Norfolk Lavender

We left home shortly after 6am this morning to drive to Norfolk. We stopped for coffees at a motorway service centre, and I was appalled at how filthy it was - the car park was covered in litter, the toilets in the Starbucks where we got our coffees (not my choice but only coffee shop there) had not seen any bleach in decades and smelt foul. It's an embarrassment for visitors to the country to experience this.

We arrived in Brancaster Staithe shortly after 9am, unloaded the car and then headed straight out to the beach. We walked to Brancaster beach, it’s a good half an hour’s walk along the boardwalk over the salt marshes. The vegetation alongside the boardwalk had grown up so much that within minutes we were both suffering from nettle stings on our legs - why does a nettle sting take all day to stop stinging? It was a beautiful sunny day and hot but not unpleasant with a light sea breeze. We were surprised how quiet it was, I would have thought it would be heaving with people but it wasn’t.

We got back in time to receive the Sainsbury’s delivery, and then had lunch. Gavin popped over the road to the Crab Shack and we had crab/seafood rolls (they also sell mini pots of it which I put onto a GF roll). After lunch we went to visit the lavender fields at Heacham. Norfolk lavender is well known, although these fields were rather small compared to the lavender farm I usually visit near us in Surrey. However, it was so quiet - only one other couple there, which was brilliant. At Mayfield Lavender in Surrey there are hordes of people with selfie sticks taking photos of themselves and it is very tricky to get a decent photo of the lavender because of that.

The photographer who took photos at Tommy’s 21st party last week sent me all the photos today via a link and he has also posted the USB stick with the digital files to me. I was over the moon with the photos - the family were teasing me saying that I would never be happy with any photos taken by anyone else as I am quite critical when it comes to photography, but these were fantastic. He did exactly what I asked him to do, which was to take a few formal shots of the family before the party started, and then to take candid shots for the rest of the evening. I have added a formal shot as an extra.

Norfolk is one of the driest counties in the UK, and at the moment it is suffering from a lack of rain and the heat. Apparently the farmers cannot afford to water as much as they should due to the increase in electricity costs, and the crops are subsequently being badly affected. The spring was cold and wet which also affected the crops, so the poor farmers have had a bad year.

We had a delicious BBQ supper at home and then went to Old Hunstanton beach so i could photograph the sunset. At 9.30pm it was still rather busy with people watching the sunset and fishing. The sunset was lovely tonight but nothing extraordinary.

I am very pleased that a 4th Covid jab (second booster) has been approved this autumn for those over 50 years old. I know many say they won’t bother with a 4th jab, but I will definitely be getting it!