Living in Northwold

CATCH UP

2007-10-28T14:05:00.000Z

Thought it was about time that I did an update as its been over a month since I last posted,and what better way to start than putting on some pictures of the flowers Lyn got from Jonny and Matt for her birthday a couple of weeks ago.As you can see they were (and still are) gorgeous,and the smell each mornong when you come into the lounge is sensational.
So whats been happening,well we still continue to ring the bells and are now regular Sunday ringers and both feel pretty confident about ringing in general,although I did make a mistake this morning on a card that involved over 70 changes and that was with Lyn calling the changes over my shoulder.
The allotment is taking up less of our time now (thank God),as its the time of the year when not much is happening.We are clearing our plot and putting the rubbish on a big pile ready for a bonfire on the 5th.By the look of things there will be quite a few fires.John our next door allotmenteer will be supplying the chairs and booze whilst we will bring along the food.
Quiz nights are still good fun.John and I ran the quiz the other night which was good fun and noisy as there were 10teams,About 10 of us meet down the pub for dinner prior to the quiz,before splitting into teams ,me with THE DREAM BOYS and Lyn with 4 or 5 PORTIONS OF TART.
We rarely win but always try and cheat our way in front of the girls.
Golf is great and is the beast thing I have done since moving up here,not onl;y do I get some good excercise I have also met a great many new friends,plus my game is coming along nicely.
We always seem to be doing something,whether its to do with the house or out and about with friends etc.We really dont know how we had the time to work.
Well I'm not going to do anything else today as its raining quite hard and pretty dull,so will settle down in front of the TV, read the paper and probably have a snooze.
Oh whilst I'm doing this Lyn is making a treacle tart.My mother made the best treacle tart in the world,that is until now of course.As long as there is plenty of lemon in it it will stand a chance.Will report the outcome at some later date

MEET THE LARSENS

2007-09-24T14:03:00.001+01:00

There was a film released some time ago called MEET THE FOKERS where both sets of parents meet for the first time and all sorts of things go wrong leaving the prospective bride and groom wishing the meeting had never taken place.Let me explain.
Lyn and I went over to Norway to see Matt last Wednesday to meet his bride to be for the first time.Needless to say we were both nervous .Matt met us at the airport after an uneventful flight with Ryanair.We had expected to have to cram into his Ford Puma,but no he had just taken delivery of an Honda CR-V,very nice indeed,so the ride back to Stavanger was very pleasant.He dropped us off at his batchelor pad,as that was where we would be staying as he lives with Erin in Hommersaak some 30mins away.Our first meeting with Erin was planned for about 7pm as we were all going out for a curry in Stavanger,so we spent the next few hours getting ready and worrying about what she would think of us,and I know from Matt that she was also very very nervous.Anyway to cut a long story short we had a great evening.She is a great girl and both of them seem very happy together.The meal was very nice, the cost probably settling the third world debt.So the ice was broken and we hoped it would all be plain sailing from then on.Friday we were to have dinner at Erins parents house,so this was going to be the Foker experience.We first went to erins house and then walked down to her parents which was only a couple of minutes away.They were great hosts plying us with lots of booze and feeding us with crab and prawns.Lynn got herself in a real mess smashing the crab claws with the wooden hammers provided.The more messy things got the more laughter there was.Erin was concerned that her dad might show her up,but he was fine and managed very well considering his English is not brilliant and our Norwegian is non existent.I think they would have been happy if we had stayed all night. Saturday Erin and Matt took us to see Viking Stavanger play footie in front of a near capacity crowd of 15500.Viking won 3-0 and the home fans were in full voice.I had forgotten what a great atmosphere live footie is.Sunday was home to the Uk with Matt and Erin running us up to Haugesund for our flight home.
Oh I forgot we also went up the fijord again,only this time the weather was a lot clearer and the views spectacular.
So we are back in the Uk after an eventful few days.Matt and Erin will marry either next year or the year after.They plan to come over to see us early in the New Year,perhaps she will bring her two boys with her.

PRODUCE SHOW

2007-09-10T16:02:00.000+01:00

Saturday was the big day,or it could have been.When we first started our allotment we had high hopes of entering lots of produce into lots of different categories and perhaps coming away with a shield or a couple of cups.But reality soon struck and we realised that a couple of manky cabbages and a lot of odd shaped spuds wouldn't win anything,so we had to try and persuade others to enter,namely our neighbour Vernon who is a Northwold man born and bred,and whose father won countless prizes at the show.Anyway to cut a long story short on his behalf we entered some of his tomatoes and a indoor hydrangea.I had to weigh and polish 5 tomatoes and obviously pick the best looking,we also thought some of his beans might be ok but not knowing the standard we had them for tea instead.Saturday morning saw us carrying all this stuff down to the hall,Lyn had decided to enter some dahlias also,and we had to pick up a flower arrangement from Kirsten (wife of Ole my golf pal) so we had a full car.We paid our entry fee for each category(40p in total) and sat back and waited until the evening .
At 5.30pm the doors opened and we rushed in after paying our enrty fee of 20p each (as you gather there is big money involved) Guess what Lyn won 2nd place for her dahlias (4op) and Vernon won 1st for his toms and 1st for his plant(£1.20) Kirsten won nothing.Going round one of our friends and I decided that for next year if we were to enter the sponge finger,gingerbread men,apple turnover,cornish pasty,and flapjack categories we would at least come 2nd and 3rd as there was only one entry in each catergory,so thats our aim.Next year if nothing else we will win the cooking shield and win a couple of quid also.
Joking apart it was great fun and very typically British,and we ended up down the road at Ole's having a couple of beers ,Great.
.

SOME MORE

2007-08-10T21:13:00.000+01:00

Just a few more

A YEAR ON

2007-08-10T20:54:00.000+01:00

Its now just over a year since we moved into Adam Cottage and although there is still quie a bit to do we are both happy at the progress that we have made considering what needed to be done when we first moved in.It has been a hard year but we are now reaping the rewards and taking the Diy more slowly and concentrating more on doing other things.Winter will see some more painting and we plan to replace the Kitchen in the autumn with some units that are more in keeping with the cottage.We have also stopped our picture hunting having amassed some 125 from various charity shops from the surrounding towns.Old books are now our thing to go on the shelves recently put up,and again we won't pay much for them .

MORE BLADES

2007-07-25T18:52:00.000+01:00

Cool or what

BIGGLES

2007-07-23T10:07:00.001+01:00

On the 5th July we went to Sywell aerodrome so that I could have my Tiger Moth experience which Matt and Jonny had given me as a retirement/birthday present.It had had to be cancelled earlier due to bad weather but the 5th was fine if a little breezy.The flight was great and very basic as it was real seat of the pants stuff.My pilot was an ex 747 captain who does this for fun and to boost his pension.We were at one time going slower than the cars below which was kind of strange,and looking at the aiespeed indicator we were only doing 40knots.He let me have a go at flying it,and it was surprisingly easy if a little bumpy.He did say that a 17 knot crosswind was about the planes limit for landing and that it was gusting 20 at times.However when i said to him that he would need all his skills to land it he said that luckily few skills were needeed and true to his word he put it down without a bump but with a lot of sideslip.
Based at Sywell are a group of pilots called THE BLADES all ex Red Arrows .They were having a corporate day and two of the group put on a spectacular aerobatic display for their guests and of cours anybody else who was there.So thanks to Matt and Jonny for yet another flying experience.

