Norfolk is flat - and interesting!

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Norfolk » Thetford
July 1st 2010

Published: July 26th 2010

It’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins isn’t it? No, I don’t mean lusting after the blonde at number 94. I mean envy! Pat and I recently spent a while house-sitting for my elder brother David and sister-in-law Janice. Deadly Sin or not, they have a house that anyone would envy! (Incidentally, that's not their house in the panorama above - that one belongs to The Queen. One could, perhaps, be... Read Full Entry

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Mike Fossey

Keep Smiling

Once upon a time, I was something important in the UK travel industry, where I spent more than 35 years of my working life roaming the globe at someone else's expense. So, if you dream of living overseas on less than 10 Dollars a day, be warned: I'm an experienced, mature traveller - not a backpacker. You won't find stories here about me thumbing my way across the Sahara, slumming it in cockroach-infested hostels, or sharing a room with giant mosquitoes! Oh, and I'm British - so you can expect a stiff upper lip in times of adversity and a sense of humour that's often not understood by other... full info

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Timberhill, Norwich

One of Norwich's oldest walkways, Timberhill boasts some of the city's best loved shops.

High Street, Norwich

High street names and department stores are all well represented.

The Forum, Norwich

The Forum is the landmark Millennium building for the East of England. Among other things, like a huge public display space and a restaurant, it houses the Tourist Information Centre and the headquarters of BBC East.

Lunchtime at The Forum

The glass-fronted building gave great views of the square outside - where a ukelele band played while we ate in the 1st-floor restaurant (but we couldn't hear them through the sealed windows!!).

Royal Arcade, Norwich

The beautiful art nouveau Royal Arcade.

Bradenham Hall

Vista of Bradenham Hall with an unusual Pterocarya Fraxinifolia tree (Caucasian wingnut) in the foregound. This tree is usually only found in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

The Pleached Lime Walk, Bradenham Hall

Two lines of Tilia platyphyllos 'Rubra' lead the eye and feet to a classical statue in the distance.

The Children's Garden

The terrace, with child-sized seats and table, leads to a children's garden secluded behind high hedges.

Roses and a statue, Bradenham Hall

One of the highlights.

Bradenham Hall Gardens

Another border and another statue - beautiful.

Clematis, Bradenham Hall

A particularly pretty clematis named 'Piilu' (pronounced pie-loo) has double flowers when they first appear in May, while later blooms, like these, are single.

Budgies, Bradenham Hall

Budgerigars used to be free-flying in the grounds but an increase in hawks - and a corresponding decrease in budgies! - meant that they now have to be kept in a large aviary.

Carpentaria californica, Bradenham Hall

Guess where this plant originated! Also known as Tree Anemone, it's now a popular ornamental plant in gardens with Mediterranean climates and is much more common in cultivation than in the wild.

The Rose Garden, Bradenham Hall

Lots of old-fashioned roses.

Roses, Bradenham Hall

Roses feature in several areas of the garden.

More roses, Bradenham Hall

One whole garden is devoted to them.

Another rose, Bradenham Hall

And yet another rose, Bradenham Hall

Not a rose, Bradenham Hall

This is a particularly fine peony.

The entrance to Oxburgh Hall

Children enjoy an introduction to the Hall by one of the staff dressed in period costume.

Oxburgh Hall, inside the entrance

26th July 2010

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

This is your first Front Page blog, I think? Congratulations! :)

26th July 2010

Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey

Another honour!
Thank you Mell. Oh, and while I'm saying 'thank you', can I add thanks for nominating me for the Hall of Fame. Producing half-decent blogs takes a fair amount of time and effort, and it's very rewarding to know that you've been noticed. Keep smiling!

26th July 2010

AnnaAdventuring
Anna Louise

Oh yes, the family still lives at Oxburgh Hall... I've seen the Tesco shop being walked through those 'Private' doors! :)

28th July 2010

GHNomad
non-member comment

Parterre & apple juice
Oxburgh's parterre and herbaceous border were fabulously colourful last week (mid-July). I agree about Sandringham's apple juice. But are you sure it was our house you were staying in?

28th July 2010

Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey

What a difference a few weeks makes!
I guess it must have rained after we visited - or, perhaps, the NT at Oxburgh read my blog and got out the watering can! And, oh yes, it was your house - unless Sandringham has a grass snake on their compost heap too.

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Norfolk is flat - and interesting!

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