Don't you just love the #Norfolk sense of #humour?
They advise you to seek an #alternative #route to #destination on a #road with no other #access.
Remote
NorfolkGreg
@gregc@mastodonapp.uk
mastodon 4.6.8I'm a #boater, and a #blues and #gospel #musician. I dabble in #webdesign and #wildlife #photography. At least, those are the things I'm most likely to post about. Also play #boardgames in my "spare" time, but don't have much of that. I was born in 1948. Last paid full-time work: 1998. No paid part-time work since 2009. Now live on the edge of a #village on the #coast of #Norfolk, close to the #norfolkbroads. #fedi22
79 Followers
62 Following
50 Posts
Joined May 23, 2023
Website:
Interesting that Germany sees fit to honour our queen's birth, a century ago, when we don't.
Whether you object to the principle of our monarchy, the cost of maintaining it, or just feel the family needs to pay more tax, it's hard to argue against her lifelong service to the country, or perhaps I should say to our government, regardless of controlling party
I read that using groups is more effective than hashtags for wider circulation in the fediverse.
A new FediGroup is now live. It's for any toots concerning the UK's navigable waterways, whether #canals or #rivers managed by the #Canal and #River #Trust, the #Environment #Agency, the #Broads #Authority or other body.
If anyone mentions the address:
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
in a post, it will be boosted to everyone who follows the Group.
You can follow the group at:
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
Public posts and replies are boosted. Private messages to the Group are rejected.
Please boost!
#boat #boatlife #boating #boatsthattoot #canallife #ukcanals #norfolkbroads #broads #sailing #yacht #cruiser #narrowboat #widebeam
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
Having had a brief chat with the #engineer we encountered who was checking the #tunnel portal, we proceeded up the long straight #track over the hill, passing two of the #construction shafts along the way.
Back in the 1770s, when the tunnel was built, you sank a shaft down to the level you wanted the canal to run at and then dug outwards in two directions until the tunnels met.
(More information in the ALT Text)
I'm looking forward to this evening. We're attending a #wedding #reception.
#TenYearsAgo I left the Muddy Broad #Blues #Band, it disbanded a couple of years later. Our leader has suggested we #reform to play a final #gig at his wedding, which happens to be his #birthday.
There's been no #rehearsal. The bass play in my day has since died. We have a stand-in, the groom's brother, who I've never met.
What makes it interesting for me is that we played at our wedding, which happened to be on my wife's birthday, when she did a guest #vocal.
Replying to
@smashtie@mas.to
One of the joys of #Norfolk, like #Cornwall, is that it always a #destination never a place you pass through.
We bought the #game "Hive" yesterday and had a #play with it this morning. Each type of piece moves in a different way. The object is to surround your opponent's bee. Black was about to #win this game. I must find time to look up #advice on #strategy and #tactics
When I joined Mastodon I used to follow the hashtag #boardgames but I got swamped with toots. This must be the first time in 18months I've used it.
Replying to
@PKYo@poweredbygay.social
That reminds me, I should be writing to various MPs about cottages like those sold off by the #Bridgewater #Canal #Company at #PrestonBrook.
The terrace, built in the late 1700s, was sold off one house at a time in the 1950s. They all had brick built privies clustered together in a #communal #yard. Because the remaining #tenants all needed access to the yard the canal company retained ownership and provided an annual licence to each purchaser permitting access to the communal area.
There's no #lease. No #contract on #fees to be charged. The canal company can, it seems, charge what they like both to issue a #licence to a new #buyer of a #cottage and any #annual renewal #fee.
We ought to be able to add some appropriate clauses onto any upcoming #legislation that gives owners of #leasehold #property the #righttobuy such communal ground.
The attached map from 1894 shows the terrace and their privies and how two of the cottages don't even have space to hang out washing to dry.
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
Once you cross the #mainroad where the #Tunnel Top pub still stands but has clearly been closed for a number of years you zig-zag to reach Tunnel Top South the lane that takes you to the southern #portal of the #tunnel. It is signed to #Dutton #drydock.