BACK AGAIN

2007-07-22T21:00:00.000+01:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted,I don't know why its been so long but I promise not to be so lazy in the future.So whats happened since I last posted.Life continues to be very busy with seemingly not enough hours in the days do to all that we want.I play golf at least twice a week and my game is steadily improving to the point when I won my first prize money which was the grand total of .65p.Lyn also plays at least once a week and her game is also improving,but no prize money yet.The allotment keeps us very busy as its a real task to keep the weeds down,but on the produce front we shall have enough spuds to never buy again,cabbages are not too bad but its a toss up as to who eats them first us or the slugs.Courgettes are also good but are not too prolific yet.We shall be down ther first thing tomorrow mornig to do battle once again.Bellringing has progressed to both Lyn and I ringing on Sunday morning so I think we can now call ourselves accomplished ringers.We have made loads of good friends in the Village and spend time with them either at the Quiz nights on the golf course and at bellringing and not forgetting the allotment.
We can't believe we have been here over a year as time has flown by, but we have and we enjoyed every aspect of our life here.
We now have over 130 pictures from charity shops and car boot sales so I think it is time to slow down.We have now switched our attention to old books to fill the shelves recently put up.
We have had a number of visitors including Shaun who was up for a golf match in June,the weather was lousy but the company was good.
Thats all for now and Ipromise to be more posty in the future

NEAR DISASTER

2007-06-19T20:37:00.001+01:00

Story is below

NEAR DISASTERS

2007-06-19T20:06:00.000+01:00

Two near disasters.
Although the allotment looks in reasonable condition the truth of the matter is its getting away from us.Its just bloody hard work for what i think will be little reward, as what grows is quickly eaten by the wide array of wildlife.What we need to do is spend at least 8/10 hours a week looking after it,and we just don't have the time or inclination.What started off as quite an adventure is rapidly loosing its appeal,so maybe we will be just one year wonders.
Now the other near disaster could have been a lot worse as it could easily have been Lyns neck and not just her arm.I have always said that bell ringing has the potential to be very dangerous which was one of the reasons that I almost packed it in.Well last Thursday night Lyn and I went down for our usual practice session,and the first job you have to do is pull the bell up from the down position.Its quite a tough job and always the one that for me holds the most danger and the task I like least.Lyn on the other hand is quite happy to do it and has had no problems up until that fateful night.Normaly she would stand on a box as she is a little short and the box gives her extra height,this night she decided to do away with this aid.She started to pull the bell up but because she was lower than she normaly would have been she was less in control and wasn't in total contact with the bell,or in other words she was not feeling the weight of the bell and in a split second it got away from her and whipped the rope violently upwards just about taking her off her feet and wrapping itself round her arm.Steve our instructor was quickly on the scene and prevented a major disaster.I couldn't do anything as I was pulling my own bell up so had to watch whilst the drama unfolded.Needless to say Lyn was a bit shaken but being the true pro that she is carried on with the session.So don't anybody say that bellringing is a quaint gentle English tradition.It's highly dangerous.Golf on the other hand is not dangerous and gives me a lot more pleasure than both the allotment and bellringing put together.

MORE CARNIVAL PICTURES

2007-06-10T22:26:00.001+01:00

IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN " RIO "BUT

2007-06-10T21:57:00.001+01:00

It wasn't Rio and we didn't have the Rolling Stones to entertain us but for a small Norfolk Village of only 900 residents we put on quite a show.The weather was glorious,in fact it was almost too hot at times,but there were plenty of cold drinks available.The parade started at 2.00pm and went through the Village and up to the school whose playing fields were covered with a variety of typical fete type stalls.It was a truly feel good event and made you feel very English and very happy to be living in such a great location .The band wasn't the Stones but they sounded just right for a School field on a hot summers afternoon.We of course bought lots of things that perhaps we wouldn't have normally bought and spent many pounds on tombolas etc,and we got dragged into the mad Danish mans house on the way home which rounded the day of nicely.Today both Lyn and I rang the bells prior to Sunday service,so I think its now safe to say that we are now campanologists, we will now wait for some official notification from someone somwhere (if only)

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE

2007-06-03T20:00:00.000+01:00

I was shocked when I looked to see that it has been well over two weeks since I last posted a blog,I really don't know where the time has gone since getting back from Australia.
Lyn and I have been really busy what with trying to get the allotment back from the jungle it had become whilst we were away as well as doing a host if other things.This retirement lark is really hard work.Anyway the allotment is looking better again and weeding is now once again a pleasure.I can report that all plantings are doing well and are being much appreciated by the visiting wildlife,who seem hell bent on making sure that we will never get to taste any of our efforts.Besides the allotment we have both been playing golf.Lyn has at last realised that the club with the letter P on it is not the putter,so progress is being made on at least the club selection front.I should critisise,as my first round after the hols was terrible.We continue to do badly at quiz night,so no progress on that front.
Have just had a rewarding weekend cutting out a patio area and covering it with a ton of shingle,before siting the table and chairs on it,so we are now ready for the BAR-B-Q season.Since we had two tons of shingle delivered and had only used one just about every outdoor area now
has a covering of approx 1 inch of 20 mm shingle.If that wasn't bad enough Lyn insisted that each covering was washed as she felt the stones were a little dirty and could do with a spit and polish !!!!
So what else have we been doing,well we went to see Rich and Al in Lavenham last Wednesday,on Thursday Pam and Andrew from Storrington called in as they were in the area,we have been out to dinner a couple of times ,Lyn has been bellringing and has progressed to ringing on Sundays.I have taken a break from it but may go back ,we shall see.
Life in the Village is good and long may it continue to be so.
Oh I saw my first mole today shortly before it went to see all the other moles in mole heaven.Vernon our next door neighbour has been plagued by them and has so far caught and dispatched 40 of them.I don't think I could kill them as they look so cuddly,but I suppose if they are digging up your lawn you might think differently.Country living at the sharp end.

BACK HOME

2007-05-19T13:23:00.001+01:00

We are now back home after a wonderful trip to see Jonny and H in Oz.Below are some pictures of where they live and views from their balcony and from just across the road.I'm sure you would agree that it doesn't get much better,and no wonder they have chosen to live there for the immediate future.We had a great trip and saw a lot of Sydney as well as visiting Ayers Rock and Cairns.I will publish some more photos shortly,and will include those that Jonny has left out.Of course whilst we were in Oz Matt was in the States having hired a plane with a friend.His exploits can be seen on his blog.www.mattslearningtofly.blogspot.com.
So one or two observations and questions 1.How come you can fly 12500 miles to OZ and 12500 miles back and the plane arrives within 2 minutes of its scheduled time on each occasion,but if you want to get a bus to Kings Lynn which is only 16 miles away it is invariably late at the pickup and also the destination.2 If you buy DVT stockings before a long haul flight don't be fooled into thinking that you are going to find them easy to put on.The instructions sound easy but the actual doing is a nightmare.Believe me there is no easy way unless of course you are a lithe supple young thing which I am not and neither is Lynn.In truth all your dignity goes out the window as you wrestle with the damn things.Do they do any good?A few trips to the loo to stretch your legs might be just as good.3.Why do surfers always run everywhere,across the road,across the grass,across the sand,weird,its as if they think the waves are suddenly going to disappear.Finally before we went away I posted a blog in which I said Iliked weeding,well having been away for almost a month I now hate weeding.The allotment was like a jungle, and still is despite our best efforts.If there were prizes for the greatest variety and tallest weeds we would surely win.Oh and Lyn has now taken up golf,so thats something else to wrestle with.

AUSTRALIA

2007-05-07T22:19:00.002+01:00

G'day! Fair dinkum. Jonny here.

I've been updating my blog with lots of pictures of Mum and Dad's visit to Australia.

I've posted a blog here on my own site, which can be found here. I'm working on a couple more so stay tuned!

I ENJOY WEEDING !!!!

