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King’s Lynn morris men make merry on Boxing Day - News
Traditional Sandringham Christmas gathering but without Prince William and Kate Middleton
http://paper.li/DerekKnight1/1293231085
Monday, 27 December 2010
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
A Cold December Day
Yesterday was pretty magical in King’s Lynn.
Unlike most of the rest of England, we do not have snow at the moment, but it has been VERY cold with temperatures not getting above freezing for several days. Yesterday morning it was slightly foggy, and when I went out in the back garden to put out some food for the birds, I was struck by the amazing effect of the frost on the bushes. Not only was each branch and twig white with frost, when you got up close you could see that the frost crystals were standing out clear and bright from the branches.
After breakfast I wrapped up warm and took went out for a walk, but even before I got out of the gate to our courtyard, I was stopped by the sight of the small cobwebs frozen like ribbons of pearls – even the small lichen on the stonework were picked out in frost.
By this time the fog was lifting, and although there was sun above me, across in West Lynn it still looked murky, but even so the trees on the other side of the river were bright white, and I could see frost on the other riverbank. Turning to walk along South Quay, I came to a stop by a tree in a neighbouring courtyard. I was aware this tree was there, but to be honest I could not have told you anything about it – but today it looks magnificent – full of red berries, and white frost, it just looked like something an artist had produced, much too perfect to be real.
Although it was below freezing, the air was still, and it was exhilarating to walk along the Quayside, watching the patches of ice flow downstream, the only sound being the crunch of my boots on the ice. As I came to the place where the Mill Fleet joins the main river, I stopped and looked over the bridge. The stream was running, but where the tide had receded, the banks of the river were sheets of ice, and the reeds and other plants standing in frozen status.
Along this part of the walk I came upon another tree that I would not normally have remarked on – but the sight of this small tree picked out in white against the old buildings here was spectacular – like some form of abstract art.
I walked down Nelson Street and round to Priory Lane, and here was an amazing “man-made” sight – from the top of a 2 story building all the way down to the pavement was a solid icicle – I have no idea where the water that made it was coming from, but it covered the whole wall and downstairs window – it must have been REALLY cold inside that room.
Walking on I then doubled back through the churchyard of St Margaret’s church, and as I walked under the trees it was almost as if snow was falling – but actually, it was the frost falling off the trees. At St Margaret’s I stopped to light a candle, and then carried on along Queen Street before completing the circuit to come back into our courtyard through the alley from Three Crowns Yard.
But even here was something new to look at – on the iron work gate the frost had formed horizontal spikes on one side only – I have never seen anything quite like that before.
Back home it was nice to be in the warm again, but the walk made me grateful that I get to see all these wonders of the world.
Unlike most of the rest of England, we do not have snow at the moment, but it has been VERY cold with temperatures not getting above freezing for several days. Yesterday morning it was slightly foggy, and when I went out in the back garden to put out some food for the birds, I was struck by the amazing effect of the frost on the bushes. Not only was each branch and twig white with frost, when you got up close you could see that the frost crystals were standing out clear and bright from the branches.
After breakfast I wrapped up warm and took went out for a walk, but even before I got out of the gate to our courtyard, I was stopped by the sight of the small cobwebs frozen like ribbons of pearls – even the small lichen on the stonework were picked out in frost.
By this time the fog was lifting, and although there was sun above me, across in West Lynn it still looked murky, but even so the trees on the other side of the river were bright white, and I could see frost on the other riverbank. Turning to walk along South Quay, I came to a stop by a tree in a neighbouring courtyard. I was aware this tree was there, but to be honest I could not have told you anything about it – but today it looks magnificent – full of red berries, and white frost, it just looked like something an artist had produced, much too perfect to be real.
Although it was below freezing, the air was still, and it was exhilarating to walk along the Quayside, watching the patches of ice flow downstream, the only sound being the crunch of my boots on the ice. As I came to the place where the Mill Fleet joins the main river, I stopped and looked over the bridge. The stream was running, but where the tide had receded, the banks of the river were sheets of ice, and the reeds and other plants standing in frozen status.
