The Country

I have a very good friend that lives up in Norwich in UK. We had been threatening to go visit them up there since we first came to England but getting to a new country, finding work, accommodation and just buying your bare essentials we never really had enough money. So finally after 5 months living in London we bought some tickets in advance, gotta love ticketline, and off we went. 

Now as per my previous posts you would know we are not early risers so getting up at 5 in the morning to catch a 7:30 train from Liverpool Street was mission impossible. It was a team effort, I left the alarm well away from the bed and my fiancé kept me from getting back in after I had to get up and turn it off. Then I got her up with some coffee. See team effort!

We arrived at Liverpool with 10 minutes to spare and even had time to buy a quick coffee before boarding. The trip was lovely through the country, we had managed to pick a nice sunny day despite all odds. We arrived in Norwich just after 10am and my friends picked us up and had a drive through what seemed like a very normal suburb to their house. The place reminds you more of Kimberly in South Africa, small'ish town very clean (Haven't been in Kimberly for a while so don't know if that true about Kimberly anymore). There a far fewer busses roaring down the streets people seem less rushed but yet very busy and buzzing. Maybe its just that they seem less stressed, I always wonder if we don't sub consciously pick up on the stress of the city and that just add to our own.

Their house was a lovely cottage, nothing like our dark damp basement flat in Twickenham. It was open airy, had loads of character and space and a HUGE garden. Even had bunnies jumping around it the next morning! The best part, the part that had me green with envy, was that it cost them about half of what I was paying for our place in Twickenham. 

We had some breakfast and then Headed down to Holkam, was a lovely drive through the country. We stopped for a drink at the pub, which eventually turned into lunch at the pub and then walked down to the beach. The beach was actually more of a marsh than a beach. And it was big, it took us the better part of an hour to walk down to the see once we were on the beach. But it was quite an adventure with the guys having to piggy pack the girls over little streams flowing down to the sea and across huge puddles in the marshes.

We finally made it to the sea and I had to go stand barefoot in the surf just so I could say I had been in the North sea. Since the day was clear we could actually even see the fields of wind powered fans on the horizon. 

We took a more direct route back to the edge of the beach and drove back to Norwich. Most of us passing out for a nap on the way.

The night live consisted of us first going to one of their work colleagues surprise birthday party and then to the local art theatre for to listen to a french band. 

All in all, it was great fun. 

We got back at around midnight, sat around their big table in the big dining area, had some coffee and them all passed out for the night. All in all a busy yet very relaxing weekend. I'd recommend it to anyone.

It seems that the people in the country are allot more likely to befriend their work colleagues. Possibly cause they have a little time to do it, and everybody was generally in good moods as opposed to London... anyway.

We are obviously now talking about living in the country, what can I say, we are restless spirits maybe that will be our next stop before Australia becomes a reality maybe not. Only time will tell.