Phils men have made two changes. The window now opens and is glass. He has filled in p[art of it with some nice varnished wood pieces and made it look really great. I always disliked this window and it perennially leaked which lead to a soft patch inside which has also been dealt with. Phil also reports that Malanka has been floating by herself for five days now, is still dry inside and has not bilged once since the work was completed and she took up. Immediately before the work she was doing the emptying thing every four to six hours or so and since we have had her has never lasted more than two days without the pump being activated. So this is remarkable for us and very welcome, she now has three bilge pumps and is dry, just what the doctor ordered. OK now to the galley work. The plan was sweeping new work top, inset hob, with grill under and a bigger oven (two shelves instead of one) so no worries there I hear you say.. The pics that follow are the progress so far with the carcass of the beast being modeled before finishing and varnishing, I think the brief has been well and truly met and I can't wait to see the finished article! What do you think? Galley hole New cooker and hob New worktop arrangement Hob top lifted So this is work so far and we are really pleased with it. The new arrangement has no little nooks or crannies where bits of veg or peelings or crumbs can fall down into areas where you cant get em. Fridge will be boxed in obviously. See you all soon. Martin and Fiona

Emperor Augustus in I Claudius. M

And all diesel has biofuel in by E.U. dictat. Even though it’s ( biofuel production) has been shown not to reduce emissions. Once more commission morons don’t know shoes from shinola. M