Typically for an English Bank Holiday, the weather was poor. As soon as the children went back to school we had (and still have) glorious weather. All the same, we made the best of it.
On the final Friday, Nick was booked to play the Cambridge Boatrace (pub) on an acoustic night. We had sitters, so Hanna and I went along too. The programme consisted of twenty minute sets from a bunch of young, male, local singer/songwriters. Now the trouble with young, male writers is that the only thing they have experienced is being dumped by a girlfriend, so you get two hours of miserable songs, mostly in the same key and all in 4/4. Nick decided to break the mould by performing songs about people (and horses) dying in strange ways. The highlight was probably a song about a mariner who is swallowed by a whale and gets revenge on his old captain, written by The Decemberists . He enlisted his friend Max on accordion and Keiran on vocals. We thought it was fantastic, but I'm not sure that most of the others got it. I videod the whole thing and I think Nick has posted it on one of his sites.
At the start of the holiday Nick came home, followed by James, Jo, Jake and Thea, and Molly the dog. We all went to Burghley House with its sculpture garden and the Garden of Surprises, where you get very, very wet. Thea was the bravest and she got really soaked, repeatedly.
We also had a day at the seaside. We usually go to Wells, which has one of the best beaches in Europe, but it's a long drive. Hunstanton is a seaside town on the way to Wells but we have disdained it in the past as it is your classic "kiss me 
quick" fairground sort of resort. Anywhere that is labelled as a resort is anathema to me, but I've been wrong before, ref Disney World Resort, which is fabulous. So it is with Hunstanton. If you go past the fairground and the sea-life centre and the shops you get to Old Hunstanton and the village of Cliff (which has a cliff, a lighthouse and a car park and not much else.) It's just fine.
quick" fairground sort of resort. Anywhere that is labelled as a resort is anathema to me, but I've been wrong before, ref Disney World Resort, which is fabulous. So it is with Hunstanton. If you go past the fairground and the sea-life centre and the shops you get to Old Hunstanton and the village of Cliff (which has a cliff, a lighthouse and a car park and not much else.) It's just fine.The cliff is made of chalk on top of new red sandstone and it marks the southern extent of the glaciers from the last ice age. It has a lot of fossils in it and fulmars (mini-albatrosses) nest on it. Even better, there is a good beach with rock-pools and a shipwreck!
Dan walked miles and Nick did some sketches. Just as we arrived back at the car-park, Dan took a ride on the Noddy Train to town, leaving me to bird-watch on the cliff-top for an hour. I saw a black redstart and a very bright male wheatear, which made my day.
We also had a couple of visits to Cambridge, which I always enjoy. On the last visit my camera gave up the ghost, so I have bought a new one, which I am very pleased with, especially since it only cost £90.
On the final Friday, Nick was booked to play the Cambridge Boatrace (pub) on an acoustic night. We had sitters, so Hanna and I went along too. The programme consisted of twenty minute sets from a bunch of young, male, local singer/songwriters. Now the trouble with young, male writers is that the only thing they have experienced is being dumped by a girlfriend, so you get two hours of miserable songs, mostly in the same key and all in 4/4. Nick decided to break the mould by performing songs about people (and horses) dying in strange ways. The highlight was probably a song about a mariner who is swallowed by a whale and gets revenge on his old captain, written by The Decemberists . He enlisted his friend Max on accordion and Keiran on vocals. We thought it was fantastic, but I'm not sure that most of the others got it. I videod the whole thing and I think Nick has posted it on one of his sites.Nick then went back to college where he seems to be very busy. This weekend we took Dan out to the Lighthouse toy shop in Histon (it's his birthday this week), and to Cherry Hinton Hall and park in Cambridge. It all went pretty well except I parked us in a garage forecourt and someone locked the gate while we were in the toyshop. We had to wait for over an hour to be released. Fortunately the people in the toyshop were fabulous, and there was a pub (actually four pubs) across the road.
This week is frantic because we start with a Child in Need meeting tomorrow and I have lots of events to cover as part of our nightingale season. Thursday is Dan's birthday, and I have to pick up Nick from College on Friday. The party is on Sunday.
Jim
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