River Wensum walk

Today Jan and I recce-ed a walk along the River Wensum in Norwich. We are organising a day out in our fine city for anyone in the Boaters Christian Fellowship who wants to come along - so far there looks to be ten of us.

I had hoped the railway swing bridge would have been visible from the riverside path but the Laurence Scott works are in the way.

One end of the walk, then, will start at the neighbouring Carrow Road swing bridge.

The Norwich City Football Club ground is just to the right.

Further upstream is Pull's Ferry, one of the most photographed locations in the city.

Next up is Bishop Bridge, above which hire boats are not allowed.

There wasn't much traffic on the river, but we were crossing the bridge when this hire boat came up to have a look before turning round.

Next to the Cow Tower ...

... is a curious collection of bird boxes in the name of art.

Skirting round the cathedral and the courts, past the art school and the Playhouse, we came to New Mills Pumping Station.

The Victorian pumping station spans the river and was used for pumping sewage to a treatment works. Water turbines compressed air which drove pneumatic ejection pumps, a system reputed to be replicated in only one other place, the Houses of Parliament. (Info from here)

There was rather a cold wind blowing today, but we had some welcome sunshine. Let's hope it's not raining on Saturday.

I had forgotten how long it takes to write a blog post - perhaps that's why there has been such a gap since the previous one.

Mooning about

In Norwich last Friday it looked as if the Moon had come in to land.

As part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival a large inflatable moon, perhaps 20 feet diameter, was suspended between the Forum and St. Peter Mancroft church. It didn't stay there long. An hour later it was in a collapsed heap on the floor of the Forum.

Sunset over Cosgrove Junction

We ascended Cosgrove Lock as the sun was setting last Sunday.

At the marina that evening we were rather surprised when the boat two away from us started its engine at 11 o'clock when we were about to go to bed. When it showed no sign of stopping I walked over, knocked on the boat and asked the innocent-looking owner to switch it off. He claimed not to know that engines or generators weren't allowed to be run outside the hours 8pm to 8am. His "excuse" was that he needed to run the loo macerator! Why the connected shoreline couldn't supply the requisite power I don't know. He switched off and we had a peaceful night.

The next evening Adam and Adrian invited us to join them for drinks on Briar Rose. It was good to see you, thanks.

On New Year's Day we joined our friends from home at a concert in St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich. It was the annual Viennese-style musical afternoon.

l-r: Ruth, Adrian, Halfie, Willie and Jan.

And here are the musicians, the Norwich Pops Orchestra.

An assembly of editors

A few days ago I met up with some former colleagues, all of whom are editors (as in film/video).

From left: me, Terry, Wernie, Andy, Polly, Chris.

I took this self-timed photo without flash, but the colours didn't come out too well. I've had to tweak the exposure as it was originally much too dark.

For the next attempt I used flash, but the composition isn't as good.

Five ways to paint a pub sign

Just a quickie tonight: here is a lovely pub sign at a roundabout near the UEA in Norwich.

The five ways most people think of here are, of course, the five roads which meet at the roundabout. But the sign (click on the photo for a larger version) shows five ways of getting around: by boat, plane, train, foot and car.

And I'm pleased to see that the examples of transport are from real life: the plane is Concorde; the train is a streamlined LNER steamer; and the car is a VW Beetle. No doubt the boat is a specific type of dinghy, too.

Seen while cycling: one Candlestick, one Moggie and one wherry

I enjoyed a twenty mile cycle ride yesterday in the sunshine around the lanes of Norfolk. There are some strange road names out there!


I was on my way to help a friend move a car and a whole load of boxes and pieces of furniture.


On a different cycle ride a couple of days before, on the Marriot's Way - a former railway line now cycle/footpath - I saw this depiction of a wherry. This is about a mile from Norwich city centre by the River Wensum.


I'm not really sure why this wherry should be here. There is a small river which the railway crossed by the bridge in the above photo, but I don't think it was navigable this side of New Mills Pumping Station.

Not long to go now...

Today was my penultimate day at work in The Forum, Norwich, for BBC East.


I was editing for the regional opt-out for The Sunday Politics (the photo is actually from the weekend, where I was editing for the regional news bulletins - there's footy on the monitor. Footy doesn't feature much in The Sunday Politics).

It felt strangely like a normal work day and an unusual one at the same time. I supplied hot cross buns to my colleagues in the morning, and cake in the afternoon. I said one or two goodbyes, but most will happen next week.

My very last day will be on Thursday, which will be even stranger. Very annoyingly, there's an NUJ/Bectu strike planned for that day, starting at noon, so most of my colleagues will walk out leaving the place almost deserted. But things will look up later, as my leaving party gets under way in a city centre pub.

I'll write more about my time at the Beeb after then, no doubt.

When the Archbishop of Canterbury came to Norwich

A week ago the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, came to Norwich at the start of his prayer pilgrimage. Before walking to the cathedral he drew the crowds on the steps of The Forum where I work.


I was asked to film from our vantage point on the second floor - this was my view through the glass wall. (I took these photos before being asked to film.)


Susie Fowler-Watt (in the red scarf, on the left) interviewed him for BBC Look East.


Despite all the "proper" cameras there my high shots were used briefly. Which was nice. It wasn't quite the last time I wielded a camera for the BBC: on Saturday I filmed a demo against what the BBC isn't allowing itself to call the "bedroom tax" - or even the "so-called bedroom tax". That was probably my last bit of filming. (Just over a week to go ...)

Loose's - a museum in Norwich where everything is for sale

Loose's used to be a china and glassware emporium. Now the premises are filled with the most amazing range of artefacts from the past. It's like a museum of everyday objects spanning the last hundred years where, instead of a description, labels carry a price.


