Curious – Me?

Suffolk is in the news for the most curious of reasons. [For the ITV news item take a look here] The gist of the story is that Condiment working with Visit Suffolk have come up with the title The Curious County as part of a campaign to attract visitors to the county.  When I first heard about it over the weekend I liked the idea, Suffolk is so much more than Beach Huts, Tractor boys, bucolic scenery and Newmarket racing (not that there is anything wrong with any of those) ~ but you do have to lift up the rug to find what’s under there.  As the battle between the reported views of the MPs ‘Dangerous – got to go – negative, idiotic’ and a significant chunk of the twitter community who are #proudtobecurious I was getting ready to pen a letter to the EADT, the MPs or some other body. Then I decided don’t shout, show.  So if you click the picture above or below it will take you to my particular take on Suffolk The Curious County, an ever growing Pinterest board of the things I find make me curious in Suffolk.

What would you add?

 

Wingfield Barns and a potential tweet up – #bowandarrowtweetup

Wow – great bike ride. Thanks to @spudballoo for being the catalyst, we went on a cold but sunny bike ride. After miles of empty countryside; what we locally call ‘Bow and Arrow’ country, we reached Wingfield Barns. One of those wonderful rural miracles, a proper arts centre in the middle of nowhere. The great thing is, I thought it would be closed (off season and no exhibitions on). A lady [Lesley] appeared and said ‘well look at you fit people’. We asked if anywhere was open and she replied, ‘well no, but I’ll open it for you – would you like a cup of tea’. With that we had a private viewing and perfect tea.

Wingfield will have to be a profit making concern from the 1st April, no longer under funding from arts or local council grants. It has gained some interesting patrons eg Phil Jupitus but still will need lots of support from locals. Thus a plan was hatched – how about a tweetup; they are showing The Social Network on 25th May – just book direct and we will see who appears, quite a few of the local twitterati have already said they will go.. will you too? [If you are going, post a comment here so others know it's real!!] there is a host of other interesting stuff on their programme, take a look Rory for one!

The map of our journey – sorry Spud turns out is was 26.58 miles in the finish the map is here

 

Spent – Over the Rainbow – Illustration Friday

The topic for Illustration Friday last week was ‘Spent’, I was away so have only just completed the IF. The little figures are cut outs from copies of English ten and twenty pound notes. Don’t worry no money was harmed in the making of this picture. I had in mind the spent athlete at the end of a long run, but also that we as a nation and others seem to be spent at the moment; chasing for the pot of gold at the end of the mythical rainbow has left nothing in our reserves. So like athletes are we exhausted yet exhilarated, or will this be our last marathon?

The picture also links to a Twitter discussion about mnemonics and how people remember the colours of the rainbow. I learnt “Richard of York Gained Battles in Vain” and never questioned that there were other versions. It seems many learned that Richard ‘gave battle’.  Others learnt the ‘I can sing a rainbow song’; this is a worry as it has pink and no indigo.  Top marks go to John Peel via @martincampbell2: who apparently learnt “Virgin in bed get your organ ready”.

Click on the map below to go to the version with detailed tags

And HERE is a Spotify playlist to go with this post, including the dreaded rainbow song, guaranteed to help you unlearn the colours of the rainbow.

 

Sundailies

There is a new craze doing the rounds of Twitter; daily papers created from the links people tweet to your account.  You create the paper at a site called paper.li.  At first I wasn’t very inspired by the concept, but then I received a link to Nick Shore’s Suffolk paper and quite liked the idea.  So turn on your Spotify, turn up the sounds on the playlist and sit down to my version of the Sundailies.  The Sundailies are all the Sunday supplements in one place, updated daily.  For me an easy was to summarise hat has been going on in my bit of the Twitterverse whilst my back has been turned.  As these are paper.li links they will update each day.

First the Vivia daily – the top news stories across the whole of my timeline today

Then local news in the Suffolk Daily – I hold great hope that one day Felixstowe Port will tweet ”

QUINQUIREME of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine

 

A little sports news from the Swimmy-types and the Cyclists

Then on to lighter topics The clebs are all in the-A-Z-list section

A bit from the arty-crafty and foodie types

News from abroad in the Italy section and then the mostly-green-gardens

For the moment I can not create; news-sport-tech, maps-and-that, writerly or news from the librarians as the limit is 10 papers, but I will as soon as the limit is increased.

In the meantime I leave you with the dfaolbilts section – it is likely to be quite random -dfaolbilts stands for “don’t fit any other lists but I like their style”- enjoy

 

 

Ducking Out – Broad House Hotel, Nr Wroxham

One of the best things to come out of twitter recently was a voucher for a meal at the Broad House Hotel, near Wroxham in Norfolk. Simply by retweeting a message and being selected I was able to win a £100.00 voucher for the restaurant and then when I went to book was given a discount on a choice of rooms. It was only when I looked in detail at the website I realised what a potential treat awaited. The reality managed to surpass my expectations.

Broad House Hotel is located right  at the edge of the broad at Wroxham. If you have never bean to Wroxham, this is the town where Roy and not Roi means King. Roy’s is described as the largest village store and is something of a one town conglomerate, completely without equal and deserving of the fame it carries. Wroxham the village bubbles with coachloads of visitors finding their way to the nearest boat or tour and people sitting sipping coffee, watching for who will fail to pass under the bridge with their head intact.

However, head a few metres down the road and turn off down the Avenue and the world changes; an area of genteel housing dissolves into the driveway of the Broad House Hotel. The hotel is set in mature gardens and surrounded by trees, with the broad itself not really visible from the drive. Once inside the staff are welcoming and you are swiftly taken to your room.  Aunt Diana’s Suite is three rooms; a bedroom with a thickly mattressed bed and chandelier, real princess and the pea territory; a lounge with sofa and mini bar and a bathroom with whirlpool jacuzzi and shower. All the rooms are sumptuously decorated, tea and coffees are excellent and the bathroom extras such as the honey bath products and Norfolk lavender soap were gorgeous.  The bath even had a resident blue duck, I decided to name him Chester.

The evening meal started with drinks and olives in the bar. I chose asparagus with quail’s egg as a starter.  The egg had a light crispy coating and was perfectly cooked, the asparagus and lettuce in the dish came from the walled vegetable garden.  The main course of grey mullet was beautifully presented and tasted excellent.  For desert I had a marshmallow, which was a fun desert, nothing like the shop confectionery.  I realise I have let my foodie credentials down horribly by not photographing every plate as it arrived.  I’ll own up to having left the proper camera at home, hence all the pictures here were taken with the phone.  Do take a look at the hotel website, you will get an idea of the quality from their pictures.  The taste and the provenance was excellent.  The meal was finished with coffee and Scrabble in the lounge; proper country house living.

The next day ahead of breakfast, was an opportunity for an open water swim, greeted by geese and swans, I was slightly wary about jumping in.  However, the natives were friendly and after a couple of laps around some buoys, the appetite deserved feeding again.  Breakfast was superb, some of the best smoked haddock you will ever taste and porridge that will both make you smile and provide a rosy flush.  I will not spoil the surprise by saying why.  However, if you do go there – have the porridge it is an absolute treat.

The grounds of the estate are well worth a stroll, you can even book one of the many benches for your afternoon tea. For avid gardeners the walled garden is a must see location and the white wisteria by the summer-house was a perfumed haven.

The staff could not be better, very welcoming and attentive; Philip and Caroline can be justly proud of what they have created at Broad House.  Thank you; this was a fantastic place to stay, planning the next trip already, say hello to Chester for me.

 

We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society – auditions now open!

Thanks to Sarah Pettegree for the photo

Here is my Pie Spotify Playlist – any more to add?

This started with a a twitter conversation about the lovely pies made by the Bray’s Cottage, perfect pie people in Norfolk…. more information here.  They have obtained a little Italian truck that they have called the Pie Aggio.  Now I have a soft spot for an Ape Piaggio as they are everywhere in Puglia, the little bit of Southern Italy where I feel very much at home.  Since seeing pictures of the Pie Aggio a conversation has brewed about a version of the Italian job film; with the Pie Aggio as one of the stars.  I seem to remember somewhere a conversation about a dream Sarah had as well…oh gosh now I have a script developing in my head…

In the meantime the challenge was raised to rewrite the words for the ‘Italian Job song’.  So I had a bash and this is what I came up with (now modified after comments from @goodshoeday and @HuwSayer.

Auditions are now open; please add a comment below and upload your rendition to audio boo, you tube etc….

Not sure how he tune goes?  Go here [Ohh and the word ruddy is used in its Victorian sense, reddened by the Norfolk sun]

We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society,
We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society,

Go fetch your German brand, your Coleman’s too,
Tie your curly hair; we’ve got a lot to do,
Put on your best smile and your prep ‘em pies,
‘Cos time is hungrying by…

Get your apron, mate,
Get your apron, mate,
No bib around your ruddy neck today.
Hey!
Stack these plates of meat
Right up on the seat,

We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society,
We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Societyy,

Put on your Jules shirt and Hunter boots,
Fetch your Fakenham pass; check the horn still toots,
Lots of la-di-dahs and Nor-Folk here,
Look alive and get out of here.

Get your apron, mate,
Get your apron, mate,
No bib around your ruddy neck today.
Hey!
Stack these plates of meat
Right up on the seat

We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society,
We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society.

Gotta get a bloomin’ move on
(Gotta get a bloomin’ move on)
Pie-a-gi-o. Gotta get straight.
Hurry up mate, gonna be late!
And ‘how’s your pastry?’
Tickety-boo, tickety-boo.
Gotta get a bloomin’ move on.

We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society,
We are the Bray’s Pie Consumption Society.

 

Rescue Me

The topic for Illustration Friday this week is ‘Rescue’.  If you have Spotify this playlist goes with this post.

The first time I came across rescue remedy was in the recovery of a bird that had smashed itself into a window.  A friend, who is a vet and uses homeopathic remedies in his practice, was staying at the house.  He dropped some rescue remedy into the bird’s mouth and set it on its way again.  Now, I know birds do stun themselves and recover and this could never be described as a double-blind trial but it was suitably impressive.

In the world of Twitter, when there are ‘too many Tweets’ an image appears of a whale, fondly known as the #failwhale, being raised by little birds.  If Twitter is nearly dead there may be no image at all.  Perhaps there should be one to show that twitter is down, but being rescued.

There are reports that use of the internet, Twitter, et al are linked to depression; but is it cause or effect?  I wonder if anyone has studied the ‘group hug’ effect of media like Twitter, when you are having a bad day and someone sends you a picture, poem, music track, some wise or kick-up-the-pants words; do they help?  I hope they do, I like receiving them and am prone to offering them to other people.

In the meantime I hope the bird above makes a full recovery.

This poem may make you smile The Parrot:  A True Story.  I found it in my mother’s old school poetry book.  I wonder if it inspired the Monty Python team.

 

Serendipity is a Sparkling Cranberry

Not the name of my next novel, movie or album just one of those moments that made me smile. In the world of Twitter, posts arrive and like some strange manga book you tend to read them from the bottom up. Today the tweets above arrived next to each other I read the bottom one first and just had to giggle at the thought of the frosted cranberries lit up by torch light. I’m not one for starting Christmas early, preferring to emphasise the 12 days that start at Christmas day, but this was a little seasonal canapé for the season to follow. Thanks @williamcooks and @JoWaddell, you are definitely invited to my #12DCP 12 Days of Christmas Party. What nibbles will you bring and what tracks will you add to the Party music for the night; something to get you on the dance floor.

The spotify play list for this post is more abstract than usual click here to listen; as usual the track list will be in the first comment.

