Postcards from Norfolk

Hello there!

I've been on holiday!  DH, Daisy Dog and I tootled off to Norfolk - an area I haven't explored much - and we had a wonderful time!  I had no idea North Norfolk was so beautiful.  The best thing was it was so quiet!  I know we were outside of school holidays, but even so the beaches were a dream, the roads were a joy to drive along and parking was a breeze.  This photo was taken at midday...

One of our favourite places turned out to be about five miles from our holiday cottage, so we went there three times!  This was Horsey Windpump, a traditional Norfolk icon which helped keep the land drained for very many decades.  The National Trust look after it now and have restored it to its former glory.

We loved it here so much as it was ideal for a walk, a look around the windpump, a visit to the tea shop, or a picnic on the handily provided deckchairs...

The other brilliant thing about Horsey, is the walk from the windpump to the beach at Horsey Mere.  Here you will very often see dozens of seals basking on the beach.  Literally there on the sand in front of you.  Visitors are asked to keep at least ten metres away, so I took this photo on zoom.

The seals were amazing!  On one visit the tide was coming in and when the waves increasingly splashed over them they got very grumpy and growly indeed!

Norfolk is also home to some outstanding National Trust properties.  We visited them all and were blown away by the first view of Blickling Hall.

A lovely surprise was Sheringham Park.  This was an end-of-day visit, to give Daisy a good run.  The house isn't open to the public but this didn't matter a jot as the rhododendrons and azaleas were in bloom and it was spectacular!  The scent was intoxicating too!

We also loved Felbrigg Hall and spent a very happy day there with a picnic, a look around the Hall, and a visit to the tea shop and book shop.  Everyone was so friendly and Daisy was allowed pretty much everywhere, apart from the Hall and Walled Garden.  This makes such a difference as we can sit inside the cafe and have a cup of tea together, or look around the bookshop together.

A visit to Norfolk isn't complete without a boat trip on the Norfolk Broads.  We chose Queen of the Broads, a two deck vessel, and had a very interesting and informative tour around. The homes nestled along the banks were lovely (and very pricey!)

It was a wonderful holiday and we are already planning our next visit!

Donna x 

Miette Revisited

Hello!

After completing the five dresses in ten days for my daughter I thought it was time to make something for myself, so I picked my current favourite skirt, 'Miette', from Tilly and the Buttons.

Regular readers will remember I have made this before, more than once, as it is a practical and comfortable skirt to wear.  I also tweaked the pattern ever so slightly, which you can read about here.

Miette is a back wrap skirt, knee length, with waist ties.  It has an optional double front pocket, which I hadn't made before as I had wanted to cut the skirt front on the fold of the fabric to eliminate the centre front seam.  However, for the pocket you do need the seam so I cut the front in two pieces.

The fabric I bought a long time ago from Standfast and Barracks, Lancaster, in the days when they were printing Liberty fabric.  It is a heavier cotton, with a slightly brushed feel, just right for this time of year.

I finished all the edges with twin needle topstitching in matching thread.

I wore my skirt for the first time today and loved it!  I particularly like the waist ties as we had a (very) large picnic on this gloriously sunny Sunday and I could loosen off the waist and still look held together ;)

This is Miette number four, and I can certainly see more Miettes coming along soon!

Donna x 

A Weekend by the Sea

Hello :)

April sees us celebrating DH's birthday, so as a gift I booked a cottage near Flamborough Head, on the Yorkshire Coast for a long weekend.  We had such a lovely time!  The cottage itself was so comfortable and cosy, and there was much to do within a fifteen minute drive.

The main reason for this trip was to go to the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs. What a fabulous place this is, particularly at this time of year, as the seabirds are currently nesting on their ledges, which is a fascinating sight in itself, as they fly to and fro, finding easily their own tiny ledge without any hesitation.  I struggle to find my car in the car park, so hats off to them!

We saw so many species of birds, including puffins, gannets, kittiwakes, herring gulls and many more.

The puffins were so sweet with their funny faces and bright orange feet, but the most memorable to me were the gannets, as I never understood quite how big they are are!  Apparently they have a 2 metre wingspan and when they fly overhead it is quite spectacular!

The whole area of the coast around Flamborough Head and Bridlington is gorgeous.  Bridlington has vast swathes of sandy beach, and Daisy Dog had a fabulous time running hither and thither.  I finally managed to get her to pose for a photo!

The coastline around Flamborough Head is beautiful with its soaring white cliffs and deep blue sea.

We set off for home on Monday and on the way called at Wharram Percy, which is a deserted medieval village.  Nestled in the Yorkshire Wolds, it was once a thriving settlement.  The church still stands, albeit it in ruins, and you can see the outlines of dwellings on the grassy banks.

We then tootled the rest of the way home, feeling rested, refreshed with all the cobwebs of winter blown away!

Donna x