as at 19 July 2007

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Two-day break at home. On the 18th I called in on my cousin Barbara and her husband Roy after I’d had my hair cut at Reepham. Wonderful garden. Nice to see them after so long.

Today we marked the end of an era by going to Sue E’s farewell party at Tuckswood School. Tuckswood seems to keep drawing me back. It was the first school I went to when I was about 4 and it was a newly opened nursery school on a spanking new postwar council estate. Then we moved to Coventry. Eventually we came back after my father died, but I was then high school age and I went to the City of Norwich School – about a half-mile from Tuckswood.

But when I was going out with Dot and she left college, the first school she taught at was … Tuckswood. Later on, when we were married, she taught there again under different heads and eventually became deputy to Sue E. They got on exceptionally well and Sue encouraged her to become head at Alburgh, but of course there still links through Sue and the Norfolk Association of First and Primary Heads, which usually had meetings there. Now Sue has finally retired. The school hasn’t changed much since I first went there: interesting building. It was quite an emotional afternoon.

The picture of course is of Sue and Dot, who gave a really good speech.

17 July 2007

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OK, it’s still 30 July, but we’re going to carry on pretending. Here we are in Legoland, Windsor, where we went on 16 and 17 July with the grandchildren and their parents. Oliver and his father are featured on the Safari ride, with Amy almost visible in the car behind. This was Vicky’s birthday present!

I was impressed with Legoland, which I would have thought was not really my sort of thing at all. There were a few queues, but all the rides were free – and short – which meant the queues moved quickly. We went on too many to list, but we really enjoyed the Fairytale Brook, where you went round in a boat and saw models of bits from fairy tales, mainly Little Red Riding Hood. The Lego models are all brilliant, even the ones you just stand and look at. Nearly all of them do things. Oliver and Amy had a great time: Oliver showed what a natural driver he is when he outmanoevred all the other children on the cars.

The food was quite reasonable too, though that wasn’t free. We were lucky to catch a big goody v baddy drama by the pool, and took in a big wheel, helicopters, etc. Some Dot and I went on, and some we watched. On the first day Oliver and Amy went in the water feature and got pleasantly wet, after the usual nervous start.

On the way to the hotel at Reading (which was part of the deal) Dot and I lost David and drove round for a while before re-establishing contact. Both our phones were out of order (details in Square One article): an amazing series of coincidences. But eventually we got back together at the Holiday Inn, which was excellent, although the bar prices were extraordinarily high.

14 July 2007

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I am not really writing this on 14 July. It’s 30 July, but if I tried to get everything that’s happened since the 9th on one entry, it would be a huge mass of text. As it is, I’m going to have to cut it down drastically, because I just haven’t got time to write it all. Future historians (ha!) will find more information but less coherence in my notebooks.

The picture is of me at Bantry, shortly after receiving my 1000-euro cheque from Fish Publishing and reading my poem, The Island Grows On Me, to the assembled throng. Quite a large number of them and in a very swish setting: the new and very upmarket Maritime Hotel, Bantry. Dot was so impressed by it that she took a picture of the ladies’ loos (not included here).

Also in the picture are Debra Shulkes, runner-up in the poetry (with her back to the camera), Jo Cannon (short-story runner-up) and (off to the side) Jo Campbell, runnner-up, short histories. Got to know these three quite well, as well as a guy from America.

We’d flown to Cork from Stansted on July 11, after Dot had visited two schools in the West of Norfolk: Necton and Ten Mile Bank. We’d strolled round Swaffham, finding the house featured in Kingdom – Stephen Fry’s TV series – and had eaten lunch at The Bridge, where we’d eaten earlier iin the year when Dot visited Oakington. Nice meal, lovely setting on the Cam.

Flying was the usual nightmare, even though it all went smoothly. Dot’s handcream alarmed the machine, so she had to go and obtain a plastic bag for it, which of course immediately rendered it harmless. I was searched randomly. At least, they said it was random, but it seemed systematic to me. Car hire at Cork no problem, but we had a little trouble finding the hotel. Once we did, we enjoyed it: very luxurious. If I could remember what it was, I’d tell you.

