SteveO

On a couple of the episodes I watched, the establishments were selling off their heritage to pay bills, so deseperately needed cash. They were also totally commercially naive as to the value of what they were selling. A win-win for the likes of Pritchard.

And no-one is forcing me to watch it either - so I don't.

This is very true, you never know what you are watching on so-called "reality" TV. I love The Repair Shop for the craftsmanship and I like The Restorers, except where Pritchard makes his malign appearance. It is a pity we have lost so many skills. I was struggling to find someone to clean and repair a grandmother clock a few years ago and, although I eventually found someone to do the job, he was on the verge of retirement. Not sure I'd find someone so easily now,

I detest Drew Pritchard. I find him so annoying that I can no longer watch what would otherwise be an interesting programme. When you see him conning schools and religious establishments out of their treasures, pretending he is being fair with the price he offers, then you see him back at base, talking up the provenance and selling stuff for many multiples of what he paid for them, you see the man for the jumped up little prat he is.

Happy New year to all. Looking forward to a great boating year in 2020. May your GRP stay intact and shiny, your wooden bits biodegrade as slowly as possible and your keel bolts stay tight!

My wristwarch says Tuesday but my body thinks Friday for some illogical reason. Still I managed to send in my tax return today so feeling pretty good about myself, especially as they owe me nearly £500. That will help towards next year's tolls. Dunno why I'm so grateful. It's my money they have been hanging on to for the past year.

Sign of a damned good chippy. Closed on Mondays as a good chippy should be.

It takes all sorts, I suppose. I hate soggy chips, much preferring them to be crispy on the outside and soft/fluffy in the middle. In the good old days of having a chip pan, you cooked the chips until almost there over a medium heat and then removed the basket, cranked up the heat and, once the oil/dripping was very hot, plunged the basket back in until the chips were golden brown. Having decommissioned my chip pan on the grounds that it was too much trouble, I either have oven chips, (not a patch on the real thing, but any port in a storm) or get them from the chippy. What kills chips from the chip shop is wrapping them in paper, which traps steam and makes them soggy and unpleasant. I always insist on not having them wrapped and eat them as soon as I am out of the shop. My favourite outlets are the Chip Inn at Long Stratton, the Kingfisher at Walcott and the Chip Shop at Bacton. The last 2 have the benefit that you get a sea view while you are munching. A good chippy will have two fryers for the chips set to around 160 and 180 Deg C. Sadly a lot now use part-cooked chips and only have one fryer set at the higher temperature.

Reminds me of a joke I heard. Q: How do you spot a vegan in a room full of people? A: You won't need to, they will be sure to tell you.

Mike won this evening's quiz with a runaway 22 points, so will be QM for the first quiz of 2020.

In my younger days, my company would take us all to a large hotel in Brighton, which I think was in the Stakis chain. We would spend the evening listening to the Chairman tell us how well/badly we had done in the last 12 months and outline opportunities and challenges for the next period. Then we would eat and libations would flow prolifically. I always saved a bit of room for breakfast which was Scottish themed and extremely comprehensive, including the usual bacon, eggs, sausages, black pud, mushrooms, tomatoes etc, but also haggis, cloutie dumplings, and white pudding to name but a few. I don't do willpower so I didn't hold back and sampled just about everything. The great thing about it was that I never needed to eat at lunchtime after a spread like that and could only manage something very, very light for an evening meal.

We'll go for a quiz this evening then, although I reserve the right to move it to next Friday if we don't get enough people joining. Topics for tonight are: Numbers Dogs Railways Break for refreshments (T's, P's, Wine, Cheese or whatever) Link Words Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year General Mayhem Assemble at 8.30 and, subject to numbers, we will kick off at 8.45 Join at: http://www.nbnquiz.co.uk/chat/ Enter your username, but no password. Cheers Steve

Found it quite tedious. Resorted to cooking dinner instead. Salmon marinaded in Teryaki sauce made me feel much happier.

Our year has been one of "highs! and "lows". In January, we became grandparents for the second time. I spent much of the year travelling up and down the A1 to visit my ailing mother in Halifax. Great NBF meet up at Salhouse in May. Fantastic holiday in Mallorca in June - very relaxing. Drove a steam roller round the arena at the Woodcote Steam Fair in July. Bought a couple of folding bikes, mainly for use on the boat , My mother sadly passed away in August , A week of boating with our first Grandson also in August. Mother's funeral in September, at which I wept like a baby. Boat broke down a couple of times in September/October curtailing two holidays - finally remedied by a n expensively refurbished diesel injection pump. Visited Stratford upon Avon in October to see RSC production of King John, Caught stinking cold in November that took me out of circulation for 3 weeks. Spent December helping our elder daughter to move to a nice detached bungalow in Whitstable, with stunning views across the Swale to Minster on the Isle of Sheppey and across the Thames estuary to Southend on a clear day. looking forward to a chaotic Christmas week with children, partners, , grandchildren and dogs. Nik and I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Let's hope that 2020 has a few more "highs" and fewer "lows".

I won the quiz this evening, by a narrow squeak. The consensus seems to be that we will have a quiz next Friday as a change from normal festivities. Please post here if you agree. If we have enough people interested, I will post topics later in the week.

I am honestly thinking about getting rid of my land line. The only people who use it are scammers and I am wondering why I should pay for the privilege. It is much easier to block unwanted callers on the mobile.

Well done Griff. Mrs O and I kicked the habit back in 1982 and, although the first 3 months or so of "cold turkey" was hell, I stuck with it with help from Mrs O and she with support from me, and we have not looked back since. It does gradually get very much easier over time to the point where you stop thinking about it. The amount of cash you save at today's prices is eye watering but by far the biggest benefit has got to be your health. Stick with it!

Just a bit envious. Beautiful!

Thanks guys. The surprising thing is that you can insure a £500,000 house, sight unseen, for a good deal less money than you can a £35,000 boat. I can't help thinking that someone is taking the p*ss.

Having owned our boat for 10 years, I have just received a letter from my insurer, requiring that I have a full survey carried out by a qualified surveyor before they will renew cover on the same terms. Is this normal practice for broads boats and, if so, can anyone recommend a local surveyor with a pragmatic and practical approach, who could carry out this work?

It is not possible for humans, omnivores that we are, to live healthily exclusively on a vegan diet. We need vitamin B12, which comes exclusively from animal sources and we cannot synthesise it in the body. Of course they will tell you about "nutritional yeast" and similar supplements which contain B12, but all these derive ultimately from animals. Looking at a dog's teeth, they are obviously designed to eat meat. I think it is cruel for a pet owner to impose their own dietary fads on a dumb animal which has no choice in the matter. If you want to be a vegan, get a hamster.

Just been to Latham's, where C*****mad is in full swing. Place is piled high with C*****mad stock, so can hardly find anything normal to buy.

Very sad but SA were the better team, Situation made worse by having to endure having the BBC's multicultural liberalism rammed down my throat at every opportunity both pre and post-match.

Yet another triumph of money over good taste.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, so it wasn't waste from a boat moored at Horning Staithe. Lucky the bin police didn't feel the owner's collar.