SteveO

Signal willing, the topics for next Friday's quiz will be: Cryptic towns and cities Collectors Ye Gods! Wildlife Transport General knowlege All are welcome to join at around 8.30 on Friday evening https://www.nbnplus.co.uk/chat/ Enter your username so we know who we are speaking to, but no password needed.

Our first encounter with the Broads was in the early 1980's, when we went for a holiday with Nik's parents who lived near Ipswich. We all decided that it would be nice to visit Norwich for the day and set off in father-in-law's Austin Maxi up the A140. It was a sunny day and I developed a splitting headache, which was not helped by a lunchtime pint in one of central Norwich's many hostelries - think it was the Lamb Inn on Haymarket. We decided to take a trip out to look at the Broads and so it was off to Wroxham. The in-laws went off shopping to Roys and so we decided to rent a dayboat for an hour from Faircraft Loynes. We only got as far as Wroxham Broad, but thoroughly enjoyed it and vowed to return for a boating holiday. Our first hire, the following September, was Wicked Lady III - a Hampton Safari from Crown Cruisers of Somerleyton. After our introduction to the boat and a cursory test drive we set off in the torrential rain, up the New Cut to Reedham. There was nowhere to moor even in those days and so in desperation we ended up tying up alongside another boat, which was already double-moored. We finished up in the Lord Nelson, or was it the Ship? Or was it both? Had a bite to eat, a few beers and carefully picked our way over slippery decks back to the Wicked Lady. We woke to weak sunshine, tied up next to the quay, the two boats inside us having departed early. In that week, we covered justabout the whole navigable system. By the end of the week we were well and truly addicted and have been back justabout every year since then.First as hirers and latterly as owners.

Great reads and a bit less bloodthirsty than the David Blake novels.

Parking my car for free on our local seafront, taking a stroll along the clean and well-kept promenade and marvelling at how the local council can afford to pay a man to reularly empty the plentiful waste bins when our council tax is no higher than anyone else's. Makes me wonder why I am spending £5000 + a year on boating on the Northern Broads.In my view the area is in serious danger of pricing itself out of the market with it's continual money-grubbing antics.

Mike was the winner of tonight's quiz, with Polly in second place and with Bern and Bikertov sharing 3rd. Thanks to all who took part and congratulations to Mike, who will be next week's QM.

Bump!

NikO won last week's quiz and will be QM on Friday. Her topics are: Cryptic towns and cities UK Food and drink Action Films Half time break for beer and sandwiches (not provided) or whatever. Discoveries Around the UK General knowledge We will kick off around 8.30pm and all are welcome to join. https://www.nbnplus.co.uk/chat/ Enter your forum username at the prompt but no password is required.

Sorry to hear your news Ian. Keep strong, we are all standing with you.

We had this happen the other week. Arrived at the boat to find both CO alarms sounding off. Changed the batteries on the alarms and the problem seemed to go away, only to have it start again that evening. Eventually traced the problem to our engine starter battery, which is separate from the main battery bank, which was being boiled dry by the "intelligent" charging system. Replaced said battery and the problem went away. Aparrently CO alarms sense several things other than carbon monoxide, including fumes from dying batteries.

Talk-Talk was my broadband provider back in the day when Baroness Dido Harding was in charge. Its customer database was hacked very badly then and I suffered the consequences in terms of spoof calls and scamming attempts for several years afterwards. I always remember the good Baroness being interviewed by the news media about the incident and she seemed to struggle to understand that hacking wasn't necessarily an equestrian activity.

Looks as though you had a great weekend. Sorry we couldn't be there in the end. Hopefully will try again next year.

Well it looks as though the planets are aligned differently for me this year and it is sadly unlikely that we will be able to attend the meet-up on Windmill Lady. There's still a slim chance that we can attend, and we will if we can, but please take our boat and names off the list and we will take our chances on the day.

Hmmm if they qualify as "powered craft" they'll be told to stump up next time they visit.

Last time we ventured abroad on a package holiday was to the Balearic islands and, on checking out of our hotel, were stuck with a local "Tourist Tax", which added around £28 per week. I suspect that, since covid, many other places have indulged in this sort of money-grubbing practice.

As long as we don't end up with someone even worse.

I'm not saying don't protest, just don't expect a zealot like Dr P to sit on his hands if you withold payments, or his willingness to use the navigation budget to pursue those who won't pay . I have already written to my MP and Packman to express my disgust at the new charges but as far as the latter is concerned, it is like water off a duck's back. I don't expect much support from the government either because Packman is doing their work for them in promoting the "green" (washing) agenda. For my part, I will be avoiding mooring at Ranworth until and unless this ridiculous charge is rescinded. In any case, this is quite likely to be my last season on the Broads because, frankly, I don't like the way the place is going.

And exactly why do you think that would that stop him from wasting our money on pursuing defaulters, as he would undoubtedly see them?

And I expect that the pursuing will involve him spending plenty of our toll money on legal and court fees.

Well I am looking forward to what will quite possibly be our last season on the Broads. A 13% increase in tolls is bad enough but to be rinsed for £10 every time I want to overnight at one of our favourite moorings is frankly the last straw, and I haven't yet seen how much our moorings will be going up this year. Congratulations Dr Packman, I am sure you are feeling very pleased with yourself.

We replaced our very old Ideal Standard with a Worcester Bosch condensing boiler 3 years ago. The old one never gave us any trouble but the casing was falling apart and I couldn't get parts for it. The new one has already broken down once, albeit under warranty, which doesn't bode well for the future.

Apart from the actual deployment of the mudweight, you need to make sure you and your dog can get from your boat to the dinghy and then back on safely. It should go without saying that lifejackets should be worn at all times.

Did the words "must be prepared to put up with a great deal of abuse" appear on the job advert?

Looking forward to Around the grounds. Might be about coffee, my favourite morning drink.

The way prices are increasing this year, someone must think that Broads boating is the sport of millionaire playboys (or is that playpersons nowadays) . Seriously, I wouldn't eat there if they paid me. The quality of their food is extremely variable and you wouldn't get me mooring there at those prices. No doubt they will get their 10 or so dayboats every lunchtime at £10 each and their 3 overnight moorers at £20 each at weekends and school holidays but I think they are seriously limiting their water-borne custom at these levels.

I looked into putting solar panels onto our south-facing roof recently. The quotes I got were upward of £8000 for the system and that was without storage batteries or any other bells and whistles. Payback was between 8 and 10 years depending on the number of panels installed and the amount I would have got for any electricity I put back into the grid was around 5p per kWh. Not bad business for them when they charge me around 35p per kWh.