Off to Cromer

Douglas has been working very hard and has not had his days off because of funerals. Today we had nothing planned so this morning we decided to take a trip to the beach at Cromer even though it was cold (1.9 degrees) and wet. The trip started at Downham Market station where we took a train to Ely. The ticket examiner thought we were mad to be going to the beach when it was so cold and wet but we continued on. At Ely we had a mad dash through the subway in order to catch the Norwich train that left from Platform one instead of Platform three which would have been less of a rush for us. In Norwich we again changed trains and this time did not have to rush. Having to change trains does mean that one has a chance to stretch ones legs after the hour long journey. In Cromer we discovered that the sun was shining and we set out to enjoy the two hours we had to spend there but as we got near the beach we realized that the wind was bitterly cold off the North Sea. It felt as though my face was burning it was so cold. We enjoyed walking around the area and then went into the lovely church to get warm and enjoy the beautiful stained glass windows. We also visited the local museum where the lifelike statues and recorded messages helped us understand what life must have been like for the fishermen so many years ago. My camera is playing up again and so I had to remove the memory card in order to take pictures. We then had some drama with getting our lunch and ended up buying sandwiches and cherries and ate them on the station while we waited for the first train for the return trip. In Norwich, Douglas dashed off to buy us some coffee to warm us up before we took the next train to Ely. In Ely we had a long wait so went to Tesco to buy supper and do some window shopping. By the time we got home it was already dark (it gets dark early)and was very cold so we did not dilly dally and were happy to find our house lovely and warm. It was good to have sometime away but it is always good to be home again even though I discovered that somehow or the other I had lost the memory card en route.

Friends from Australia

We have just been blessed to have been able to spend a day with our friends from Australia. We last saw them when we were in Australia for Alan and Sharon Simon's Wedding many years ago.

We left Downham Market by train on Tuesday morning and spent the night in a lovely hotel in Telford. It was very reasonably priced(30 pounds)for an en-suite room for two with a full breakfast included as well as use of their in-door swimming pool and gym. (We did not use these)After settling in we walked to the nearby shopping center where I managed to find a mug for Erin like the one that Rachel and Owen have. Still looking for one that says Evangeline.

The following morning our friends picked us up after breakfast and we drove into the town center, but because it was raining we decided to stop at a coffee shop and spent 2 hours talking non-stop. We then drove to an Abbey and enjoyed a stroll through the fantastic building and the environment before having lunch in another cafe. Once again we never stopped talking and before we knew it, it was time for us to be taken to the station so we could start our 4 hour journey home. It is wonderful how one can sit with people one has last seen about 9 years ago and be able to chat as though it was yesterday when one saw them last.