On the make

Hello. What have I been doing all week, apart from blogging about the holiday? I've been busy sewing. A couple of weeks ago I popped into the church on a Saturday morning, it is open from 10 till 12 throughout the summer. I noticed that there weren't many cushions available and the wooden seats must be quite uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time. Then I had an idea, I have some spare fabric which would be just right for some covers, and I had some curtain linings and crumbed foam to make the cushions. Bingo, twelve cushions made for hardly any money. Just the job, I was wondering what to do with the fabric. 

Some of it is a brand new curtain found in a skip, a curtain bought from a charity shop for £1, pieces picked up at the Scrapstore, and some is a piece of fabric which a reader gave to me. There you are you see, it all comes in useful for something. Won't be so much shuffling about to get comfortable now. I am delivering them tomorrow morning at 9 when the church opens.

More sewing. I made this string of felt hearts for my friend in Norfolk for her new house. I think she will like them.

And two more shopping bags made.

So all in all I am on a sewing roll. Still more projects to do, two more shirts to make into cushions, and more bags to make. These will be sold on our Christmas market stalls to raise funds for the cat rescue.

I believe we are in for more sunshine, so make the most of it. I went to Barton today to the Open Studios at the Ropewalk, had a chat with my favourite artist Michael Scrimshaw. Also went to St Mary's church to get some photo's of 3,800 knitted teddies, but they weren't ready, I was too early. I'll go back tomorrow for those. Have a nice Sunday.
Toodle pip.

The last day in Norfolk

Good morning. I bet you are worn out with all that walking, I am recovered and could go again if I didn't have commitments here. A much easier day for the last day of the Norfolk holiday. How do you fancy a stroll along the beach to see the seals. 

I left Hunstanton Hostel to drive to a village near Great Yarmouth to visit my friends, Julie and Frank. You may remember me writing about walking their blind Spaniel Jessica, when they were living in my village. They both travel a lot, Spain and Canada, so I was lucky to catch them in their new house in Norfolk, soon they will be off  again. 

I arrived just before lunchtime and as it was a sunny day we sat in the garden to eat, drink, and chat. Afterwards they suggested a short run out to the beach to see the seals. Oooh, yes please, that will be good. The new puppy Meg stayed at home because she has not yet had her inoculations. We parked in the pub car park and took a short stroll over the sand dunes and this is what we found. There were a few people photographing but everyone kept their distance, best not to get too close. 

I'll put a quick note in here for anyone who is in the Lincolnshire coast area in November and December. The seals come onto the sand dunes at Donna Nook at this time to give birth. It is a spectacle worth seeing if you fancy a trip out because they come really close to the fence. Some good photo's to be had. Check here.

It was a bit blustery but we were prepared with extra clothing, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky so not that cold. 

Me still got my shorts on, I've had them on all week.

We had a couple of drinks at the pub, lots of lovely cider to choose from. I picked a fizzy pear cider first, then I had a still apple cider with a rich golden glow, it was delicious. It must have been a bit chuffin strong because I felt woozy when I came out of the pub, I can usually manage a pint without falling over. There were people sitting outside on the picnic benches and I saw an opportunity for a laugh. They were gawping at me, so I gave them a show, pretending to be legless. You've seen it on the tele, one step forward two steps backwards, stagger to the left, then to the right. I kept prattling on about them getting me drunk saying what did you give me. Julie came rushing back to me when she saw me wandering off in the wrong direction. She held my arm to guide me to the car and I was still nattering to myself. She asked if I was kidding. I only let on when we were out of earshot, and chuckled to myself as we got in the car, admitting that it was all a show. I would make a bluddy good actor, if only I could learn lines, ha ha.

The rest of the day was taken up with playing with Meg, she is a sweetheart.

We watched a bit of tele, and enjoyed a lovely evening meal of veggie quiche, garlic bread and mixed salad, with ice cream and raspberries for pudding, all washed down with a glass of wine. Brilliant company.

I left the next day and drove home. I had intended to make a stop at Sleaford and visit the Arts Centre there, but the town was chocablock so I drove in and straight out again. I didn't get a break until I got to Tesco at Lincoln, then it was a short hop home.

So that's the end of that holiday, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Nothing else planned, probably some days out. Rock's arthritis is troubling him at the moment so my days will be planned around that, I have to keep my eye on him. Heidi will need more blood tests soon, to see if the medication has had any long term affect on her, or if she needs more. They will compare the red and white blood cell readings with the first test to see if her body is fighting the illness or if she will be reliant on medication for the rest of her life. She is back to how she was, quite lively and eating well, but there might still be something not quite right in her body.

I shall sign off now. Thanks for reading. More sewing, will post about that soon, and a trip to Barton on Humber at the weekend, probably tomorrow, Saturday. It's the open studios at the Ropewalk Arts Centre, and there is an exhibition on in a church, hundreds of knitted teddies to be sent overseas to needy children. More about that later.
Toodle pip.

