Lunch at the Wroxham Bridge Restaurant
Lunch at the Wroxham Bridge Restaurant

Playing with the girls waiting for the Roy’s coffee shop to open and then chairing a Ropes Hill Dyke Residents Meeting at Romany and agreeing a comprehensive plan for upgrading and maintaining the access road.

A nice Sunday lunch together at the Wroxham Bridge Restaurant after which I was up late bathing, eating and planning. The showers were slight today after the heavy rain of Friday

After yesterday's rain, we were hoping for a dry and sunny day but, as we looked out from the boat, it was dull with the ground wet from overnight rain. As I made my way up to Heronshaw early to get washed and shaved, I also saw that the tarpaulin had been moved and sections distorted by yesterday's rain as well. Once the rest of the family were up we had breakfast in the Heronshaw lounge before I decided to get them out in the car and off to Wroxham to do some shopping as the Horning Playing Field would be too wet for the game of tennis with Debbie and bike riding with Della.

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Once there, we realised that Roys did not open until 10.00am on a Sunday and so we used their expansive car park for our game of tennis and then, when Della had warmed to the idea, some bicycle-riding practice for her as well! This until a coffee in Roy’s upon opening and then the rush back to Heronshaw to change in time for the meeting of the Ropes Hill Dyke Residents Association. Quickly changed and then Diana joined me and we rendezvoused with the neighbours at Romany, next door. I now chair these meetings and quickly got them considering the question of the upkeep of our communal road. It was difficult to get all of them to agree on one way forward, but I did so in the end.

We would upgrade the road with granite chippings this year, annually maintain it using the same contractor and also contract a couple of man-days a year to keep back the vegetation from encroaching on this important access. Furthermore, we agreed a formula for the sharing of costs that was proportionate 75% as to the frontage and 25% as to the distance down the road to encourage participation of the property-owners at the top of the road to join in and we would extend our maintenance to the complete section from The Haven to the Garden House. It was left to me, Trevor Gray, Jim Holden and James Dunham to complete the negotiations before final approval of the costs involved and we would have no more meetings this year but delegate the job accordingly.

All this done and myself satisfied, Diana and I out with the girls to Wroxham Bridge Restaurant for a nice Sunday Lunch. They left for home afterwards and then I settled down to some work, lopping the overhanging trees and bushes and then using my electric garden shredder on the vegetation. This was a successful process, albeit a touch noisy, but I had to break off and resume earth moving and gravel spreading as it got dark. I also fashioned a compost bin out of scrap timber and put the product in that which is an advance on dumping at the side of the rear drainage dyke and so the ground by the shed is now clear and neat. The showers were slight today after the heavy rain of Friday and I was up late bathing, eating and planning.