We woke up nicely refreshed and had a great breakfast, but then again every breakfast you have on the road is a good one.
As we were finalising our account, the proprietor told us that tonight (Saturday) was the Long Melton Annual Festival, and we would be missing out if we didn't stay. That didn't fool us one minute as we have all seen "The Wicker Man" and had no intention of sticking around to be served up as human sacrifices at a midsummer pagan festival.
Our first stop stop was Kersey, capital of the Syrette Kingdom. The Pretender to the Throne, Philip Hicks, had long ago cast out his daughter and thus cut the Syrette Clan adrift, who subsequently and through means roundabout ventured to Terra Australis.
Alex still couldn't work out the mysterious "P" button so parking the car on a slope was a poor idea, as it started to slip backwards, even when in reverse gear! Then ... a Top Gear Epiphany ... Alex pushed the magic "P" button and lo! the car was thusly parked safely!
We wandered through the town and past the dangerous moat, also known as "The Splash", which the local yeoman warned us was "slippery", a veiled warning if ever there was one! We kept a careful eye on him and his noble steed, a 4WD, which he was brushing down.
The local Church revealed the grand headstone of Philip Hicks The Pretender, and of Mary East the Rightful Heir.
A Galling Photo: Hicks The Pretender pays off the Church.
After buying up all available Kersey merchandise from the "I Saw You Coming" stall at the Church (clearly still in the pay of The Pretender), we tootled on. We had spent a lovely summer's morning (around two hours) in Kersey.
The road to Norfolk and Norwich was smooth an uneventful, the transit from Suffolk to Norfolk being less obviously signposted than we thought.
We were on a deadline: Owen's parents had booked lunch at the Earl's Arms in Heydon, just out of Norwich, and we had two hours to get there. It looked like the Meriva wasn't up to it, but then Google Maps reported 2 hours ... 1.5 ... 2 again ... 1 etc, Clearly it had no idea where Heydon was or how Alex was driving!
We manoeuvred through Norwich, a goodly sized town of around 1/2 million people, went past the "National Gas Museum" (which made us think of Mudchute again) and made it to the Earl's Arms pub about 15 minutes late. Not bad!
Owen's delighful parents, Kevin and Marguerite, greeted us and had already ordered for us, as the kitchen was closing at 2pm (and the pub was closing at 3). The meal was delicious (Alex had whole Dover Sole, first time ever, very simply cooked: lightly battered, buttered, and fried, quite a subtle flavour). The company was convivial, Owen's parents were a delight to meet and they clearly adore Sian and Owen.
We finished the meal, and visited Reepham, the main town, to pick up a tea cake before proceeding. Reepham is a small town and we had to park in the town square, which was actually a triangle, thus making it impossible to work ut how best to park. "Brownian Motion" springs to mind as a description!
We travelled a few miles to Foulsham, where Kevin and Marguerite live. This is a beautiful, renovated hall, open planned as in the Australian style. Kevin said that this was a difficult interior design concept for some of their acquaintances to comprehend!
We had tea cake and tea, and discussed furniture and music (Kevin is a fan of the US West Coast sound, which Alex also enjoys).
Julie and Alex decided to go for a country ramble, and were joined by Sian and Owen. As Sian, Owen, and Julie suffer from hayfever and/or asthma, we of course chose a path through a mown field, full of "gigantic cows" (as Sian called them). The path was not obvious as we had to hack our way through a nettle infestation to get back to Foulsham town centre.
We dropped into the impressive church (being renovated) and Alex was aghast at the giant Hornby rail set in one corner. Now that's the way to get the congregation back!
We returned to Kevin's and Marguerite's home and Julie and Alex eventually decided to look for a place to stay for the night, as Owen and Sian were booked into Chez Howells.
So we two trekked back to Reepham (pronunciated "Reefam") to ask of the establishments in the market square there whether they had any rooms, but alas they had none. However the "customer service specialist" at the Old Brewery Hotel pointed us in the direction of a B&B nearby, Homerton House (if memory serves). As we pulled into it on the outskirts of Reepham, the owners jumped out of their chairs; they were having a leisurely dinner. Apparently they thought we were a couple who had been recommended to them by the hotel in Reepham at 3pm that day. As it was now around 7pm we were sorry to disappoint them. Judy and Jeff (the B&B owners) checked with the hotel and decided to let the last available room to us, as they could wait no longer for the tentative bookees to arrive.
Settled with a room, we went back to Foulsham where we all had another nice meal with Kevin and Marguerite, at the Queen's Head pub one door away from them! Julie and Kevin discussed a mutual work colleague (the world really is a small place!) and Julie tried the cider, and found it to her liking.
A busy day, a full belly (collectively speaking), good company, and we were soon heading off for bed. Judy met Julie and Alex when they pulled into their B&B and the room at the back was settled into, a lovely quiet vista. We left the window open all night and the breeze was excellent.
It was a great honour to meet Owen's parents, he is a credit to them both.
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