There's everything from individual horse brasses for £1 to a vibraphone for £995. (All right, not everything is "everyday".)

You could spend a whole day in there and still not see everything. And the prices are very reasonable - I have to be very disciplined! I've seen similar things costing more in charity shops.

I can think of several bloggers who would love the place. I haven't spotted much that's specifically canal- or narrowboat-related, but there's plenty of brass for those who like that sort of thing. And not much muck.

Taking a punt on the Wensum in Norwich

I came across these two punts in the middle of Norwich today. I had not seen them before.


Someone must be getting ready for summer, and starting a business. The plate on the side of the punts states that the maximum number of people allowed is 12 (like a narrowboat, then). I imagine a 12-up punt must seem rather crowded, and I don't suppose there'd be much freeboard!

River Wensum by night

I'm off to London for another course. The last time I went I had half-an-hour to kill in Norwich waiting for the connecting train, so I went down to the river.

This is the River Wensum here, a little further downstream it becomes the Yare, flowing out to sea at Great Yarmouth.

I don't expect this trip to be quite as exciting as the last time, when I went boating as a guest on Indigo Dream.

Giant cat's eyes on Bobcat; and Australian visitors

I got a bit of a surprise at Stoke Golding on the Ashby Canal.

A giant pair of cat's eyes was staring me down as I approached.

Impressive paintwork - but what was it?

The other side reveals it to be an unusual steel locker.

The boat is Lynx Rufus aka Bobcat.

More impressive paintwork depicts said animal putting its paw out of a porthole.

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We got talking to a couple of Australians in one of our favourite Indian restaurants in Norwich this evening. Greg and Hannah from Cairns, Queensland, are over here for a family reunion. It was good to meet you and chat in both the Ali and the King's Head - enjoy the rest of your stay. Perhaps you'll come back for a holiday on our wonderful canals, and see our country at its best. Greg, you'll be interested in the fitout of our boat - have a look here.

A clock for Jubilee

At last! I've found a nice brass clock for Jubilee.

The face is 5" diameter, and the clock is 2.5" deep. It's far superior to the brass clock which Clas Ohlson sells (I bought one but had to take it and its replacement back as they were both faulty). This "new" one came from an amazing second-hand emporium in Magdalen Street in Norwich for a very reasonable sum. The place is home to 60 different sellers, each with their own collection of stuff. There are cabinets of tiny things to rooms of furniture. It would be easy to spend a whole day in there and not see half of it. Fortunately for Jan - and my pocket - it's a bit of a walk from work so I don't get there that often!

I don't suppose Ally and Ben will allow me to install the clock - theirs is a minimalist approach to boat life - so I'll probably have to look after it at home until we get the boat back.

I know there's already a nice wooden clock on the wall in the saloon, but Shadow has a brass clock which seems to suit its surroundings well. Now, what shall I do with the wooden one?

What is it? - all is revealed (and the flaming torch)

Well done to Sue of Indigo Dream, who was the first to guess, and who got it right.


It is the centre of a poppy, the ripening seed head.


This is the more familiar view of the seed head...


... and from the side:

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Entirely unrelated to the above, the Olympic Flame came to Norwich today. This is the view from my place of work, in The Forum. You might be able to make out a torch being held aloft below the big screen displaying a broken-up image.


Millennium Plain and the area between the market and City Hall was packed with people enjoying the evening sunshine and trying to glimpse the flame.


A cauldron was lit in Chapelfield Gardens, marking the end of the day's torch relay.

Old World - New World concert

Jan and I went to a concert held in Norwich's Roman Catholic cathedral this evening. It was given by two choirs: one, Escorial, from Norwich; and the other, Musica Missouri, from St. Louis, Missouri. They sang a programme of mainly sacred music spanning eight centuries, from Pedro de Escobar to Ola Gjeilo (no, I hadn't heard of him/her either).


The American choir was conducted by Philip Barnes, whose style can accurately be described as flamboyant.


The English choir was conducted by our friend Chris Duarte in a more restrained manner.


For some numbers the two choirs combined. The standard was very high throughout - a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

We did our bit for Anglo-American relations by going to the pub afterwards and chatting to several members of the Missouri choir. I made a point of praising the altos, who sang particularly well. We also explained that the recent wet weather is exceptional, but they said that they preferred a bit of rain to the 108 degrees F and wildfires they're having back home. (108ºF? What's that? Oh, 42C. Yes, that's pretty hot.)

The Americans are here for another week, combining more concerts with visiting Blickling Hall, the North Norfolk Railway and other touristy things.

Daisies give me the (ox) eye

The grass verge by the inner ring road in Norwich is full of oxeye daisies in places.


I'm glad they haven't been mown down yet.


These seem to compete with poppies for verges and central reservations at this time of year.

Norwich artist Chedgey

More than 15 years ago I looked round an art exhibition in Norwich and was impressed by the work of a local artist known as Chedgey. So impressed was I that my parents commissioned him to paint a portrait of our family.


Here's the result. It's huge, by the way, and hangs over the stairs. We've all changed somewhat since then: I've lost my moustache and beard, and my hair has, inexplicably, changed colour. The background is Menai Bridge with Snowdonia behind, taken from a photo I took some years earlier.


Why am I writing about this now? I bumped into Chedgey in The Forum in Norwich last week. I was looking at an artwork there, this rather gory one called 'The making of "I could be an EXCELLENT surgeon" by Chedgey and Grant Ley', when I realised the artist was standing beside it. I was amazed when he remembered me!


I asked him if I could photograph him. Here he is, with another of his works, 'Self portrait as a hero of the Soviet Revolution'. (There's a fascinating story of how Chedgey was elevated to the status of "Hero", and had a 30' statue erected in Gdansk in his honour.)


Another view of the self portrait: