We're making friends and getting connected! Two fantastic ladies from the St. Ives Cycle Club (about 10 minutes away from Brampton) took me along on a 20 mile road bike ride this past Saturday morning, giving me tips on dodging potholes and coddling me through the scary round-abouts. It felt amazing to be on a bike again! The St. Ives CC have regular 40-60 mile rides every Sunday that we’ll surely take a part in if we’re ever in town…
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| Map of historical English counties |
Chris had an away match at King’s Lynn (in Norfolk: middle right on the map above) that Saturday afternoon so after my ride we headed north an hour towards the coast. He’s finally a bit settled with the whole soccer thing, playing center mid or sweeper for the Huntingdon reserve team and enjoying the level of play and the guys on the team. It is really quality football and fun to watch even though I have to pay. The only part that really gets me is watching half the team “warm up” and “cool down” (their words) with a cigarette! Their coach is lighting them, so I guess he doesn’t care… Ah well, not everyone has the same thoughts on conditioning!
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| Chris in the middle with his bright yellow shoes : ) |
After the game (ouch, they lost 4 to 1... maybe they should put down the Marlboros) we jumped back in the car and continued a half-hour farther north to the town of Holkham near Wells-next-the-Sea (what a sweet name) which is known for its gorgeous beach. The beach is part of a nature reserve, so although you can take your dogs, coolers, blankets, etc the area feels quite remote. There are no houses or hotels or cheesy vendors… just a huge expanse of beach three miles long and at least a half mile wide. If the weather had been 20+ degrees warmer we’d have stayed the rest of the weekend! It’s only an hour and a half from the house so I’m sure we’ll be returning regularly.
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| Double rainbow from the beach parking lot. |
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| Holkham Beach, Norfolk |
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| Holkham Beach, Norfolk |
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| Holkham Beach, Norfolk |
Dinner at the Victoria Hotel in Holkham was almost as good as the beach itself. The food was excellent - lobster, salmon, halibut, gazpacho, crème brule- and beautifully presented. And it came with a laugh. I almost spit out my champagne as I overheard this little tidbit from the next table over (imagine this in a strong British accent): “it’s called a chicken biscuit. Basically it’s like a scone but sweeter and deep friend… and then there’s a piece of fried chicken in the middle… it’s delish. Then there were ribs, this sort of massive rack of them that you just pull apart and gnash with your teeth.” Ha! We had to ask where they had been. One of them had just taken a trip to Atlanta, Mobile, and Memphis. I just wouldn't have imagined pork ribs and chicken biscuits topping this (very well-off) woman’s culinary adventure through America. Love it!
On the way home Chris got a message from an AF soccer buddy who said he was stuck in England for a few days. He's a pilot and told us a crazy story about how they had taken two cranes (birds), one to each engine on one side of his jet, on takeoff in Sweden that morning. Yikes! Scary for him, but nice for Chris because we got to hang out on with Jason on Sunday!
Well, customs must think we’re more interesting than we truly are, because they’re still holding our stuff hostage. Dang, man, just release our comfy couch, the camelbacks, the king bed, and our kitchen stuff. Keep the rest, I don’t even care anymore! One good thing has come out of the wait, though. I’ve almost caught up on two years’ worth of scrapbooking. LOL. Two years in 10 days is a personal record that I hope never to top. It made me remember how much fun stuff we've done over our time in Little Rock... we have and continue to be so, so blessed.
Well, time for a spot of tea. Hugs and love, Claire (and Chris)
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