Tag Archives: reepham

12 April 2008

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Grandson Oliver shows skill with a frisbee on Walcott beach on Wednesday, as the few drops of rain faded away to give us a pleasant hour there – even a little sunshine. We had just taken Jessie back to North Walsham after a “pub meal” (Oliver’s request) at the Town House in Thorpe. Very nice, but slow service. Jessie had been to see Frank at his new home – Overbury House in Wroxham – arriving by bus from North Walsham. I picked her up to transport her back to Norwich. All a little more complicated than it might have been, because the electrician was fitting our new sidelights and study light, and Dot needed to supervise the operation! But it all worked out very well. Oliver also did a lot of construction work on the beach involving sand and flint, and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

The same day Dot had a blood test for cholesterol, which meant she had to be at the doctor’s by 8.30am. No need for an alarm clock – nor on Thursday, when Oliver woke before 6am. We went to see Aunt Ethel in the morning (Oliver declining the offer of a bus ride), and headed back to Caddington at about 3pm. We stopped for a drink just over halfway, and I managed to block the PIN on my Goldfish card at the petrol station. (Unlocked today at a machine at Reepham). Lots of traffic on the approach to Caddington, but not as much as earlier, when David had rung to say he had been stuck in traffic twice on the way to pick up Amy from nursery. Apparently the M1 had been shut for a couple of hours, and everything was spilling off it. Shutting motorways should be illegal.

Returned home after evening meal and bath (grandchildren, not us), arriving back in Norwich about 11pm. Never felt more like going straight to bed. Oliver was a lot of fun to have around, though. He has developed a lot of skill at chess, and his drawing and computer handling are both exceptionally good. He can also read really well for a five-year-old.

Yesterday spent serious time sorting our the NCMC website, as well as catching up in other areas. Watched quite a bit of television in the evening. This morning we went to Reepham to get our hair cut and had lunch as usual at Kerri’s. The chain and flex for the light in the kitchen has been lengthened, and Dot is even now knocking on the ceiling to see where we can insert the screw. Don’t ask.

2 December 2007

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J & A came to a meal on Saturday night, and conversation turned to mutual friends, one of whom we knew many, many years ago when we helped to run a youth group. This picture shows, not the mutual friend, but me and our son David. No prizes for guessing who is who. Three of the others are vicars’ sons and one is a bishop’s son. Talk about exalted company. The connection? This is part of a much bigger picture containing the mutual friend. I hope you’re following this.

On Friday Dot and I had our hair cut and did some Christmas shopping at Reepham. A friend said she had never found anything worth going to Reepham for, but I like it a lot. Some lovely little alleys, an unusual centre and this rather neat shop in the old station that sells all sorts of strange things. Some good walks in the area too.

On Saturday we went to Rupert Mallin’s retrospective exhibition of his parents’ work: Tom and Muriel. Some really good stuff going relatively cheap, as well as some expensive works – one of which went for £2500 while we were there. Sales seemed to be going well generally. We bought a rather nice picture of Suffolk, plus a couple of woodcuts and two small drawings – oh, and a copy of Tom’s novel dedicated to Muriel which may be a first American edition.

Today we went to Communion and then to North Walsham in the afternoon – visiting Dot’s aunt and the cemetery, though not in that order. Quite windy, but not cold for the time of year.

11 October 2007

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At his official birthday party Oliver showed his prowess on the roped climbing frame, going over the top successfully.

Yesterday Dot and I had our haircut at Reepham, and I went for a two-mile walk on a track round the outside of the village but off Marriott’s Way. Very enjoyable. Dot is still immersed in sorting the garage out and (today) doing a thorough job on the house, with occasional input from me. The mail strike is over, but I still felt I couldn’t risk sending the cheque for Andrew’s care by first class post, so I sent it special delivery.

Weather is quite good. Tonight we’re out to one of Dot’s school colleague’s for a meal. I’ve been improving and printing a small leaflet on Edith Cavell, featuring my poem Edith and the Glacier. Will probably read it at Mulbarton Church on Saturday night during a concert (and during the England-France rugby game, annoyingly).

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.

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.