Hot here but..

It may be hot here and dry but I am not going to complain - we could be living in this village in Greenland being threatened by an iceberg.  See this link to BBC News

Looking out of our windows all I can see is quickly ripening cereals and patchy crops of potatoes. If you look carefully at the crops there are lots of gaps in the rows where nothing has come up.  It will definitely be a low harvest for potatoes and an early one for cereals.

Sheringham Park

I took this photos over the early Bank Holiday then did not have time to tell you about the visit. Sheringham Park is a National Trust property on the coast in Norfolk (Near Sheringham, obviously).  Had some bluebells but the heat had nearly done for them but the Rhododendrons were coming out beautifully. 

There were several trees in the lower part of the park with the most beautiful "lattice" bark pattern.

We walked all the way through the park to Weybourne station on the Holt to Sheringham North Norfolk Railway. Look its Thomas!  Packed with excited kids.  We stopped for a while to enjoy the steam trains, a cup of tea and a bench.

Walking back through the park we found just enough energy to climb the viewing tower to look over the trees.

Would recommend a visit, but two things - bank holidays in good weather makes it very, very busy. ~And lots of dog owners who think you all like their mutts and that those long leads are not a trip hazard! If you are not a NT member the car park is £6.

Could not find enough benches in the shade as the place was packed with people, so we popped round the corner to a local Woodland Trust area (Pretty Corner Wood - aptly named) and had a cool rest on the picnic benches on one of the highest points in Norfolk (90 mts) looking out to sea. it was very hazy but there is sea at the bottom of this valley - a small coaster just went by honestly!

Tried to stay out late enough to miss the traffic coming home but so did everyone else so it was a slow crawl back.

Window problems

Our bathroom is a single story 1970s extension that faces due east at the back of the house so not a great assert but functional.  We always have the window open day and night to prevent mold (previous owners had it fully tiled so moisture lingers from even the shortest shower) until this week.  With this extraordinary wind, so called Beast from the East, we wanted to close it tight but somehow the top opening frame had got twisted out of shape and would not seal!  The central heating is not on during the day I put the NHS free thermometer on the window sill where it read 10C in seconds. It went up to 12 C by the time I reached the kitchen table.

The solution last night was some plastic and some wide tape.

OK its not pretty but it cut the draft but still left us with a high pitched keening noise of the wind coming in the millimeter gap at the top of the window.  Not quite whistle, not quite a moan. We should record it for a background noise in a BBC spooky drama.

When the weather improves and we can look at the seals and the plastic window frame is soft (perhaps in August) see if we can adjust it to fit better.

I recall living in my parents 1950s council house with single glass windows and no heating at all upstairs.  The bathroom really was cold all the time especially in the bad winter of 1963! My Dad left the taps dribbling to stop them freezing up and the water puddling in the sink or bath froze solid overnight after the coal fire and paraffin heater downstairs were out.  Probably why I find this modern trend for laying in a bath with candles and wine so strange - "lingering" was not something I grew up with. Nowadays we have to wait for a luxury break in an overheated hotel when I get to fill a bath to the brim and spend time in there.

As the snow has melted off the back windows we have discovered the wind blown snow must have picked up a lot of dust or soil from the very dry conditions and the windows are thick with dirt. Glad its nearly all over with the setting sun.