Good Friday

Today was the first of our joint tentings of 2010 - I have had a great day out on the river a few weeks ago in the canoe but today we went with a crowd of people and many dogs up to Sheringham Park for a walk along to the viewtower which 'he' didn't climb due to his dislike of heights but I went up and in great tradition saw the North Norfolk Steam train pass by below - choo choo - in clouds of steam. We then headed for the coast and walked along to Sheringham whereupon we walked down the High Street searching for lunch, somewhere to seat 12 people and 9 dogs is hard to come by. Luckily the Lobster had plenty of seats outside and a great lunch was had before trekking back in less than perfect weather. Will most certainly do the walk again soon as it was a really good one.

Perfect Day

We have spent the last few weekends exploring Norfolk and avoiding the city centre crowds, we didn't really need anything and with the heat of the summer gone then September has been very pleasent for bike rides and general outdoor things, not much gardening has been going on but that is all about to change. However there comes a point where work shirts need to be purchased and we had to source some borax to improve the ecoballs.

We headed into Norwich to attend the Japanese Day at the forum which was a tenting and also really good fun. We watched a sushi demonstration and got to eat some too, and 'he' was lucky enough to actually get his food at Wagamama while in actual fact they forgot mine which I wasn't too impressed with. I do think that Wagas is a great place to eat but the Norwich franchise is appalling and i seriously recommend that people try Shikis if they are after a traditional Japanese menu.

The lunchtime hiccup was forgotten once we got on our bikes and headed 11 miles out of the city to South Burlingham for afternoon tea with family. The ride was glorious and fairly traffic free, cyling through Brundell, Strumpshaw and Lingwood I realised I had never ever visited these villages. After tea and cake and looking at wedding pictures we headed home through reds and oranges, it was a truly fabulous sunset and I wished I had my camara with me.

Stopping at Thorpe St Andrew by the river we ate fish and chips watching the sunlight fade and as the houseboats started up their woodburners a pall of pale smoke weaved across the river. Cycling slightly more slowly home we made it just as the light went completely - looking on the map we worked out that we had in fact cycled 25 miles!

Carpe Diem

Following my redundancy in April, I have been re-employed in the Suffolk coastal town of Lowestoft - the 12 hour days were starting to get too much so I now only work three days a week and today was one of them. I leave at 7am and get home at about 6 if I work through my lunch hour, it feels as though I lose touch with the outside world and so enjoy the walk to and from the station through the city up through the Cathedral. Today however we decided that we would walk the 'Riverside' walk which starts by the Complete Angler and winds its way under willow trees to Cowgate past Pulls Ferry.


The first section was peaceful, but the often forgotten section from Bishops Bridge through to Jarrolds mill past Cow Tower (seen above) was really beautiful and it made the whole world ok and was a wonderful start to teh weekend - we saw a family of swans and found a fabulous hidden pond which i never knew about. Turning to take the photo above we thought we were having something thrown at us when we realised we were standing under a conker tree! Never one to look a gift conker in the mouth we gathered a few up and i might try to use them in Christmas decorations. Seeing as how my hunt for pine cones is going really badly, they used to be everywhere when i was little, where oh where have the little cones gone?!

CPRE Food Event

We spent yesterday evening at a very fascinating workshop about local food and the impacts it has on the area which was hosted by the CPRE at the Workshop on Earlham Road - its all to do with Mapping Local Food webs click here for more info!.

This was partly a tenting in terms of us getting out and doing things together, but it was also very interesting to meet people who might think along the same lines as us and my lil sis came along as well so it was great to catch up. There were structured activities to gauge people opnion on how local food affected the environment, society and economy and the buffet was stocked with local produce. Which was delicious.

Indian Summer Part II - Sloes!

Today we (nearly) lept out of bed in search of the elusive sloe. We have come to the conclusion that we will be having a traditional Christmas and celebrate all we love about Norfolk & English winter traditions. My Sarah Raven Christmas book has been well read and we've decided that we would try and make sloe gin & sloe vodka for Christmas, and having been told in some quarters that they were over, and other quarters that they wouldn't be ready yet we weren't sure if we'd missed the Sloe boat.

It was a cool start to the day but by the time we got up to Itteringham where we had asked a friendly farmer to help us to locate some sloes it had got really quite warm. In fairness I didn't know what a sloe looked like and so once the townies had been dropped by a hedge bursting with sloes we were left to get stung, scratched, prickled and generally made to work for our sloes. I was really surprised by the size of the little beggars and also the tenacity with which they clung to the hedge, the sheen on them was translucent and they are really pretty.

After picking some rosehips (not enough as I discovered when we got home) we headed up the Wolterton Park Harden open day where we immediately sought out lunch. The garden is rented out by the owners to a couple who grow enough to run Barker Organics. After lunch we toured the organic garden learning quite a bit about biodynamic gardening in the process. Growing up we were taken to almost every estate kitchen garden in England (well it felt like it sometimes) and while the Barker garden does not resemble one tiny bit the traditional national trust tidy type kitchen garden I can honestly say I have never been in a kitchen garden with so much wildlife. I saw a goldfinch for only the second time, robins, bees,(honey and bumble), and the various sunflowers were amazing, although they didn;t have any black ones like we grew this year.

