kpnut

Wednesday 24th August Slightly more dull this early morning than forecast. I’d been sleeping with curtains and door open so I could see the river waking up, but nothing special this morning. The weather did cheer up by the time we left though and the rest of the day was decidedly hot and humid. Stopped for fuel at Ludham Bridge boatyard, at £1.80 /L might not be amongst the cheapest now, but they’ve lost a lot of revenue while waiting for required paperwork from HMRC to arrive since April so George tells me, and haven’t been able to stock it since then, so I thought I’d support them. Somewhere yesterday or today I spotted Hi-jinks who, on their thread had requested a wave so I willingly obliged. I do like to wave to other forum folk, partly cos it makes me feel part of a community, even if we don’t know each other in person. We called in at Neatishead for a lunch stop onboard, a trip to the fudge lady for Cath’s gifts to take home and a walk across the fields for Finlay. Poor thing, he has suffered slightly these last couple of weeks with guests on board with fewer and shorter walks. Kingfisher spotting down Lime Kiln dyke paid off with some very obliging birds. We arrived at Neatishead at about 11.45 I think and found just two boats in. A very few minutes later 7 boats all came along at once -5 large cruisers from H.W. who were all together, come to celebrate a birthday at the pub. At one point there was one boat just moored, 2 boats across the dyke turning, 2 more holding station down the dyke waiting to turn and 2 waiting to get in. They told me they were new to boating so did extremely well, but it looked chaotic. I did warn them for future reference that they’d been extremely lucky to find enough available space for the whole group to moor together, as I’d hate them to get the impression that space is no issue down there. Even before they’d all settled, more boats arrived and the dyke was full, all in about 15 minutes. We and the boat that had been in when we’d arrived both left by 2.45, and the spaces were taken immediately by 2 boats just turning up, lucky them! as plenty more had hopefully arrived during that time and been disappointed. Our destination for the final night was Dilham, spotting Robin and Trixie moored up along the way and Papaver again later. More kingfisher spotting, this time I actually managed a photo which I won’t post cos it’d be extremely fuzzy I fear. No space at Dilham and in turning, I must have grounded as it cut the engine dead. No problem as it started again immediately, but hopefully no damage and a shock to me I must say. We docked at the wild mooring on the V junction of Stalham and Sutton Broad and very nice too. I’ve wanted to moor there awhile but last season it was occupied for a good stretch of time. The ground actually goes back a long way, I thought it’d just be bog, so a good little training area in amongst scrubby bushes for the dog. Lovely sunset with a fairly friendly swan joining us, then I zipped the canopies down after reading the forecast, and sure enough, at 2.20 I was awoken to a massive flash of lightening and a rumble of thunder followed by a loud crack that shook the boat! This continued, not quite to the same extent for an hour or so, with intermittent rain, but as I write that, it’s calm. Forecast is for more of the same all day, but hey! I sign off the boat today so no worries for me. To have had no poor weather to speak of on my travels since I can’t remember when has been an absolute joy. Pump out and boat cleaning await me this morning before the off. Thanks for reading, happy adventures to all.

They’ve covered some miles today then, we saw them at Neatishead at about quarter to two.