Along this part of the walk I came upon another tree that I would not normally have remarked on – but the sight of this small tree picked out in white against the old buildings here was spectacular – like some form of abstract art.
I walked down Nelson Street and round to Priory Lane, and here was an amazing “man-made” sight – from the top of a 2 story building all the way down to the pavement was a solid icicle – I have no idea where the water that made it was coming from, but it covered the whole wall and downstairs window – it must have been REALLY cold inside that room.
Walking on I then doubled back through the churchyard of St Margaret’s church, and as I walked under the trees it was almost as if snow was falling – but actually, it was the frost falling off the trees. At St Margaret’s I stopped to light a candle, and then carried on along Queen Street before completing the circuit to come back into our courtyard through the alley from Three Crowns Yard.
But even here was something new to look at – on the iron work gate the frost had formed horizontal spikes on one side only – I have never seen anything quite like that before.
Back home it was nice to be in the warm again, but the walk made me grateful that I get to see all these wonders of the world.
Saturday, 4 December 2010
New blog post - Christmas Farmers Market.
Here is a link to my latest blog on a Christmas Farmers Market here in Norfolk
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
NFL in the UK
Last year I started watching American Football on the net, and they talked about the "International Series" - two NFL teams come to London to play their competition match, so I bought a ticket! Fast forward several months, and the match was last Sunday.
From here in King’s Lynn it’s quite easy to get to Wembley - the train down to King’s Cross, and then the Tube over to Wembley Park - that is, unless there are engineering works on the line which mean that there is a bus replacement service for part of the route, adding about an hour to the journey time. Which there was on Sunday. So I decided to drive over to Peterborough, and get the train from there.
This part of the journey went well, and I even managed to do a bit of Twittering whilst I was on the train. This part of Cambridgeshire is very pretty, with big open fields and trees which were just turning colour. It’s also very flat mostly fen land, and I could see rain clouds in the distance, which we passed through and then on out.
Getting to King’s Cross I went down to the Tube station, and was amused to see lots of NFL team shirts - seems I wouldn’t be alone on the terraces! I was less amused, as the platform got more crowded, to hear the announcement that there had been a signal failure, and all trains were delayed. This held us up maybe 30 minutes, but eventually the happy throng of supporters arrived at Wembley Park station, and headed off to the stadium.
I’d not been to the new Wembley, and was truly impressed by the sight of the arch and the stadium itself as the crowds walked along to it. I wanted to get a sweat shirt I’d seen in the promotional leaflet, and stopped at one of the concession stands along the route, but they were out of them, so I carried on and found my entrance easily - I was very impressed with the signage here!
Going through the gate and after the security search, I got my first glimpse of the ground through one of the entrances, and I was probably grinning from ear to ear - there is just something about a big event in a big stadium that makes me smile! Before going into the seating, I waited at one of the souvenir stands for a sweat shirt - I saw they had one on display. When I get to be served, I find that the one on display is the only one they have left! It’s a medium, and I really wanted a large (I like to wear these things loose) but after a moment’s hesitation I bought it anyway - yes, it WAS expensive (£40!) but it was also what I wanted.
Then I went in and found my seat - But stood for a bit to take it all in - giant balloons of the San Francisco and Denver helmets were at each end of the pitch, and there were players warming up, and dancing pom-pom girls - it was still 45 minutes before match time, and that time was filled with music and entertainment. San Francisco was the “home” team, and so we all had SF 49er flags. The seats were filling up rapidly now- next to me were a man and his young son, who were Denver Bronco fans, and there were a lot of people wearing the shirts of various teams, but I got the impression that most of the crowd were neutral on the outcome of the game - we just wanted a good one!
I had wondered if they would do the normal thing of having the US national anthem, and indeed they did unfurl a big Stars and Stripes flag and had a singer perform the anthem. Then they unfurled a Union Jack, and someone played it, with some of us singing alone.