#lane #shaft #canal #boating
Replying to
Replying to on beige.party
@cobalt123@beige.party
You're right! The large clock is unusable as a time piece for most of the 24 hours as the hands get hidden by the framework and you can't distinguish the hour from minute hand most of the time.
I did briefly consider painting the hands white, but rapidly realised that white hands against a white wall wouldn't be an improvement.
It was an option as a "free" gift when you spent enough buying furniture a few years ago. It just happened to be just the right size to fit that bit of wall when we moved house.
Replying to
@mlanger@mastodon.world @cobalt123@beige.party
Diana did suggest that as on the opposite wall we have this....
Replying to on masto.bike
@mjr@masto.bike @ascentale@sfba.social @bikenite@fedigroups.social
Small world! Small #village! #EastWalton (Pop:87) #Norfolk
Between 1999-2009 I used to live there.
In those days, before everyone was used to buy things online, some dwellings had neither a number or name, and those clustered around the common, at the end of Common Lane, didn't even have a road name. So their official address was
[Surname]
The Common
East Walton
KINGS LYNN
PE32 1PX
Now, it seems, some of the cottages don't even have official postal addresses and just two are numbered - 7 and 8.
There's a good reason for the expression #NormalForNorfolk#country #countrylife #rural #SouthNorfolk
Replying to
@UnderTheHedge@mastodon.social
I can confirm all that. Here's a photo I took of a #swimming #grass #snake in 2013.
The full report is here
https://rustonhouse.org.uk/grounds/2013/130424snake.php
#wildlife #lake
Replying to
@wild1145@mastodonapp.uk @FediVideo@social.growyourown.services @linuxuserspace
Thanks Ryan! That makes sense. Suspected that could be the reason for the block, but just wanted to confirm.
I have been thinking about creating #Fediverse #Groups for some time as I read that groups are federated far more effectively than hashtags. I have finally applied for one to be created at FediGroups.social.
Initially, I was thinking of creating one for the #norfolkbroads as that's where our boat is, but there's little use of that hashtag or of the #ukcanals, so with memories of the late 1990s when news:uk.rec.waterways was extremely active I have opted to create one for #ukwaterways
I'm told I'll get notification when's it's approved and created. Let's hope they'll be enough use of it to keep it alive - i.e. toots at least every month!
=============
EDIT:
Oo-er! My image upload seems to have failed!
Replying to
@Scullridge
I prefer to forget the first commercial #pantomime I ever attended. It was in #Wimbledon and my #mother took my brother and I to see the show which starred Adam Faith. It was two hours with fingers in my ears trying to keep out the #screaming of all the older #teenage #girls in the audience.
Replying to on mas.to
@Scullridge@mas.to
Wasn't there last night, but love the #shows #StGeorge's #GreatYarmouth put on.
Saw #VoodooRoom, could so easily have been called White Chile, a few weeks back. As the advertising said:
‘NOT a dress up, wig wearing, look-alike tribute band – JUST GREAT MUSICIANS PLAYING GREAT MUSIC – STUNNING!’ Time Out.
I concur! Definitely not #notefornote record #copyists either, but guys who played the material their way. Wonderfully approachable people too, who mixed with the #audience in the interval. Really enjoyed my chat with the bass player.
Dare I confess to attending the pantomime St George's put on in January, too! One of the best I've witnessed since those I used to go to in #Kenilworth in the early 2010s.
Replying to on mastodon.social
@ansiblegames@mastodon.social
I'm beginning to learn that there's a good range of material on #Hive which contain #hints on #strategy and #tactics. And just reading the tip headings is enough to tell me I'm a pretty #useless #player.
#boardgames
Replying to on mastodon.world
@mlanger@mastodon.world
To a non-boater a microwave is a low power device and wonderfully efficient when compared with conventional ovens and cookers.
It's hardly a surprise they they leave disconnected the question of exactly how much power they need and whether an 12volt battery can deliver what it needs.
Replying to on mastodon.world
@mlanger@mastodon.world
I fear that I need a doubled yard bill for /Singing the Blues/.