Put a ‘ha ha’ but not sure it’s a laughing matter if what Smoggy says was to come to fruition. Tuesday 23rd August After my morning ‘arise’ call from the sea scouts, I gave Finlay a run along the riverbank before setting off for Horning direction. More boats than I expected were out and about and the nearer we got to Horning, the more frequent the day boats became. In one view that would have been a photo shot if the phone had been handy, I would have fitted 7 day boats and a cruiser in. Cath was at the helm from near Ranworth to past Horning, partly because she had to take over when I firstly realised I’d forgotten to feed the dog, and secondly realised the fridge had packed up/had a warning light on and had defrosted itself. The instruction manual said to do the equivalent of ‘turn off/turn on again’ on the PC, but It did say disconnect fully. Well, to do that involves emptying the contents and pulling the fridge out, so I wondered in my simple way if taking out the fuse from the fuse box would achieve the same thing. It did, and bingo, it’s been working fine since then. How it got its knickers in a twist I don’t know! The only thing I can think of was plugging into the 32amp socket at Acle Bridge on the ‘reducer adapter’ , switching the fridge to 240 for a couple of hours to use up a bit of free electric I found, then putting it back on 12v. Would that confuse the fridge? It’s always fine running on normal 16amp supply and switching to 12v when underway. You can see by this that I don’t really understand physics!! I called a hello to Doug and Hellie on Papaver at Horning staithe but not sure if they recognised me and we carried on to the Hoveton Great Broad nature trail. I could set up camp there, the number of times I’ve visited this season. I think it’s 5, or maybe 6 times now. I can recommend it as a good educational introduction to the wetland habitat, but my goodness, I have come across a couple of quite officious volunteers - the paid staff are very cheerful and helpful though. We cut across to Salhouse to fill up with water and go for a wander in the woods, sort rubbish etc. Finlay asked to go for a swim but then faffed about in the increasingly black mud on the beach area, so had to have a proper dousing with a bucket of water before being allowed on the boat. On passing back through Horning again, I spied Ranworth Breeze for the first time. Our next and final stop of the day was at St Benedict’s church mooring, with a late lunch, then a walk to Horning and a glass of cider at the Swan Inn garden, and picking the remaining 300g of blackberries needed for my gin on the way back, following a rummage in a wheelbarrow of old tools that had been left at the end of someone’s drive during a house clearance. I was looking for anything remotely useful in imperial sizes and found a sort of socket spanner that seems to fit from 1/4 to 3/4” by an ingenious set of retractable pins inside. Whether it’s as effective as it looks is anyones guess, but worth a punt. Tony had bought me a whole Draper set for the boat on eBay the other day, so this isn’t really needed but I was intrigued. Cath found an unopened set of two door handles that match ones in her house that her husband had been unsuccessfully searching for online recently. We’d been joined on the mooring by a family on their hols staying in Hickling and revisiting old haunts. They were fishing and left after an hour or so. Curry for tea and I remembered to feed the dog too this time.

Was serenaded to a rendition of campfire type songs at 7am as 3 canadian canoes or similar of sea cadets came paddling up the Bure. I do really love seeing youngsters pursuing outdoor activities with no adults in tow (or not visibly anyway, I’m well aware of ‘remote supervision’ as have done it many times with DofE groups). As I write this an hour later, another 2 canoe loads have just passed. Hopefully passing boats will give them the space they should.

Monday 22nd August More house price research as we went past the black mill on the way down to Acle. I hadn’t noticed before, but it has a ‘for sale’ sign outside. £600,000 for partially renovated, planning permission for extension, materials (oak?) already purchased for sails, fan wheel, gantry etc etc, longish stretch of moorings, outside facilities to be able to offer log cabin holiday let or similar etc. Someone will like a project, may not be to everyone’s taste for development but if it saves another mill, then good in my book. Scrolling through we were then shocked to see we could purchase Thurne Mill for £200,000, (always assuming we had the money of course!) including a 30ft mooring. The wind energy museum and a cottage along there make up another two lots that can go separately or be combined in one deal with the mill. I hope someone takes these icons on sympathetically and the wind energy museum can be developed into a really thoughtful resource. I digress. Our day comprised a leaisurely start with a couple of short walks for Finlay along Womack dyke again, then motoring along to Stokesby. I hadn’t realised the pub and farm moorings were free during the day, (£8 overnight for info), and back to Acle bridge. We gave Finlay another run along past the pub and farm moorings to Acle Dyke and carried along the footpath for a while till it crossed the main road. From there you can do a big circular walk that leads to the bank opposite the Ferry Inn at Stokesby and back up, but we didn’t fancy that with Cath’s sore foot. A coffee stop at the riverside Dunes Cafe at the bridge, a long chat with a couple from Scotland who love coming to the broads for a fortnight each year and off we went, back up the Bure and along towards fleet dyke to a wild mooring where we could access the nice blackberry bush on the marsh that I’d mentioned the previous week. We walked about halfway across the marsh with the Tupperware boxes before turning back and picking the remaining berries within our reach. I’m still 300g short of the amount required for a full demijohn of blackberry gin! All the other ingredients are now in though, so that’s Christmas presents sorted for another year! The river and sky looked totally wonderful as we went to bed and I think it’s Venus up there shining bright, low on the horizon.