 

Something Completely Different – Party Girl tags

The theme for this week’s something completely different is ‘Party Girl’ in the form of tags. Strange how things come together sometimes; first, I’ve let myself get sidetracked by a campaign marmite are running with the lure of one of their limited edition marmites as a reward. I haven’t entered this tag as a separate entry but you can vote for me here. Years ago in Norwich there used to be a clothes shop called ‘Your Granny Wouldn’t Like It’; I quite like the idea of a party where the invite is that your ‘ma might not like it’; everyone knows that you either love or hate marmite. Actually stop there; people may come here who haven’t come across the stuff before. When someone asked me what it was I described it as black goo that you spread on toast. They sent me this link for marmite and road kill sarnies, which made me laugh, as people often assume my foraging includes road kill.

Secondly, I need to invite some more of my twitter lists to my imaginary 12 days of Christmas party [#12DCP]. This time I have added all those on my A-Z list. They are all in the public eye to some extent, but many of them are also on my other lists because the write, cycle, love food or whatever. Most of them are also great twitterers, which makes following them amusing. But how to get the tag to the A-Z listers, now there is a problem. I happened to have been listening to @markglennmurphy on Radio Suffolk when he read out a message from a listener who shared a cat with her neighbour. The cat had arrived at the listeners house today with a tag around its neck saying happy birthday. I also spent part of today at the hairdressers reading that auspicious academic journal ‘OK’ in which Victoria Beckham had two small pigs in her handbag; apparently the latest designer accessory (I won’t comment on the virtue of small pigs as pets other than to say the bacon rashers would be very small and don’t ask me to clean her handbag).

Here is the plan; I will hire a small team of fluffy kittens, little dogs and handbag sized pigs; attach the tags to their collars and put them through my A-Z listers cat flaps. I wonder if anyone of them will come. If you are an A-Z lister (or someone masquerading as one), what would you have me add to the playlist for the #12DCP, a track that will make you get up and boogie; also what little treasure will you bring along to amuse the guests?

Any crafters who are up for a challenge, I would still love some party invitation designs for a virtual 12 Days of Christmas Party.

Your Spotify playlist for this post is here and for non Spotify users I will put the details, as the list currently stands in the first comment to this post.

 

Com Post – How Green are we at Christmas – Invite to the #12DCP & Harlequin invaders

Been at home today – always a mistake; too much time for reflection as the pile of tissues mounts at my side. Bit of a personal challenge this one, self audit looking at how green we are in the lead up to Christmas, as I’ve asked myself the questions I will be avoiding the difficult ones.

Reduce
Miles	Bit of a mix	I cycle lots but with family all over the country car and train essential
Waste	Trying	Try to buy loose rather than pre-packed so only buy what need Do freeze and use leftovers
Fuel consumption	Trying very hard	Bought an Owl which has been interesting. However one of the towel rails is firmly back on as better than mouldy towels and using the tumble dryer [and I avoid ironing] Buy a green tariff and awaiting quote for solar water heating
Chemicals	Gone very eco	Tend to use ecover/simple/method and co-op ‘eco’ ranges. Also use borax, bicarb and non chlorine bleaches and washable dusters and cloths
Water	Butts	3 water butts on the go but still not enough
ReUse
Waste	Compost crazy	Shred receipts and use as chicken bedding Bokashi bin for non meat kitchen waste Homemade Wormery – which you can hear working! Wet and dry compost bins Council compost (takes ages to fill)
Cards	Christmas cards	Recycle into the next years cards see my SCD posts
Recycle
Waste	Council bins and village hall bins	Glass, paper, tins – sad that we have to drive to get rid of tetra packs

Clearly I should start with fabric hankies and a copper to boil them in after use!

OK it’s not perfect; it is a fairly solid start though. To everyone on my Green & Gardens Twitter list you are invited to the #12DCP and of course anyone else who would like to join in – Twelve days of Christmas party, a virtual party, open to everyone. Call back during the 12 days for all sorts of nonsense. If you are coming, what ‘green’ thing will you bring? Also choose some music for the #12DCP playlist on Spotify – I will see if I can also blip the tracks for non-spotify users.

Spotify playlist for this post is on a different note. – Audit of harlequin ladybirds on a window frame – Thanks to @flashmaggie who made me aware of this in her post.