And then the game - well, I’m not a sports commentator, I can’t tell you who made which plays, and certainly won’t do any stats! But as a spectacle, it lived up to my expectations from watching on the net. The actual play was somewhat slow in the first 3 quarters, picking up more in the last quarter, but there was a lot to keep us entertained in the mean time. One thing I’d not realised was that the US NFL games were being played at the same time as ours, and the latest scores and video clips were being shown on the big video screens. One of the people behind me was a St Louis Rams follower, and got excited when the Rams were shown to be leading!!
I was getting cold on the stands, and as I’d not eaten, I went out during the 2nd quarter and got myself a hot drink and a hot dog - very American!! As I said, most of the action in the game came in the 4th quarter, and the 49’ers ended up winners 24 to 16. Those in the seats around me were mostly British, but I did detect a few American accents in the crowd - I’m sure if I was an American living over here it’d be a “must do” thing to go to the match!
Overall it was a great day out - I had intended to get there earlier to go to the tail gate party, but the time I spent in Wembley - from around 4 pm till the game finished just after 8 - was well worth it. A fun time, and the crowd was so well behaved - and I forgot to mention the Mexican Wave that went round the stadium 4 to 5 times!
Sunday, 3 October 2010
A new Month
I see that we have a new - free - glossy mag in King's Lynn, called "KL Magazine" - I guess that's a case of "it does what it says on the tin". The most interesting article for me was the one on Captain Vancouver.
Before I moved here, I wondered why Lynn had a shopping center named after a place in Canada - and then I found out that the place in Canada was named after a son of Lynn - Captain George Vancouver. What I find really amazing about that time in our history was how people made those sorts of trips - if your only experience of the sea is the Wash and the North Sea, the wide Atlantic, and the truly HUGE distances involved in a trip like the Captain's just stagger the mind.
The last two early mornings (not that early, I'm talking 7am) have been really pretty here in Lynn. Although the days have been wet and wild, as I've come along the river at that time it's been crisp and bright - and both days with that really clean and rain-fresh smell that just makes it good to be alive. And then by mid-day it's raining again - ah well.
Before I moved here, I wondered why Lynn had a shopping center named after a place in Canada - and then I found out that the place in Canada was named after a son of Lynn - Captain George Vancouver. What I find really amazing about that time in our history was how people made those sorts of trips - if your only experience of the sea is the Wash and the North Sea, the wide Atlantic, and the truly HUGE distances involved in a trip like the Captain's just stagger the mind.
The last two early mornings (not that early, I'm talking 7am) have been really pretty here in Lynn. Although the days have been wet and wild, as I've come along the river at that time it's been crisp and bright - and both days with that really clean and rain-fresh smell that just makes it good to be alive. And then by mid-day it's raining again - ah well.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
oh my - July
Hi readers :)
Sorry to be away from the bloggersphere for so long - be back real soon - promise
Sorry to be away from the bloggersphere for so long - be back real soon - promise
Monday, 5 July 2010
Old Hunstanton beach walk
A couple of days ago was one of those days when I wake stupidly early, and just need to move. And as it was already sunny and bright, I decided to jump in the car and go walk on the coast.
I headed for Old Hunstanton - this is maybe just a mile or so along the coast from the more touristy Hunstanton with its funfair and "attractions", and is more of a "local" beach. As it was very early the roads were blissfully clear and open, and I arrived on the beach just at 6am. The tide was on the way out, but still fairly high when I got there. I took off my shoes and headed to the shore line - how good to feel sand between your toes and the sun on your body!
The beach was empty apart from the birds that flocked on the receding water line, and I ventured out to walk just where the waves were still gently lapping against the shore. I needed some shells to complete a small decorative project I'm working on, and soon my pockets were bulging and wet from the wonders I found!! I kept telling myself to stop - but then finding "just one more" perfect specimen, which I simply had to collect.
All this time the water is slowly going further and further out, and I'm soon in areas with seaweed growing. It's really intriguing how, although the sand is basically flat, it's not a uniform flatness. There are rises where the sand has already dried out, and then streams that cut channels through making deep gulleys. It's easy to see how these sands can be dangerous for the unwary - I know from my experience how fast the water comes in at hight tide, and these high areas would soon become sandbanks surrounded by water.