Sunday 21st August What a lovely day to be out on the river, a real late summer feel to the light. We pottered down the Ant where there were more boats in both directions than of late, but plenty of wild moorings available if we’d so wished. St Benets was busy too, but plenty of space at Thurne Dyke as we turned onto the Thurne. I heard later that there was a sailing race on, but we must have been too early for it. I was tempted to moor on the river end by the windpump, but carried on to Womack Dyke as I wanted to check the riverside path round to Potter Heigham, seeing as someone had said it was pretty overgrown a while back and it was one of those I reported on the NCC website. The man on the next boat said it was cut about 3weeks ago, so maybe that did coincide with my online form filling exercise? I’d like to think so, but doubt it! Anyway, we had no problems walking down from the moorings to Toad Cottage/Hall at Womack dyke end, and along to the start of Potter Heigham. We spent a while watching the river traffic on the private quay heading there before going over the little bridge and turning up the track. I commented that the little cottage there would be a wonderful place to live, flooding excepted. It was so funny watching Finlay crossing the metal bridge as it’s like a square grating and he sort of crouched down and ran across with knees bent, that I called him back and he had to do it again. Mean, but then new experiences are what makes them confident when working. Following the track round to the left where it branches and before long we were back at Hunters Yard and back to the boat. We set to and baked mini quiches for lunch as the sweet potato pastry cases that Cath had brought with her needed using up. The poor man on the next boat told me they smelt quite delicious, I felt quite bad not to have offered him one. Another walk up to the village late afternoon, via the footpath that branches west off the top of Horsefen Road, reaching a lane that you turn left onto, then crossing the busy road between Ludham and P.H. Along another lane, turning left at the junction, another left at a t junction later and it brings you out in the village. We stopped in at Throwers to get plasters as Cath had cut her foot on the walk and a drink stop in the Kings Arms, which was heaving. We’d seen a couple of ‘for sale’ boards along the way, so as usual, as I’m very nosey, rightmove’ came to my rescue. I was amazed that there were 23 properties in Ludham listed (most marked as sold I might add). And the cottage I’d mentioned earlier on the walk was one of them, but at £850,000 for a two bed property it’s way above even my wildest dreams! Interestingly, it stated that the 200ft long quay heading was leased from the EA for a peppercorn rent. Back to the boat for soup and a bean stew. A still evening, very few boats coming up looking for a hopeful mooring and neither any sailie boats coming into Hunters. Lots of birdsong if you can the noise geese make as ‘song’ and a beautiful sunset rounded off a very relaxing day.

Yes, Grendel. I did curse when I was fitting a new plug and the little metal thing that goes into the holes in the plug fell out down the plug hole - twice I had to buy new plugs, all of 50p each in the diy shop in Stalham.

I only found out yesterday Helen. £10 a night, book direct with boatyard. I described the position of it on my springers retreat thread yesterday.

My basins and kitchen sink don’t have u bends and they aren’t half draughty in the winter. I keep the plugs in!

Sounds just the sort of nan I want to be to mine if they ever come along! How wonderful Helen. I don’t really watch films either Peter, it probably shows when doing the quiz-ha ha. The TV on the boat wouldn’t turn on one day cos the old inverter it uses (all the richardsons hire boats have one inverter, exclusive for the tv, and then some have another for 240v sockets) was making a very strange noise. On a long winded investigation, it turned out to be the DVD player had gone pop. Once that was disconnected from the wiring, the inverter and the TV were fine again. (sorry, I can’t get rid of that extra thing below!