On the 12th – my 62nd birthday – we drove to Bantry. Before too long we stopped at a little-known place called Inchigeelagh, where there was a tasteful modern cafe and a ruined church, which I wondered round, almost falling into a couple of semi-open graves (holes below the stones). Quite eerie. Headed onwards to the Gouganne Barra – a magical spot in a glacial valley where St Finbarr established an oratory on a little lake island accessed by a causeway. This area also featured the toilets of the year 2002, which were quite something. I know you think I’m kidding, but I’m not.

Later we took a single-track road into the hills north of Bantry – a place called the Priest’s Leap. Happily there was absolutely no other traffic, because there was hardly anywhere to pass, let alone turn round. Amazing view of Bantry Bay from near the top. Quite idyllic. Walked a little then managed to turn and drove down into Bantry, where we found the hotel – nowhere near as good as the Cork one, but good enough. Had a home-cooked-style evening meal and went for a walk: found the Pillar Stone of Kilnaurane on a hill, surrounded by rather cheap wire and ramshackle posts. This is a ninth-century artefact which may carry a carved picture of St Brendan. In England it would have a visitor centre and a large car park. In Ireland it has an easily-missed signpost and is approached over a field from a back road. The view from the hill is superb.

The next day we drove down to Mizen Head, the most southerly point of Ireland, where there actually is a visitor centre – quite good, too, though we had to ask someone how to reach the path to the headland. The Irish are not great on signposts. In cloud when we arrived, and the man who took the tickets said we had no chance of seeing Fastnet today. Less than an hour later the cloud had lifted quite well enough to see Fastnet clearly, which just goes to show that local weather forecasters are not all they’re cracked up to be. Cliffs here are spectacular. Made our way back to Bantry for the evening ceremony, taking in a nearby beach and the southern coast, including Goleen, with its tiny harbour and inviting but shut Heron restaurant, and the much busier Schull, where we saw the ferry from Clear Island arrive. Lovely coastline.

After a bar meal we drove into Bantry for the ceremony. Saw the first part of the Slam (open mic) afterwards, but then returned to the hotel for sleep.

“Today” we drove back to Cork. Weather has been mostly good, with the occasional shower, most of which we missed. Drove to Glengariff and then over Healey’s Pass, a beautiful winding road which took us into County Kerry. Got slightly lost around Kenmare and found ourselves on tiny back roads: at one point a tractor had to back up for us. Eventually emerged roughly where we had anticipated and worked our way by back roads to Inchigeelagh again, where we had lunch to the accompaniment outside of what must have been a major wedding in the area. Stopped at a a haunting wetland area, then decided we just had time to see Blarney Castle – and ended up climbing to the very top to see the Blarney Stone. We decided not to kiss it as this required contortions: there were also hygiene issues. Lovely castle, though.

The drive back to the airport took longer than we thought, but we had plenty of time in the end. Met a couple from the ceremony – Jo Campbell and her husband – and the flight home was pretty uneventful. Stansted to Norwich took well over two hours, largely (or entirely) because Dot left her glasses at a service station on the Newmarket bypass, and retrieving it took a 25-mile round trip because of the lack of dual-carriageway exits. So home about 12.30am – and it was really July 15. Ah, well.

9 July 2007

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This is a rather lovely work of art composed of hazel branches and on show at the Welborne Festival. Provides a nice frame for a shot of the mid-Norfolk countryside.

Happily, I’ve now completed my tax return. Less happily, Dot hasn’t. That’s a pleasure to come. Always nice to do mine, though: never as complicated as anticipated.

We’ve also been out to Poringland to see the Walpoles, over from Canada. Had a Chinese, and discussed education, among other things. They seem in good form – are thinking of moving further south, because their forest home is getting to be too much work.

Meanwhile our hedge has been cut, and everything is much brighter. Acres of foliage have gone, as have several bags of leaves, which I suddenly thought Colin could take away with him. Bit like having a haircut: quite satisfying. Almost as satisfying as watching Jamie Murray and Jelena Jankovic win the Wimbledon mixed doubles. which was a really exciting experience and much more interesting than Federer winning the men’s singles for the fifth time, though I have to say his match against Nadal was an epic encounter. And the Tour de France has started too – really annoying that I’m going to miss so much of it, but I am recording the various stages to look back on.

Dot’s ear operation was this afternoon – new holes!

Weather’s been a bit better, but showers still every day.

6 July 2007

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A fuller view of the refreshment hut mentioned last time: a truly amazing agglomeration of cast-off building materials, it also contains a library, or maybe a secondhand book shop. It was hard to tell which. It is situated just behind what used to be a shingle bank at Cley, and its continued existence is truly remarkable. Perhaps it was washed up by the sea some time in the past, or repeatedly.

