kpnut

I took my two to a event like that when they were about 12 and 7. It woke an interest for both of them, and where we used to go on ski trips in the alps all the apartment blocks were called after stars and constellations etc. Looking at the night sky on really clear crisp cold nights in the alps was magical. Maybe you can answer this for me Peter. I remember the Milky Way was really prominent when I was a child, but now it doesn’t seem to feature much, even in the dark skies of Norfolk when at the boat. Has it faded? Or am I just not looking enough? Or is it only at certain times of the year?

I have two friends who’ve both been on my boat with replacement hips. They seemed to manage fine. I suppose it’s all dependent on your actual mobility; with new joints you might well be more mobile than other people with their old worn-out ones.

That’s really unlucky news from Bern. I can’t even imagine what’s involved with sorting it out. My very best wishes to you Bern (you’ll read this once you’re bored enough in the hospital to read the forum). And many thanks Steve.

Another successful trip ticked off Helen. Many thanks for writing it up, always interesting to read a different perspective. You always take really good photos too. I ought to get up earlier to see these sunrises; I need more willpower!

At least you don’t have to warn guests that if they’re in the shower too long, they’ll flood the floor as it comes up over the shower tray without them noticing. Mine simply pumps out with a jabsco like Vaughan said, after I’ve finished. Makes a racket. I always think everyone nearby will hear it too.

Seems it’s not the first cold I’ve had in many, many years after all. Covid test was positive. I only did it as a precaution as I’m meant to be going beating tomorrow, so for the sake of others, thought I should as someone was bound to ask! That goes explain the achiness and lack of energy mind you. How do we know that covid tests haven’t morphed into testing positive even if it’s just a normal cold? They’re both extremely similar viruses I thought.

My potential apologies for tonight Bern. Think I need to get snug in bed to nurse a filthy cold. If I can’t get to sleep, I’ll come along, at least for a while. First cold I’ve had in many, many years.

Ah yes, perhaps that’s where she got it from. I’d forgotten you’d seen it on your stay in May. Have a good final full day. It goes so quickly.

That is one luxury I do already have Neil. A remote control; wake up, press button A and away it goes (or did😂).

Deepest condolences to Marina, Alan and family. Although Ian’s health issues have been immense, he was so upfront and stoic about them. He’s no doubt helped numerous people with his openness about them. And all through it, he always seemed to have other people at the front of his mind, with the lifeboat support and fundraising. I have great admiration for him, even though I’ve never met him. It’s comforting to know he rallied a bit in his last few days. We’ll miss you Ian, even though your choice of football team was very misguided!

That’s it - no more boating for me until the boats had a repaint. I hoping for the 6 weeks estimated, but more realistically am thinking I won’t see in the water again till April 😢 Yesterday was spent tidying the boat up, clearing the decks/roof of mudweights/rhond anchors/mops etc etc, clearing work surfaces etc and then covering upholstery, beds and floors with dust sheets. She’ll have her windows taken out as part of the job, so anything to make it easier for the work. Also partially winterising (antifreeze in engine raw water, empty water tank and taps open, toilet flush inlets closed and flushed with antifreeze, tubular heater on thermostat in engine bay, dehumidifier on) in case the lift out is delayed into a properly cold snap. Hope I haven’t missed anything! And handing in the keys, boo hoo, it felt rather final!

Many thanks to all. I won’t go through each one quote by quote. Sutton Staithe put me on to Panks and I rang them. So that’s an option. I also found the website Smoggy posted, excellent information. Very handy phone number to have, thanks OBB. And MM, and Mouldy, I have the Chinese/planar/autoterm route in mind should it be necessary, but really hope it won’t be. Karizma, mine is the same model. I watched an excellent video by two ladies who service their Eberspacher on a regular basis. It really doesn’t look hard at all and coupled with info from Smoggys website regarding exhaust fumes/gaskets etc, gives me a very good clue as to what to do. The main issue is the recoding. My controller has no visible means of finding the error code so I need the reader. I thinking of changing it to one that does. I know Richardsons engineers can find the error code as they did it once before for me. So once I know that, and get it unlocked, I’m minded to give it a go myself. Failing that, my plan might be to ring that number for Jeff, and Panks again for a price. I also have the option of bringing it home to Yorkshire and get it seen to in Hull, as the boat’s conveniently shut up now for lift out and paint work for a few weeks so time is not crucial. My gut feeling still is that a good clean out will solve the problem. Many thanks all, and I’ll keep you all posted for future reference.

Good idea. I don’t envy you working outside in what has been an extremely raw and drying wind. Think it might get a smidgen warmer from tomorrow.

Re: washing up drainer. Catherine got this one for the boat. It’s superb, just right for all the plates, a pan etc and enough room left on the drainer itself for mugs, cutlery etc. I’ve cut a piece of that non-slip holey rubber to fit the drainer so nothing slips or rattles. I don’t think Catherine got it from Amazon and this isn’t the exact one, but it’s something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/simplywire-Drainer-Kitchen-Cupboard-Organiser/dp/B084CT49ZN/ref=asc_df_B084CT49ZN/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=427902915300&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6648927202801188920&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046261&hvtargid=pla-884930502698&psc=1&mcid=7283b46bd08139e4975fac8b70c492df&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=99265826363&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=427902915300&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6648927202801188920&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046261&hvtargid=pla-884930502698 I’ll ask her where she got it from.

I agree about the signposting! Nice walk though. Specially the riverbank bit, past that lovely little mill cottage. I thought you might have been round at Neatishead yesterday as you weren’t on Irstead. The boat nearly steered itself in your direction, but my head said to go to Sutton, fill with fuel and get back to Stalham to have a nosey at the heater and start packing the boat up for her lift out. Hod you enjoyed the beautiful day today, sounds a good day for that walk as the windchill was a bit less than the last couple of days.