Saturday 20th August cont. Lots of housework getting ready for Cath. Tony found his belongings put out on the quay, awaiting his lift home with our friends. Cath reported that Sutton Bridge had big tailbacks due to an accident and there was a road round Hubberts Bridge near Boston shut, with diversion in place for Tony. Glad I was going nowhere! All I could report was that Tesco in Stalham was busy and their fuel station is now up and running again and busy. Nicholsons down on the back road to Sutton was the same price, so I went there. We set off about 3pm to join a queue of hire boats leaving the yard, but our destination was Sutton Staithe for a pump out. While waiting temporarily for space on their quay, I noticed a sign saying you can reserve a mooring there for £10 a night. I wouldn’t need it but good for those who like Sutton Staithe and would prefer not to moor down the narrow bit, especially on the BA 2 moorings, it might be worth a try. It’s side-on, just at the entrance to the private moorings, with a nice patch of grass and a bench. To get to the pub, you just walk through the boatyard. As I’ve already said, we moored on the Ant above Barton Broad and NeilB came past in his dinghy earlier on his way back to his boat on the opposite bank. A lovely starry night by the looks of it when I put the dog out an hour ago.

Me neither to be honest. Maybe in the winter, or when I’m on my home mooring after a day’s DIY, but the aerial gets put in the cupboard all summer. And I’ve just discovered iPad jigsaws; a bit addictive.

Saturday 20th August Moored down the Ant at the moment, NeilB moored just ‘up the road’. Just had fun hooting at a couple of boats going way too fast, having just picked up their boats. I heard Neil tooting, so followed suit to reinforce the point, not that they took too much notice!!!! Evenings entertainment when nothing on TV?

Thanks Jean. It certainly is a beautiful day. I’m just waiting for my friend Cath to turn up and we’ll be off out again till Thursday. I don’t want to be held responsible for your bank balance being constantly drained Roy, but very good luck. I met a couple who are perhaps thinking of selling a nice little Hampton in the winter. Called Wagtail-keep an eye out for it. And thanks for the bridge info. We did wonder if the triangles were to do with the flow. And we also wondered that. We did come to the conclusion though that it had never been possible to walk through them, even centuries ago. Even then I think the water would have been to high for that.

Friday 19th August Our friends and Tony’s last day. The men had a tinker with the engine, getting to know it really (both ex agric engineers), couldn’t find the diesel drip we’d spotted on the injector pipe back in May, so I have a no.4 pipe spare in stock now. Tony did comment that he’d never seen an air cleaner like the one on the engine, after I told him where JanetAnne had shown me it’d be. Thanks Dave. Tony’ll investigate over the winter. Ladies went for a quick circular walk up past the fudge lady, turned up the footpath across the stubble fields, left turn halfway along across sugar beet, onto the lane and turned left down past the wc to walk back along the lane. Obligatory stop at the fudge lady completed, we all had a lazy half hour at the moorings which had emptied, with just one other (new in) boat there. My friend did some sketching while we chatted and a kingfisher came along to complete the picture. Once underway, we took a detour to Barton Turf just to show my guests, and then went up past Wayford Bridge to Dilham, just ‘cos we could’. The nice long stretch of wild mooring on the right just past Hunsett Mill now has BA ‘no mooring’ signs on it since putting all their dredging there. The moorings to the left just after the bridge are still ‘no mooring’ even though the holiday company that owns that stretch have signs (is it GB hols or similar?) at the boatyard on the right before the public moorings downstream of the bridge saying ‘24 hr mooring after the bridge’. It’d be confusing to folk who don’t know that those moorings have been closed for a few years now. Dilham had space for one boat but we turned and came back. I’d only wanted to go to check out the weed/depth really. We had the bonus of another kingfisher sighting on our way up there. Back to Stalham and safely moored up on my ‘home mooring’ I caught up with the gossip, had lunch to eat up the considerable contents of the fridge, and we then drove over to Horsey Windpump and then to Waxham cut to see the seals on the beach. Loads of them, all lolling about, singing to each other and making an awful stink! A few pups too. With my tour operator hat still firmly on, we took a look at Potter Heigham bridge and wandered down the lines of boats for sale. Our guests pondered as to why the bridge has the small triangular holes too - anyone know? Then onto Horning as it was so sunny by this time that I thought a drink in the garden at the Swan Inn would catch the sunset. We hadn’t intended eating there, but ended up doing so. Very nice too, not the enormous portions of the Rising Sun or the White Horse (Neatishead) so just right after our rather large lunch. A relaxing round-off to another successful week. No seal photos I’m afraid as I left my phone behind.

