Walking day 1. Hunstanton to Wells

Hello, how ya diddlin? Monday morning and it's raining, and they are digging up the roads in the village with three way traffic lights installed, it's a nightmare. Good job I'm not going anywhere. Will need to get out tomorrow though, taking car for MOT test. Crafty Club this morning, catch up time with the ladies. Just eaten lunch, it was a warm up, food made last night, Quorn pieces, onions, broad beans and couscous. 

So, let's get back to the holiday posts, the first day of walking, last Monday morning. Quick breakfast at Hunstanton Hostel, not up to YHA standards though, but it filled a hole, this is an independent hostel. The plan is to walk to Wells along the coastal path, the best place to start is the sea front.    

It was a bit dull and overcast, not many people about, the seafront kiosks were setting up for the day, one or two holiday makers taking a morning stroll.  

Hardy souls getting ready for a spot of wind surfing, brrrr, bit cold for that.

And off they go. Looks good fun but you wouldn't catch me doing anything on water except maybe a bit of paddling, and then only up to my knees.

Heading towards Old Hunstanton the Promenade ends and from here on the coastal path does not hug the sea, leaving it to go inland for short distances, then back again.

I passed by a lot of beach huts nestled among the dunes, all were empty with no signs of life, seems like the season is over here. Some were a bit dilapidated and in need of repair, a few were freshly painted. It's a nice spot to have a beach hut, but not all have a beach view like I have, ha ha.  

Back onto the beach again and more people wind surfing. I came across miles of clean sandy beaches during this walk, it's a great coastline for family holidays and days out.

Follow the acorn sign for the coastal footpath. It took me away from the coast towards Thornham.

Passing Broad Water, a big pond on my right hand side. 

Thornham Church, time for a sit down and a bite to eat on a conveniently placed bench.

Love the painted village signs around here. This one was different on each side.

There isn't a through route close to the coast between Thornham and Brancaster so the path goes inland down a minor road and across a track, then back on a road again. Once through Brancaster it goes behind some houses alongside a marsh. There the walking is made easy with a long stretch of boardwalk. 

Skirting round Burnham Deepdale, passing these boats, I struck up a conversation with an elderly lady walking her black labrador. We talked dogs naturally, she made me laugh with the tale of her friend who sleeps with her Jack Russell. One night the friend farted, and the dog bit her bum. Yes, she really did say that.

The path then goes out towards the sea over the marshes. It's a path constructed with hardcore, and it's a long slog with not much to look at, unless you are a keen bird spotter. I thought it was never going to end, at one point I wondered if I had taken a wrong turn because it seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Here's a bit of recycling, half a boat attached to a bench to make a shelter. Brilliant idea.

I checked the map several times against the few landmarks in the distance, then it turned a corner and went round a bend, and another bend, and then I saw Burton Overy Staithe coming into view. The path took me across a field towards this windmill which was just outside the village.

Leaving Burnham Overy Staithe. 

Time was getting on and I still had a few miles to do. The coastal path heads out over the dunes towards the sea. At one point I found myself on the beach, but finding the path was guess work. I knew I had to head over to the right towards the corner of a wood, so I took whatever route looked the easiest to get there. It meant going back onto the dunes. The path went along the left hand side of the wood, easy enough, then crossed over through the middle to the other side.

Looking at the map there was still a long way to go and it was getting late. I decided to leave the coastal path at Holkham Beach, and head towards the road, the shorter more direct route to Wells Next the Sea. I knew this hostel was self catering so I needed to buy food for my evening meal and breakfast, luckily there is a large Co op supermarket close by. It was 8pm when I finally checked in.

22 miles walked, I was glad to sit down. More tomorrow. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

Off we go to North Norfolk

Good morning, and it is a good one, the sun is shining. I had a mixture of weather for my hols, thankfully no heavy rain, just a couple of days of mizzle, a bit windy and drizzly. There was sun as well so I had my shorts on every day. I've just totted up the miles walked, it works out as 67 in total. It was going to be four days of walking, but I cut it to three and a half, and had a couple of bus rides to fill the gap. According to the YHA site there is 17 miles between the hostels. It seemed like further and so it was, I think they must be using main road miles. Hunstanton to Wells was 22 by the coastal path, and coming back along mainly tarmac roads was 20. Wells to Sheringham was 17 and the half day Sheringham to Holt was 8 miles. I'm pretty pleased with that total. Driving miles from home to Hunstanton, Hunstanton to Martham near Yarmouth, and back home was 350. 