2007-04-16T12:34:00.000+01:00

Lyn and I went down to the plot this morning to get it straight before our trip,and it needed some serious weeding as things have grown very quickly in the last few days maybe because of the very warm weather.We started weeding and it wasn;t very long before I thought to myself that I was actually enjoying the task,now thats strange as I have always thought of weeding as a necessary task and certainly not one to be enjoyed.So whats different here,perhaps its the lack of pressure like having to get it done before Monday morning as in the past,perhaps it was the lovely weather,although iv'e weeded in lovely weather before and still not liked it.More likely it was thinking that by doing this task then the end result will be that much better.I don't really know ,but what I do know is that I was enjoying myself and so was Lyn.
We were joined at the plot by one of the locals who has only 5 teeth in his head and speaks with a very broad Norfolk accent so you can imagine the fun we had trying to understand what he was saying.Anyway he kindly gave us 30 shallots which we duly planted,so now we have spuds,strawberries,shallots,friut bushes,cabbages,and waiting to go in broad beans,and spinach.This is quickly becoming a GOOD LIFE GARDEN.

FIRST PLANTING

2007-04-11T09:18:00.000+01:00

Well as you can see we have planted about one third of our plot,and it was bloody hard work.15O Potatoes.40Strawberry plants,15 Cabbages,and assorted fruit bushes.When we come back from seeing Jonny we will be putting in some Broad Beans, French Beans and some Swede and that will be it for this year.Putting in the spuds was back breaking and not as easy as Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall said it would be.But they are in and the buggers better start growing.One of the pictures below is the entry list for the produce show in September which we may or may not enter,it all depends on growing results,although Lynn will enter one of the cookery classes.First prize in any class is 60p with the runner up getting 40p,so as they say its all to play for as the stakes are so high
Who would have thought that this time last year we would be considering entering a produce show.I suppose this is what country living is all about.If it is then we love every minute.

TOO BUSY TO BLOG

2007-04-08T20:01:00.000+01:00

I have just realised that it is over a week since Ilast blogged and the reason is I have been too busy .I never really believed those people who used to tell me that once you have retired you will be as busy as if you were still working.Well they were telling the truth.Every day that comes we seem to have a whole list of things to do,not nasty work things but nice retired type things if you know what I mean.So what have we been doing this last week.Well the allotment is taking a lot of our time,but I am pleased to report that we had our first plantings today when 40 strawberry plants went in.Tomorrow will see some fruit bushes cabbages and loads of potatoes,accompanied by soggy newspaper and the finest of organic muck.
Running a close second to the allotment is golf,which is coming along nicely.Besides playing a couple of rounds at Swaffham we have been up to Denver to hit some balls as well as playing a round up there.Today Lyn and I walked round 9 at holes at Swaffham in the late afternoon.Hardly anyone was around the weather was glorious and there were plenty of pheasants strutting their stuff.Tomorrow we will be going over to Methwold for their Easter car boot and auction.Bellringing was fine on Thursday night and the next session will be our last until the end of summer.Bowls starts soon,but we are undecided about taking that up as we have so much else going on.Had a nice dinner party last Wednesday,did stuffed mushrooms(JAMIE)followed by a fish pie (NIGEL SLATER)followed by lemon tart(RAMSAY)followed by cheese and biscuits(ARMAN).So that it for this week will keep you up to speed on the allotment as I am sure you are all besides yourselves in anticipation as to how things are going to grow.
Finally I no longer look as though Lyn has socked me in the mouth as all bruising has gone.

READY STEADY MISS!!!!

2007-03-31T18:29:00.000+01:00

I may be totally wrong but I doubt very much if Lyn is going to make the ladies tour this year,next year or indeed ever.It was her first time on the range and needless to say it soon descended into uncontrolled laughter.It was just as well that there were just Lyn and I plus another couple Mike and Ann as we would have been sure to put any other paying punters off .This range is fairly close to us and is also a short nine hole course.Mikes wife is a member there and he is a member at Swaffham.Ann wants Lyn to become a member !!!!! we shall see.Anyway it was a good morning out and I was able to get used to my new clubs ready for my next round on Tuesday of next week.
What else have we been doing,well on the allotment front we have made good progress and have nearly three quarters raked and ready for planting.A couple of hours tomorrow should see it finished.
Bell ringing is coming along really well and we have all four progressed to ringing the changes which basically means that we can now follow different bells when told to by the bell captain,so it won't be long before we will be ringing on a Sunday morning.
Quiz night on Wednesday was good as team Arman did very well,coming a creditable fourth.
Last night six of us went to the agm of the Bowls Club held at the Social Club as we may or may not join.Watch this space as we are really not sure.Lyn may join,but what with my golf and other things we are doing I really don't think we will have the time.
Went to Swaffham market this morning and managed to add to our collection of pictures,as well as getting a really good rake for the allotment for only £2.50.
Tomorrow will see us at the allotment again and Monday we shall be going to the driving range once more to hit and in Lyns case miss some more balls.

THE GOOD LIFE

2007-03-28T15:13:00.000+01:00

As you can see we have turned our weed strewn plot of land into something completely different,and it only took us a little over 30mins to do and we didn't even need to take our sweaters off.The couple in the picture with us are our next door allotmenteers John and Glenda who are also fellow pub quizers,they have been in Northwold for a couple of years now having retired from Kings Lyn,they were busy getting their plot in order ready for planting but were only too willing to stop and chat for a while.Thats what I like about allotments ,there is a very equal division between work and relaxation and I think both Lyn and I will fall very easily into this ethic.The bottom picture is of our seed potatoes which are nearly ready to be planted.We had to chit them first which was of course a completely new term to us,something to do with ensuring that there are adequate strong shoots emerging before popping them in the ground.Some say 3 shoots some 2 and some even advocate1, I'll go along with Hugh Fearnly Whittngstall who says 2, and because I like his cook books.Now planting of potatoes is according to some a very exact science and must only happen when the soil is warm to the naked bottom,so I'll be sure to take the camera down and catch all the locals with their trousers round their ankles,and to be around for the police to arrest them for gross indecency.Finally to let you into a secret,the local farmer ploughed the allotment for a tenner.

THE CRASH SCENE

2007-03-28T14:33:00.000+01:00

The hole in the hedge is where the lorry went through into the field,and we were turning right from the golf club.Had hoped that both vehicles would have been still there but they had been removed the previous day.Apparently it took nearly 2 hours to get the lorry out.A week on on still the bruises are there for all to see,as is a huge painful ulcer in my mouth,and althoough there are no pictues both shins are bruised and cut.A big collective OH POOR YOU !!!

BANG CRASH WALLOP

2007-03-23T12:07:00.000Z

This is what happens when you haven't got your seat belt on and you get hit by a large lorry carrying a load of timber.I and two others were just leaving the golf club after a really enjoyable game ,I was in the back and Mike was in the passenger seat whilst the mad Danish man Ole was the driver.The car was a VW Passat estate.Ihad got a lift to the club with them both and I must admit on the way there I was a bit worried as Ole was driving very quickly,most of which was on narrow twisty country lanes,anyway we got there ok and enjoyed a good round of golf,and afterwards a couple of drinks in the bar before setting out for home.Anyway to pick up the story we just leaving the club and having to make a right turn in order to get on the correct side of the road.The club is located on a narrowish road but with reasonable visibility for making a right turn.We were just making the turn and must have been almost in the center of the road when I remember Mike shouting "OLE LOOK OUT ",the next I remember was this huge huge metallic bang and the car filling with smoke which I thought was fire but was in fact smoke from the airbags.Ialso remember thinking or saying am I alright,which thankfully I was.We all three seemed to be rooted to the spot before staggering out of the car.People soon came running to see if we were all ok and did any of us need an ambulance.Both Mike and Ole were ok apart from some minor cuts.The lorry had ended up through a fence and nose down in the field opposite,with his load of logs on the road and with some through his rear cab window and into the driving compartment.I think he was very lucky not to have been seriously injured as were we three.Anyway to cut a long story short the police soon attended and started to clear the mess up and do what they do in the event of an accident.Ole was

given a breath test and was ok.Lyn came to pick me up and was was really shocked to see the devestation,as was Ann, Mikes wife .I needed a couple of cups of sweet tea to calm me down as I was feeling a bit shaky.As you can see the bruises are looking good.Lyn insisted she take the pictures outside for maximum effect.

