Thanks Pete for the compliments on the pictures. Nice to see your 'comment' anyway and to hear that you managed a little time. I know from your site how busy you are !For everyone else's benefit please click here for Manaman's Cloak and see how Peter crams 26 hours into each day.
As I had my tripod handy, from last night's 'Sunlight on Church Wall' picture I decided to do a couple of my room. Without flash is always better, and beds and grade 2 listed beams don't move about much anyway, so you can use a long exposure. The Vines is timber framed dating from the 15th Century and I hope that my snaps capture the feel. I was extremely comfortable in it and at peace with the world. The breakfasts were more than good and a starter was fresh fruit salad which included locally picked blackberries ! (Please see last night's blog)
After breakfast and packing we headed for home and decided to stop halfway at Boston a Lincolshire Market Town famous mainly for it's 'stump' which is in fact the Tower of St. Botolphs which is reputed to be the tallest in Britain.The journey home was not quite uneventful - on one part of the A17 a van pulled out of a side road to turn right and it didn't seem as if he saw us, then, in the nick of time as we swerved, he braked. Then later on, on a narrow country road a lorry overtook cars and finshed up on our side of the road. In both cases Bungus was at the wheel and he did well to avoid collisions.
Almost as soon as I arrived home it started to rain. We were lucky to have such pleasant weather. But Y says it has been nice here too. It was lovely to see her. I've got so much to relate. It was also nice to hear that she has had a similarly good time at TJ's. Poor Joan's cough and chest infection is still troubling her, after all this time.
Quick quote then an early night I think:-
"The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men"
George Elliot
Done driving for a bit - any distance anyway. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow.
Done driving for a bit - any distance anyway. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow.
Saturday, September 15
ReplyDeleteAs the other clandestine missionary to deepest darkest Norfolk, I can confirm that the Chinese restaurant we ended up at on Friday evening was very very good. Understated to the point of being unprepossessing from the outside, it was cosy and welcoming inside, the food was delicious and plentiful and the waitress could not have been more pleasant and attentive. My prawns in black bean sauce included crisp ribbons of courgette and carrot and three varieties of fungus; delicious.
The drinks at the rejected restaurant were a pint of lager at £2.80 and 2 bottles of Kaliber at £2.50 each. A bit strong and a prophetic hint at what to expect!
Re the photo at Sutton Bridge, I suppose I should be flattered to be featured but would like to point out that I do not usually wear a white yamulke. I can only assume it is a photoshop joke’!
Our first stop had been at a transport café where we drove around the car park before parking where we had come in. As we were about to leave the car a minibus discharged its hoard of screaming youngsters. “We’re not going here,” said RG, “I’m not drinking coffee surrounded by kids!”. So we went to the diner next door which was very pleasant.
We gave our order and,
“I was in this ‘Save The Children Shop’ the other day,” says RG…
I am very attached to Castle Acre, both the village and the castle itself (which is just wrecked stone and grass, with some modern wooden bridges, but beautifully maintained). It impresses me far more than many grand buildings.
On to the The Vines; a delightful old building where I too managed to bang my head several times; and I am only a midget. What breakfasts! Esp the fresh fruit salad.
Sunday
Yes we went to church TWICE – but not when it was open for business, so no risk of proselytization.
And the blackberries were superb. (I have been out locally this [Tue] morning and managed to find perhaps 4 oz of unimpressive ones to go into a hedgerow jelly. Plenty of elderberries and rowan berries though, and Emma is bringing me some sloes. Crab apples tomorrow?)
No, nowhere to park at Wells on Sunday and RG had had enough by the time we got there anyway, although I had enjoyed revisiting the estate workers’ cottages at Houghton Hall. We had a pot of tea at H’k’m ‘All. Then went to Burnham Market but took the wrong turning and missed the village entirely!
We didn’t see an Iceni village either (“Five quid apiece! Five quid to look at a mud ‘ut, Seth! No chance!”).
The best thing for me was the windmills but RG doesn’t even like those! (the power source ones, that is). He tries to persuade me that the local pigs objected to their proposed installation (probably thought they would devalue their property). Some of the pigs have their own detached houses but others appear to live in apartment blocks (single pig accommodation?).
Monday
Yes, the journey home had its moments! Apart from those hairy ones mentioned, we passed an Olympic Standard potato field and getting in and out of Boston was a nightmare of misleading directions and lane changing at roundabouts.
And we nearly ended up exchanging dirty laundry (nothing to do with the near misses). RG having dropped me, I had to text him to return to swop carrier bags. Fortunately he had only gone a couple of miles.
Summary:
Partly due to the internet access I failed pretty miserably in the prime aim of my mission, ie, I was unable to perform a full lappyectomy on my companion. I did, however, manage to limit him to less than 6 hours a day at the keyboard.
All in all, we didn’t seem to actually do or see very much at all, but we enjoyed lovely weather and better than good accommodation. We also ate very well, both in terms of breakfasts at our b&bs and evening meals. Apart from the Friday Chinese, we ate twice at The Windmill, only a quarter mile from The Vines, where the atmosphere was busily pubby and the food very tasty and plentiful. Certainly, I am pretty confident that if either or both of us were in the same area(s) again we would not feel a great need to look further for accommodation and sustenance.
But are we that only b&bers who arrive just after the noon gun and are in bed asleep at eight o’clock? Not like me at all; I seldom retire before midnight at home.
No rain here.
But wasn’t it COLD this morning (Tue).
A little Dorothy Parker quote:
“If you want to see what God thinks of money, just look at all the people He gave it to.”
Re Jill’s and Pete’s comments: the biker’s funeral cortege must have been very impressive and touching. I know many people with good tales to tell of angels and their willingness to assist anyone in difficulties (although I know others who have been rightly or wrongly terrified by them too, of course! Punks seemed to be similarly misjudged on the basis of appearance; probably Teddy Boys too?)