So let's start at the beginning. I left home on Sunday morning and had a couple of places in mind to visit on the way there. Castle Rising is a few miles north of Kings Lynn, not far from the main A149 road. Built in 1140 AD, it is in beautifully maintained grounds close to the village. Car parking is free, there is a reception building with a gift shop where you pay to enter. £3.30 for seniors. Walk over a wooden bridge and through the archway. A link to the Castle Rising web site.   

Then it's a pleasant walk around the perimeter with views to all sides. The re enactment crowd were there for the weekend, giving an insight into the clothing and lifestyle from that era.

The back view of the castle.

There is no grand entrance, just an ordinary door at the corner of the building and up some stone steps.Plenty of walkways and rooms to explore.

You can see here how thick the walls were built in those days.

There are steps up to the higher levels.

I think battle is about to commence. They all came out of their tents, heaven knows how they managed to walk in those heavy metal costumes, never mind fight the enemy.  

A bit of sword practice going on here.

A little bimble into the village, lots of quaint cottages like this to look at.

My next plan was to take a look at the Sandringham Estate, web site here, would be nice to see where Her Majesty hangs out. I found the car park next to the Visitor Centre and picked up a leaflet with a map at the shop. The main entrance to the house and grounds is close by, with ladies waiting to relieve you of some spondoolies. I did not feel .like paying £8 when I only had about an hour left to spare, so sadly I did not get to see the house. 

The church however is a few minutes walk away, and free, so at least I could see where the Royal Family have their Christmas service. Of course it's immaculate, inside and out. 

The silver alter is beautifully polished.

The ceiling is magnificent. Link to the church of St Mary Magdalene here. 

Time to move on and get myself to Hunstanton. Hilary, one of our lovely readers came to meet me, and we had a walk along the sea front and enjoyed a drink and donuts in the sunshine. We had a right good natter, it was great to meet her. She gave me some lovely hand made gifts, a perfumed gingham heart, a needle case, and a specs case. Thank you Hilary, I love them. 

Time to check in at the hostel. This is not a YHA hostel though you can book it through the web site. It is now independently owned. I was sharing a four bedded room with two young German girls, which was good fun.They chatted on in their own language but was able to speak enough English to understand me.

There was time for a stroll along the promenade before bed time, and watch the sun go down. This is the only town on the east coast which faces west, so the sun sets over the sea. It was just beautiful. The promenade was busy with holiday makers, all watching and waiting and taking photo's.

A good start to the holiday, tomorrow is walking to Wells Next the Sea along the coastal path, wonder what that will bring. Back tomorrow with the next installment. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip.

Checking back in.

Ello ello ello, didya miss me? Well I told you I was going on my hols, some of you must have forgotten because I've had emails asking why no blog posts. Do not fear, Meanqueen is here, back from North Norfolk. I've had a belting time, met two smashing blog readers, walked a longish way, had fun nights in Youth Hostels, and finished up staying with my good friends Julie and Frank who live near Great Yarmouth. Bet you are wondering about this cute little doggie. This is Meg, a baby cocker spaniel who has been lucky enough to be spotted by Julie and Frank who are her new mummy and daddy. Photo taken this morning just before I left to come home. She is adorable.

My little family were pleased to see me, all clamoring for cuddles. The sitters have done a good job in looking after them for me. I am lucky to have good friends who will help me out. Heidi had her first venture out into the garden in three weeks this afternoon. She is making good progress and looks well. Rocky was beside himself with joy when I went to collect him. They are all indoors now and things are back to normal for them.

I have 170 photo's to sort out now so I'll make a start. Come back tomorrow for the first batch. Thank you for popping in. I hope you have a fantastic Sunday.
Toodle pip.

£1 well spent

Hello. Thought I would show you what you get in a £1 pack of  seeds and bulbs. I planted them in five storage boxes, I had already drilled the holes in the bottom because I've been using them for growing veg. There are lots of little pink flowers with two colour leaves, and some pink flowers on long stalks. Quite a good show for £1, think I will get some more next year. 

Can you talk among yourselves while I pop out, won't be long. Turn the light out when you leave.
Toodle pip

Hey big spender !