Replying to on mastodon.world
@mlanger@mastodon.world
The main motivation for my purchase was to see the effect running the ancient shore/battery/LPG (gas long since disabled to comply with modern safety regulations) fridge would affect battery charge, when all we had was an ammeter, that only operated when the engine was running, on our 45 year old ex-hire cruiser. We'd just added a second domestic battery to the sole one aboard in purchase.
Back in the #1970s I set up a #onemanband. #JesseFuller was my #inspiration and his Fotdilla. My equivalent were self generating bass #pedals. I upgraded over years. The ELKA SGP150 were the last set. They died around 2014.
I bought #Studiologic MP-113 MIDI pedals as a replacement with a Midiplus MiniEngine sound generator, but the combination never worked well so the band's been in abeyance since then. I always claim the band broke up due to #musical #differences
Last week I #discovered the #Behringer Pro VS Mini, a pocket sized #synthesiser. The one man band could be on the way to performing again.
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
As we reached to tunnel mouth I took a photo through it. On checking it was surprised to see a white dot. It turns out you really can see the other end.
We continued up the lane on our return journey.
Replying to
@FediVideo@social.growyourown.services @wild1145@mastodonapp.uk @linuxuserspace
Really hope that Ryan can confirm the truth of this, both because I have always been able to trust your recommendations and I'd hate to think of a server being blocked inappropriately.
Replying to
@FediVideo@social.growyourown.services @wild1145@mastodonapp.uk @linuxuserspace
I know Ryan was very busy earlier this month but hope the block can be lifted if it's no longer justified.
Replying to
You'll recall I've recently bought a small #synthesiser. Now I can't get #waveforms out of my mind. Being at #Zizzi in #Bournemouth is not helping.
Replying to
@natz_b@mastodon.social
Given that news stories are always full of stories of van dwellers and traveller rights (or more realistically how such people don't respect the laws that do exist) can I assume they already have what's being asked for in boat dwellers act?
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
While, no doubt, my US followers were avidly soaking up your President's uplifting words at his promised speech today (I read that Americans may not get British sarcasm and humour) Diana and I were walking home from a breakfast at the local village post office - a regular Saturday treat for us!
(I added some public domain music to replace the wind noise caught by my phone's poor microphone. It's "Brother" by Monplaisir, downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/search?adv=1&search-genre=Instrumental,Folk,Classical&duration_from=0&duration_to=1&music-filter-public-domain=1)
There's an illustrated report (25 photos) of an earlier Saturday breakfast at:
https://gregchapman.uk/sundry/wintertonwalk
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
I have just discovered that "Today's Image" on my site https://gregafloat.org.uk failed to show a link to the #report of the #trip my ex and I took aboard nb Stolen Time in 2002 that I uploaded only last month. I've now corrected that, so there is now a "Read More" link.
I should warn you the report stretches to two pages and includes some 10,000 words and almost 70 images. A lot has changed in the 24 years since we made that trip!
#ukcanals #fourcountiesring #boatsthattoot #narrowboat #canallife #boatlife
EDIT: I've just noticed that we already have 16 followers on @ukwaterways@fedigroups.social Thanks to all those who have helped promote the new group!
Replying to
@FediVideo @linuxuserspace @wild1145
I followed the link from your toot to @linuxuserspace and got the result below.
I revealed the profile and could see nothing in it offensive to me or otherwise obviously inappropriate.
What am I missing?
Replying to on mastodonapp.uk
After #Colitishall you cross the #RiverBure at #Buxton and then pass through a #tunnel just outside #Aylsham.
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
We could have crossed at the #stoplock to get to the #DryDock but we stayed on the #towpath side walking just a little further to try and get some varied views of the dry dock before we turned round to return to the cottage.
#canal #narrowboat #workboat #boat
Image of the Day at https://rustonhouse.org.uk is a blurry one taken of a #Stoat seen from our bedroom window back in October 2013.
However, today's announcement can be seen on the What's New page
https://rustonhouse.org.uk/whatsnew.php
where it reports I've just uploaded 13 new pages containing the stories behind some 70 images captured between January and May 2016.