Thanks Howard. I wish it was that. But I really don’t think so. It’s always started just fine without the engine and the batteries are topped right up tonight on shore power, but still no luck. When it first went wrong yesterday pm, it was on at the time and had been for a number of hours. It just turned itself off and has been playing up since.

Had a very cold night at Womack. The diesel heater started playing up late afternoon, running for 3/4 hour then stopping. I could start it again after a while. This morning it started once, which was nice to warm the cabin before getting up. But after it’s 3/4 hr, it switched off, and wouldn’t go again. It let me start it again halfway up the Ant for a while. The batteries are fine, there’s fuel in the tank. So I wonder if it’s not getting enough air somehow and cutting out after a while through overheating, or the brains are in a muddle and it just thinks it’s overheating. Either sooted up or dust etc has got in and built up is my guess. Anyway, I decided to go back to Stalham a day early so I could have a good look at it and hook up to cheaper electric than the posts on the river moorings. I hoovered out the unit, but couldn’t do much more than that. I was hoping to check the glow plug but haven’t got the right tool to take it out. I’ve now watched a couple of really useful videos about how to service the Eberspacher, which I’ll show Tony. I reckon I could have a go at that. If he agrees, I’ll remove the unit next trip and take it home to do carefully and systematically. If I make a mess of it, I’ll have to pay for it be be serviced by someone. I’m fairly sure there’s not a big problem with it. So not the warmest night tonight. I find fan heaters make a lot of draught and so I’m sitting virtually on top of my oil filled heater! Other than that excitement, the weather today was glorious. Cloudless sky and sparkly water. Windy though with a BIG windchill. It’s a shame I couldn’t take Finlay out for a much longer walk than what he got.

So pleased you’re having a great time. and I’m looking forward to reading/hearing all about it.

No point me saying I’ll let you know, as I won’t be going under till about midday. You’ll beat me to it. But I will take a photo and let you know in case you delay till Wednesday. The snow amounted to about a teacupful! I had an excellent excuse not to go out in the chill. Once moored up at Womack, a fellow mooree from Richardsons came for a cup of tea.

Lovely to see photos of Vera again. She’s beautiful. It really wouldn’t surprise me if she and Finlay and have a common line somewhere in the background.

Certainly a chilly day today. The strong easterly wind is bringing in flurries of snow.

Beautiful colouring. I’ve never seen a Dachshund with a mottled coat before. Will she stay like that or do they change as they get older? On the shoot I work on, we have a Dachshund called Mash who makes an excellent beating dog. She gets right under all the brambles.

I’ll avoid Saturdays! I agree that the high river levels are likely not just due to something going on on the lower Bure. The Bure seems to drain half of Norfolk, so something going on miles away is going to effect the speed at which the river fills. I expect that’s why we’re not seeing the level at Wroxham bridge changing much over the past ten weeks.

Life on board seems to have its own pace in winter. I wake early, but then get another couple of hours sleep. That doesn’t happen at home. Let the dog out for a short walk, (or sometimes longer if the fancy takes me), back in for breakfast and slowly decide whether the plan for the day is still as it was. Today it was, the wind was still fairly light with no substantial rain in the offing, so I pootled up to Potter Heigham. Most of the water on the marshes up the Thurne towards Potter has receded, leaving some pools that’ll be getting a bit stagnant. Good thing it’s getting colder, to ensure no nasty midgies decide to lay eggs in that water. After mooring up and adjusting the fenders, I did a bit of food shopping in Lathams -nothing fancy, in fact I think that’d be impossible anyway! I’m trying very hard not to overbuy or overeat and have been using up store cupboard food, but I was down to plain pasta on its own, so bought a jar of sauce and some cheese, and some reduced peaches in juice that weren’t even on their last date. They’ll make a dessert with Greek yoghurt I brought from home. I am eating salad and some allotment veg to keep up the greens! Catering sorted, we went for a walk. The water behind the chalets has also receded and it was pleasant all the way along past the Bond mill to Staithe Road. We walked up past the wind energy museum and the egg farm, where I noticed a smart hole in the barn wall storing chilled eggs, with a very reasonable price list. We took the path across a sugar beet field to the right, following along through the wood (muddy) and then across the footbridge that leads along a path to reach the lane to Thurne. The lane (Ashby Rd) was surprisingly busy with cars. It eventually led back to the top of Staithe Road where I noted a church to have a look in on a future walk. Back down Staithe Road to the track opposite where I’d turned off 45 mins earlier. It leads towards Bastwick, emerging by some very sorry looking allotments. I could have turned left to follow the B road that emerges onto the main road further north, but decided to extend my rather meandering walk by crossing the road just before the fork that splits the road to Acle from the road to Yarmouth, and following Grove Rd round past Bastwick tower. That’s in a private property and I presume it’s an old church tower. I stopped to chat to a lady with a labrador and a field spaniel. Rather embarrassingly, I had to apologise for sounding a bit drunk as my lips were so cold they weren’t working properly. It’s certainly a lot colder today, especially with the windchill added in. This walk seems a good one for muddy conditions as the only soggy bit is in the wood. We made our way back down to Potter, wading across the muddy remnants of the large flood lake in the pilots’ yard and after a quick dip to clean the dog off, we made ourselves snug indoors again, with dusk falling. So a day of nothing spectacular, but another good walk for winter conditions in the bag for future reference. Part of this walk is the one I did to Thurne in November. It’ll make a good day out with guests onboard if combined with a pub stop for lunch at the Lion.

Looking at the EA height gauge info, I think yesterday pm was an example of one of those prolonged ebbing tides. Right across the system it seems to have lasted longer than normal. Of well, and there was me hoping it was receding flood water causing it.