marshman

The Locks long lost its appeal - that was primarily when Susan was the licensee!!!! Or does that just show my age??

Methinks a Ranger would only offer advice in such circumstances!

Never not give Andy Seedhouse a ring at Woodbridge. He nearly always has secondhand ones - but they don't hang around! https://www.andyseedhouseboats.co.uk/

As far as poor Ian is concerned, I think the lesson to be learned is to keep as a low profile and just don't stick your head above the parapet - you attract less notoriety as a result!!!

Mr Waller!!!!!! I had to go and have a quick look to check out whether new owners have improved the standard of reporting?? Nah!!!!!

From the "other side" it seems as though the individual was well known to the Administrator - makes it all seem so much more personal when he was obliviously known to people we "know". Sad loss

No - but you have a thumping great generator on board!!!!!!!

Whats a leccy post? Can you use them on here for a new topic??

The trouble is the punters think this looks so smart, just like their home, or what they dream their home could look like. OK a bit bigger!!! So alls well until they want to actually use it!! I suspect that if you showed them that picture or one with a practical layout with gas,. they would choose the poncy one every time - or mostly! Who cooks anyway unless they are forced to would be the view - why are we not going to eat out every night? We are on holiday after all. BUT - well the locals know the "but" but sadly no one tells the holidaymakers that moorings by pubs are hard to come by and not all pubs serve decent food!!! PS I would guess its a bog standard microwave!

Your choice I agree - however remember that just as you should not disturb the seals more than necessary, so you should apply the same rules to overwintering water birds. Those rules also apply to large expanses of Hickling Broad too where buoys are set out - again its a voluntary exclusion merely for the benefit of the migratory birds over the winter. There is no hidden agenda as far as I am aware.....!!

I agree with Vaughan I am pleased to say!!! However the ones who really irritate me apart from that speedboat, are the guys in their huge Broom style boat who can cruise only between Wroxham and Ludham and down beyond Acle - you can almost guarantee that even at tickover, they will exceed the posted limit, and they do! Do they ever realise how incongruous they look perched about 12' up in the air? What a stupid waste of money to keep them on the Northern Rivers - I suppose most don't know, or don't care , or both, how stupid they look!!!!! But I suppose each to their own but you would not catch me in one!!!!!

Don't worry MM they will be checking the water temperature daily and testing the water weekly to check for things which can usually set it off! They are not allowed to dredge until the water temperature is low enough and my guess is that they are being a bit optimistic if they think they can dredge any time after the 1st October - more like early November! To be honest not yet sure exactly where they are going to do it - there are reports of a few humps in Meadow Dyke itself and they are also going to finish off the top end of Waxham Cut sometime too. Don't forget that the voluntary exclusion up Meadow Dyke will also come into effect by then so you will not be able to go up by day boat by around late October in any case as the buoys will be out.

Don't put the BA off dredging!!! Go on a Sat/Sun when they are not working! Think about it - its not really much of an excuse to postpone major works just because someone MIGHT wish to see some seals, as you could change your mind on the day you have chosen! No let them get on with the work - thats what they are paid to do and you can at least, still see the seals by going by car. Given the effort they go to to get the kit up through the bridge and the fact that dredging causes less disruption in the winter, it seems sensible to just let them get on with it when they plan to do it IMHO

Just read Timbos post and very largely its true - how could I argue??? Climate change is IMHO is the one having a huge impact - why would coots fly here here in the winter from places such as the Low Countries when it no longer freezes over there? What happened the Dutch skaters? Most skates now hang up in their garden sheds!! However just check the new birds we now count as residents which we never once had - almost too numerous to mention. They must like it here for a reason! Moorhens seem to have moved to farm ponds! Every time I go for a walk and see a pond, you can almost guarantee seeing moorhens - not sure why that is though. Perhaps they are becoming more shy but strangely, I did see at least 3 on the rivers and around yesterday whilst out. Great Crested Grebes - I think these have been a huge "success" - in my youth around 60/70 years ago, you hardly ever saw one on the Broads. Now they are everywhere and local hotspots seem to be Black Horse Broad and S Walsham Inner Broad - must have been 10/15 last time I bothered to count.