They show our #treehouse, #daffodils, #Canada #geese fighting for possession of our #lake, a newly planted #dogrose #hedge, newly hatched #goslings, that then go missing, the #dinghy we gave away and a visiting family of #swans.
Yes I'm 10 years out of date on the site recording what we saw around at our old #home and there's a lot more still to come.
Replying to
@rachel@norfolk.social@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
The promised page about the article on the Lynn #Ferry that I wrote in 2006 is now live.
https://gregafloat.org.uk/other/2006lynnferry.php
#boat #river #greatouse #kingslynn #westlynn
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
Back in April I mentioned the terrace of cottages on the Bridgewater Canal and the history page I'm building about it. The article mentions "Cotton's Bridge" and includes an old map showing its location.
We were at the cottage back in May and I took these two images of the site of the bridge. You have to be travelling north, having just emerged from Dutton Tunnel to appreciate the narrowing of the canal at the site of the old bridge.
As you will work out the cottages you see to the left of one of the images are part of the terrace numbered 7-12.
https://gregchapman.uk/sundry/canalsidecottages/#number
#ukcanals #bridgewater #canal #cheshire #canallife #towpath #cottage #prestonbrook #history #industrialrevolution
@PKYo@poweredbygay.social
I'm a confused man, but perhaps I misunderstand your position.
You want the law changed to give you benefits that you knew you'd have to give up when you chose your lifestyle.
I'd say that's the same as someone who took on a property knowing the situation and wants to make sure they also get benefits from new legislation that's been talked about by the last few governments
Then separately you are concerned that the government is withdrawing support for what, for most people, is just a holiday facility that its users should be paying for. I'm not sure that for most people being next to a canal is a benefit.
Any open water is dangerous for young children. Having other people's boats moored right outside your door or overlooking your garden isn't everyone's ideal,. Then there's the fear of noisy stag and hen parties if you're near a pub. I'm certainly not convinced that most have your rosy tinted view, when all they see is damp mistiness and a risk of flooding.
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
About the same distance south of the main road you reach the southern #portal of the #canal #tunnel. Standing above are three #cottages, once the homes of canal #workers. The #stoplock has no effective drop currently, the level being quite high. There's a #boat in the #dock and a couple more #moored nearby.
Replying to on mastodon.scot
@dunknicoll@mastodon.scot
I must admit I groaned when I saw the note about the expansion pieces in the rules. I tend to the view expansion sets either indicate a flawed original game, or a games publisher anxious to make money without adding anything of substance to the game.
I deliberately opted for the full size version, in spite of the extra cost, after buying a travel version of Qwirkle last year. Its pieces were just a little too small for easy handling.
Replying to
@ukwaterways@fedigroups.social
On the way back I took a couple of photos showing #bridges over the stream that would run alongside the #lane. Would, because it was bone dry at the moment. The bridges take obviously what must be almost unused #public #footpaths that my map says link the lane with various points along the main road.
Just before crossing the main road I discovered another #shaft that I'd failed to notice on the way out. Strange, because it must be three times the diameter of the others.
Once back on the #towpath north of the #tunnel, I couldn't resist a final photo of a group of #mallard rushing towards us. I guess they were expecting us to feed them.
#canal #towpath #vegetation
Replying to on mas.to
@Scullridge@mas.to
One I didn't know about too! What's more, the web site tells me there's free rides this weekend!
https://www.cromerminiaturerailway.co.uk
Replying to
@jschauma@mstdn.social
I've just looked at my first site. Started 1 January 1998. Abandoned at some point after 30 March 2000, when the "Whats New" page announced "Reworked all source (html) files for the site. They are now HTML4.0 compliant and use a style sheet."
The site documented all the tricks and tips I could offer on the "Recorder" accessory found in Windows v3.11 for Workgroups.
Tried running it discover that back then Internet Explorer must have been case insensitive. My file naming style was somewhat inconsistent.
If there's unbelievable interest I'll correct the mixed case file names and upload it somewhere.
#html #stylesheet #windows #workgroups #recorder #internetexplorer #history #www