kpnut

That’s 3 live ticks and 2 dead ones I’ve found today. One when Sam and I were standing talking before departing, one on Finlay’s head when I brushed him out, and one trying to escape from him by crawling onto my leg. And two dead ones on his mat, having tried to feed and found the monthly treat of pesticide I dose Finlay with wasn’t to their liking. Dog owners - keep an eye out.

It’s always been good practice not to trim farm hedges during the nesting season. Although August is rather excessively late in my opinion.

Thanks for that. I was going to look up the info later. What’s the date today? I might go tomorrow in that case.

It’s quite a wonky bridge, one side being noticeably higher than the other.

I had a most interesting walk round part of Upton marsh this afternoon. Firstly because Lulu and Desmond shared part of it with me. It was good to see Desmond and Finlay just ‘being’ together perfectly happily after Desmond quite rightly gave Finlay a little warning for invading his space rather noisily as Desmond was getting off the boat. After we said our farewells, I carried on across the field edge footpath near the junction of the road and carpark near South Walsham staithe. The field is planted with peas this year which might prove too tempting for me for snacking while out walking when the pods are swelling! (I’ll only pick a couple!!). That took me out onto Marsh Rd and all I had to do to access the marsh was walk down past the farm buildings and onto their track. I love going up this track, especially when it’s dry, (it can be ridiculously muddy up there) and somehow today there was just so much to see and think about. I could hear the constant calling of a distant cuckoo. Finlay and a little deer (no idea if muntjac or Chinese water deer, I still forget which is which) encountered each other. The deer was standing on the edge of the track and didn’t run off when Finlay came along, totally oblivious to it. I think Finlay thought it was a dog and so just carried on doing his own thing. Then when Finlay was very close, he spotted it and they just stood and looked at each other, much like when two dogs greet each other. Unfortunately the deer then moved into the long vegetation before I could get a picture. The cows are back out on the marsh which must mean it’s dried out somewhat since the winter. There is a really good layout of grazing fields on this marsh. Either side of the track with gates at strategic intervals must make moving them very straightforward. In fact, it looks like a crop of hay has been taken off one field. The marsh seems to be in its ‘yellow’ phase; buttercups abound. I saw a marsh harrier, a heron and even spotted a sedge warbler. There were loads of dragonflies and damselflies flitting about. Is this a four spotted chaser? It seems to have six spots on each side though. There was a lot of vibrant green fennel growing along the track, which I hadn’t noticed in other years. And then also a few patches of bronze fennel. There were also a lot of woolly bear (tiger moth) caterpillars on the track. When I got back to the boat, I nearly trod on a woolly bear who was just going about his business. When I brushed him with a grass stalk he curled up in a ball like a hedgehog for a minute or two, then uncurled and crawled off. He had beautiful markings on his head, like little eyes peering out from under his downy grey hairstyle. Of course, he could have been a she for all I know. I’ve read they are a favourite food of the cuckoo. The cuckoos will be feasting this year in that case. And now I seem to have the river to myself. So incredibly peaceful.

I noticed the cill, and thought - ah, that’s 8’ then. Grendel said he’d measured it. But thought I ought to only quote the gauge mark.

I think I might do that. I might catch the train from Acle in the next few days.

Maybe ‘cos I bought the whole stock on my last trip!

For anyone needing to know today, Ludham Bridge is currently on about 7’9” just coming up to high tide. Sorry the picture’s a bit naff. I was busy!

I forgot to mention on Tuesday evening I took the car down the track to St Benets carpark to go and find Mermaid plus occupants in the moorings. Another good catch-up, thanks for the hospitality. I’ve walked down that track so many times butI didn’t realise how potholey it is at the rough end. The concrete road bit is a motorway in comparison. And now I’ve truly understood why saw sedge has its name. I was clearing a bit of space on a long established wild mooring that had got overgrown and the saw sedge got me a number of times. Ow.

The other thing you need in Lathams is a packet or three of Walkers Banana Split Chocolate Eclairs

Lots of cuckoos round here. Last year, I heard two calling to each other, one was about one tone below the other. Very strange sound.

Maybe this is the ‘small sign’ the parish council mentioned in their minutes. For anyone unfortunate enough to need to make reference to it, it’s on the post at the carpark end of the grass. I was hoping there’d be a sign on the mooring itself as it’d be so much easier to use in a discussion when coming in to moor. Maybe there’s another one to go up. I might ask the clerk.

Yep, my heating’s on too🫤

Very impressive.

Back on board as of yesterday afternoon. I had a rendezvous with a trombone on my journey down yesterday! I had to meet a man in a hospital carpark in Kings Lynn to collect a valve trombone my son had bought off him. Hospital carpark just ‘cos it was convenient. The man even opened the case on the ground behind his car to prove there was a trombone in there, put it together and I thought he was going to start playing. That would have got some attention. I duly ‘pressed some cash into his hand’, stood there while he counted it, and we went our separate ways. This morning I drove to Bungay for a meeting. Afterwards, it involved a walk round Falcon Meadow where the Waveney River Trust is applying for bathing water status. I’d have stayed on afterwards to look round the village/town a bit more, but Finlay had been left back on the boat. He seemed unfazed by his morning ‘home alone’. We set off down the Ant about 3pm, straight into rain, but by the time I’d moored up at Irstead it had stopped. After a bite to eat, I took Finlay for a well deserved walk along to Neatishead and Gayes staithe - both half full. I read the minutes of the Irstead parish council on the notice board along Shoals Rd. There was a report from the local policeman who said the incident with the fishermen stopping a boat from mooring a couple of months ago was being actively investigated and it looked like it’d be ‘a positive outcome’ - a bit ambiguous. And the parish council have confirmed that they have the same policy as the BA mooring, with anglers giving way to boats wishing to moor, and will be putting a ‘small sign’ to that effect at the staithe. It’s not been put up yet, but then it’s the closed fishing season at the moment. The other thing I noted was that the lease on the staithe has been renewed. But I wasn’t sure if that was a lease the parish has with the county council, or a lease that BA has with the parish council. It seemed to imply the former. If I’d remembered my phone, I’d have taken a photo to be sure I’m not misquoting. It’s a very peaceful scene here this evening. I think yachts with their overnight tents up always enhance the scene.

I think it did snow in the Cairngorms today. Not enough to get my son excited about a day’s skiing though.

Boats have a habit of doing the unexpected Helen, just when you’re not looking (literally, 😂)

3 holiday tales from the south all at once. So tempting. I absolutely MUST have a longer trip down there this year. Tony’s said he’d enjoy another trip south, even with me giving him such a surprise experience through the Yarmouth bridges and across breydon in April. I’ll try and persuade him for September.

Enjoy the trip across. The weather looks set fair today, if a rather breezy morning. Can’t beat sunshine sparkling on the water across Breydon.

Sounds like an exciting first day. Looking forward to the rest, thanks.

And I for one will say a big thankyou to you Neil

Is that where they're turning round? I thought they went further down the Bure? Maybe 'cos its so windy it'd be too much hard work getting back up the river again?

Where are you?

Happy anniversary and enjoy your week. Good luck on the river today. If Thurne is full which I would think it might be with people watching the race, try Upton dyke and the White Horse. There’s always the grass quay headed moorings below Acle Bridge (Mill House Farm, £5) with a walk up the footpath to the Acle Bridge Inn.