Mink ARE controlled by the BA as far as is possible - a number of volunteers check the mink rafts regularly and if evidence is found, they will try and trap them. Particularly on the Northern Broads, although they are around, they are not common. And CC, there is no "consensus" that otters are a huge problem, only amongst those who are making "educated" guesses. Otter populations on the Broads are remarkably stable as they have territories and who betide other otters encroaching. The Broads are "full" of otters and have been for for at least 15 yrs - yes you might "see" more but that does not mean that there are necessarily more of them!! They may be more visible but perhaps that is because they have learnt that humans do them no harm? Phillip Wayre stopped releasing well before he sadly died as he confirmed he was unable to release more as ,locally, all territories were up to their natural level. There are still places in the UK that do not have otter populations - let them get filled up first before we start talking about culling them. ( That will never happen - if you cannot kill badgers, there is no chance otters will be on the list! ) Ducks - anyone here know where the ducks go this time of year? You might just as well ask where do all the goldfinches, green finches and chaffinches that frequent my garden go as well? Well its something to do with what happens to every bird after the breeding season - they go into moult so they can regrow their plumage for the winter and at the same time recover from the rigours of bringing a family up!! When they feel better they will be out again!!! Same as my garden will be full again!! Note to Mods - can you please store this message to ensure I don't have to keep repeating myself every year!!

OK you lot win - although I still fail to see what was interesting in it other than a conspiracy theory!! Now if I told you the existing situation, perhaps that would be more interesting??? ( if I knew it!! )

With the greatest of respect I just think you are wrong to believe it was "withheld"!!! Do you believe that you feel that, we as the end users are so important, we should feel the need to be part of every budgetary discussion? Even a very out of date one? Don't tell me - let me guess....!

No Vaughan, I understand, but if people don't want to understand what you said, thats an entirely different matter simply because people believe what they want to believe irrespective of the fact that some don't know how it works! I just happen to guess ( know?) the current tolls situation is not as bad as portrayed in that as disclosed in my old mates OP neither am I surprised that the financial situation at the BA is a bit squeaky? Tell me whose situation is not very different this year? And things will not get much better given the amount of debt we are now in! Does anyone really NOT believe that somewhere along the line taxes are going to have to go up to pay for it all - similarly tolls? Who's surprised? So what I really cannot understand what this whole post is actually about!

Shame the Councils could not continue to be responsible as they did for so long, rather than this wholly unsatisfactory situation as now exists almost every different rubbish point!

I do think to base any comment on the toll figures in PW lengthy opening post could be a little misleading as those figures are likely to be very out of date - no, I would go as far as saying I expect they are usefully out of date!!! Can we just wait until we know the exact situation before jumping to perhaps the wrong conclusions?

I did hear the figures for the untolled private craft the other day and it was not that far below last years. What I do know is that they are in process , or beginning the process, of pursuing through the courts of those who did not pay last year! its certainly not my understanding that it is "hundreds" outstanding for the current year. If I hear the figure, I will "leak" it!!! Hire boats are further behind the curve by some margin but they are expected to catch up sooner, rather than later! So if you are one of those, expect to be hearing sooner rather than later!! Incidentally PW, don't forget that Wroxham is a bit misleading as I think it is an adjacent water isn't it?

The Chinese at S Walsham shut down several years ago! Not only did they have trouble with the Local Council regarding the kitchens, they also had trouble with HMG over the staff!!!!

It is probably not relevant at the moment but S Walsham has much better holding!!!

And here endeth these posts on this enduring topic, at least for the time being and someone digs them up again!!!!

My only comment will be that "..taking up the torch.." is a bit strong! You only do that if there is threat and that "threat" is no different now to what was perceived many years ago - it has still not materialised and when it does, please wake me from my slumber and I will help!!! I am not the only one taking this view I suspect.