So although I was just about to put my belt on (in fact I was just reaching for it)make sure you have your belt on before the wheels start turning.A lesson has been learned,and as they say quite rightly you are never too old to learn.

LUCKY LYN

2007-03-18T20:02:00.000Z

Lyn was very pleased today to get flowers from both Matt and Jonny,as you can see both bouquets were lovely,and very much appreciated by her.Jonnys on the left and Matts on the right.

QUIET WEEK

2007-03-14T14:55:00.000Z

Not a lot to report since my last update.Had another round of golf last week which was very enjoyable, not least because the day was glorious and my partner and I won.Thats 2 games of golf and 2 wins,soon to lose no doubt.Went to a local town called Fakenham as it was market day there last Thursday,it was well worth the visit as it was a huge market taking over virtually all of the available space in the town.Managed to get a few more pictures(over 60 from charity shops now and all less for a fiver each).Counted the pictures throughout the cottage the other day and we have over 110 on the walls.
Travelled down to Stansted on Sunday to pick Matt up who was over for a brief visit to get an update on the cottage.It was nice to cook him Sunday lunch and show him the golf club.Went out to lunch with him on Monday before running him back to Stansted on Tuesday morning.Called into Newmarket on the way back.What a delightful market town it was .Full of horses of course with them even parading in the town centre on special walk ways.
Went past the allotment on the way back and the two old boys were out on their respective plots.They soon came over for a chat,although once again I hadn't a clue what they were talking about,but there was lots of laughter and nodding of heads.Asked them if they had worked out what ms were,but no they hadn't, I said perhaps they were m and ms (bit like smarties).They looked at me as if I was a new drink,and then they were off heading in the direction of the pub,enveloped in tobacco smoke ,and followed by a swarm of early midges.

THE VIRGIN ALLOTMENT

2007-03-09T16:18:00.000Z

These are for you JONNY,as you can see it is more of a small holding than an allotment.From front to back it must be 100+ feet as well as being 24 feet wide,so a small tractor would be an ideal chrissie present.Not sure how effective the cats will be.By the way the cultivated ground is not mine.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

2007-03-04T09:40:00.000Z

Last week was our busiest week since we got here.Tuesday was to be my playing in round at Swaffham Golf club,so I was understandably nervous on Monday night as I hadn't played a serious round of golf for many years,but everything was ready,clubs ,balls,tees,bag ,shoes (poor old spiders had to find a new place to live).Tuesday morning dawned and it was horrendous wind and pouring rain but undaunted I made my way to the club to meet up with the others who included the Seniors Captain (ex RAF sqd leader flying Vulcans),so you can see why I was nervous.Anyway to cut a long story short the rain continued to fall, and after a couple of hours it was decided to call it a day. I still don't know if I was pleased or dissappointed,bit of both I think.
Wednesday was quiz night.Lyn and I got off to a very bad start and we were heading for our first last place,but with questions on food and drink,sport and a good pot luck section we pulled it off and came a very creditable 3rd place.
Thursday night was bellringing practice.Progress is still being made and its only a matter of time now until we move on to ringing with the established group.Lyn still manages to bring humour to the proceedings,and I don't think the teachers really know how to deal with her.
Because Tuesday got rained off Friday was to be my revised playing in day,and unlike Tuesday Friday dawned crystal clear and no wind,so there was no putting off the inevitable I was paired with Mike against Alan and Derek.I managed to talk myself into a truly crap first tee short,but convinced myself that I was better than that and all I had to was to concentrate, and slow down.I'm pleased to say that my advice to myself worked and things soon came together.Whilst I could have played better I was pretty pleased with how things turned out , and Mike and I ran out the winners 5and 4.Next step is to get some decent clubs(Matt I need your help) and to build confidence to the point of hitting drivers off the tees rather than a trusty 5 iron.
Friday night we were out to dinner with some more golfers which included a mad but very likeable Danish man (Ole)who has a remote controlled trolley called Olga which has a mind of its own and goes walkabout on the course causing mayhem.A very good evening with fine food and excellent company.Once again we staggered home in the early hours with umbrella and torch.We got soaked but somehow it didn't matter.
Shaun and Anne Marie came up yesterday,it was great to see them(so where are you Jan and Stuart),we had lunch at the Crown, (which was surprisingly good)followed by a walk round the village,stopping en route to show them my allotment.We also bumped into some local allotmenteers (is that their collective name) and got some advice, or at least I think we did but it was very difficult to understand them being that they were both well over retirement age, obviously Norfolk born and bred,and had without a doubt been on the sauce for much of the morning and a lot of the afternoon.Something about cats crapping on their leeks.The only cats I could see were some cardboard ones stuck in the ground which one of the guys duly fell over.Also it had rained 20ms in the night according to one of them but they didn't know what ms meant.They both agreed after much discussion amongst themselves that it had in fact PISSED DOWN.We left them to their leeks, plastic cats and of course their ms.
Shaun and Anne Marie left about 7.30 and now its just me and Lyn ,which is very comfy and cosy.We have a quiet week coming up which will be nice.Might go down to the allotment lean on my spade and wait for the locals to gather and offer advice on how to proceed.Happy days.

TOM AND MARGES 80TH

2007-02-27T11:57:00.000Z

Had hoped to have loads of pictures to accompany this blog ,but true to form the batteries on my camera gave out the second I switched on,and thats having changed them before leaving home.Anyway Charlie said he will e mail some so all is not lost.but how to get them from an e mail to a blog is another matter,so all may be lost.
Well we travelled down on Saturday afternoon to Rich and Als to spend the night there as the do wasn't until Sunday.We went out for a really nice curry in the evening.It was slightly different from the usual run of the mill restaurants as it specialised in veggie curries which were very nice and different.
Sunday dawned wet and miserable.Before going to the do we went to the local golf discount store to get Charlies birthday presents he will be 14 in a couple of days time.Rich ended up spending £200 on a set of clubs!!!!.
To the do.This was held at the RAC CLUB Woodcote Park as Tom is a member there.It brought back lots of memories as Rich and I were members there when we live in Ashtead as was my Father.I learnt to play golf there and it seemed as though little has changed from all those years ago.It really is an impressive place and both Rich and I were privileged to be members,although at the time we didn't realise it and probably took it all for granted.The do was excellent and held in one of the clubs private rooms,some 60 people attended with a menu of Smoked salmon,watercress soup,noisettes of lamb, tart tatin,coffee and wine.There were plenty of speeches ,with Tom being in his element.
Lyn and I decided to drive back to Norfolk after the event and a cup of tea at Rich and Als,and i must admit it was nice driving north rather than south,and it was really good to get back Home.
Today was supposed to be my first round of golf in many many years.I was due to ply at Swaffham golf club with some other villagers but unfortunately the weather was foul, and after waiting at the club for two hours it was decided to call it a day as there looked to be no break in the rain.Of course its stopped now,and it even looks if the sun is going to come out.
On the picture front,we continue to collect and have another 6 or so since my last blog.

