Help safeguard the Wroxham Mute Swan Colony

Do you have some spare time to volunteer and check the beloved flocks of water birds in Hoveton~Wroxham... If you are an adult with some knowledge or interest in wildlife and experience with the marine environment we'd like to hear from you. Andrew, Chris, Timothy

Book boat

Books hold endless details. The English dictionary describes a houseboat thus ~ A boat roofed over and fitted up as a house, for living in. The word first came into being in 1790 at the height of the Romantic era, when beauty and tragedy were celebrated in the arts, architecture and landscape. The foundation of Heather, the decked hull had a cabin built on top, just over a hundred years after the word was coined ~ making her one of the oldest craft of her kind in the world.

Soulful signs

Examples of embossed sign plates can be found at the charmingly laid back Larry's Pizzeria + Cafe Bar at Hoveton Riverside Centre, just round the corner from Wroxham Bridge. The signs are produced by hand at Jepson and Co's workshop in Sheffield, Yorkshire.

Create your own sign using a number of colours and words of your imagination. 

Proceeds help towards the preservation of Heather, a one of a kind houseboat and waterfowl conservation on the Upper River Bure.

Timothy

Avian Flu awareness

At the behest of HM Government DEFRA Avian Influenza Prevention Zone in England, all contact with waterfowl and poultry should be kept to a minimum.

Irrespective of this mandate, we will continue to check and feed waterfowl during their epidemic, while taking biosecurity measures.

To report a suspected case of avian flu in the UK, call Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301 (in England).

Chris

Lovely days

Whether ashore or afloat ~ surround yourself with love and positive vibes.

Bob, Carol and co take a jaunt along the River Bure ~ the main artery of Norfolk's waterways.

Faun Swan antlers

A white watery faun

The swan streams along with a team

Preening her gleaming plumage

Crowned with burnished horns

Piping calls from dawn until fall

Dreadful limerick by Chris 

Handle with care ~ Festive duck post

Our dear friend Yvonne from round the coast in sunny Lincolnshire kindly sent us a festive parcel containing a bright scarlet caped Father Christmas duckie that intrigued both the swans and Bobby.

T

A shiny half crown ~ Bridge Broad and the Chamberlins

In the middle years of the last century Bridge Broad Wroxham turned from a big overgrown pond, land locked from the River Bure into a multi faceted amenity by the Chamberlin clan, headed by soulful Cecil. 

Cecil was one of very first to let small boats to ordinary people, particularly youngsters. Before, day boats were rarely available to everyone. It was the norm for luxury yachts, motor launches and cruisers to be chartered in advance at a very high cost for several days or weeks. John from Hoveton explains ~ "A canoe or rowing boat could be hired for a shiny half a crown." Boat bookings could be made at Chamberlins shop by the bridge and Granary Staithe on the parallel Hoveton side of the river.

A channel was cut through to the river opposite the Free Moorings enabling passage and Swallows and Amazons adventures around Broadland. 

Photograph ~ Cecil paddling one of the customary timber dinghies available to hire. (Rita Massingham née Chamberlin.)

Chris