The weather has continued very wet, although I managed to get into the city and back yesterday, and managed a two-mile walk the day before. I now have my watch back with its new battery and accompanying reassurance. Existing without a watch is a very odd experience: it’s easy enough to find out what the time is, but mostly you don’t bother. Days seem to last longer. I also got some euros for Ireland, in the hope that further terrorist cock-ups don’t shut down the airports. Last week failed car bombs in London and an attack on Glasgow airport that didn’t work.

Last night I had what was probably a unique experience: I went to an opera and loved every minute of it. I steer clear of operas because the language and the plot are usually so banal, and you can’t hear the words anyway, but we went to this one because a friend was singing in it. It was The Night Bell, a one-acter by Gaetano Donizetti, and it was put on by Claxton Opera. This is a group based in a small village near the River Yare, east of Norwich – really out in the wilds. We had to park in a farmyard and were driven by minibus up to a large house (The Old Meeting House, but someone actually lives there), where the inside had been re-formed to provide a small concert hall holding about 80-90 people. The orchestra were on the ground floor beneath the stage, which was therefore on the first floor – level with one set of seats. We were in the second-floor “gallery” – front row, with a great view down on to the stage.

The production was highly professional, from stage sets through costumes to acting and direction. The first half of the programme was Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale – not an opera, but an acted-out story with a narrator (the brilliant David Newham) and of course Stravinsky’s music, which was rather in the style of Kurt Weill. The acting was excellent and the story not too bad, but there were rather tedious lulls where the music took over and there was nothing for the actors to do – so we had dancers prancing around rather pointlessly.

The Donizetti was stunning, however. Our friend Ruth was Serafina, one of the leading roles: I knew she could sing, but her acting was a revelation – some beautiful comic touches. The whole thing was extremely funny, and the two leading men were both superb, as were the chorus. Maybe it was the acoustics, but you could actually hear what people were singing.

Needless to say it started raining as we left Norwich and continued all evening. There was a bit of hanging around waiting for the minibus afterwards, but we had umbrellas, and we managed to have a chat with Ruth and with a woman in the chorus who we’d known long ago, when Dot taught at Surlingham.

2 July 2007

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A pause for refreshment during the Cley Marshes hike. The refreshment hut – an interesting conglomeration of brick and random pieces of dodgy-looking wood – was due to be pulled down in spring, but evidently survived the threat. The drinks were surprisingly good, and at this point the weather was lovely – warm and calm. A couple of hours later it was tipping down. Present at refreshment were Dave and Julia Evetts, and Dot.

Anyway we’ve just had lovely weekend with David, Vicky and the children – despite the Hollywood Bowl being mysteriously closed when we arrived for our session. They obviously saw us coming. Inistead, after much cogitation, all of us except David went by train to Wroxham and back. During our 30 minutes at Wroxham we walked over to the Bure Valley railway and saw the little train arriving.

The road out of Wroxham towards Coltishall was closed by police with several vehicles in attendance, and in this morning’s paper we found that a young person had been killed when their car hit a wall. No idea why it hit the wall.

On the Sunday the weather was still iffy, and we all went to see Auntie E at Hethersett. Took Amy’s tricycle but couldn’t get Oliver’s tractor in the car, so I spent some time explaining to him how my car’s air conditioning worked, which naturally fascinated him. During this, I discovered that I didn’t know exactly how it worked, but I have a better idea now. Auntie E seemed quite well.

In the afternoon we were mainly indoors, though Oliver had a go on the tractor for a short while. Amy got extremely interested in wood lice, as well as the water feature, but fortunately didn’t combine the two.

This morning I took Phil to the doctor’s. He’s had a bad bout of flu and now has severe UTI; so they’re in a bad way at the moment. Dot is working on her last inspection report of the term.

29 June 2007

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Two intrepid climbers near the summit of the previously unclimbed Mount Shingle, on the North Norfolk coast, during their trek across the uncharted Cley Marshes – known in some quarters as the Empty Miles. This was a two-woman expedition, totally unsupported except for the cameraman, his friend and the occasional coffee and ice cream.