TODAYS TRAWL

2007-02-15T15:32:00.000Z

Had to take the car in for its first MOT,at the dealers in Bury St Edmunds,so took the opportunity of hitting the Charity shops in our quest for paintings for under a fiver,and on the left is our haul for today.Generally prices seem to be slightly more expensive and the quality not so good as Kings Lynn.Now I can understand the prices being slightly inflated because its quite a posh town,so you would therefore expect the quality to match the prices,but not so.Seems we have a bit to learn yet.However I do believe we have our strategy right as on entering the shop we split up and each scour half the shop, so saving valuable time and defeating the opposition.We have yet to enter into any bartering,although I'm not sure its the kosher thing to do in a charity shop.Perhaps we should pay more than the asking price.Now thats got me wondering.Todays haul £20.00 for 6 only slightly worse than our all conquering Ashes side.

MORE BARGAINS

2007-02-14T10:50:00.000Z

Last of our current purchases.The one on the left cost £1.85

BARGAIN

2007-02-14T10:25:00.000Z

It started slowly but its gathering pace.Below are some of the pictures that we have recently purchased to fill the walls of our cottage.A couple of weeks ago on one of regular trips to Swaffam market we picked up a picture off one of the bric a brac stalls for less than a fiver,and this got us thinking,could we cover all the walls in the cottage with pictures for less than a fiver each.Well it seems that the answer is yes.All we have to do is visit charity shops on a regualar basis and it would appear that there is a never ending supply.Yesterday we went to Kings Lynn and bagged four ranging in price from £1.80 to our maximum of £5.00.Tomorrow we have to go to Bury St Edmunds to get the car Mot'ed so will visit every charity shop there in our ongoing quest .Got a feeling that this could become something of an obsession.

EXPECTATIONS ARE BETTER THAN REALITY

2007-02-08T12:34:00.000Z

Well for the last 48 hours or so the Met Office has been banging on about heavy snow in our area as well as much of the Southeast.So I went to bed last night like a schoolboy expecting to wake up with at least 6inches of fresh snow outside and a day off school to look forward to.I even had the curtain slightly ajar so that I could glimpse snow without even having to get up.So at first light I looked through the gap in the window, and to my horror no snow,so on with the news to find out what has happened.Well it seems that just about everywhere got what they were expecting except us.There were constant reports of road and airport closures,as well as live broadcasts from reporters who looked more like snowmen,so it was definitely snowing somewhere in the UK but not in Northwold.I felt quite let down alomost to the point of ringing up the Met Office and demanding our fair whack.Anyway a couple of cups of coffee later and it started,and now its stopped.So is that it?For Matt youv'e seen it all before and for Jonny just a small sample of what you are missing.
Out in the garden now to build my snowman, and to throw a couple of snowballs at Lyn,thats if I can seperate the gravel form the miniscule amount of snow.

NOTHING MUCH

2007-01-29T16:36:00.000Z

Little has happened since my last blog.As predicted the reply from National Express was pretty standard in that my side of the story has been pretty much discounted.I have written back saying that the reply received was not good enough ,and will see what transpires.
On the bell ringing front, we are making good progress and are confidently ringing on our own,next step will be following other bells and ringing the changes.
Woke up at 2.30am the other morning wondering where we should sit on the plane for our long flight to see Jonny in Aus in April,any suggestions please.
Had a open fire in the kitchen yesterday, and spent most of today clearing up.Most of the smoke came down the chimmney.Won't try that again in a hurry.
Thought of Jonny on Saturday when Bristo City drew 2.2 against Middlesborough at Ashton Gate.He would have been there I expect.
So thats all folks

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR PART 2

2007-01-21T09:32:00.000Z

Lyn and I travelled down to London last Wednesday to see The Sound Of Music which Matt and Jonny had arranged for our anniversary and Lyns birthday.The deal was a night in The Strand Palace,pre Theatre meal and of course the show.We arranged our own transport down which was with National Express at £10.00 each return,bargain!!!!.All went well with our trip down.The Hotel was great as was the meal, and the show was awesome truly awesome.LesleyGarrett brought the house down and was for my money the star of the show,although Connie Fisher was not far behind.
The next morning dawned wet and extremely windy as had been forecast and it was quite a breezy trip to Victoria coach station for our 2hour 10min ride back to Thetford.At precisely 1.00pm our coach set off with 13 other souls and our driver John.Lyn and I settled back for the journey.Within a few minutes things started to go wrong as the Embankment was closed which resulted in a lengthy delay to get us back on track.I really didnt expect to see Big Ben twice in such a short period of time.We were now over an hour late.Approaching the M11 we could see the warning signs,and hoped they were referring to the M25 but no such luck the M11 was closed between junctions 6 and 10 so the driver decided to go on the M25 to take the A12,guess what that was closed,so back we come past the M11 to take the A10,guess what the slip road was closed,so we carry on to come off on the next exit to come back and approach the A10 from another angle ,via Enfield!!!!! .It is now 6.00pm and we are only about 12miles from where we started.After crawling through Enfield(NICE TOWN!!!!)we approach the A10 along with all the traffic in the South of England,guess what thats also closed.Now I have a pretty good sense of direction but I have no idea where we are.John our driver has during this time been trying to reach his office to tell them to send out a relief coach with driver as he is out of hours,guess what, no they are not closed but all he gets is a recorded message.He is now really pissed off especially as he was only driving for a favour to cover a driver off sick, and he is supposed to be taking his wife out to dinner,and now she has to get a take away instead.This mobile phone banter was quite interesting and we were all giving him advice as to handle the domestic situation which was developing.
Anyway back to the driving.We were somewhere near a place called Hertford near the A10 crawling along at a snails pace when John had a sudden rush of blood to the head and decided to turn round,now whether he had seen other drivers do this I have no idea,anyway he proceeded to cross the grass central reservation and promptly got stuck axle deep in mud straddling 4 lanes of road leaving only grass strips on each side for traffic to get round.Now I have never seen a 40foot 10wheeler stuck in such a position,but my reaction to his efforts would have brought the same reaction as that of a number of motorists "YOU F.......... WANKER"..All John said was I'm going to get nicked for this.Then he hatched a cunning plan for all us passengers to say that he had to swerve to avoid a reckless driver when the boys in blue turned up.Well it wasn't long before they arrived and I do believe he managed to convince them as to how he managed to avoid a nasty accident save the lives of all his passengers and prevent the coach from being written off.All the time this was going on the boys in blue were trying to keep the traffic moving,until they directed a huge artic to pass us,and yes that got stuck, so now we had one road down to a crawl and the other completely blocked,and by the way the police car had also broken down,his blue flashing lights were no more.But before long another had arrived and proceeded to organise a tow truck.We weren't allowed off as it was deemed too dangerous so we sat there continuing to watch the unfolding cabaret.Passing motorists from the other side were continuing to abuse anybody they could and offer advice to both police and John like" try pushing it you assholes"Have you ever tried pushing a 10ton monster axle deep in mud.Mind you I would have probably offered the same advice.Anyway to cut a long story short as this is becoming as long to write as our journey home took, the tow truck arrived and within minutes a team of highly skilled men soon had us all on our way.John had arranged a relief coach to come and pick us up, as he was by now definitely out of hours.It never turned up and after waiting for about 15 mins he decided to complete the journey himself.The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived at Thetford at 10..pm some 9 hours after starting out.John didn't get a tip and I don't care if he even got his takeaway.I have written to National Express, but not in such detail,and I don't expect to get a reply.
Thanks to Jonny Matt Kate and H for a super couple of days and to Lyn for keeping me warm at the back of the bus.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS YOUR CAPT..........