After wandering around the stalls where we saw a whole host of amazing produce and crafts made in Norfolk we meandered home to an amazing supper of organic sausage, apple (mums tree), and Norfolk onion casserole. With it we had mustard mash made with our potatos - i can honestly say it was the best mash I have ever tasted! We had carrots plucked from the ground moments before going in the pan - he has to go and pick them by torchlight as the evenings have started catch us unawares.

By next weekend I hope to have my cloches which i'll need for winter growing - because of the veg patch dimensions then I have to cut accross my normal beds but if thats what it takes to get veg over the winter then so be it!

Oh and the sloes? 2.85KG - about 6 75cl bottles worth - Roll on Christmas!!!

Splish Splash

After yesterdays outing we had a lazy morning sorting out food for the week (which we have found significantly cuts down on food waste) and deciding on plans for the day. Plans for a paddle on the river in my cousins canoes were decided upon and I went off in waterproof trousers to do a couple of hours on the River Bure down river of Belaugh.

The river was a nice height and we had decided before setting off to try and find the entrance to the Crostwick Beck but this was twarted by gates accross the entrances to lots of interesting inlets. We did however discover Nortons Broad which had very unsportingly had a huge gate instaled accross the channel to stop us reaching it. We are fairly certain that tidal water cannot be owned so I might write to ask the Broads Authority and ask about Dobbs Beck.

On the trip we saw a kingfisher which was so very beautiful and two herons which were remarkably tolerant of our presence. We saw fish glide under us as we set off and as we paddled closer to Wroxham we duly thanked the fishermen who pulled in their lines so we could pass. Canoeing is a very eco friendly way to travel - and so quiet that even the most easily spooked wildlife will allow one to paddle quite close.

Green Build

The dawned bright and dry and after getting up early to make the picnic we set off for the 10.45 to Sheringham from Norwich station with our bicycles. The train was very busy & we were pleased we had booked our bike reservations yesterday.

Getting off at Roughton Road we were struck by the incredible peace of the station (the platform is effectively a bridge over the road), and checked the map before heading off to Felbrigg. We met up with family when we arrived and toured the event discovering a HUGE tomato, owls made from milk bottles and after checking out the norfolk food stall we decided it was lunchtime and sat down to eat some cheese rolls, pepper crisps, homegrown tomatos, fresh fennel tabbouleh and REALLY delicious cakes!

Post lunch we investigated the owls and after discovering the bird box stall we decided to make some bird boxes for £3 each. Then we asked some pertinent questions at the Edwards cob tent (we both love cob/glass deisgns) see http://www.edwardscobbuilding.com/, and spoke to a lovely person on the NNDC pledge tree who is currently building her own house and had useful ideas as to how we could get the land we want to live in. We saw recycled wooden kitchens, picked up some really fun cardboard cut outs which I'll post the link up for when I pick up the leaftlet http://www.mini-scrapbox.co.uk/.

Pedelling back to the station I was struck by the surrealness of the platform, I put a few ladybirds who were in danger of getting squashed on some bramble bushes and 'him' was so struck by teh quiet he stated that it was this kind of quiet he wanted. There were birds singing and I suspect roughly twice an hour the silence would be broken - but it was a glorious day out and definately a tenting. Coming home we tok the last of the tomatoes for dinner and I think we'll have the last of the carrots tomorrow.

Next week - foraging!

Pictures to follow :)

Historic Moveable Feast

Was a feast indeed!

Foraging by Bike (Not really a gardening post!)

We went on a bit of a cycle ride today..


35 miles!

We decided to get out for the day and explore some of what Norfolk has to offer using the old Marriott's Way line from Norwich - Themelthorpe - Reepham - Aylsham then Bure Valley Cycle Path from Aylsham - Buxton - Colishall - Wroxham. This was definitely a tentings expeditiona to get out and enjoy the countryside and I am pleased to say it was really fabulous.

Starting out at half ten (the result of a few beers the night before) we joined the Marriotts Way proper at Halfords Roundabout at ten to eleven, a bit later than planned! We were amazed at the clearness of the river at the first crossing and only the fact that we were meeting someone further west stopped me from some serious poohstick fun. Cycling on we quickly left the traffic and at twenty past eleven we stopped for a drink on the bridge before drayton to admire the conservation work on Costessy meadows.

We then had quite an adventure of getting the bikes up and down on and off the old railway to navigate gaps where the line had been built on, this didn't pose any serious problems but care did need to be taken on eth stony slopes up and down from the trail. The stretch through Thorpe Marriott was really a wide tree lined avenue, the feeling of being in a forest with the ghosts of trains going past seemed more real here and all the way through to Attlebridge where the line came to an abrupt halt opposite a campsite set up in the old station. The map we had was the OS 134 25000 and not detailed enough for us to realise we had to go slightly north, then west to rejoin the trail, signage wasn't good at this point.

