Monday 16 April 2012

14. Norfolk Broads, Norfolk, UK


My mum and stepdad used to have a boat on the Norfolk Broads, so the Broads hold many happy memories for me.  For those who don't know, the Norfolk Broads are interlinking lakes and rivers in Norfolk - at the northern end of South-East England.  We had many happy Sundays and holidays on the Broads and, inevitably, there are some stories attached...
 When I was fifteen, I had a French girl to stay for a fortnight and we took her for a long weekend on the Broads.  Her English was good, but of course there were some difficult moments...  One went like this:
Her:  Linda, have you got a fanny-ole?
Me: (unable to believe my ears) A what?
Her: A fanny-ole.
Me:  (wondering how the heck to answer)  What?
Her:  A fanny-ole.
Me: A wha...
Mum: (butting in exasperatedly and trying not to laugh) Linda!  A FLANNEL!
Me: (unable to function due to hysterics) ...

Another episode of LIFE ON THE BROADS  went like this:

It is fully dark, at the end of an idyllic Sunday spent with my grandmother (Nana) on the boat.
Mum: Wait on the boat until we come back to help you off, Mum.
Nana:  I can manage.
SPLASH!
(Nana is now in the water, trapped dangerously between the boat and the dock)
Mum: (panicking, gets stepdad to haul her out with help of a boathook.) Mum, you're soaked!  Take your clothes off and wrap up in this blanket.
Nana:  Don't fuss.  I'm not wet.  (Stubbornly sits in back of car in her dripping clothes all the way home)

And also...

Several years later, my husband, Barry, and I drove to the Broads to meet my mum and stepdad for a day on the water.  Mum and I were on the boat, unpacking the food for the day.  Step-dad and Barry were in the dinghy (for some reason).  There was a kerfuffle of raised voices:
Stepdad: Noooo, Barry!  Wait 'til we're closer.
Barry: (one foot on the boat and one in the dinghy, which is drifting away from the boat) Whaaaaaaaa!
SPLASH!
Me: (looking through window)  Oh my God, Barry's fallen in!
Mum: (dropping the bag she was unpacking) Oh he hasn't!  Wait!  Let me get the Camcorder!

Here's Mum at the mooring in the late 80s:


Happy days!  Enjoy the pics of one of the most charming parts of South East England :-)
Our first boat was similar to this

Wroxham


Thanks for visiting :-)


5 comments:

Sarah Tokeley said...

That's a holiday I would have loved to have taken :-)

Luanne G. Smith said...

Never heard of the broads. Fantastic pictures.

And fanny does have a different meaning in the UK vs the US. It trips us up over there sometimes. :))

Unknown said...

Your Nana sounds awesome.

Annalisa Crawford said...

Great stories and pictures. "I'll get the camcorder" is a great line for family emergencies :-)

M said...

Whew...glad I learned what a fanny hole is :)

Great memories,
Happy A-Z April!