DAVIDH

There they are, you can see them on the BB webcam:

Paul, River views is the collective name for them. Individually they are Bewick Swan | Crested Grebe | Greylag Goose. They are owned by Barnes and are featured on their website here (bottom left corner of page): https://www.barnesbrinkcraft.co.uk/self-catering/houses/ Have to say that considering Barnes had a blank canvas (subject to planning laws) to me they look very boxy and uninspiring.

Just seen these stunning images from the other night at Eastbourne. Apparantly, over 1,000 strikes in one hour. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-48688194

Just the usual note that I have updated the "what's on" guide to include July now. Events to look out for are the Great Yarmouth Folk Group at the Dog at Ludham Bridge from the 21st to 23rd June (not just folk music - great night out!), a comedy night at the White Horse in Chedgrave on the 28th June. In July there's the opportunity to catch the Water Rats Jazz Band also at the White Horse on the 21st July, and there is a beer festival taking place between the 5th and 7th July at the White Horse in Upton. Five bands are booked to appear over the weekend. For more details on these and other events click HERE

Thanks for this. Very interesting and very well produced.

Waveney River Centre are with Hoseasons. Wonder if you need to pay if you get on the moorings reserved for their boats?

In that grey colour, it looks like a giant Airfix model. Take a lot of Humbro paint to finish that!

The railway line heading into the sun and the Oulton Broad night images are outstanding.

The inside of the Norada doesn't look as dark as I remember it. Have they done something to brighten it up or is it just that it's daytime "lighting"?

Thank you Jeff. This is destined to be the webcam favourite of all locations on the Broads: https://www.herbertwoods.co.uk/norfolk-broads/webcam/

i agree with all of the above. I too found it disconcerting that you could not really see behind you when steering from the inside and I only ever tried to walk down half the length of the deck when disembarking, so narrow was the "pathway". Having said that, I think the boat is excellent value and the positives you mention, for me far outway the negatives. I think the fact that some people find the look of Jazz to be less than "beautiful" (even Barnes refer to it as not one of their prettiest boats) keeps the price down making it a lot of boat for your money.

For us solo hirers, I think Jazz is a good design. It's not so large that it would make it difficult to handle single handed whilst mooring, but still affords the upper deck view which you get with the larger more swish dual steers. I must say, I liked it when I hired it last year and am watching for a special offer on it for late September, when I need to come down for the Goosander AGM weekend.

Especially like the last shot of Jazz, dappled in the sunlight.

It looks as though prospective holidaymakers are holding back on booking anything at the moment. The overseas market (Thomas Cook for example) says Brexit has caused many people to either delay booking or switch to a staycation. As such you would have expected the UK market to be booming this year but this is not evidenced by "up to 50%" off deals we are seeing at the moment. My own rough & ready figures show there to be around 18% more boats still available this year compared to last year at this time.

Their website hasn't caught up with it yet then - still showing 25%

Yes I see now. They are still manufactured. Here is a used one on Ebay : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-Phone-Jack-Rtx-3120-Base-Unit-And-Rtx-3121-Ext-Unit-/163677442227 - also on the page further down, are alternative new options. though alot more expensive. By the looks of it, you just plug the phone line into the master unit, which transmits to the slave unit.

I guess PS is referring to these type of phones: https://www.argos.co.uk/search/telephones/category:33016860/ I have the same setup with the master phone in the living room and the other one in the bedroom. They are indeed wireless and all you need for the second handset is a suitable electric socket to plug it into.

Doro phones are marketed for the elderly. Take a look at the Amazon offerings - look down the list - not just smartphones sold. https://www.amazon.co.uk/SIM-Free-Mobile-Phones-Smartphones-Doro/s?rh=n%3A356496011%2Cp_89%3ADoro

Thanks for all the information regarding "contract cleaning" alternatives. Goosander's annual meeting isn't until September but I will raise it then and see if we can interest enough people to make a go of it.

Speedboat racing on at Oulton Broad right now if anyone interested: https://www.norfolklive.org/our-cameras/oulton-broad-wherry-hotel-hd/

Wow, that is a good price. Is that just for internal cleaning or do they include external items such as windows and decks?

Alan, I think the 6oz burger is the best thing on the Yare's menu. You can tell it's homemade and not pre-manufactured and together with the salad and chips, it beats anything up here in Leeds.

Not in our syndicate. I would gladly pay £40-£50 for this service but unless others want it, then it means there is only work for someone 3 to 4 Saturdays per year. That's not enough for anyone to find attractive so it wouldn't work. It's not so bad for other owners either as they are all couples and can share the work between them. Just have to take the rough with the smooth!

Jay, the drone I have is a Hubsan H501SS. Looking at Amazon, you can get one for £150 at the moment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hubsan-H501S-BRUSHELESS-Quadcopter-Automatic/dp/B01N6NX01J/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=hubsan+h501ss&qid=1557063206&s=gateway&sr=8-6 I definitely think it is good value. The drone, as you can see, provides really good images. It's not that difficult to control and has some safety features such a return to home button if you lose sight of it. It also has GPS which makes it stable in flight - if you take your hands off the controller, it will just stay still where it is. The batteries afford around 20 to 25 minutes flight which is good for a drone. The video at 1080p is fast enough but as the camera has no dampening, it can seem a little jerky at times. Having said that there are a few free apps around which will smooth it out. I would go for the "501SS" rather than the "501A" , as I find the integrated screen much more practical than attaching a smartphone. Another really big plus is that if you do lose it, at least you have not paid the £300 to £600 you would have lost with some other comparable drones.

Yes, I have that fear every time I launch it! I just try to be really focused, take no risks with battery time and avoid flying anytime the wind is over 15 miles per hour. So far so good!