It has been a very quiet time since I last posted. But June saw me making a rather long journey from our little patch in Shropshire, near Wales, to Norfolk, on the far east side of the country. Suddenly I was catapulted into the 'real world'. Norfolk isn't an area of the country I know, so I took several snaps from the train.
It is, as many people will know, extraordinarily flat. There are wind farms and windmills. Canals and dykes. A vast, open landscape with big skies. It must be a bleak expanse in the winter, though I imagine still beautiful.
But this was high summer and it was looking very pretty, especially the nice little station of Acle.
I stayed at Great Yarmouth, at the pleasant and friendly White Lodge Hotel. I have to admit I was shattered after several hours of traveling, and had just enough energy to find some chips and fall asleep.
The workshop was at the studio of Sticky Prints not too far away. I took my usual picture of the calm before the storm.
It was one of the hottest days of the year, possibly not the best weather to be needle felting baby hares. But our hostess, Sarah, had laid on a lovely keg of chilled elderflower cordial and I for one drank my weight in it.
Despite the heat and a long working day, everyone made lovely little hares and a good time was had by all. It was nice to be out and socialising again, after such a long time.
Back at the hotel, I treated myself to proper fish and chips and had a potter on the beach which was almost across the road. At this time of the evening, it was fairly empty, apart from a couple of people who had set up stall near the edge of the tide.
I haven't been near the sea in a few years, so I took my sandals off and had a little paddle.
The Sunday return was a ghastly day of constant hot and crowded travel, via three trains and a coach. I did manage to get a better snap of the windmill while I was being kindly ferried to the train station.
So a last glimpse of Norfolk, the large agricultural fields full of pickers and workers. By the time I returned to Shrewsbury I was dropping with exhaustion, but Brian-next-door was waiting to pick me up and take me home to Joe. Back to the quiet cottage to recover from all the excitement and to start preparing for my next workshop, which was to be at the Stoke Potteries Museum.