Happily they survived to tell the tale. A similarly dangerous expedition was in fact undertaken by one of them, with her husband (me) only four days later, when we left Norwich on the 10am train for Liverpool Street, followed by a taxi drive through unmapped road works to the Tate Gallery on Millbank. Good food at the Tate: after it, we went round the Hockney/Turner exhibition, which was pretty amazing. I really think late Turner (1830-50) is just about as good as you can get. Wonderful use of light, amazing composition, and the feeling that you’re looking into another dimension. Rilke said beauty was as much of terror as we are able to bear; if so, this is right where awe, terror and beauty meet. Even the ones that were barely started were marvellous.

We followed this by visiting the The Way We Are photographic exhibition, which was £6 each (concessions) more than the other one. Turner is free!! Nevertheless some remarkable pictures here, mixed in with some rather average ones. It’s amazing how some of the pioneer photographers overcame technical difficulties to produce really artistic, poignant pictures.

We returned to the West End by bus. The driver was unable to “find” £1 change for our £5. Past the Houses of Parliament, where there was hectic media activity: a lesser event today was the abdication of Blair and the coronation of Brown as Prime Minister. Plenty of anti-war protesters also there, and in Whitehall. Very, very slow progress down Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. When we heard today that a potential car bomb had brought traffic in the area to a standstill, we wondered how anyone had noticed.

We walked up St Martin’s Lane and had a meal in Med Kitchen: a superb rib-eye steak for me – one of the best I can remember eating. Green beans and chips. Dot had a salmon fishcake, which was also excellent, and we shared fries. Both of us had creme brulee to follow. We were going to walk up to Tottenham Court Road, but the sky went black and water started falling from the sky, so we doubled back and went into Leicester Square Tube Station, where the guy in the ticket office had no interest whatsoever in his job, talking to colleagues and doing other things while a queue built up. We had no alternative but to wait. It reminded me of Italy.

Had a bit of a wait for the train home, but all went smoothly, although it got colder and colder.

Yesterday we went to Reepham for a hair cut. I went for a walk but failed to find my cousin Barbara’s house, so will have to check the name. Afterwards we had lunch in the old station – excellent – and then went to check on the dinosaur park in case the weather at the weekend is good enough to take the children there. Afterwards back by country lanes to the A47. Brief break, then Dot went off in my car to Park Farm and I took her car for a service, then walked home (about three miles). Dot went to visit her aunt, then to Gillingham in the evening as a governor.

Today, after I finished my page for next Monday, we started by picking up the car. Weather still very showery, as it has been for days, when it’s not been solid rain. I left Dot to pay and drove back into city, where I called at Prospect House with Aunt E’s ad, then paid in some cheques. Brief visit home, then went to to UEA to see a production by Eugenia’s translation group, which turned out to be a half-hour of sketches based on Molly Bloom’s monologue in Ulysses. Surprisingly well done. I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it was fascinating and very clever in parts.

Afterwards called in at Morrison’s for a big shop for the weekend: our family are coming up to see us. Dot now has her head down working on a school report.

Oh, I forgot. On Tuesday I finally tracked down my cousin Jon, who was staying at a caravan park at Ludham in his rather luxurious motor home. It was the first time I had met him for many, many years, and I had never met his wife Dorothy before, although they have been married for 46 years. They live in Axminster, Devon.

I can only conclude that all Dorothys are something special, because she was lovely. Had a really good 90 minutes or so there, talking about family history and getting some details for the family tree (I gave Jon a printout of what I have so far). Then rushed back home (beating highways authority plans to prevent anyone entering the city by blocking roads and causing general congestion, which I am sad to say is ongoing today), just in time to meet Ruth K, with whom I’m doing a song recital / poetry reading for charity in November. Guess who’s doing the song recital aspect of it. Worked a few things out. In the evening went to Ed’s for the Tuesday meal while Dot finished her previous report.

25 June 2007

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Just a shot of my favourite flowers, taken in Suffolk a few weeks ago. Pictures of last weekend’s activities at Blakeney not yet available.

Arrived at the Manor Hotel fairly early in the afternoon – amazingly the first to arrive, but quickly joined by friends Alan and Rosemary. Booked in: we had a first-floor room with a view of the estuary and a four-poster bed. Actually it wasn’t just a view of a four-poster; it was an actual bed. Also a small entrance hall with table, and a walk-in-and-hit-your-head cupboard.

