Sunday, September 27, 2015

Colourful but Cloudy Cromer

Earlier in the year my beloved took me away for a night in a lovely bed and breakfast just outside Cromer on the Norfolk coast. The bed was so comfy and very grand, and the breakfast was delicious.




Look at my gorgeous man sleeping like a baby.


Corner is on the north Norfolk coast and whilst there isn't a lot in the town it does have a lovely long beach with a traditional English pier. It was a typically overcast misley (combination of misty and drizzly) English day when we visited but we still did some extreme beach combing. Unfortunately it's not a good beach for sea glass so I came away empty handed.


There are a few colourful beach huts along the beach front, but the day we were there it definitely wasn't the weather for sitting out on the promenade.


In the middle of the town is Cromer Parish Church with St Martin's which has a beautiful churchyard with poppies and other wild flowers growing around the old tombstones which gives it a really special atmosphere.









Guess what we did on the way home - yes, we found a lovely place to stop for some sustenance. I loved the decor, it was very country kitchen.



We drove a bit further and came across a lovely old graveyard in Swanton Morley. One corner of the graveyard was dedicated to war graves which I always pay my respect to because no matter what you think of war a lot of these young men had no choice and gave their lives a long way from home (okay, rant over).


Typically I found a couple of fellow antipodeans - a kiwi and an Aussie.


The grave below is an Australian - interestingly Patrick Claude Nangle's parents were from Hertfordshire, not far from where we live, and he was born in India. His death was accidental and on British soil.


Whilst we were wandering around these curious beasties came over to say hello - I had a lovely chat with them.



So that was our romantic short break in Norfolk - hope you've enjoyed it.

Until next time stay safe, be good, and have a chat with the next animal you meet.

Pamela and Ken
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P.S: Final shot is of Ken in his element - a Peugeot and a super car. Guess which one's ours?


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Enjoying nature's beauty at Butterfly World

A great place to visit that's not far from us is Butterfly World near St Albans - get a good sunny day and you'll love it. There's something for everyone with beautiful gardens, a butterfly house, insect centre, children's area, and of course a cafe.

The wildflower meadow is so gorgeous and as you wander through it you can see the huge leaf cutter ant that overlooks the site.



In one area there are musical instruments made out of wooden and metal pipes. We had great fun attempting to make music - my beloved is playing the xylophone.



Lovely sea of daisies.


A mass of lilliums - imagine how fab they'll look when they're all in bloom, but also imagine how stinky they'll be.


There are 18 little designer gardens to enjoy and I love this one which is rooms overgrown by nature.




The table below looks like it's straight out of one of the Narnia books - imagine it with talking animals around it.




Ken took this shot of me whilst I was contemplating the garden.


This feature was meant to represent dinosaur eggs in a very large nest.



A big fat bumblebee enjoying the flowers.


These gardens all have sculptural elements which give added interest. I really like the clock garden and the one with the purple flowers.





Our arty shot - selfie reflected in a large silver ball. We took about 10 shots just for this one.


The butterfly house has 15 - 20 different species of butterflies and if you're really lucky they may land on you.






The leaf cutter ants are fascinating to watch as they carry bits of plant so much bigger than themselves, up to 50 times their own body weight. They also walk huge distances with their bounty.



Educational sign for children which I found a little bit mind blowing - I so would not want to meet an ant the size of a baby mouse!! My beloved has a belief that one day ants are going to rise up and take over the world - personally I think it will be cats.


Hope you've enjoyed this visit to butterfly world - it's well worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

Until next time be good, stay safe, and do something that makes you smile.

Pamela and Ken
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