Di and the girls on The Lady with the Little Lady in convoy
Di and the girls on The Lady with the Little Lady in convoy

Some time in Norwich after a very wet night and some signs of me getting a cold on top of it and then a cruise to Bramerton Woods End for a walk around and evening meal in the pub as the children helped and entertained each other. There is a deepening crisis over the Greek heat wave and embarrassment for US warships and tankers stuck in the Gulf without minesweeper support.

A very poor night. Firstly I had a sore throat and onset of a cold, then the rain lashed down and worried me on the weather restraint quality of our cabins and a land drain alongside my cabin gushed noisily. Then Daniel had left his radio on and I had to tap on his boat roof with a brolly to wake him up and put it off. Up and to the toilet at 4.00am and slept afterwards, but Di woke me at 6.00am with my morning tea! The rain had stopped this morning and, after washing and dressing, I got up on the cabin roofs and used the deck scrubber to get the surfaces clean. Late and last to breakfast as a result and finished up four unused slices of toast and drank apple juice.

I went with the family shopping after. First coffee at a department store and then we split up and I took Daniel to motor accessory and camping shops, as we could not find a boat chandlers in Norwich. Met up with Di at the Tourist Information Bureau and then we had lunch at the Wimpy of burgers and chips etc. After lunch I went back to the boat with Daniel, whilst the girls did more shopping. Now Di is under 10 stone, she can buy clothes freely and is choosing to do so. As Daniel and I walked back, it poured with rain and he sheltered with me under my umbrella until we got back to The Lady. Each to our boat and I checked over The Lady and then used a new and large chamois leather to dry off the rain that had saturated the decks and cabin sides. Not much by way of leaks inside though. I listened to the cricket on the radio whilst I worked. England batted to get over 500 to make a draw with Pakistan the most likely outcome, but we could still bowl them out yet. Once the girls were back, we unmoored and set off back down the Yare until we got to Bramerton Woods, where we moored up at what is said to be the prettiest spot on this river. Windy on our arrival, but it calmed down later in the evening. After drinks we decided on a walk up hill to Bramerton village. Quite interesting, but rather spread out. The post office seems to have closed down, but the church was open and we went inside, signed the visitors book, and donated to their fund for the church fabric. Nice to see the continuation of the tradition of leaving these churches open for visitors to see. Back to The Lady where Di got the children a sandwich for tea and then bathed the girls. As Daniel read Debbie a story, Di and I showered using our hot water system and the new pump to empty the shower tray. Suitably refreshed, Di and I went to the Bramerton End pub for an al-a-carte meal, which was most enjoyable, even if service was rather slow. Back to our bedtime drinks and soon tired to bed. Could not get any TV reception tonight mysteriously, but heard news on the radio. Deepening crisis over the Greek heat wave. Much embarrassment for the US as its tankers and warships are stuck in the Gulf without minesweepers. Weather to brighten up.