Walking day 4. Wells back to Hunstanton

Good morning, looks like another nice day, sunny and warm outside. We are at day four of the walking, the last day back to Hunstanton. I set out determined to walk the whole distance. Holkham Park is close to Wells, it looks like a nice place to start the day. I headed for what appears to be the nearest gate to get into the park. There are a number of entrances, but most of them seem to be private. The one I approached had big gates with chains on, with an estate lodge just the other side. No entry to the general public. Nothing for it but to go around the edge on the road. Thankfully someone had cut the grass just inside the hedge so that made it a bit better walking, away from the traffic. At the main gate off the A149 is the welcome sign. 

All traffic goes through the arch, the car park is further on next to the house.

A few deer strolling about.

There is a massive marquee close to the car park which houses the refreshments, with outdoor seating on decking. I was surprised to see the cyclists that I met at the hostel, enjoying their morning cuppa.

The entrance to the house is not very well marked, I didn't go and have a look as the price list was at the car park. Too expensive for me, and I have a lot of walking to do, no time. This is the back of the hall, and the first side you see as you walk through the grounds. Doesn't look very exciting.

I took a few minutes to walk around the outside. This is the side view. The grounds are enclosed inside a high wall with an ornamental balustrade around it.  

Stepping back to get more of the hall in the picture. That wall is pretty high.

Standing on tip toe I aimed my camera through the concrete rails for a closer picture.

The front looks very grand.

A large statue, the slaying of the dragon. Not a good picture, I couldn't get a better angle on it. 

It was a lovely sunny day. The car park man told me I could exit the estate by the west gate which meant turning right at the bottom end of the lake. There are a number of longer walks but I needed to go in a westerly direction, a lot of miles to do.

A walk along a track brought me to this church at Burnham Thorpe. Time for a bite to eat and to take my boots off for a few minutes.

From Burnham Thorpe I followed the road to Burnham Market. It's a lovely village, a wide main street with lawns and benches, and pastel coloured small independent shops. I looked up and down for some nice views but everywhere was full of parked cars, which totally spoiled the look of the place, so I didn't take any photo's.

I didn't take any more after that because it was head down and march along a straight road to Ringstead. Nothing of interest to take a photo of, just hedges and fields. The road is part of the long distance cycle way, so it was quite narrow and not many cars passed. It tested my stamina, sometimes it's good to push yourself past your comfort zone for a while.

I came to Hunstanton Park, it would have been great if I could walk straight through it, but again the entrance was a locked gate, so I had to walk around it towards Old Hunstanton. Coming into Hunstanton I popped into a Sainsbury's Local shop for something for my evening meal and breakfast. I decided I didn't need a cooked breakfast on the last morning as I was driving to my friends house where she would have lunch prepared. I was pleased to see my car in the street outside the hostel exactly as I left it.

So, the last day's walking was 20 miles, that's about my average, so pleased with that. Pop back tomorrow and find out what I did on the last day of the holiday. Thanks for reading. Back to the sewing.
Toodle pip.

Walking day 3. Sheringham back to Wells

Goodee Morning. Still catching up on last weeks hols. Wednesday morning at Sheringham, turn around and walk back to Wells. I haven't seen much of the town, so here is the board outside the railway station. It was starting to get busy as I strolled into town for a quick look before I set off. I did consider taking the train, the toot toot of the whistle was drawing me in. Sadly the steam train had gone, I missed it. 

A few pics of the station before I set off.

I love these preserved old stations, they have real character.

I knew it was going to be difficult to find some interesting paths back to Wells, I decided not to backtrack along the coastal path, been there, seen it. A little bit of roadwork took me to Upper Sheringham.

There is a reservoir outside the church, where the water flows continuously fed by an underground spring. Many years ago before pipelines were laid this was the only source of water to the village.

I joined the A148 for a short distance and took a right turn into the entrance of a caravan park. Once past the caravans, the path skirts around the edge of a wood and joins the road at Weybourne Station. Oh bugger, I heard the toot toot of the steam train but just missed getting a picture, it had gone. I wondered when it would come back.

The path follows the railway line for a while, a very pleasant walk past Kelling Heath Park Station, which is nothing more than a platform and a couple of wooden benches. It winds it's way up an embankment, and rejoins the railway line a bit further along, then crosses it to the other side. I waited a few minutes in the hope that the steam train would come back, but no luck. 

Another study of the map and a couple of miles on the road brought me to a junction where I again searched for a footpath to take me in a westerly direction. Not looking good, more road walking. I made a decision. The signpost said Holt 2 miles, a van driver stopped and asked me if I was lost. I said nope, I know exactly where I am. I decided to give my feet the rest of the day off, by walking the two miles to Holt and getting a bus.  

A few photos of Holt, slow bimbling is less painful on the plates of meat (feet). This is an unusual church.

There is a monument in the centre with the distances to other towns on all four sides. I didn't take four pictures. You can see it says Wells 12 miles. Do I want to walk that far today on the road? Errr no.