The other three members of the party arrived as we were unloading and after a pause for thought and recuperation, most of us went down to the Blakeney Hotel for tea and scone. Why the switch of hotels? The Blakeney has a first-floor lounge with a fantastic view out across to Blakeney Point and very tasty scones. That’s not a view of tasty scones but actual tasty scones.

The forecast for the Saturday had been pretty appalling, so we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves walking throught the Cley Marshes nature reserve in pleasantly warm weather after parking at the new visitors’ centre. We did the three-mile round trip first, taking in the shrinking shingle bank and a new hide. Apparently the shingle bank moves inland a metre a year, but it felt quite secure, though small. Saw lots of interesting birds and flowers. A twitcher showed us a spoonbill through his telescope: we also saw loads of avocet, some redshanks, oystercatchers and lots of other less unusual things with wings. Towards the end we saw a couple of marsh harriers, which were pretty spectacular, and some penguins. OK, I lied about the penguins. We had tea/coffee/ice cream at a ramshackle hut at the end of Beach Road which seemed to double as a library or secondhand book store. Apparently it will be replaced in spring 2007. So the notice said. Whoops. As it wasn’t there, I took a picture of it.

Walked on into Cley village where Dave found a great little tea shop: West Cottage, which had the proud boast that spring tides came up to its wall. So lots of fun there in spring. Nice light meal – I had egg mayonaise roll – but the sky was turning black. When we reached a pottery shop it started raining and looked to have set in. So after a while I took an umbrella and walked back to the reserve for the car. This was further than I had anticipated – about a mile. As I was approaching it, the lightning and thunder was getting so simultaneous that I was worrying about possible damage to the umbrella from a lightning strike, but happily this didn’t happen. I did get pretty wet, however, and after picking up the other three Dot and I drove home so that I could change. Dave and Julia stayed optimistically at the visitor centre in the hope of the sun breaking through.

After leaving the hotel in dry clothes, we found really black skies inland of Blakleney and wrote off the rest of the day. However, magically, when we got to Cley (about two miles) the outlook seemed much brighter, and we all walked out again to a group of three hides in the middle of the marsh. It was from the second one that we saw the marsh harriers.

Back in Blakeney, we repaired yet again to the upstairs lounge at the Blakeney Hotel before returning to the Manor Hotel for the evening meal. In between Dot and I made one more brief trip out to try to find some barn owls: we had received some directions from a twitcher earlier. No sign of them (we were probably a bit early), but it was a delightful little walk in warm evening sun. The evening meal was excellent, and we had coffee etc afterwards as usual, spending much of the time boasting about our grandchildren.

After breakfast yesterday the others headed for home, possibly via Holt and Burnham Market, while Dot and I drove up to Wiveton Downs – another delightful spot new to us, only a couple of miles south of Blakeney. Walked around a bit, but it started raining, and so we got back in the car and drove to Kelling in search of a gallery that a photographer exhibiting at Blakeney had recommended to us. On the way we called at Salthouse Church, where there was an exhibition by Sally Lawford: unusual ideas, and the church was very atmospheric.

The Stable Gallery at Kelling was also interesting: Dot and I were the only ones there apart from the woman in charge, and we ended up having tea and cake, as well as buying a chair for the downstairs loo. Don’t ask.

Back in Norwich we went home, then walked to the Bishop’s Garden for a writers’ event at which InPrint had a stall. Bit of an in-crowd, but quite fun despite the indifferent weather, and at least there was only a smattering of rain. Rupert, Lisa, Tonia there with families. Also met Nick Caistor, Tessa West. Dot decided the look of PVM boxes should be improved and volunteered to help. She’s right: it needs doing.

21 June 2007

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A big week for Oliver, who has learned to ride his bicycle. He showed real determination and independence, and it was great to see his delight when he managed it – on a video sent by David. Today I was able to see him riding down the street “live”: David held a webcam out of the window, and Oliver went up and down two or three times, with Vicky watching from a distance. The picture here goes back a couple of weeks, when he was still getting a helping hand in the garden from Nana (but always wanting to do it on his own). This afternoon he goes with his mother to his new school for a familiarisation visit.

Dot missed this morning’s ride because she was inspecting a school at Wreningham. On Tuesday she was out all day taking Aunt E to visit Aunt J at North Walsham. Rather wish I’d gone, but I did speak to both of them: E to find out why Dot was so late back, and J later to thank her for keeping a paper for me and to mention that I’d met a friend of hers (Yvonne K) at Welborne. Dot and E had lunch at Elderton Grange, and Dot was enthusing about it.

