New Signs In Reedham

[quackers]

Broadland District Council have very kindly been doing some titivating in Reedham, which has included the provision of smart new signs and some rustic rubbish bins on Riverside.

It's exciting to learn that my home is officially in the Heart of the Yare Valley, and I understand from the right hand and central icons on the sign  illustrated that, on my regular walks on Riverside, I am not allowed to swim in the river, and, so as to avoid having to do that, I should be very careful not to fall in. But what does the left hand icon mean?

Despite the incentive of two pubs I scarcely dare set foot on Riverside for fear that I may do something which I ought not to do, or leave undone something which I ought to be doing.

Can somebody be please explain it?

[ExSurveyor]

You must have long dislocated arms ?

[ZimbiIV]

Must wear a lifejacket walking to the pub?

paul

[floydraser]

It's a very cunfused hula hoopist.

[HEM]

In Winter this is a practice area for the Luge?  A relatively new sport to Broadland.

[Lulu]

You must wear a bib with a scoop when eating in the pub?

[Bytheriver]

ISO 20712-1 — Water safety signs and beach safety flags -- Part 1: Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas

[Broads01]

I'd go with "please wear a life jacket". I never did like pictorial instructions. Even though I use Microsoft Office all day long, the pictorial icons continue to confuse me.

Is there really a 'Yare Valley'? I tend to think of the Yare running through a flat landscape.

[Timbo]

If it's at Reedham...then it's a 'Beware of old Wussername sitting on wall!' sign.

[JennyMorgan]

14 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

Is there really a 'Yare Valley'? I tend to think of the Yare running through a flat landscape.

A major component of the fabled Great Estuary.  

[ChrisB]

43 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

I'd go with "please wear a life jacket". I never did like pictorial instructions. Even though I use Microsoft Office all day long, the pictorial icons continue to confuse me.

Is there really a 'Yare Valley'? I tend to think of the Yare running through a flat landscape.

I would call it a valley between Postwick and Strumpshaw.

[Vaughan]

Now look here!

I can see us getting into a lot of trouble over this topic, especially as we know Timbo is watching!

I think we should agree without further ado, that it is NOT a Great  Estuary.

But it may be considered, for marketing purposes, as a member of the Estuary Family.

[quo vadis]

Good to know you’re still with us Vaughan 

[quackers]

I should have known better. There I was, preening myself about living in a newly prestigious location, and also asking a sensible question. I get a sensible answer, but then the wrecking crew arrives, made up of the usual suspects, and spoils it all.

Firstly, you're quite right, Bytheriver and Broads 01. A senior member of Reedham Parish Council has informed me that the icon is intended as an instruction to wear a life jacket; it's just that this version is a less than perfect rendition.

So that's OK. Since I never get legless, the sign doesn't apply to me.

Secondly, I can even live with allegations that the Yare doesn't actually have a valley, for I know them to be untrue. It's just that the flat sort of flood plain bit of the valley happens to get very wide. The reason that this flat sort of flood plain bit is very wide is . . . um . . . well . . .  er . . . probably best explained by brainy archaeologist types like Timbo.

What has spoiled my former euphoria, however, is the thought that Reedham might not be the heart of the valley. Certainly the head of the valley, and therefore by the same analogy to human organs its brain, lies well to the west of Norwich. Reedham lies fairly close to the outfall of the river, and therefore well below the heart of the valley. I find the idea if living in some other organ in these nether regions less than appealing. I may even have to move.

To get my own back, I attach another new sign in Reedham, which I know will annoy many members of the wrecking crew. Serves you right.

[VetChugger]

I strongly suspect these very sentiments are more widely shared than you may realise Quackers! An admirably restrained and pointed response from you I might add.

[Vaughan]

23 hours ago, quackers said:

Despite the incentive of two pubs I scarcely dare set foot on Riverside for fear that I may do something which I ought not to do, or leave undone something which I ought to be doing.

Can somebody be please explain it?

I quote from your original post, which I took to be a light-hearted view and which invited comment in a similar vein. I did not realise that deep seated feelings were involved.

So let one of the usual suspects, who grew up in the "Yare valley",  be a bit more serious in answering your question.

What is a river valley? I take that to mean an area of low lying land which a river, by its alluvial action, has scoured out and shaped, over the passage of thousands of years. This may well be the case in the upper reaches, well inland of Norwich, but not anywhere around Reedham.

Timbo will tell us (and I hope he will join this debate) that the area commonly known as the Great Estuary was formed by glacial action. The high ground which surrounds both sides of the "Yare valley" is formed of glacial till, which is the leftovers pushed ahead of the scouring action of a glacier, which then retreated. Hence the large deposits of sand and gravel which are to be found there. Hence, if you like, the preponderance of the famous Norfolk "knapped flint" buildings and churches.

Reedham does, however, have very strong roots in the navigation of the Yare and in the Vikings who came  to settle there. I may be wrong, but does the type font used in that sign not have Scandinavian origins?

Reedham has a lot of history to celebrate but perhaps to try and call it the heart of a river valley is another bit of vague marketing. 

[quackers]

Actually, Vaughan, both my posts were intended  to be extremely light-hearted, and I'm sorry if the second one gave any other impression.

I haven't been posting for some time for personal reasons, but from former conversations I have nothing but respect for contributions from yourself, Timbo, Peter and anybody else in this "wrecking crew". I just thought we could all have a bit  of fun with this one. I mean to say, would you want to live in the prostate of the Yare valley?

[NorfolkNog]

3 minutes ago, quackers said:

both my posts were intended  to be extremely light-hearted

I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as many folk on here but my impression was that it was tongue in cheek 

I believe that you actually live in Reedham? So it's good to have a local correspondent so to speak  

[Vaughan]

Actually it feels quite nice to be one of the usual suspects. I think I can take that as a promotion.

Me an' ol' Wussername used to be relegated to the "Old Coots' Club."

But please don't call me one of the Wrecking Crew. In that case, you don't know me.

[JennyMorgan]

Reedham is one of the bigger communities on the Yare, next to Thorpe and Yarmouth and is roughly central to both so maybe being the 'heart' is not that far off the mark, mind you the heartbeat is rather on the slow, even lethargic side!

As for a location that is halfway between head and toe, best take a look at a map of England, the right hand side, shape akin to that of an ample posterior, suitably placed as an outfall of unpleasantries, is Gt Yarmouth, not Reedham!

 

[Bytheriver]

This was the first version of the Station sign