2007-01-14T09:13:00.000Z

Should have finished "TAIN SPEAKING,WE ARE ABOUT TO CRASH BRACE ,BRACE,BRACE".but I did'nt have time as we went in from 500feet straight into the runway at Luton airport at about 200 knots.
Let me explain.Lyn for my 60th bought me a simulator experience on a 737-300,and yesterday was my day,so I found myself at Luton airport feeling pretty confident and a degree nervous prior to my take off slot of 11.00 zulu(sounds good but haven't a clue what it means) there were a couple of other novices on this shared experience together with our instructor,a young Ryanair 1st officer.He explained how the session would proceed in that we would each have 20mins in the left hand seat and 20 mins in the right with a futher 20mins in the jump seat.Now I have seen lots of pictures of flight decks and also caught glimpses when flying,but to actually sit in one is quite awesome,there are sooooo many switches and dials all in what is quite a confined space.There must have been at least 20knobs and levers just to get the seat feeling right.Anyway I managed to get in the left hand seat first which basically meant I would be flying it for the first 20mins.I say flying loosely as it was going to be the other way round and it was going to flying me !!!! The instructor set us up for a departure from Luton,and the it was time to release the parking brake (even that was difficult) and increase the power setting to a predetermined level and then we were off zigzagging down the runway,with all the feelings and noises of a real plane.The instructor called V1 and shortly after V2 Rotate so I pulled back,perhaps a little too hard as we shot off like a F16 in a near vertical climb all pinned to our seats until the inevitable happened we stalled with a loud chattering noise shortly followed by a violent automatic forward movement of the control stick,which shoved the nose down to get us out of the stall,which it did thankfully.Once we were in level flight it was relatively easy to keep the thing straight and level,basically you have to follow the Flight Director by keeoing a small square box right slap bang in the middle of the cross hairs of the Director and where that moves you move,always keeping the box in the middle.After a gentle turn to the left the instructor set me up on an 8 mile final into Luton ,and again all I had to do was to follow the Flight Director ,well on a landing it all seemed a lot harder trying to keep the box in the middle what with the flaps coming down as well as the landing gear,one mintue it was telling me to go up then down,it was very very hard to keep the thing straight and level.All this time I had not looked ahead once, as the instructor says even a brief look out can disorientate you. It felt just like a porpoise movement,and must have been terrible for the 150 souls in the back,but at 500ft I glanced out and saw this small stretch of tarmac coming up very fast with (Matt )2 reds and 2 whites so we were at the correct height and on the centre line.The next few seconds went very quickly before I heard 50, 40 , 30 ,retard retard 20,10 and then a bone crunching smack as we slammed into the runway,a quick dose of reverse thrust and hard on the brakes and we were down and stoped on the runway with no burst tyres but a few loose fillings.The next takeoff was better as I managed to follow the Flight Director much more accurately and we were soon established in a smooth climb to 5000ft before levelling off for another 8 mile final into Luton.This started ok but got worse and worse the nearer we got,I was putting in too many less than smooth inputs and the auto throttle was having difficulty in keeping up,and the porpoise motion got worse and worse,the more inputs I put in the more violent the reaction to the point where I couldn't follow the Director at all, and with 500ft to go I managed to nose dive it into the centre of the runway.At least we hit the runway,so we were straight.The next 20mins were spent in the Jump seat getting more and more queasy as my fellow trainees threw the thing all over the sky. For last 20 mins I was in the right hand seat doing the flaps, gear, height and heading so at least I had something to concentrate on and the sicky feeling soon went.The first attempt at landing by Shane(one of the Trainees) resulted in a go around as although we were still flying there was no way we were going to get down.The last and final attempt (despite super human efforts by our instructor with manic movements of the throttles ,and control column)resulted in us shooting off the end of the runway at 140knots and ending up in the long term carpark.The violent nature of this landing knocked the instructor off his feet and also knocked the whole simulator off its hydraulic jacks, which resuled in quite a bit of resetting.
So ladies and gentlemen I trust you had a pleasant flight and we look forward to welcoming you aboard ARMAN AIRWAYS once again in the not too distant future.Give us a few weeks to dig the plane out of the ground and settle the insurance claim.A safe onward journey to you all.
Thanks Lyn brilliant

PLOUGH MONDAY

2007-01-11T15:14:00.000Z

We attended Plough Monday this week which is a very old country tradition,not unique to Norfolk,but not practiced widely throughout the UK.Basically a plough is drawn through the streets and blessed at the Church to ensure good harvests for the coming year.The drawing of the plough is accompanied by Molly dancers who are not disimilar to Morris dancers,but more colourful and are men dressed as women.It was a good evening and a dry one thank heavens.We ended up at a local barn for mulled wine and sausage rolls.

BOTH AWAKE AT 3.36 AM

2007-01-06T10:52:00.001Z

You will recall that a few weeks ago I reported that I was pleased at long last to have something to worry about.Well it has been 3 weeks since we last rang the bells so this past Thursday was our catch up night,would we be ok or would it be a complete disaster.As it turned out it was fine, to the point where I was left to ring by myself with only minor supervision,Lyn was not far behind and only as Lyn can soon had everybody in fits.I swear the laughter was louder than the bells.As the evening progressed I got more and more confident and was asked to follow one of the teachers to see if i could keep in some sort of time with him,actually I had to be just behind him.Well up until now I have had a fixed frontal stare as I have been ringing rather like a rabbit that has been caught by some headlights, now I had to actually look at somebody else.I think I managed about 4/5 complete pulls before losing the plot completely,and as for followig him I don't think I even saw him.Lyn was still in fits as was everybody else with her antics.I think she is going to write a book. BELLRINGING CAN BE A LAUGH !!!
So we were both awake,me worrying and Lyn laughing .Happy days
Wednesday was Quiz night,and we didn't come last.A nasty general knowledge question.On a clear day what is the furthest object you can see from the top of Ben Nevis.We put the Blackpool Tower, someone else put Sweden, both wrong.Answers please.And we came second last,before our trusty torch saw us home yet again.Lyn is at this moment making a lemon tart which again should be a laugh.

CHRISTMAS IN NORWAY

2006-12-30T13:31:00.000Z

Just returned from spending Christmas with Matt and Kate in Norway, and as you can see from the pictures on the blog we had a very very nice time, and got to do many varied things.Having never been to Norway it was both good to see a new country and it was also our first time to see where Matt and Kate live.They have a lovely lifestlye and both enjoy living in this part of the world.Matt has his flying and Kate has her horses to keep them occupied in their spare time.
They were both great hosts and treated us to a variety of traditional Norwegian foods which was something we shall both remember for a long time to come.We now have to lose the many pounds that we put on as a result of eating far too much.
We would like to go back later in the year to see Norway in a different season, as it truly is a spectacular country. Big thanks to Matt and Kate for a lovely Christmas
Next time though we will probably not use Ryanair as although they are cheap they have some funny rules and regs.Having been unable to get through to their customer service dept can anybody explain to me the logic of being allowed 15kgs of baggage each for which we paid £7 per case but not being able to combine it.So when we came to check in for our flight home one case weighed 17kgs and the other 11kgs making 28kgs,2kgs under.We were asked to take 2kgs out of one case and put it inthe other.WHY !!!!! ,since the combined weight was still 28kgs.

A FEW MORE AIRCRAFT PICTURES

2006-12-30T13:23:00.000Z

Since we were flying over water we had to wear life jackets.The plane in the middle is the plane Matt has learnt to fly on,but we did'nt go up in this one but the more luxurious Piper Archer was used.

NIGHT FLIGHT AND TOUCH AND GOES

2006-12-30T13:02:00.000Z

What a great end to our stay in Norway.Matt got a call from one of his flying pals,who wanted to know if he was up for a night flight with some touch and goes into Stavanger ,and would I like to come along.Well those who know me know I dont need to be asked twice where flying is concered .We met up with Victoria at the clubhouse who is checked out on the sleek looking Piper Archer.Matt is not yet checked out on this plane but on the high wing Cessna also in the pictures.So Victoria was P1 and Matt was P2,I was in ths back.We had a good hour in the air with a trip over Stavanger and a low pass over Victorias mums house.We also did 5 touch and goes and even made a KLM 737 wait for us which was a good result.So thanks to Matt and Thanks to Victoria for a memorable evening.

CHRISTMAS DAY

2006-12-30T12:50:00.000Z

We had just opened our stockings and put our hats on,which people apparantely wear quite happily in Norway.We would without doubt get some very funny looks if we were to wear them in Kings Lyn.The other couple in the picture are Jen and Ray,Kates father and his partner who were also over for Christmas.Matt is of course on the wine

I LOVE BROODING BEACHES

2006-12-30T12:41:00.000Z

I do like beaches that are cold and windswept,because there is hardly anybody about, and its almost as if they are resting and waiting for the inevitable busy periods to come.Sorry about the shot of Meg as she took off almost taking Kate with her.

DINNER TIME

2006-12-30T12:29:00.000Z

After our trip up the fjord it was time for some traditional Norwegian fare for dinner.Matt and Kate did us proud,with a constant variety of weird and wonderful foods,and of course plenty of wine for Lyn.Meg their very friendly rottweiler was hopeful for any scraps that were going.

FOGGY FJORD

2006-12-30T12:19:00.000Z

Unfortunately the weather was against us as the fog that we had left behind in the UK followed us to Norway and what should have been a spectacular trip up one of Norways biggest and most dramatic Fjords was somewhat spoilt by very low visibility.Never mind it was still excellent fun.

STAVANGER AND LUNCH

2006-12-30T12:10:00.000Z

Some quaint streets in old Stavanger,and my curried mussel and prawn soup and Lyns small sandwich!!!!

MATTS PLACE

2006-12-30T11:56:00.000Z

This is where Matt and kate live,the red one at the back,overlooking a large lake which we walked round on a number of occasions .

FOGGY THEN SUNNY EN ROUTE TO NORWAY

2006-12-30T11:47:00.000Z

On the ground visibility was about 100 yards but a few minutes later lovely sunshine,the fog bank was as far as the eye could see

WINTER IN LITTLE LONDON

2006-12-30T11:38:00.000Z

Took these few snaps just before setting off for Norway to spend Xmas with Matt and Kate.It was a truly magical morning.

CHRISTMAS TIME

2006-12-19T10:52:00.000Z

Some Christmas scenes.The Church service was superb although the pictures don't do it justice.It's a shame that on a normal Sunday there may be 6/7 people attending,but this night there must have been a couple of hundred,perhaps it was the free mince pies and mulled wine that brought them through the doors.I'm a fine one to complain only going to Church for the usual Weddings,Deaths etc.and slipping out the side door after bell ringing
Anyway at long last the Weather has changed and its -3.5 at 11.00am with thick frost and fog,so perhaps we have seen the last of strong winds and rain for a while .
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all oury readers,and we will catch you soon.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

2006-12-12T20:20:00.000Z

Tuesday has become a regular run to Kings Lynn,using our bus passes.Kings Lynn is nothing special as towns go but its good for a 3 hour stroll a good cup of regular latte and an organic shortbread at Cafe Nero.So today was to be just another trip or so we thought.We walked down to the end of the road and waited for our pickup by our regular driver Robin at 9.26 precisely,you see if nothing else Robin is always on time,but not today we waited and waited but he didnt arrive,we were just about to give up when one of the neighbours came out and told us Robins coach was in for a service and Dave would be coming,the only trouble being Dave had'nt a clue as to the route.How she knew all this info live no idea.Anyway Dave didnt turn up but another bus did which was the 10.00am so on we got still wondering where the hell Dave was.We finally got to Kings Lynn at 11.00 am,so our 3 hour stroll was down to a 2.5hours as the bus was due to leave at 13.20 or at least Daves bus was,but we didnt know whether it had arrived or not,so we planned to get the 13.10 back as that was the bus we came on.
So we arrived back at the bus terminal at 13.05 ready to get the 13.10 back,but who should turn up but a beaming Dave with the 13.20,10mins early.Now this caused utter confusion with the majority of the pensioners(believe me there is nothing worse than a group of confused pensioners loaded down with Christmas shopping) who thought it was the 13.10 and of course got on only to see the 13.10 leave at 13.15 5mins before us.We pulled away at 13.20 with a coach load of 13.10 ers all talking and demanding of the smiling Dave what route he was taking.Unfortunately smiley Dave didnt have a clue and proceeded to set off at a good lick in a general Southerly direction.Well we seemed to go down every farm track and single track road he could find whilst being yelled by old age pensioners asking DRIVER DRIVER ARE YOU GOING TO WRETTON,ARE YOU GOING TO STOKE FERRY ETC ETC .Not once did his smile fade.We eventually made it back to Northwold still with a load of passengers not knowing where they would be going to or whether they would ever see their homes again.For all I know they are still probably at the mercy of Dave as they trundle round the lanes of West Norfolk,with Radio 1 blaring out and a fixed grin on his face.Perhaps I'll read about it tomorrow

A COLD MARKET DAY IN SWAFFHAM

2006-12-09T15:13:00.000Z

A LEGITIMATE WORRY

2006-12-08T11:39:00.000Z

I was getting worried that I had nothing to worry about.When I was working I would wake up two or three times during the night and worry about work for the next day.Well ever since retiring I haven't woken up apart from being told to shut up snoring by Lyn,(which I of course deny)and this was begining to worry me,not to the point of waking me up,but I felt I needed to worry about something.So imagine my delight to have woken up at precisely 2.35am with a legitimate worry.How to make sure you stop the Church Bell at just the right time on both the handstroke and the backstroke without bashing the Stay,and do you hold the rope firmly in your left hand or just let it lie there,and do I remember the exact sequence of the backstroke and handstroke,and do I remember the way to tie the knot in the rope after finishing ringing.So as you can see plenty of worries which will probably wake me up at various times during the night,and hopefully many nights to come Icouldn't be happier !!!.

So what have we been doing this week,not a great deal,we did go out for dinner at some new friends last Saturday,and again staggered back in the wee small hours,with our trusty torch showing us the way.

We have put the tree up and a few decorations which make the house look very festive,and of course we have been bell ringing,but i must admit neither of us really wanted to go last night as it was blowing a gale and quite chilly,but once there we soon got into it and very good progress was made by both of us ,helped along by some mulled wine that one of our trainers brought along .

Besides all this we have decided that we will be taking up bowls in the summer as it seems a good laugh and we are also taking on an Allotment which will be an even bigger laugh,oh and I nearly forgot we are also on the Church cleaning rota,which will again be a laugh,although we will probably have to save our laughing until we are outside the Church.

Phew!!!!

2006-12-01T12:15:00.000Z

Well we had our third session of bellringing and what a session.There were only three of us trainees and two teachers,so we each got to ring for about one to one and a half hours each,so a considerable amount of progress was made by all of us.For the prevoius two lessons we had been concentrating on what is known as the handstroke and only a bit of practice on the backstroke.Last night we had the chance to put the two together,which was a bit daunting as you then have total control of the bell,which at times seems to have a mind of its own.The combined stroke is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time,not at all easy for those who have tried.Anyway it was again good fun and according to our trainers we are coming along well.I have a sneaking feeling that they may be saying that to keep us interested.
By the way Lyn and I came last in the Pub quiz on Wednesday night ,could have been due to Lyn having two glasses of wine and a strong whisky before we even got to the Pub,and the having another couple whilst we were there.Thats our excuse,but maybe the questions were just too hard for us.Anyway we staggered back up the road with our torch showing us the way,back in time to see some more of the improbable goings on in I'M A CELEBRITY GET ME OUT OF HERE.David Gest is class act and worth his appearance money, unlike some of the others.

