Moonlight Shadow Tales

[Mouldy]

Friday 18th November

The wife and I arrived at Horning at around 16:30.  Moonlight Shadow was locked up and in darkness, so we transferred our bags onto the boat, put the kettle on and set about making up the beds with our linen.  We had a cuppa and with everything put away, waited for the family to arrive.  Being a Friday evening, their jour from Milton Keynes had taken a bit longer than usual, but they turned up just after 18:30 and moved their bags on board.

As it was quite late, we decided to go to The Ferry Inn for something to eat.  The pub was almost deserted and the girl behind the bar said they were on the verge of closing the kitchens because it was so quiet.  We hastily chose from the menu, cod and chips for the adults and various kids meals for the grandchildren.  With drinks ordered, we found a suitable table and chatted.

It wasn’t long before the food arrived and I have to say that it was surprisingly good.  Huge pieces of fish, well cooked, crispy chips and garden peas and the kids meals looked good and plentiful too.  The bigger surprise came when we went to pay and all the kids meals were free!  Great value indeed.

The walk back to the marina was pleasant, with clear skies, but it was chilly - hardly a surprise in November really.  Back at the boat, we had some hot drinks and had an early night.  

[ranworthbreeze]

56 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

Friday 18th November

The wife and I arrived at Horning at around 16:30.  Moonlight Shadow was locked up and in darkness, so we transferred our bags onto the boat, put the kettle on and set about making up the beds with our linen.  We had a cuppa and with everything put away, waited for the family to arrive.  Being a Friday evening, their jour from Milton Keynes had taken a bit longer than usual, but they turned up just after 18:30 and moved their bags on board.

As it was quite late, we decided to go to The Ferry Inn for something to eat.  The pub was almost deserted and the girl behind the bar said they were on the verge of closing the kitchens because it was so quiet.  We hastily chose from the menu, cod and chips for the adults and various kids meals for the grandchildren.  With drinks ordered, we found a suitable table and chatted.

It wasn’t long before the food arrived and I have to say that it was surprisingly good.  Huge pieces of fish, well cooked, crispy chips and garden peas and the kids meals looked good and plentiful too.  The bigger surprise came when we went to pay and all the kids meals were free!  Great value indeed.

The walk back to the marina was pleasant, with clear skies, but it was chilly - hardly a surprise in November really.  Back at the boat, we had some hot drinks and had an early night.  

Hello Malcolm,

I called in at the marina this morning Ranworth Breeze was out of the mooring, but you were were also missing from your moorings. I guess we will have meet up next season.

Nobody seemed to want the chance of being the Ranworth Breeze Chairman and the owners plumped for my re-election.

 

[Aboattime]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

Friday 18th November

The wife and I arrived at Horning at around 16:30.  Moonlight Shadow was locked up and in darkness, so we transferred our bags onto the boat, put the kettle on and set about making up the beds with our linen.  We had a cuppa and with everything put away, waited for the family to arrive.  Being a Friday evening, their jour from Milton Keynes had taken a bit longer than usual, but they turned up just after 18:30 and moved their bags on board.

As it was quite late, we decided to go to The Ferry Inn for something to eat.  The pub was almost deserted and the girl behind the bar said they were on the verge of closing the kitchens because it was so quiet.  We hastily chose from the menu, cod and chips for the adults and various kids meals for the grandchildren.  With drinks ordered, we found a suitable table and chatted.

It wasn’t long before the food arrived and I have to say that it was surprisingly good.  Huge pieces of fish, well cooked, crispy chips and garden peas and the kids meals looked good and plentiful too.  The bigger surprise came when we went to pay and all the kids meals were free!  Great value indeed.

The walk back to the marina was pleasant, with clear skies, but it was chilly - hardly a surprise in November really.  Back at the boat, we had some hot drinks and had an early night.  

Have a great time Malcolm,In August our first time on MS we all went to the Ferry for tea and were pleasantly surprised with the food,but sadly on our last night we were pretty disappointed with the quality.It will be interesting to see what happens when the place has been refurbished.

[Mouldy]

Saturday 19th November 

I was awake quite early.  Not sure why, but I hadn’t slept well and heard heavy rain drumming on the roof of the boat overnight.  I got up, fired up the heating and switched the immersion on before making some tea.  The wife got up, dressed and took Harley and our son’s dog Simba for a short walk.  The overnight rain had stopped, leaving a cool, cloudy morning.