The sun continues to rise over the coast line, and as I walk towards it I am mesmerised by the brightness and the colours. Behind me, I can see the coloured Hunstanton cliff with the bright white lighthouse on top, a truly iconic picture.
After walking for some time, I spot in the distance the first human I've seen on the beach so far - a solitary man walking his dog up on the top of the beach. I wonder what the time is, and am shocked to see it's already almost 7 o'clock - I've been walking for an hour without really noticing!
So I turn and set off back along the beach to where I've left the car. Only then do I really appreciate how far I've actually come! Rather than the slow wading I've been doing, I walk on the firmer sand so that I can pick the pace up a bit. I see more people walking dogs on my way back, and also one family starting their day on the beach early.
It's past 8 when I get back to the car - I'd left it parked in splendid isolation, but now I have builders vehicles close in front and behind me - thanks guys!! But I get out OK, and am soon on the road again, but this time with more traffic heading into town.
I turn the local radio station on, and listen to the morning show - full of weather reports and traffic news - a total contrast to the basic elements of sun and water I've been immersed in for the last 2 hours.
By now I'm feeling really tired, so I'm glad when I get back to my riverside home, and can drop back into bed - sandy and damp, slightly smelling of sea air, but SO contented with my lot in life.
POSTSCRIPT
After I washed and dried the shells, I had enough to complete what I'd wanted them for, and some over! They are now used as decorations around the place, and the larger shells I've used as candle holders for night lights - I smile every time I look at them!
I headed for Old Hunstanton - this is maybe just a mile or so along the coast from the more touristy Hunstanton with its funfair and "attractions", and is more of a "local" beach. As it was very early the roads were blissfully clear and open, and I arrived on the beach just at 6am. The tide was on the way out, but still fairly high when I got there. I took off my shoes and headed to the shore line - how good to feel sand between your toes and the sun on your body!
The beach was empty apart from the birds that flocked on the receding water line, and I ventured out to walk just where the waves were still gently lapping against the shore. I needed some shells to complete a small decorative project I'm working on, and soon my pockets were bulging and wet from the wonders I found!! I kept telling myself to stop - but then finding "just one more" perfect specimen, which I simply had to collect.
All this time the water is slowly going further and further out, and I'm soon in areas with seaweed growing. It's really intriguing how, although the sand is basically flat, it's not a uniform flatness. There are rises where the sand has already dried out, and then streams that cut channels through making deep gulleys. It's easy to see how these sands can be dangerous for the unwary - I know from my experience how fast the water comes in at hight tide, and these high areas would soon become sandbanks surrounded by water.
The sun continues to rise over the coast line, and as I walk towards it I am mesmerised by the brightness and the colours. Behind me, I can see the coloured Hunstanton cliff with the bright white lighthouse on top, a truly iconic picture.
After walking for some time, I spot in the distance the first human I've seen on the beach so far - a solitary man walking his dog up on the top of the beach. I wonder what the time is, and am shocked to see it's already almost 7 o'clock - I've been walking for an hour without really noticing!
So I turn and set off back along the beach to where I've left the car. Only then do I really appreciate how far I've actually come! Rather than the slow wading I've been doing, I walk on the firmer sand so that I can pick the pace up a bit. I see more people walking dogs on my way back, and also one family starting their day on the beach early.
It's past 8 when I get back to the car - I'd left it parked in splendid isolation, but now I have builders vehicles close in front and behind me - thanks guys!! But I get out OK, and am soon on the road again, but this time with more traffic heading into town.
I turn the local radio station on, and listen to the morning show - full of weather reports and traffic news - a total contrast to the basic elements of sun and water I've been immersed in for the last 2 hours.
By now I'm feeling really tired, so I'm glad when I get back to my riverside home, and can drop back into bed - sandy and damp, slightly smelling of sea air, but SO contented with my lot in life.
POSTSCRIPT
After I washed and dried the shells, I had enough to complete what I'd wanted them for, and some over! They are now used as decorations around the place, and the larger shells I've used as candle holders for night lights - I smile every time I look at them!
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