QUIET WEEKEND

2006-11-27T11:59:00.000Z

Had a very quiet weekend doing odd jobs round the house both inside and out.Weather wasnt very good although not as bad as had been predicted by the forecasters who had warned about high damaging winds on Friday night.I kept waking up expecting the worst but nothing happened,and there was no explanation as to why these winds had not arrived.
Went down to the Church on Sunday morning to observe the bellringers.They make it look so easy,but both Lyn and I know its not.
So all in all a quiet weekend.Good sport on tv especially the Rugby,and good having a laugh at Jan Leemings antics on I'M A CELEBRITY GET ME OUT OF HERE.

SECOND GO AT BELLRINGING

2006-11-24T13:00:00.000Z

Our second go at ringing was as good as the first with all of us getting better.Lyn made very good progress especially after she stood on a box,she did have a nasty moment however nearly disappearing up into the Bell Tower after letting go of the rope as the main clock started to chime.Steve our instructor saved the day and grabbed the rope .He has been ringing for 37 years and besides being a very nice bloke he is also an expert ringer.
Both Lyn and I are begining to realise how hard this is going to be,but its a good night out and at least we can have a laugh,so we will continue to go along and hopefully we will make the grade.
We will be observing on Sunday when the full team will be out before Sunday service.

BURY ST EDMUNDS AND KINGS LYNN

2006-11-21T14:40:00.000Z

Yesterday we went to Bury St Edmunds(didn't know he was dead) as the car needed a service and since its still under warranty it needeed to be done by a main dealer,so we had about 4 hours to have a look round the shops.It was our first time to Bury and it is a very nice Market Town with good quality shops and nice restaurants.So we had a good time with lots of walking and surprise surprise the car cost only £138.00 and not the £350.00 I was expecting.

Today we went to Kings Lynn on the bus,this is becoming a regular Tuesday outing,and since we both have bus passes now its also a cheap day out.Lynn is not the nicest of towns but it serves a purpose.

Tomorrow we shall be in as some furniture is arriving and I need to do some gardening,and make sure all our guttters are free from leaves.

MORE FOR JONNY

2006-11-19T11:47:00.000Z

These are for you Jonny as I know you wanted some Autumn scenes.
Mum and I had just walked down to get the Sunday papers.
By the way our quiet village was subjected to an armed robbery last week
at the Post Office !

FOR JONNY

2006-11-18T14:07:00.000Z

Jonny hope these will give you a flavour of early winter

2006-11-17T10:24:00.000Z

Lyn getting ready for her first pull under the watchful eye of Steve

2006-11-17T10:22:00.000Z

Getting ready

2006-11-17T10:19:00.000Z

All the ropes and Lyn with Steve !!

2006-11-17T10:16:00.000Z

Lyn Brian and Beryl waiting anxiously

2006-11-17T10:14:00.000Z

Has Lyn seen some Bats !!!

2006-11-17T10:12:00.000Z

Bells in the Bell tower

2006-11-17T10:09:00.000Z

the 39 steps or were there 44 !!!

OUR FIRST GO AT BELLRINGING

2006-11-17T09:38:00.000Z

Well the time arrived for us to have a go at bellringing, both lyn and I never managed to get an ology whilst we were at school so we might get to be camponologists (not sure if its the correct spelling) if we get through our training.We walked down to the church to meet our trainers Steve and Pat together with our fellow learners Brian and Beryl who are also relatively new to Northwold.
The first task was to make our way up to the ringing tower,44 narrow twisting stairs. Having arrived Steve(local engineer and farmer)talked us through a lot of safety issues,necessary as some of the 8 bells weigh 8/9 cwt each, he also explained how our training would progress,(I honestly thought it was just a case of grabbing hold and pulling).We learnt about sallys,sliders,stays,handstrokes,backstrokes,and many other terms that I have already forgotten.We went up to the bell tower and had a look at the bells which are huge and very very old 300years plus,to me they looked as though they were going to fall apart but Steve assured us that they were perfectly safe and are regularly checked. I'll take his word for it, but all the same when you are ringing theres nothing between you and several tons of bell than a few old floor planks,presumably also 300years old.
Anyway we all had a go at ringing,but only on the handstoke with Steve looking after the backstroke.I think we were all initially nervous as we didnt know how hard it would be to get the bell moving, but surprise surprise it was very easy and after a few tentative pulls all of us seemed to get the hang of it with Lyn being very good and attentive(think she likes Steve!!!).The lesson ,nearly 2 hours went very quickly,but probably not quick enough for the village residents who had to put up with the drone of one bell for well over an hour.
So our first lesson is over and both Lyn and I are looking forward to next Thursday for our next go.

2006-11-15T13:33:00.000Z

Us at the front door

2006-11-15T13:30:00.000Z

The front porch

2006-11-15T13:24:00.000Z

Part of the back garden

2006-11-15T13:21:00.000Z

The parking area

2006-11-15T13:19:00.000Z

Rear view of the Cottage

2006-11-15T13:14:00.000Z

View up the lane with Adam Cottage on the left

2006-11-15T13:11:00.000Z

who would have thought that we would be sitting in the garden having coffee on November 15th!

2006-11-14T15:06:00.000Z

The very small shop and post office run by Kevin and his wife Lulu !!

2006-11-14T15:03:00.000Z

Full view of Pub,very good quiz nights also very reasonable pub grub

2006-11-14T15:00:00.000Z

Pub again

2006-11-14T14:58:00.000Z

Village Pub on the left

2006-11-14T14:55:00.000Z

Back view of both of us

2006-11-14T14:53:00.000Z

Another view of the Church

2006-11-14T14:51:00.000Z

More of the Church

2006-11-14T14:49:00.000Z

The Church in which we will be bellringing!!!

2006-11-14T14:46:00.000Z

Near the Church

2006-11-14T14:43:00.000Z

local river Wissey

2006-11-13T19:42:00.000Z

2006-11-13T19:37:00.000Z

2006-11-13T19:34:00.000Z

2006-11-13T11:58:00.000Z

Well its now been nearly 4 months since Lyn and I moved up from West Sussex to this sleepy West Norfolk village called Northwold.We both retired from the NHS in July and decided that we didnt want to remain in Findon as we had no ties there as both of our sons have moved away one to Norway and the other to Australia, plus Findon had lost its appeal and, wasnt the same place we had moved to some 20 years ago.
We spent a week in March of this year looking at properties all around Norfolk and were lucky enough to find Adam Cottage which is over 200 years old and had just been totally renovated. It was empty and was simply sitting waiting for new owners. Our house in Findon was sold quickly and we moved on the 18th July on probably the hottest day of the year. I havent been able to post a blog up until now as we have only just been connected to Broadband after a long battle with Orange and BT. Part of the sacrifice for deciding to live so far out in the sticks.
Anyway we moved in without too much trouble and have spent the last few months getting the Cottage the way we want it ie carpets laid ,tiling ,wood flooring,painting,gardening etc etc.Of course we have had our disasters along the way,floods ,disintergrating shower, cupboards falling off walls to name but a few,but I can say I think we are nearly there with the major stuff,and our days are no longer totally taken up with DIY, so we are now able to find out a bit more about village life and begin doing the things we want to do,like pub quiz nights and even bell ringing in the Church.We have our bus passes! and venture into Kings Lyn every Tuesday for about 3 hours,saves taking the car and is really quite a pleasant day.
We are both enjoying our retirement and are looking forward to our new life in NORTHWOLD,so will try and keep a diary of how we are doing.
Bye for now

JUST STARTING

2006-11-09T15:42:00.000Z

THIS IS MY FIRST GO AT BLOGGING HAVING JUST CREATED THIS ACCOUNT.THE INTENTION IS TO RECORD OUR LIFE IN THIS TINY NORFOLK VILLAGE HAVING JUST RETIRED AND MOVED UP FROM A BUSY SUSSEX.