SteveO

They were probably out enjoying themselves too much on Sunday night. Worse things have happened at sea.

Yes, the biodegradable boat show.

But sir, some of those boats are made from, dare I say the word?, plastic

We had to take a dip in the sea at Hythe this afternoon, when the mercury hit nearly 35. It was a case of inserting yourself between the jellyfish and hoping for the best, but the jellies were on the small side and we didn't get stung and the water was beautifully cool. Having sampled both this week, I can confirm that the waters of the Costa Geriatrica are a few degrees warmer than those at Winterton.

I love fish pie . For me it must contain smoked haddock or cod (undyed), fresh salmon, a white fish and some prawns. In my view it makes too much washing up to be a practical boat recipe, but I do like to eat it on the odd occasion when we eat out. The Recruiting Sergeant at Coltishall used to do a very good one but we haven't been there for a while . Time for a visit methinks....

Lunacy and mayhem in the same quiz! It won't end well.

If anyone would like to attend Roy's send-off, the funeral details are as follows: Date/time: 29th July at 10.45 Venue: Mintlynn Crematorium, Lynn Road, Bawsey, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE32 1HB The family has requested no flowers, but donations to a local charity if wanted.

I was otherwise engaged the Friday before last. I had a quiz prepared and offered to send it out to anyone prepared to step into the breach, but no-one volunteered. I had assumed that Peter would be doing yesterday's quiz as it was his turn, having won the previous week (I was only ever a stand-in). I'm not sure whether we will be available next week either as it is the weekend of the Hoveton Classic Car & Bike Show and we may well be in Norfolk. 9

I know that a number of members on here knew Roy Abrahams (Roya), I heard just now from his wife Gill that he sadly passed away in hospital yesterday evening. I don't know that he was active on the NBF but was a stalwart contributor to the NBF in its day and has more recently been involved with several Facebook-based sites focused on the Norfolk Broads. From my point of view he was a great character, an enthusiastic Broadsman and a friend and he will be missed.

Well thanks to the antics of the Dartford Crossing and the heat both yesterday and today, we were not able to get off to the boat as planned. We will now be setting off tomorrow, so are unlikely to be back in time to run a quiz next Friday. I prepared a quiz over the weekend so if anyone would like to step into the breach, please let me know and I will be happy to send it to you. You will need to be quick though because I won't have my laptop with me on the boat and broadband reception around our home mooring is poor to say the least.

We will miss the quiz as we will be sunning ourselves on the fair isle of Mallorca.

We use the Postwick to Wroxham section regularly and, whilst undoubtedy convenient, neither of us like using the road. Every roundabout seems to be different in layout and number of lanes . People drive too fast on the roundabouts and many of those travelling along the NDR seem to think they have right of way over drivers who are already on the roundabout but are turning off across their paths. We have had a number of "near misses" , none of which were our fault and it is only a matter of time before there is a very serious accident on that stretch of road. For my money, the roundabouts should be reduced in size and limited to 2 lanes - the same as the road itself. This would slow things down at the exits and make the driving experience safer and less of a free for all.

Branded phones are vanity. I have a Chinese Blackview A7Pro which cost me £65. I have had it for 18 months and am delighted with it. Spare batteries are available on Ebay, should I need one, but a full charge lasts me a 2-3 days of moderately heavy use. Dual SIM - I use a Three prepaid sim for data and a Vodafone sim-only contract for calls and SMS. The camera is pretty good too and if/when it fails you recycle it and get a new one. Why would I want a branded phone?

I look at the meet quiz as a bit of fun. We didn't do very well as we know nowt about snooker and films and next to nowt about at least one of the other topics but for me it is all about being there and the banter. Whether you get questions you can answer or not is just the luck of the draw.

I see you couldn't resist sneaking in a swimsuit shot Peter

I think all youngsters should have to give a year of compulsory national civilian service. This would help them grow up, teach them respect for others - people and property, help to integrate them with the rest of society and get them used to working. It would also provide a useful source of low-cost labour for everything from caring for the elderly, to fruit and veg picking, recycling, cleaning dirty road signs, cleaning beaches and keeping our streets clean. What about their human rights? Human rights should be earned and should be coupled with human responsibilities. Eligibility for any and all benefits should be predicated on people completing their national service. Timing should be after leaving school and before taking up full time work or further education. I'm not saying it would stop all the nastiness that is going on at the moment, but it would go a long way towards it. There should also be a military option for those youngsters interested in later pursuing a career in the armed forces.

A great meet-up. It was good to see you all. Sadly too cold for us on Saturday evening but really enjoyed the day. our thanks go to the organisers. Steve & Nik

We have to cast our minds back and recall why the BA discontinued the toll plaques in the first place. Wasn't it something to do with a cock-up on their part involving ink which ran in the wet? Why, now, are the BA having to fund expensive twice-yearly verification activities (no doubt out of the Navigation budget) and we boat owners having to perform cartwheels to accommodate the consequences of that cock-up rather than have the BA address the root cause of the problem?

Looks good to me too. Thanks Arthur.

Louise, the previous Horning butcher retired 2 or 3 years ago. Tavern took over the shop after that. Make sure you ask for the real pigs blood stuff. They may well do a cheaper variant made with dried blood and you don't want that.

I don't see Country Treats of Horning on your list. The food is good, cheap and plentiful. I particularly like their breakfast baps. I must admit that when boating, we tend to make our own. Bacon, egg, mushrooms and tomatoes served with toast and a large mug of hot tea..We tend not to have sausages but I have recently discovered the black pudding from Tavern Tasty Meats at Horning, which is made using fresh pig's blood and is absolutely delicious. For convenience and ease of washing up. we cook most of the items in the oven on foil-lined trays. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to cook so we tend to have it as an early lunch rather than a breakfast. Other black puddings are available from numerous outlets but these are the best I've had for a long time. Even Mrs O likes them and she is an avowed black pud hater.

Our 15 year old Garmin still works perfectly.

We took the bulbs out of the original light fittings on our boat and replaced them with LED panels or, in the case of the berth lights, direct LED replacement bulbs. No difference in external appearance, little difference in light output or quality but with much less drain on the batteries.

To put it plainly, so as not to confuse anyone else: SteveO = old and knackered. NikO = knackered so no tugging for us :)

My dicky knee, dicky ticker and suspected hernia rule me out I'm afraid.