Coming up through Lenwade there was a real feeling of landscape conflict with wide open lakes next to massive industrial sites with vast gantries and enormous waste tailing's. Pushing on we stopped for a drink and to meet up with my cousin at WHitwell Station just before the "Themelthorpe Curve" . By this point we had almost cycled halfway and my legs were really beginning to tire, after another couple of miles on reasonable track we stopped to eat lunch in a field, the tomato's I had picked from eth greenhouse this morning were delicious in our rolls. Although it was indeed warm in the sun, there was a cool breeze and most of the railway was covered in green making the cycle way something ever so slightly mystical.



Moving through Reepham we came off the trail for a few meters before cycling a very diferent landscape up to Aylsham, the ground was much sandier and we could tell we were crossing between river valleys rather than up or down one. Looking around the hedgerows were groaning under the weight of sloes, berries and rosehips (AKA sloe gin, sloe vodka, rosehip syrup & bramble wine) and had I been better prepared I would have brought much more back with us. Getting to Aylsham my cousin left us and we took a slightly reduced pace around Aylsham before suddenly arriving at Tescos where we stocked up on more liquids.

We then started on the Bure Valley, we just missed a train as we were leaving and kept hoping for another to pass us but as the miles were eaten up this seemed unlikely, I used to live at Burgh and we paddled the river from Dunkirk in Aylsham to Mayton Bridge for my hen day so its a stretch i know very well. I spent much of this section looking for familar buildings and really enjoyed the totally different perspective we got from being high on the embankments. We crossed the mermaid and looked down on its clear waters where fish could be seen basking, and we admired the little station at Buxton. There were lots of butterflies and dragonflies and just past Haubois we saw a train - wow they move!

Soon after we stopped for a breather, although the Bure Valley section was shorter we were quite tired and so I collected bramblebries and he sat in the shade and watched me! We decided to then really push on to try and catch the 16.27 from Wroxham back to Norwich, riding the bikes back up from the station was done cautiously as we were both a bit saddlesore by this stage!



It was a lovely day which was even better for my cousin being able to join us for part of the route and we also managed to find a whole tub of bramblebries - or blackberries to the uninitiated, these were intended for a blackbry and apple (from mums garden) crumble but after resting for a bit there was no way on earth i was fit for cooking. I shall instead cook them for supper tomorrow evening - a reminder of our day on the railways.

Tentings and Tagines

While on our honeymoon in the deepest darkest depths of Cornwall we decided that we should come up with 10 things (or Tentings) which we each wanted to do, and then a seperate list of things which we wanted to do together. The speed with which we arranged our wedding was amazing but it had meant everything else (including the garden) was put on hold for 5 months. That pretty much meant civilised conversations about anything other than weddings wer a thing of the past as well.

It was fun coming up with the ten things, one which 'he' put down was to try a new recipe every fortnight - this started out quite hard but in fact became easier to the point that we now only repeat a recipe if we really really liked it rather than becasue we couldn't be bothered to look up a new option. This has meant we have been getting the most out of our fabulous tagine which it would be fair to say has revolutionised the way we eat and big bonus is that 'He' has really got into cooking as well. The tagine has been used on average five nights out of seven, a lot of mediterranean dishes and british stews/casseroles do very well in it. So much so that I am thinking of asking for another ornate ones for Christmas this year.



Another upside of the tentings has been our visits to museums and places we wouldn't normally go. We are off to the Norfolk Heritage Moveable Feast in a few weeks which should be awesome, not least because the first course is served at Dragon Hall where we tied the knot 3 months ago today. We have planned picnics and cycle rides and we have at long last sorted out the junk room into a TV den where we can relax and chill out. WE took an afternoon off last week and went to Wroxham Barns, amazing locally sourced food for lunch, followed by a trip around the Junior Farm where we watched calves be fed, eyed up the delicious piglets, looked after the breeds of chickens, talked to the donkeys and stroked the sheep. The highlight was cuddling a guineau pig which was ginger and adorable, so much so even he stroked it!

I recommend it - sit down with tea, cake and no distractions and write a list of ten things you would like to do. They don't have to involve changing your entire life, (from small acorns mighty oak trees grow), i have put on mine that i want to bake an edible loaf of bread - at the other end of the scale I want to travel Japan. We are overall more positive and moving in a better direction due to that rainy afternoon in Cornwall where we hit upon the idea of tentings. We have new cusions in our TV room and a table runner with gorgous beads to match (handmade), we have ruby sunflowers brightening up the dining room and a fresh spiced banana cake which was made today for afternoon tea. I have red, pink, blue and purple fowers in the front garden along with a myrtle which symbolises Love and Marriage.