A Nice Lunch In Suffolk

~ beetleypete ~ 12 Comments

We travelled to the Suffolk border today in fine weather, a 70-minute drive to Ingham, just north of Bury St Edmunds. We had a lunch date with my old friend Roland, and his wife, Christine.

They chose The Cadogan, a gastro-pub on the main road from Thetford. Almost an hour from their house south of Ipswich.

It was great to see them both again, and we enjoyed a main course and drinks, followed by a long chat over coffee and dessert. Arriving just after 1pm, we didn’t leave until 5pm, as we had a lot of catching up to do. Lovely chats and some good memories too.

The food and service were really good. Though Christine’s meal was seriously below par, and the staff unhesitatingly credited a refund for her with full apologies.

I would definitely go there again though.

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Original Songs And Cover Versions (62)

~ beetleypete ~ 39 Comments

A change from songs I don’t like to one that I do.

Written by Smokey Robinson and Al Cleveland in 1967, it was a hit for Smokey and the Miracles on Tamla Motown that same year.
Did I buy it? Yes of course I did.

In 1969, Diana Ross and The Supremes teamed up with The Temptations to record a cover version, also for Tamla-Motown. It was a good version, but as I already had the original, I stuck with that one.

Then in 1980, the British new wave glam band Japan released a straight cover version of it that got nowhere. So they re-released it in 1982 and it got to number nine in the UK Top 40. I really liked Japan, but they didn’t add anything to the original to make it worth buying.

There were nine other cover versions between 1975-2023, but none worth mentioning or featuring here.

Sunday Musings Mid-Heatwave

~ beetleypete ~ 42 Comments

Of course I have posted a lot about the hot weather recently, and three days of normal temperatures are a most welcome relief.
So I will say no more.

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Julie had a dental appointment in Norwich last Tuesday afternoon, so we combined that with an early dinner at The Village Inn pub, Little Melton. They had a deal on freshly-made pizzas, so we both had one. It was nice and cool inside the old building, and we sat out in the shade in the small garden area after eating.

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Next week is a busy one for us socially. Meeting friends for lunch in Suffolk one day, and then seeing another friend in Norwich the next. She is coming up by train for the day, from East London.

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Our grandson was in a school musical play on Friday, and Julie drove over to watch the performance with other family members. He had one of the lead parts and also had to sing songs. He did really well. It was too hot for me to venture out and sit inside a hot school hall, so I sent money to buy everyone ice cream after the performance. He goes up to senior school after the summer holidays. That time has flown by.

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Dinner later will be belly pork in garlic butter sauce with accompanying vegetables.

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Have a wonderful day, and stay cool if it is too hot where you live.

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A Saturday Walk With A Camera

~ beetleypete ~ 44 Comments

Much cooler yesterday, so I headed off to Hoe Common to take some photos. I have posted similar ones on here previously, but this is a different camera, and more recent followers may not have seen the other ones.

(Clicking on the photos will take you to Flickr, where they can be enlarged.)

I crossed the footbridge over to Hoe Rough first. The Wildlife Trust no longer removes reeds and plants from the River Whitewater, so the flow is very sluggish now. And on the other side of the bridge the tree foliage on both banks is touching each other.

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On the path to get across the Holt Road, I saw lots of climbers on the trees there.

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Once on Hoe Common it was obvious that the Bracken was no longer being cleared.

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Whatever was cultivated in this field had been recently harvested.

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Zoom range of the FZ330. First photo at 25mm wideangle.
Note the house in the distance.

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The same house at 600mm full zoom.

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Double-post fencing. Often infilled with twigs and other debris for added strength.

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During WW1, the area was used as a training ground for infantry about to depart for France and Belgium. The craters, earthworks, and trench systems are still visible 102 years later.

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On the way to the old railway, I came across this rubbish that had been dumped. It is a real problem in rural areas like this one, and it is known as ‘fly-tipping’ here. By being dumped off the pathway on private land, the landowner bears the financial reponsibility of getting it removed.

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Parts of the Victorian railway bridge are overgrown now.

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The old railway is now privately owned and run by an enthusiast group. https://www.midnorfolkrailway.co.uk/
Sadly, the trains do not yet run as far as Hoe, as you can tell by the condition of the tracks in both directions.

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This ‘B’ road eventually leads into Dereham, just over 3 miles south.

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I hope that you enjoyed this sightseeing tour of the area I live in.

English Weather

~ beetleypete ~ 34 Comments

Yesterday. 31C/88F. Hot and sunny.
Very humid inside the house. Horrible.

Today. 21C/70F. Cloudy. Breeze from the north.
Fresher and cooler inside. Much better.

Yes, we talk a lot about the weather in this country.

I’m not apologising for that.

Songs I Don’t Like (19)

~ beetleypete ~ 43 Comments

In 1911, someone wrote a song about a traditional dance in Cornwall. I had never heard it, and could happily have lived my life without ever even knowing about it. Later versions also flew under my radar, and I was living a life in London still blissfully unaware of this song.

Then along comes TV presenter, chat-show host, radio DJ, and professional Irishman, Terry Wogan. I never liked the man, but he was undeniably popular in the UK at the time. He was NOT a singer though.

Nonetheless, he decided to record the song in 1978, accompanied by the Hanwell Brass Band.

Of course, it was terrible.

But then, horror of horrors, it got into the Top 40 at number 21 and was played on the radio all the time. I am hoping that it will be unknown outside of Britain.