By now, we were all awake.  We had some toast for breakfast before I went for a shower.  Once dressed, I saw that Russell (Thomson) was packing up his car having just finished his latest allocation on Thunder, so wandered round to have a chat with him and Susan.  He was being followed onto Thunder by a couple of new owners, Jean and Mike (who’d previously owned a share in Evening Shadow), who were also there, keen to get started on their first week aboard.

It was soon time to cast off and head out of the marina.  My intended destination was Neatishead, but we needed a couple of things from Tesco, so had to divert into Stalham on the way.  The rivers were predictably quiet, with just a few private boats out. We turned up The Ant and it was becoming clear that the clouds were moving away, leaving a clear,  blue sky.  Ludham Bridge was negotiated without needing to lower the canopy.

We crossed Barton Broad, where one or two ‘rag and stick’ folk were enjoying their day and carried on into Stalham, mooring at the Staithe.  I stayed on board, whilst the others ventured out to Tesco and took a few photos with my phone.  There was a cold breeze blowing, but hardly a cloud in the sky, certainly an unexpected bonus in the middle of November.

We had lunch of hotdogs before casting off for Neatishead, stopping briefly at Gayes Staithe so I could fly a drone.  There were three other boats already moored at Neatishead when we arrived, but I reversed in, mooring on our port side near the electric post.  A little later, Thunder arrived and I chatted with Jean and Mike for a while.

Back on Moonlight Shadow, we relaxed until it was time to wander up to The White Horse for dinner.  It was a good night, the food living up to expectations and we certainly weren't rushed out when the meal was finished.  We left to return to the boat under a clear sky, with countless stars shining brightly with no light pollution to spoil the view, but it was very cold with a frost beginning to develop on the parked cars we were passing.

We watched TV for a few minutes whilst the grandchildren were put to bed, before retiring ourselves after an enjoyable day with our family.

[YnysMon]

Nice to see MS tucked in a Stalham Staithe. Hope we can get moored there some time!

[Broads01]

7 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Nice to see MS tucked in a Stalham Staithe. Hope we can get moored there some time!

Yeah you should be fine Helen, as long as it's not any time between April and October...

[Andrewcook]

I hope the Heating is good as the weather is turning Colder. I wish you all a pleasant peaceful time on the Broads 

[Mouldy]

Sunday 20th November

Despite having gone to bed with frost forming on the ground and quay heading, I woke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof.  I got dressed and put the immersion and kettle on and made a brew.  Deb took the dogs for a walk.  When she returned, we sat quietly for a while until the rest of crew woke.

By that time, the water had heated sufficiently for my shower, so I went to get ready.  Refreshed and dressed, I started to make a cooked breakfast of bacon, sausages, fresh tomatoes, baked beans and scrambled eggs.  There should have been mushrooms, but the wife had forgotten to pick them up from the fridge at home.  No matter though, with our son manning the toaster, we all enjoyed a tasty breakfast.

The rain had stopped by now, so with the washing up done, we topped up with water before casting off and heading back out to Barton Broad.  We needed to be back at the yard by about 16:30, to allow time for our son and his family to get home, so we decided to head for Ranworth.

Again, the rivers were quiet.  Under grey skies, we chugged slowly back down The Ant.  Moorings at Irstead, How Hill and Ludham Bridge were all empty.  The river level was lower, with an indicated 8’3” under the bridge, so no need to lower the canopy.

We joined The Bure, between two other craft heading upriver, but neither of them turned down Ranworth Dam.  There were about five craft moored at the staithe and the cab rank was invitingly available, but not wanting to upset a certain Cambridge Cabby, if he turned up, we moored on the front, facing the broad.

Debbie and Iain took the two older grandchildren and dogs for a walk, the daughter in law tried to get the youngest one to have a nap and I wandered around taking a few photos.  There were a few breaks in the cloud developing and it was quite a pleasant, if rather cool, autumn day.  When the others returned, Iain and I went to the pub to see if they did any ‘light bites’ for lunch, but all they did were main meals.  After a big breakfast, none of us really wanted a big meal, so we went to the tea room at the church for teas, coffees and cakes instead.

By the time we arrived back at the boat, it was time to head back to the yard.  We cast off and chugged slowly across Malthouse Broad, turning left when we reached the main river.  It was getting dark as we turned into the marina.  With the boat safely moored, Iain and his family loaded up their car with their bags and set off, heading back towards Milton Keynes and home.  They’d enjoyed their break, albeit short and now realise why we enjoy getting away out of the usual holiday season, when the rivers take on a totally different feel and are so much quieter.

We had no food for the evening, so I called The Kings Arms and booked a table for a carvery dinner for the wife and me.  We’ve been several times now and it hasn’t disappointed, with a great choice of meats and vegetables at a reasonable price.

Sated, we returned to the boat.  It was getting cold again, but there was a short shower of rain, which led me to think there wouldn’t be a frost.  I watched Top Gear, before writing Saturdays account for the Forum and heading for bed.

The boat needed to be cleaned, refuelled and toilets pumped out the following morning, before we could load up the car and head home.  Oh joy!

[YnysMon]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

There should have been mushrooms, but the wife had forgotten to pick them up from the fridge at home.  No matter though, with our son manning the toaster, we all enjoyed a tasty breakfast.

I thought it was just me who forgets to bring along crucial food items and leaves them in the fridge at home. 

[Mouldy]

54 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

I thought it was just me who forgets to bring along crucial food items and leaves them in the fridge at home. 

Deb usually forgets something.  Could have been worse, at least we had the bacon, sausages and eggs!

[Andrewcook]

Mouldy beware of the Egg shortage at this time so instead more Bake Beans?

[Mouldy]

9 minutes ago, Andrewcook said:

Mouldy beware of the Egg shortage at this time so instead more Bake Beans?

Personally, I don’t mind more baked beans, however my family would object quite strongly!  I’ll say no more!! 😉

[Mouldy]

Monday 21st November 

Boy, was it chilly when I woke up.  I dressed quickly and ventured into the saloon to fire up the heating and immersion heater.  All we had left to do was to pack, clean the boat through and pop round to Boulters for fuel and pump outs.

As usual, Deb took the dog for a walk.  I opened the door to the aft well to let her out and noticed that ice had formed on the pushpits and the decks were glazed over following the rain on Sunday evening.  The quay was icy too, making it difficult to get to the gravelled drive beyond, but both her and Harley made it safely across.

I had some toast and tea, before going for a shower and Deb had her breakfast when she returned.  With the washing up done, we set about stripping the beds and cleaning through.  I’d arranged to be at Boulters for 10:00, so we cast off allowing time to make there punctually.  17 litres of fuel and two toilets pumped out came to £55.  Considering how much we’d used the heating, I wasn’t disappointed.

We chugged back to our mooring and tied up and finished cleaning through before packing the car.  I had a chat with the yard foreman at HPC, to discuss a few things planned for winter maintenance in February and to top up the mains electric supply to the boat, as for the next two full weekly allocations and the rest of this week, the boat will be unused.

I set up our tube heaters in the saloon and forward cabin, before locking her up and leaving.  We stopped at The Golden Arches at Thickthorn Roundabout for some lunch before making our way home.  It had been a good weekend.  The last few weeks, since my mum had been admitted to hospital at the beginning of September, her passing on 1st October through to her funeral at the end of last month, had been a difficult time for all of us.  We’d been able to spend a relatively relaxing (relatively because three grandchildren aged 6, 3 and 1 keep you on your toes) time with family.  We’d enjoyed some good food and a few drinks, helped in no small part by the peace of The Broads.

Yeah, it had been good

[Ray]

A good break with family on the peaceful Broads.. just what the doctor ordered! Good to hear you could all de-stress a bit 👍

[addicted]

Great to hear how beneficial your stay has been.  Having your grandchildren was a partricular bonus I imagine. We envy you that. Ours have outgrown the boat unfortunately and we really miss the fun times we used to have when they were on board. Thoroughly enjoyed reading your write ups. Thank you for making them so  enjoyable.

 

 

Carole

[Broads01]

Thanks for sharing, Malcom, an enjoyable read as always. I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves. 

[Andrewcook]

Hi, Malcolm I May first of all my condolence on your mother passing away in October. It is very relaxing to be on the Broads at this time for you Malcolm I will be going again at the end of February, for Two weeks as this helps me too fond memories of her being on the Broads as my very close Lady friend  we've known each other for over forty odd years as she too loved the Broads very much now passed away Three years ago 

[kpnut]

Andrew, the Broads are a truly special place to keep memories of special loved ones alive. Enjoy your time in February. Let us know what boat you are on and we’ll keep an eye out for you. xx

[kpnut]

8 hours ago, Mouldy said:

The last few weeks, since my mum had been admitted to hospital at the beginning of September, her passing on 1st October through to her funeral at the end of last month, had been a difficult time for all of us.

I hope you’ve been able to find some peace, Malcolm. Maybe not in the literal sense of course with 3 littl’uns on board.  

