I observed a while ago that our current radius is determined by the distance our feet will take us before other body parts start to clamour for a toilet. So you'd think our walks -- constantly criss-crossing the same area -- would get boring.

They don't.

They're always different. There can be huge variation, depending on what the light, the weather, and the tide are doing at any given time. The shifting seasons roll out ever-new sources of beauty. And as we find out more about Norfolk, we notice more things. (Once invisible pillboxes, for example, take on substance simply because we know they're there.)

All in all, we have to be in a very grumpy-stumpy sort of mood to fail to come across something to wow us on our daily walks.




Overstrand continues to be a little mine of interest.

This is Danum House, formerly known as Overstrand Cottage. According to the very informative village signboard, it dates back to around 1750, but was was bought and extended by the Countess of Yarborough and her husband, John Maunsell Richardson, "who was considered the best gentleman rider in England, having won every steeplechase in England twice". In the 1900s, it became the home of author Florence Barclay (more on her in a Velvet Cushion post soon).


Below is The Grange, built in 1903 for Sir John Hare, a celebrated actor. According to Lady Battersea, Sir John "soon found that the solitude of the country during the earlier months of the year, when there was no club life with bridge and gossip to turn to, was more than he could bear", so the house was bought by Sir William Player (of cigarette fame). According to the village signboard, it was then occupied by Sir Jesse Boot (of pharmaceutical fame). (Remember how Overstrand became known as the village of millionaires?)


Here's the crab shed that was gifted to the fishermen of Overstrand by Lord Battersea. The anchor, meanwhile, dates back to the pre-railway days when coal and slate were transported by sea from the north of England to Overstrand. Originally one of two, it was apparently used to secure sailing ships while their cargo was being brought ashore.


Yesterday, we returned to Trimingham, going out via a network of quiet, beautiful tracks and lanes, and back via the coast path and the beach.




The flowers on the cliff top were simply stunning:




Today, on the way back from East Runton, we were overpowered by cornflowers:




Life definitely has its stresses.

We're not really much further forward, for example, on how exactly we will get home (there is still not much detail about the quite complex requirements, so at the moment we just have testimony from others to go on).

And now that restrictions have been eased, there are definitely more people to try to avoid.


But the compensations remain substantial.