kpnut

Not the best to be fair, but where I’d have got the whole boat in one go was right into the sun.

Camera at the ready for you Neil

My sister had been in touch overnight to take me up on the offer of a week on the boat. Mum is already due on Monday, so it’ll be good to have another pair of safe hands, mainly to keep mum in one piece. She’s 90, but thinks she’s still about 20, so doesn’t like to be ‘advised’! We discussed various public transport possibilities for her to leave her car in Stalham and come and find me by bus, getting off at Ludham being a good bet as there is a choice of the main Womack staithe, the dyke and St Benets for mooring, but in the end I decided to have one night out tonight and then go back to Stalham tomorrow to pick her up. So a quick return to Tesco to buy a third person’s worth of food for a few days and I set off, with no destination in mind. I passed numerous vacant wild moorings down the Ant and thought I’d go as far as How Hill and turn round to see what was still free. I ended up at Jonny Crowe’s staithe as someone was leaving just as I went past. To be honest, I was needing a dozing sort of day, so on arrival, enjoyed the mooring spot to watch the boats go by for a while before deciding to walk down to How Hill for an ice cream. it was very quiet on the moorings when I took the photos at 3.30, but I expect the newly released Richardsons boats will soon be along for their first nights stop. Back now watching the boats again. It’s not too hot here as there’s just enough breeze.

Well, here again. Wanting to catch my daughter before she departed after her week on the boat, I set off from home at 4.30am yesterday. It’s been a long time since I was out and about at that time of the morning and I found the roads surprisingly busy. Sutton Bridge was clear apart from some temporary lights, which were green as I went through, AFTER the bridge, so not sure what their purpose is. A quick stop in Hoveton to see what was out on the moorings and to get the excitement out of the dog before he meets his brothers d we were at Stalham before Catherine and Roald were up, at 8am. Odd not being able to get onto my own boat on arrival, but I took Finlay for another run at the public moorings down the end of the yard and they were up by the time I got back. It was good to hear the news of their week, they’d spent a good part of it up beyond Wroxham bridge. They say next time they are confident enough to go through on their own. I haven’t reached that stage yet! I’ll pluck up the courage one of these days and save myself some pennies. They had a drive back to near Burton on Trent to consider, so after sharing my allotment harvest with them, they departed. When you are picking 4 punnets of raspberries a day, you have to offload it somehow! Even the freezer can’t cope with that. I caught up with a few people I hadn’t seen for a while, modified a set of shelves that Tony had made for me and fitted them in their allotted space in the wardrobe to be used for all the ‘bits and bobs’ you accumulate on a boat, walked round to Simpsons where I’d seen Lulu heading, but by the time I got there they’d gone. After a shopping trip to stock up for the week, and sorting out an internet problem I’d had all day (by the proverbial turning off and on again a couple of times), I was ready for an early night I couldn’t even contemplate staying up for the Friday night quiz and it sounds like I missed a lot of fun.

Jean, so sorry but I’ll have to give it a miss. I arrived at the boat at 8am to see Catherine before they left for home. Being nearly a 4 hr journey you can imagine what time I got up this morning. Have fun everyone. Xx

Thank goodness for that. Gave up English literature before O level. I enjoyed reading books for the joy of it, not to dissect the characters! Looking forward to it Jean, thank you.

Two separate facts, not necessarily related.

I saw kingfisher up at coltishall in early june. I saw her by the Norfolk mead mooring, then she came up to the lock where I was moored but you’d gone again by the time I came back from a walk. I commented to my friend what a beautiful boat, stunning.

I think Sam is good on the music rounds too Jean, and TH, so maybe there’ll be a competition after all!

Oh dear! Well, it seriously won’t happen with a music quiz, unless maybe it’s just trombone music, ha ha! I wasn’t allowed to listen to the radio as a teenager, (deemed evil in our house for some inexplicable reason).

That’s the trouble with ‘eco warriors’. They see it all from one side of the argument, whereas an ecologist just looks for patterns. it’s a bit like the fish/otter argument. Fishermen say there are fewer fish and more otters so it must be the otters eating the fish. Eco warriors and ‘conservationists’ say otters used to be there and the fish didn’t die out, so can’t be the otters eating the fish. And ecologists note that there are fewer fish. They note that there are more otters. But they observe and don’t assume an increase in one is causing the demise of the other without evidence. They then set up controlled experiments to refute or accept the hypothesis that there is no correlation between the two happenings. a bit more true ecological thinking and a bit less opinion would help policy making no end.

That’ll be you winning then Jean, and me last by a lofty ‘nul points’!!!!!!

My daughter did her thesis on micro hydro generation/in-current turbines, which are used a lot and successfully in farms in upland areas where there is no mains power. They manage to power a whole farm using a large bank of batteries. Admittably, these take up a lot of space. She was more interested in the ecological impact on the water course itself. I have no idea why water power, be it tidal or river current, isn’t more widely being progressed, probably to do with funding and govts inclinations.

The media, parliament etc etc don't seem to to have made any connection between the loss of 0% duty on diesel fuel for propulsion for hauliers and agriculture with the rise in prices in shops. Am I wrong in thinking they now have to pay duty on red diesel?