These terraced houses look neat and tidy. I would be inclined to paint my front door red if I lived there, but no doubt it wouldn't be allowed, ha ha.

A plaque seen on the front of a shop. There are lots of arts and crafts type gift shops in this town.

The gallery sits in a prominent position in a courtyard. A quick shuffle round revealed a lot of expensive paintings. 

The man in the Tourist Information shop was helpful with bus time tables. There are very few buses to Wells from Holt, and the best option would be to get a bus to Sheringham, then get the Coast Hopper bus to Wells. I got comfy on the top deck front seat with good views, back to Sheringham.

I had an hour to spare at Sheringham, and as luck would have it I spotted the steam engine being shunted into a siding at the station. Wow, at last I can get a picture of it. Isn't it a beauty. Love love love these trains. I got chatting with a railway man and he told me it was going to be loaded onto a truck that night, and carted off to another station. Apparently that's what they do. The engines are on loan and get moved about to different places. He also said the road journeys don't do them any good, they get bashed by overhead trees and end up damaged. Sounds like restoration is an ongoing task.

A stroll down the main street in Sheringham took me past this shelter on the way to the sea front. It has been clad in wooden panels and painted in celebration of 100 years Women's Institute.

Then it was back to the station for the Coast Hopper bus to Wells. I was lucky, there was one in ready to go. Not so lucky though when I saw it was crammed full of people, the driver said I could get on. It was an uncomfortable journey, standing up and squashed against lots of bodies the whole time, people pushing and shoving to get on and off. Some people got left behind at the bus stops, after a head count the driver had to close the doors, sorry, no more. It wasn't his fault, apparently one of the buses had broken down and a replacement was on it's way.

The usual greeting from the Warden back at Wells Hostel. She was there as a relief warden, had come up from the south coast in her campervan with her border collie. A beautiful dog. She sleeps in the wardens flat, the dog sleeps in the campervan. A group of older cyclists checked in just after me, so it was frivolity and fun in the dining room that night. They were a jolly bunch.

So, only eight miles walked today, I am determined I will walk the whole distance tomorrow back to Hunstanton, even if it does mean lots of road walking. The snoring in the room kept me awake a bit, but eventually I dropped off. Lucky I can take my hearing aid out to muffle the sound. My goodness, I could never live with anyone who snores, ha ha.

TBC tomorrow. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip

Walking day 2. Wells to Sheringham

Hip hip hooooray, it's good news, the car has passed it's MOT test. All is well, no notifications, that's a relief. I did a bit of shopping while I was waiting, some essentials from Aldi.

Right, onto day two of the walk. Breakfast was self catering at the hostel. I had bread and cheese, malt loaf and a banana. Walking towards the sea front I passed by the main shopping street, it's a bit narrow, but even so, the traders were putting out their wares at the front of their shops. There had just been a shower but that didn't seem to deter them from bringing it all outside in the open.  

The bin lorry crawled slowly along, squeezing itself through, cars behind had to wait while the men loaded the bins onto it. Hardly any room to swing a cat, as the saying goes.

Seen outside the front of the butchers shop, anyone want to buy a cow hide for £220?

This boat in the harbour is a sort of restaurant, but it could have been a greasy spoon cafe by the state of the mish mash of tables and chairs. 

Goodbye Wells, I'll be back.

Off we go again, the coastal path was like this quite a lot of the way, can't see the sea because of all the marshes.

I was keeping in touch with Sue by text, she said she would meet me and join me on the walk. I sent her a text when I was passing Stiffkey, and again when I was passing Morston.

All of a sudden she was coming towards me, her hubby had dropped her off, I was surprised to see her. We walked into Blakeney and took some photo's. 

After we left the village we had a choice of route, follow the coastal path or take the path alongside the road to Cley next the Sea. I chose the road route as it was the shorter distance past Sue's house, which meant extra sitting down time. 

The village grocery store in Cley. It's a pretty village with narrow and twisty roads.

The windmill at Cley.

Here we had a welcome break sitting out on the terrace, enjoying Sue's sandwiches made with tasty home made bread, and scrummy cakes. 

After we were suitably rested and refreshed, Sue walked with me again a bit further. The coastal path from Cley to Weybourne goes along a four mile stretch of shingle beach, something I wanted to avoid. Luckily I had my own guide to show me an alternative route. I didn't take any pictures along here, because we were too busy nattering. As we reached Weybourne the path goes up onto the cliff top, and it was here that we parted company. I have to say though, that we got on like a house on fire, I'm so glad that she could come and meet me.

The views looking back were really good, even though it was a bit windy and drizzly. On my right hand side was Sheringham Golf Club, and some hardy souls were out giving their balls what for.

Sheringham Youth Hostel is quite modern. By this time I was getting a bit cold, and was glad of the warm welcome. 17 miles walked today, that's enough.

Come back tomorrow for the next installment. Toodle pip