Hope you all had fun last night.

Wasps eat flies, aphids, caterpillars and other invertebrates, well I just found that on bug life.org.uk

You know Neil, I was just being pestered by some wasps while eating breakfast. They were getting a little lost after getting drunk on some nearby blackberries and I pondered-I wonder if wasps eat midgies! Sympathise about the children.

It’s called a Katsura tree. Whichever way you follow the boardwalk you’ll come to it. If you imagine the main boardwalk as a rectangle with the entrance as bottom left corner, it’s in the opposite diagonal corner, top right. Near a lovely bench to sit on, called mollys bench, and appreciate the scent. Enjoy!

Thursday 18th August Gayes staithe has a lot of wasps I’ve decided. Even drowned ones in the side-on dyke. I couldn’t see where they were coming from but my boat had 5 in at one point and when our guests arrived and we set off, they still accompanied us on our way for a while, flying in and out. How Hill was our first stop, arriving at 11.15. Busy, busy. Our guests loved having a look inside Hathor wherry while I gave the dog a good leg stretch on the grass(straw) park. The secret garden had a bit of colour and the ‘Werthers Original’ tree (sorry, can’t remember it’s proper name at the moment) was starting to release its lovely caramel scent. It’ll be like that till October now. The formal gardens were open too, meaning no residential groups are staying at the moment. The roses looked pretty and the fig had one or two ripe ones on -um, how do I know that? Another dog run while the others went for a look in the cottage, an icecream purchase and we were ready to leave. On our way back past later at something past 5, there weren’t many boats in at all We made for St Benets for our lunch stop with a walk round the site later. I squeezed into a mooring with a couple on a Horning Pleasurecraft boat moving up slightly for us. A first timer and certainly a convert to boating. The views from the cross were super, somehow the light just captured the Broads at their best and I always love to see the yacht sails moving along above the fields. Then it was back up the Ant, hopefully to find a mooring spot at Neatishead. I wasn’t too hopeful seeing as ETA was going to be 5.45 so was thinking of plan B seeing as our friends were eating onboard and then had to walk back to the village once dark. I couldn’t really go to Gayes staithe, having been there last night, so plan B was moor up somewhere for tea (wild/paddy’s lane/mudweight on the broad) and before dusk, motor along to Neatishead to drop them off and then come back to go wherever again, even Wood End possibly. I do have nav lights but have never been in a position to use them before. Anyway, all this planning in my head was unnecessary as there was one last mooring at Neatishead available, meaning I had to be on my best, reversing right down to the far end. I was pleased to be honest with how I did for my first time. So ironically, I moored up at the very nearest spot to my guests b+b! I was amazed that we were able to sit with windows, roof and door open and a light on till well after dark and still not be bothered by midgies.

They are a gorgeous line of trees. I always thought beech so therefore hornbeam would fit nicely. I’ll take more notice next time I’m there and use an ID key. No idea why they’re there though, sorry.

Realised I can’t do the following week either so sending apologies for that too. I’ll be on the m25 somewhere meeting Catherine to pick up their dog on their way to France.

Darn it! I can’t be there as it’s the last night with friends onboard for tea and then to drive them back to Neatishead.

Yes, getting my head round planning day routes with the need to bring our guests back to shore at the right place each night took some pondering. 2 separate overnight bases, with one day of car moving in the middle seemed the best option. Jean, a new retirement venture, private taxi exclusive to boaters!

Thanks about the wasp nest as I’m hoping to go there next week