Many thanks for those. I really enjoyed them, even though I know nothing about ‘going to sea’ -it looks scary! Loved the info about Woodbridge. My friend’s brother-in-law is vicar there, not sure if that was his church as there are two separate ones, both c of e, for some odd reason. I’ll show my friend when I next see her. And the rest of the historical info in the videos was very interesting too. You’re right to say the area is well worth a visit, by car for me though!

Sending get well thoughts xx

You’re being generous! Not rocket science.

A one man dog then! Assuming she’s not actually off colour, she won’t know what to do with herself when you get back. Beautiful dog.

I forgot to mention I saw an absolutely gleaming ‘Ruby’ woodie at Irstead staithe on my way past. I waved to them and Delilah.

Yes, you could turn with a bit of toing and froing. There's some private moorings there too, which I don't think are ever really used so space enough. Helen, Im picking mum up from the railway station on eleventh, and she's here a week. I'll be down a couple of days before to check things are ready for her. So we might well see you on your way down south.

Give it a go Helen, says me who was too scared to do so! Last day for me on the rivers, home in the morning. So a slow start at How Hill, although I had been roused from my slumber by an engine running from 7am. I expect the occupants didn’t realise how much noise the engine made as it was out the back and it was a long HW boat. To be honest, it didn’t wake me but it did disturb the peace and quiet of a few minutes in bed watching the river. The boat didn’t actually leave till 9.30. Being in no hurry whatsoever and determined to enjoy my last journey, I ambled up the Ant for a pump out at Richardsons. And a jolly good job they did too. Highly recommended. I had been assured that one of the lads at the yard would get me the fault code for the non-functioning diesel heater. Code said no fuel getting to the heater, which I had sort of suspected without knowing the reason why, as when it was turned in it got as far in the operation as ‘ignites flame’ and then switched itself back off again. It turned out to be a split in the pipe between the pump and the heater, where it had been installed with a right angle turn. Duly fixed with a proper elbow joint put in and away it went, pumping copious amounts of heat into the already hot cabin. I am so very grateful to the yard for helping out and I’m sure the bill will be affordable too as I’ve always found Richardsons to be very fair. I’m not sure whether they take on private work to be honest, but being an ex Richardsons hire boat, there is a wealth of experience to ask. Very happy and very hot, as I’d been told to give it a good 20 mins or so, I made a sandwich before setting off for diesel at Sutton Staithe. Again, very helpful and friendly, even if it had gone up another 15p a litre since last there only a week or so ago. Now £1.87. Back to my mooring for the usual clean up. I had thought I was the next one on the boat again, so wasn’t going to do such a thorough job, but my daughter and husband (that takes some getting used to, they only got married in April) are here next, as of a plan they hatched last night, so a full clean needed. At least then, I should expect the same from them! So if you see Springers Retreat out and about in early July, with a spaniel that seems to have changed colour, from black and white to liver and white, it’s those two with Finlay’s older brother Charlie. My next trip is with my 90 year old mum later in July. Home tomorrow to see if Tony has fed himself properly and to catch up on the allotments.

Very quiet at Ludham Bridge this afternoon. Loads of mooring spaces at 4.30 and I only watched one boat go through while I was eating my ice cream and contemplating life. It’s a non handover day tomorrow at Richardson’s and it makes a big difference on the river Ant. Tuesday pm to Thursday am are usually much quieter.

I managed to go under PH bridge in March and went past the entrance to the dyke but didn’t dare go down there. As you say, narrow and shallow. There were plenty of smaller boats at the moorings at the end. I’ll tell him! Anything to keep him fit over the summer is good. He’s had two good swims today and I’ve done nearly 9 miles so he’s done at least double, probably 3 times that. He had a good bit of fuss from the lads at Ludham Bridge Boatyard when I called in to say hello on my walk. Fed and watered now, checked for ticks and de-stickybudded, now asleep again. What a life! Just keep a map with you and explore. Norfolk is absolutely riddled with footpaths, just like the Sussex of my childhood. Now in Sussex you walk the footpaths from one housing estate to the next!

A 2.5 hour, 5 mile walk to Catfield Dyke, circular back through some different lanes, but not really recommended as quite a lot of road walking, even if mostly quiet lanes both ways. But a lovely permissive path down Catfield Dyke from the moorings. There is a BA 24 hr mooring there, the bit from the shed to the ladder on the photo and maybe down to where I was standing. The path probably goes just over halfway down the dyke (I was hoping maybe to get out to Hickling Broad but it turned before that) before turning at a little bench saying ‘enjoy kingfisher corner’ or something similar and making its way back along a shady track to the lane. Recommend a visit if you in the car sometime. I revisited Catfield Fen on the way back to the boat to see more swallowtail butterflies. I did spot a few but far too fast for my phone camera. I did manage 4 horsefly bites though -grrrh! Washed the Saharan sand back off the boat and moseyed on ti How Hill as the mooring spot I wanted on the river was taken. We’re going to take a walk down to Ludham Bridge when it cools down a bit, but gif now Finlay is having a snooze on the sofa.

Easy for Water Rail, you could spin her round in one move. Springer’s Retreat is 35ft and fits end to end. I’ve already turned her so I know it’s possible. Secluded, lots of birdsong, water lilies, excellent walk onto that Catfield Fen nature reserve, catches morning and evening sun, would be shadier during day I think, midgy, not much view, about sums it up.