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Another day trip taking the Blue Peter with The Little Lady on a cruise to Hickling Staithe and the long walk to Hickling Green for coffee and drinks in the grounds of The Greyhound Inn where the children played and saw the ducks, geese and rabbits. A walk through Hickling village centre and sat with the children as Di shopped before lunch back at The Pleasure Boat Inn at Hickling Staithe and then some time moored on Hickling Broad fishing and sailing before we cruised back to The Lady and then cast off and cruised to Acle Bridge boatyard. Fourteen people have been killed in a Hungerford massacre and sixteen more injured.
Slept well on another mild night, but today Di got up on time and brought our drinks. Debbie came in and sat in my bed with me and we chatted about her finding a husband (!, she’s only 8,!) and the qualities that are important. Went slickly through our morning routine and ran The Lady’s engine to produce charge for the battery and some hot water for the washing up. Daniel and I prepared the sailing dinghy and lay the mast along its length so as to be towed under Potter Heigham bridge. By 9.15am we had set off in the Little Lady and it was a continuous cruise to get us to Hickling Staithe by 10.15am.
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A day trip in Little Lady from Potter Heigham, past Martham Ferry where we bought more fuel and then cruised through the overgrown Martham Broad to moor and then walk to Winterton, passing the back way through East Somerton to see the wildfowl, gardens and abandoned ruined church. In Winterton, we found a café for lunch first and tea and cakes later each side of enjoying the beach swimming and paddling. The bus back to West Somerton and back via The Little Lady in showers before drizzle and thunder greeted us when I was fishing after re-boarding The Lady. Iran’s ‘Revolutionary Guards’ have attacked a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf, The Sri-Lankan President has been injured and others killed on an attack on their parliament and 6,000 have been killed in the civil war between Tamils and the Sinhalese and the Clyde shipbuilder Scott Lithgow face closure after 300 years.
A warm night, but slept well enough. Di had a lay in and it was not until nearly 8.00am that she brought me morning tea. A slow start to the day as Daniel then joined us and we had breakfast. Another warm start to a day, but not as close as yesterday, with no sun. Daniel went off with Debbie in Little Lady to get milk from the Potter Heigham shops and then we loaded it up and set off for our day trip. We cruised under Potter Heigham bridge with ease and saw the Hoseasons bridge pilot, who was quite surprised to see our change of craft and ease of passage. Then I took the helm a while and we cruised along the stretch to Martham. First stopping at Martham Boatbuilding & Development, but they could not resale petrol due to a leaking tank. We had some ice creams though. On to Martham Ferry, where we could get the fuel and we were relieved to get it. The trip to West Somerton staithe was quite nice across Martham ‘Broad’.
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Unsuccessful but valiant attempt by three bridge pilots to get The Lady under Potter Heigham bridge on a very warm and muggy day and then the bus to Norwich where we bought a new McLaren pushchair and then the bus back to Potter Heigham where we first moved The Lady to safer moorings and then relaxed on a warm evening. News today was of the death of Rudolf Hess at his prison of Spandau, a four ship British minesweeping task force has set off for the Gulf, together with their support ship and 150 people have died in a plane crash at Detroit Airport
A warm night, that saw us organising our bunks with open sleeping covers, with the bags unzipped. The girls were late to bed after our day-boat trip and gave us no trouble this morning and so I had time to visit Di in her bunk before our morning drinks. It was in the 70’sdegF already and so I opened the sliding roof a bit and lowered the windscreens for air whilst we had breakfast. A funny sort of morning. The weather was hot and muggy and we were held up by the low tide for the bridge being at 1.00pm. Di went for a walk to the Post Office to look for card adverts for second-hand pushchairs, but found none and was then quite exhausted with the heat, which had gone in to the 80sF. I had bided my time fishing off of the boat and fending off all manner of hire cruisers, who were pouring through the Potter Heigham Bridge. The pilots were very busy and working continuously to get the boats backwards and forwards, without stop. Then I went shopping with Di and we got two large boxes of groceries and supplies to replenish the galley for our last week aboard. Brought a trolley to the staithe to get it all back aboard and then collected Daniel for lunch at the staithe-side cafe. Unfortunately, they would, or could, not open their windows and it was even hotter in there. The pilots had tried to get us through again – three of them again and we failed by an inch or so at 6ft 11ins and must need a good 7ft to get through.
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Some early morning fishing with Debbie at her request on a warm and sunny day but then some trouble finding a Wayford Bridge boat yard willing to sell fuel on a Sunday! Better luck spotting the old man with the stick that witnessed our boat damage and to successfully note his details as a witness and then back down the Ant, past a very busy Ludham Bridge and on up the Bure to Womack Water for a very good Sunday Lunch at ‘Aaron’s Nook’ cafe above the Ludham Stores. The afternoon cruise to Potter Heigham and still not enough headroom for a passage. An onward trip on The Little Lady under this problem bridge and up the Thurne to Horsey just in time to climb Horsey Mill and to walk across the dunes to the beach but with our push chair being the sad casualty and then just back in daylight to our mother ship The Lady at Potter Heigham.
Was half awake when Debbie came into my bunk and asked if we could go fishing at 6.00am and I agreed. We were soon out and, not having much luck at Gay Staithe, we loaded up the dinghy and rowed across the Ant to some stumps and reed opposite. Soon caught a roach each and I live-baited with one of them, but could not catch a pike. The day started how it continued, which was a warm and sunny one for a change. Back to the rest of the family for breakfast and then washed and dressed in time to fend off a neighbouring hire craft before we, ourselves, were ready to go. We had the sliding roof back, but the day was windy as well as warm and I had to watch the windscreens in the gusts. Stopped at Wayford Bridge to fill up with water and get petrol for Daniel. Strange how these boatyards seem almost reluctant to open and serve fuel at weekends, but I suppose that they are too preoccupied with the hire craft. At How Hill we spotted the old man with a stick who was the witness to our boating incident and I quickly moored and took his name, address and phone number.