Location, location, location

Ok, so this post might not be completely boat-related and it might sound like one of the locals in Loddon has a gun to my head and is forcing me to say wonderful things about the town I live in but, nonetheless, it's really bloomin' important.

Whilst I was patiently (lol nope! I was a nightmare to be around) waiting for solicitors to get their backsides into gear with the sale of my flat (don't get me started, we'll be here all day!) I was constantly trying to decide where I wanted to live, let alone where I wanted to live if I were to purchase a boat. Geldeston, Bungay, and Beccles way all looked beautiful but were a bit of a commute.

Before purchasing my baby/the love of my life/my gorgeous beauty (too much? ok!) I looked at a few boats that well.... didn't float my boat (pun completely intended) But, it did spark that little something in my mind that suggested that liveaboard life was possible. The only problem was, where do I moor the thing? The Norfolk Broads is huge, right? Well, yes but finding somewhere that offered liveaboard moorings was a bit difficult. And along came Loddon......

Loddon

"Loddon is a Town electoral ward about 12 miles southeast of Norwich on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads in Norfolk, England. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean muddy river in Celtic in reference to the Chet"

What the Wikipedia page for Loddon fails to mention is that it has a shit ton of pubs, cute cosy vibes, a vegan shop, a beautiful church and gorgeous walks, oh and a Marina/Campsite that offers liveaboard moorings with some of the nicest people I've ever met (we'll get into this in a bit)

My Nan used to live in Loddon and I will never tire of hearing her stories about what it was like back when she was a child. I will also never tire of the vibe I get whenever I'm here. When I saw that a boat and a liveaboard mooring were available for sale I literally jumped at the chance to have a look around. Within about 2 weeks, give or take, the boat was mine! I didn't, however, go straight onto living aboard, much to the disappointment of my poor parents whose bungalow was getting crammed with my crap at this point. I'll write a separate post about the work we've done, but for now, I want to talk about the community at the marina...

Community

Now, I don't know whether I've lucked out or whether all marinas are like this, but I can honestly say that everyone I have met so far has been so nice and so helpful! Seriously, I don't have a bad word to say about anyone here (Their opinion of me on the other hand...... just kidding, I hope!)

Down at the Marina, there's a real community vibe. Everyone looks out for everyone and everyone is willing to lend you a hand, give you advice, or is available for a chat. They also know how to throw a bloody good party!

I've run into a few problems that myself and my dad couldn't fix, but the guys at the Marina have been able to. I mentioned in my last post about the diesel incident but they've also helped with a new immersion heater, guidance on exterior paint, and have just generally made a, perhaps, daunting experience so much easier! The same goes for all of the other liveaboards and people who moor their babies here.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, and I think this goes for moving in general, make sure you like the area. There's nothing worse than being stuck in your perfect home but not liking where it's located.

A bit of a short one this time, but I just had to get out my love for Loddon and the people here before I exploded! This leads me to my little music recommendation which probably no one but me cares about, however, music is so incredibly important to me, so just humor me, please?

This time we've got a beautiful cover of an Elliott Smith song, Between the Bars. Covered by the wonderful Marika Hackman (her whole covers album is a vibe perfect for wintertime)