Tuesday 4th May 2021 - Norfolk Skies and Trappings

Well, here we are in the merry, merry month of May which it certainly will be for us, providing there are no retractions in the relaxation of Covid restrictions and our family can come for a stay later in the month. In between now and then, I hope we will see an increase in temperatures which could mean rather pleasant highs of 16-18°C.

Our big Norfolk skies are one of the sights that bring photographers to the county and there was certainly an impressive scene when we took Barney for his walk on Sunday morning. Bubbling white clouds with a topping of grey to the west were a contrast to the almost moody charcoals, highlighted by the sun rays, to the east. (I have included a selection of the photos I took.) Generally, it was not a bad Bank Holiday weekend, with the forecast rain and winds holding back until yesterday afternoon. Expecting some damage, we moved pots and the like to safety but fortunately the winds have not been as forceful as predicted. Yes, it has been blustery but looking at North Norfolk News’s website, we have suffered little compared to other areas in the county where there have been power cuts.

I am currently reading, Edge of Blue Heaven which is written in diary format by the explorer Benedict Allen, about his trek through Mongolia and on towards the Gobi desert. Published in 1998, things have probably changed somewhat, but reading how simple their lives were then, with few possessions, simple homes (the nomads could take them down ready to move in a matter of hours) and a very limited variety to their diet, I can’t but help appreciate everything that we have here as well as wondering if we really need it all. I had decluttering sessions over the winter, resulting in a list of items for when we can safely have a yard sale, but we sure have a whole lot more that could probably be classified as unnecessary trivia and dispensed with. Currently we are content to have these trappings round us and definitely happy not to have reindeer, horse meat and fermented mare’s milk as the main constituents of our nutritional intake; or like one girl, never having seen a banana or an orange.