The weather has improved a bit: it’s quite warm, but we still have occasional quite heavy showers. Other parts of the country are much worse hit: part of a rail track was washed away on the England/Wales border.

I spent most of yesterday working on a translation / interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer using the original Aramaic text and commentary on it. Aramaic is a much richer language than English, because its words (and their roots) have wider associations, usually based on verbs and vital human activities. I was trying to create a sort of prayer-poem, and I was reasonably pleased with it. It’s based on a book called Prayers of the Cosmos by Neil Douglas-Klotz. Obviously I don’t speak Aramaic, so I was heavily dependent on the translations and expansions given. Here it is (feel free to skip):

You who created all things perfectly
out of what did not exist
You who are mother and father to us
the source of light and blessing
whose breath flows through and transforms all it touches
rising and shining in space so that we can know you
through the song and vibration of the universe

we plant a garden
a holy shrine
within ourselves
separate
letting go all that would distort or inhibit
your focusing light,
your wisdom, your peace

Come like a fruitful arm
a coiled spring
to release the potential of the earth
Come and fill your children
with delight and faith to go forward
bearing the music and the spirit of your kingdom
in new directions

As stars swirl together in harmony
your heart’s desire is an irresistible force
Let this be true of our hearts too
in word and vision
without break or discord
as we sigh together with the living earth
our home

Take us forward step by step
Give us the food and understanding that we need
Breathe into us warmth, passion and creativity
Produce within us fruit and light
fulfilling what lies within the circle of our lives
an illumined measure of your abundance
nourishing each other

Through forgiveness return us
to our uncorrupted state
clear and unburdened
free of secret debt and hidden entanglements
accidental offences and frustrated hopes
Embrace us with the purity of emptiness
just as we free and forgive others
consistently
repairing relationships

Do not let us be diverted from the purpose of our lives
by surface temptations
or seduced by what is false
and illusory
Do not allow our minds to be lost in forgetfulness
like flags waving aimlessly
in the wind
but break the seal that binds us to what is immature, unripe
or inappropriate
Free us to walk your path with joy

For your field is fertile and all-sufficient
You determine all in your royal universe
Yours is the force that produces and sustains
Yours is the glorious song
light and sound in balance
astonishing fire
from one age to another
in the cycle of time
gathering to gathering
mysterious
grounded and true

17 June 2007

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My grand-daughter Amy at the wheel, pausing for a moment’s reflection. Women drivers, eh?

Welborne is over – an exhausting but fulfilling weekend, with quite reasonable weather on the whole interspersed yesterday by a couple of half-hours of torrential rain which brough a chill as well as sogginess to the air. I think our marquee looked pretty good, and the poetry reading went well, despite meagre attendance today and competition from live music and a town crier yesterday. Very little sold, sadly, though I did manage to get rid of a couple of my original books. Dot came along this afternoon, and we both attended a reading by novelist Tessa West which was excellent (although only six of us were there). Dot bought one of her books, which she signed. Much higher numbers for live music outside and clowns: maybe community activities and more serious stuff don’t really mix. I still love the Welborne Arts Festival, though. Lovely setting.

We spent most of Friday transporting the pictures etc to Welborne, hanging and organising.

On Saturday Dot went to a Wall Hall reunion in Suffolk which I was sorry to miss. I spoke to a couple of the “girls” on the phone – Liz and Jeannie – when I rang to check that Dot had got there all right (through the driving rain). I got myself on an outrageous rump steak in the evening on the assumption that Dot would have eaten, and she had – but she was still back earlier than expected at about 8pm. So we were able to have a relaxing half-an-evening together. Tonight she has gone to an Ambient Wonder event at which she is taking a leading role, but I decided to stay at home because I was very, very tired and because I thought she might do better without me. This evening, I mean. Not generally.

PS There has been an outbreak of very slow driving on the lanes and roads between Norwich and Dereham. On returning from the Welborne Festival yesterday I got caught behind a red Toyota whose driver seemed to think 30mph was a bit excessive, and today I had a similar experience behind another elderly driver on the same road. In each case the driving was so bad it required a real effort not to unintentionally tailgate them on corners, and overtaking was out of the question because you couldn’t believe the driver in front would keep far enough to the left on the narrowish roads. Extremely frustrating and inconsiderate driving. Amy would do a lot better.