Hello, back again. Oh Lordy, I've spent some money today, stocked up on pet food mainly. Heidi will only eat the small pouches of Sheba, six for £1.50. Bugsy has taken a liking to Gourmet Gold, three small tins for £1. Mayze likes her sliced chicken or turkey or ham, around a pound a packet. All the cats like the Ultima dried food, can get it from the £1 shop. And Rocky likes the Chicken Jerky and the Frolics. Me, what do I get? Anything that's reduced from Tesco, or cheap from the cash and carry. 

Here's the breakdown of spends.

Wilco £4.10. cat and dog food.

Poundland £10. Ultima dried and cooked meats. 

B & M discount store £9.93. Sheba cat food, deli dog treats.

Home Bargains £11.05. jerky fillets, vinegar, bleach, body lotion, Nivea soft.

Poundworld £5. Gourmet Gold cat food, chicken dog treats.

Cash and Carry £8. Tripe dog treats, wet dog food, muesli, linseeds, malt loaf. 

Market £4. Frolics and dog treats.

Tesco £9.81. Cat litter, cat food, milk, bread, pasta salad, salad leaves, yogurts. 

Tesco filling station £40.31. Petrol fill up. 

Good grief, £82.20. 

Ooops, nearly forgot, add one more pound to that for this skirt from Age UK charity shop. It would look lovely on someone of a more senior disposition, 75 or 80 perhaps. Lovely fabric and it looks brand new. Fabulous vibrant colours, not for me to wear, I can see cushion covers. 

Time to clock off. Thanks for popping in and thanks for all the teef stories, seems I am not the only one who was scared out of her pants at the school dentist. At some point I will be doing a disappearing act, but do not despair, I will be back with lots of pics. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip

For those with a sweet toof

Hello. Here's something to be going on with while I get on with house and holiday prepping stuff. I really must get off my backside and get some practicalities done, so to keep you amused for a few hours have a look at this. If you love sweets it will make your mouth water, if you love colour you will instantly feel refreshed and happy, and if you love innovation and ideas you will feel inspired. See what you think.

Candy Anatomy, Delicious Diagrams

Catch you later.

A stitch in time saves loads of money

Hello. This post is for all shoppers in England. Are you ready for the new carrier bag charge that will come in on October 5th? All retailers who have more than 250 employees must charge a minimum of 5p for every single use plastic carrier bag they hand over to a customer. So, if you don't want to pay for your bags what are the options? 

You can purchase a bag for life, they are plastic and around 10p. When they are worn out you take them back to the shop and they exchange it for a new one free of charge. You can buy thick heavy duty bags that supermarkets sell from around £1 and upwards, or you can make your own, like these. I ran them up in a couple of hours on the machine this afternoon. They are made from heavy blackout curtain fabric which I got from the Scrapstore. You could use any curtain fabric you have.   

If you want to have a go, here are the links to a couple of pages I wrote about how to make them.
Make your own shopping bag, from October 2013.
Shopping bags and food, from February 2015

If anyone wants to know more about the new rules, here is an article on the Gov.uk web site.

There's only a month to go, but you can start preparing now. It's a good idea to get into the habit of putting your shopping bags back in the car as soon as you have emptied them, that way you won't forget them next time you need them. If you don't go shopping by car, maybe a bus, or bicycle, or walk, find a place to keep your bags close to the front door, so you remember to pick them up before you go. Have you got a cupboard or a shelf, or hang them on the coat rack by the handles. What you could also do is stick a post it note on the inside of your front door to remind you to take them, until you get into the routine of always picking them up before you leave.

You might want to have a few different types of bags for different types of shopping. If you take a handbag to work you could have a thin nylon bag which folds up very small and fits into your handbag. You could have different sizes of bags, the smaller ones fitting inside the largest bag so you only have one to carry to the shop. A mesh type bag would be useful to carry your veg in then if it has any dirt on it won't contaminate any of your other shopping. You might need a smaller box type bag which is very strong to take the weight of the tinned food. Or a large lightweight bag for the cereal boxes and bread.

Start collecting your bags now so you are ready, and get in the habit of always taking them with you. Then you will never be caught out and have to pay for carrier bags.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

Thumbs up for the teef ;o)

Hello. Good news on the toothy peg front, me gnashers are good, don't need any treatment, £18.80 paid for checkup, don't need to go for another year. Brushing and flossing is good for teeth, it saves you money, and pain. Clean teeth every morning and every night. Don't go to bed with dirty teeth, even if you are dead tired. Don't have a mug of cocoa in bed then go to sleep. Get up and go to the bathroom and brush. Don't drink that first cuppa of the day before you have brushed your teeth. Get up and brush first, then go downstairs and make a drink. Or get someone else to make it for you. These are the rules ;o)

My dentist is very nice, she is called Emma. She gives me a thorough check up around my whole mouth, sticks her fingers in, put your tongue to the left, and to the right, stick your tongue out. She prods and pokes about. Today she didn't have to say anything to her assistant who takes the notes, there was nothing to write down.