I’ll be going straight to the boat after mum’s funeral next Monday. I’m pleased that Tony, my rather reluctant boater husband will be coming too. Not much choice seeing as it’s me doing the car driving!

 

[YnysMon]

Hope the funeral is helpful to you Kate. I know that must be a slightly weird thing to say, but I felt such a weight lifted off my shoulders after my Mam’s funeral.

What I hadn’t taken into account was the toll everything had taken on me, including travelling back down to MK the evening after the funeral and then onto Norfolk the following morning. The second (or third) day of our holiday I had two falls on our Hunters boat that both gave me quite a jolt. I think they happened because I was so tired. 

Take care of yourself! 

[Mouldy]

20 minutes ago, kpnut said:

I hope you’ve been able to find some peace, Malcolm. Maybe not in the literal sense of course with 3 littl’uns on board.  

I’ll be going straight to the boat after mum’s funeral next Monday. I’m pleased that Tony, my rather reluctant boater husband will be coming too. Not much choice seeing as it’s me doing the car driving!

 

Thanks Kate.  In all honesty, I’ve felt much more at ease since mum’s funeral.  I’ve employed a specialist probate solicitor to apply for probate, been able to close her bank account, received all monies owed from her pension, the Inland Revenue and MK Council.  All that’s left to do now is get an entry made in The Book of Remembrance at the Crematorium and scatter her ashes.  Once probate is granted, I can dispose of a few shares (and I mean a few) that she held in a company she used to work for and was given for long service.

A day doesn’t pass without thoughts of mum and dad, but the emotional confusion that I had before the funeral is now passed.  Our weekend away just allowed all of us a couple of days to focus on happier thoughts and especially for our son and his family, in different surroundings.

I hope that you’ll be able to do the same next week, following your mum’s s funeral.  I’m sure that being back on The Broads, after you’ve said goodbye to your mum, will allow you the time to reflect on everything that’s happened and find positives to remember.

[kpnut]

That’s so kind Malcolm. And also interesting to hear your (and Helen’s, Ynys Mon) feelings as time moves on. 
And glad to hear the practical side of things is getting sorted.
 

My sister and I have been discussing this evening about booking time to be at mum’s house at the same time to start packing things up. We have a deadline looming as the house was already in the process of being sold before mum died, and we’ve been able to continue with the sale for some legal reason, so exchange of contracts is creeping ever nearer. At least it means we can’t put off the sad job of clearing the house, but have to get it over with. Without wishing to have discussions about who would like to keep what on the day of her funeral, all 4 of us plus 6 adult grandchildren do need to make some decisions very soon. 
 

And I need to make some decisions about various ‘works’ on the boat very soon too, hence the fleeting 2 day visit on the way home, to do some measuring up etc. We’ll be back for a week in December though for a proper trip. 

[YnysMon]

Having a deadline to work to with the house puts on more pressure in the short term, but I’m sure once that’s over it will be a good thing.

I was very lucky to have got my Mam’s house sorted and sold well before she passed away. It was stressful at the time though, especially given the distance between Anglesey and MK. 

[Mouldy]

Friday 14th April

The wife finished work at lunchtime, so we had a little extra time to finish packing up the last of our bits and pieces and squeeze them all into the boot of my car.  We’ve been so used to having our own boat equipped with everything we need, that trying to remember to pick up all we need for a week on Moonlight Shadow is something of a challenge.

We left home just after 15:00 and arrived in Horning about 16:10.  There’d been a serious accident on the A47, so we’d lost a little time in diverting round it.  I checked with the yard foreman at HPC, to ensure that the turnaround checks had been completed and was pleased to hear that they had, so we made our way to the mooring and unloaded contents of the car boot onto the boat.

With a few of our possessions safely stowed away, we cast off and made our way out of the marina.  There were only two boats moored at Cockshoot Dyke, but we had plenty of time so headed for the church moorings, only to find that some of the quay heading had been torn off along with the mooring rings.  Unable to secure the boat to make getting on and off the boat easy, especially for the dog, we moved on and found a suitable spot at at St Benets.

We’d just finished tying up the boat when it started to rain, a few spots at first, which quickly became much heavier.  With the rest of our things put away, I fixed a problem with the cable connecting power from the instrument panel to the canopy, providing power for the saloon lighting.  We had our dinner and watched TV for a while, retiring to bed at about 22:00.  I fell asleep to the sound of rain beating on the roof, trying to work out a plan for our week on the northern rivers and hoping that the weather would improve.

[bucket]

Have a lovely week!