East Anglia revisited

Well now, that’s been interesting weather. Properly spring-like, really.

Monday was beautiful. Tuesday and Wednesday were foggy but sunny later and reasonably warm. The Builder got lots done on the allotment and in the garden. Then Thursday turned cold and wet and dank and foggy and yucky. So was Friday. But yesterday was warm and sunny and bright. As is today, though the wind is from the east and the Undergardener is suffering a little in the cold as he builds salad boxes at home. I, in the meantime, am sat at a *freezing* cold information desk on L5 in the Adsetts Centre. We are almost entirely denuded of students. It’s the first weekend of the Easter holidays and they are mostly on their way home. I bet it’s almost impossible to get the Faithful Remnant out at 5 o’clock, though. Usually we are open overnight on Sundays. Not today and I bet they don’t realise. Well, why should they? Neither did the counter staff, nor SHU security. I wonder if the overnight security bods know. We’ll see!!

We had a great day yesterday. The Builder and I met Freyja and Mark at the Chesterfield station just before 10:00 in the morning and took ourselves off down to Cambridge to visit Taffa and Gareth. We had a lovely drive down towards and through Newark (still loads of piggies in the fields alongside the highway leading to Newark) and then down the A1. Took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. In the meantime, Taffa had been out to lay in picnic supplies. For we were going to the zoo, zoo, zoo …

The Linton Zoo. It’s very cute. Quite small, but has some interesting animals in it. Including a pair of toucans. Toucans are very silly birds. They look as though their beaks are plastic inflatables! First, though – lunch. You can’t explore animal parks on an empty tummy. We actually sat outside while we ate our magnificent repast, watching the improbable toucans. Wearing coats, it’s true, but outside nonetheless. On the last day of March! Was very pleasant. A little hint of summer to come. Though I hope we will be able to sit outside in the summer without feeling slightly chilly. And then, perhaps a little over-fed, we went exploring.

There are lions and tigers. And wallabies and lemurs. Lots and lots of different types of lemurs. Freyja scratched a tapir behind its ears. If it had been a cat, it would have positively purred. There are owls and vultures, parrots and storks. And a strange animal called a binturong, which I had never heard of and never previously seen. Rather cute, with a very long, fluffy tail. On this occasion they were awake. Tabitha and Gareth have only previously seen them curled up asleep. One of them took a dislike to Freyja and leeeeeeped at the glass separating it from her. Just as well she wasn’t stroking it behind its ears. Unless it was jealous and wanted its ears scratched, of course! There were spiders and snakes and turtles and lizards and it was a very pleasant way of spending a couple of hours. Then we went away.

Back into town. I want to visit the market. Gareth turfed Tabitha out of his car, and The Builder turfed the rest of us out of his when we got back into Cambridge, and they crawled slowly, slowly, slowly off to park the cars back at the house. In the meantime, Tabitha, Freyja, Mark and I wandered across the wind-swept playing fields to Tabitha’s shop on an inspection mission – thus waking up her staff who had been enjoying a peaceful Saturday afternoon until we came bursting in and stunned them into action! So nice to surprise the staff with a visit from the boss’s mum :-) And then on into town for a potter about and a trawl around the market (bugger – I’ve missed the seafood stall again! Must come earlier next time). Reunited with the drivers we made our way through an art and craft market to the river, walked along the river for a way (along a boardwalk I had never realised was there! I thought it was a little square for people to hire punt rides and nothing else), across a bridge and into the boathouse pub. All the way down the curling, winding, wooden stairs back down to the riverside, and a pint of something to restore us all, in the sunshine. And so back to Tabitha and Gareth’s place.

But what are we to do for dinner. The new series of Doctor Who was about to start. We didn’t want to be too late leaving, for we need to take Freyja and Mark back to Sheffield which adds an extra half hour or so to the trip, and I was working the next day. We ordered pizza - which Gaz and I went to collect. Meant he missed the first half of Doctor Who but then, he did get to have pizza two days in a row! Sometimes sacrifices have to be made :-) My seafood pizza was magnificent. It was topped with smoked salmon chunks, a white fish of some sort, tiny octopuses, tiny clams, and one huge big prawn in its shell in the middle. Wonderful! And then we came home. Not a bad way of spending a day off. Beats washing and ironing!

It’s Palm Sunday. They have finally stopped doing slavery services on the 8:00 Sunday worship, which they’ve been doing all through Lent. I realise that the anniversary is important, but one service would have done me! I fear that a whole series of them right through Lent only served to irritate me! Today we were treated to a proper Palm Sunday service, from Durham cathedral.

I have not, so far, had a very good day today :-( First I sort of slept in. Not too much, for it is Sunday and I don’t leave until later. But enough to mean I didn’t get done some of the things I was going to do, and eventually ran out the door just on time. Only to find that I couldn’t shift the car seat forward far enough to reach the pedal. Called for The Builder who came to investigate and who also couldn’t move the seat further. Bother. My shopping from yesterday was all caught up in the gubbinses and was stopping the seat moving. The Builder shifted it out the way, and wall was well. Off I set. Late! Was trundling down Ecclesall road, about 20 minutes later, with quite fast moving traffic all around me, including a car hassling me from behind to go faster. Hmm flashing lights behind me. Blast. A speed camera. Checked my speed and found I was going much too fast. Bum. Oh well. I suppose the pay from today will cover the speeding ticket. At least the camera also got the bugger behind me, and, I think, the really speeding car ahead of me. Slow down. Concentrate. Head into the city centre. Drive, drive, drive, drive. Where am I going?!?!?!?!?! Botheration. I’ve missed the turn off to the University. Goodness only know where the car thought we were going. I fancy it was heading to Freyja’s place, though I don’t suppose she’d have been very pleased to see me at something before half past nine on a Sunday morning! Turn off up the next road – and drive right past the turn off to the car park. Sigh. Perhaps I should have stayed in bed!. Round the block. Into the car park. Here at last. Into the staff room for a restorative cup of coffee. OHHHH NOOOOOOOOOO. The boiler is broken. Gloom. Fortunately, one of the staff from yesterday had provided herself with a kettle so coffee was eventually forthcoming. But I have now really, properly turned my wrist, which has no strength in it and hurts even when all I do is twist it slightly. Ah well. I guess things can only get better. Well, I hope they can only get better.

It’s a couple of days over a year since we walked into the Sidings for the very first time. Who’d have thought it. A whole year. Doesn’t seem anything like that long. We haven’t changed a great deal in the house (yet!) but the garden has changed out of all recognition. I wonder what Mrs Hallam would have thought about it all.