I had a terrible fear of dentists as a child. I remember going to the school dentist when I was at junior school. A big man came to the school once in a while, we all had to go and see him. It was an old building, there was a coal fire in the grate, and his sausage dog lay next to it. There wasn't a chair to sit in, you had to stand in front of the dentist with your mouth wide open. I remember having a tooth out, he dabbed some foul tasting brown liquid on it with cotton wool, then took a pair of pliers and yanked it out. He was horrible, I hated it.

When I was a bit older mum took me to a dentist in town, he worked from home, it was a big house and his front room was his surgery. His name was Mr Brown, everyone called him Butcher Brown. Another horrible man, more bad experiences.I was scared to death of him. Mum only took us if we were in pain, we never had regular check ups because my mum was scared of dentists herself. Eventually when I left school and started working, I found another dentist, Mr Stone in New Street was much better, though I only went when I had to.

When I went to live in Blackpool I went with my friend to the dentist, she was happy to go. I remember I had toothache on one particular occasion and she said come in with me and see the dentist. I said no, and stood outside waiting for her. I was in agony but wouldn't go in. Then some children came and happily skipped in through the door. I felt ashamed that I was too much of a coward to go in. Eventually the pain got so bad, and I thought of the children going in, and thought if they can do it I can do it. So I plucked up courage to go, and after that went more regularly. After three years living in Blackpool I went back home, and picked up with Mr Stone again. I stayed with him for many years until I moved away again.

When I came to live here I went to a dentist that someone recommended. I didn't like him though, he didn't say much and I like to be kept informed about what is going to happen. I don't like surprises, I want them to be nice to me. I mentioned it to my next door neighbour, who luckily enough was a dentist practice manager. She said come to our surgery, ring up and make an appointment, so I did. And that's how I met Emma. I will stick with her. Everyone at the practice is nice as well, the receptionists, and assistants, it's even nice sitting in the waiting room. It's a bit further for me to drive there, as it's the other side of town, but worth it so I'll keep going.

Anyway, that's my teef, now share your teef stories.

Tomorrow I will start getting a few things together for the holiday. Looking forward to that. Three blog readers have said they might be able to meet up, if they can spare the time. That would be nice, but if you can't ladies, don't worry. I don't expect people to drop what they are doing if you have commitments elsewhere. I have added an extra day to the holiday, a friend who used to live here in the village now lives near Great Yarmouth, so I'm going over there to visit. That will be nice.

Off to bed now. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

A very useful hippy bag

Hello, as promised, the latest bag. It's a sort of multi purpose, patchwork type colourful hippy bag. It's got loads of room and can be used as a work bag, with the option of picking a few items up at the supermarket on the way home. It could be a beach bag, or a day out bag, or an overnight bag. It's strong and sturdy, some machine stitching and mostly hand stitching. 

The handles are attached onto the outside with cross stitch, and are long enough to go over the shoulder. 

It's quite thick, each side has four layers, an inside and an outside and two layers of hessian in the middle. 

The back is just one piece of colourful fabric. I love the vibrancy of this, and I have plenty more left.

This close up pic makes it look slightly pink, but it is more red, as above.

The lining is plain red cotton.

I'm chuffed with it. It was a bit of an experiment after I did the book cover in a similar style, I wanted to make something bigger.

Kitty news....a pregnant mum came into the rescue and she has given birth to three adorable kittens. Mum is grey short haired and so are the kittens. She lived before with an elderly gentleman who went into care and the family couldn't take her in.

A letter has arrived from the NHS, my poo test is clear, says she heaving a sigh of relief  :o))  Dentist annual check up tomorrow, wish me luck. There will be extra scrubbing and flossing of teeth tonight and tomorrow morning.

The car is booked in for it's MOT. If anyone is looking for a cheapie place to take their car, check out the Halfords Autocentre web site. An MOT costs £30 if you book online. They also do deals on servicing as well. Worth a look if you don't already have your own local reliable garage services.

The sun has come out and I am off outside for an hour or two, so I'll say tatty byes and toodle pip. Catch you soon.