Autumn has arrived. Well, it was here before, but the rain is now falling hard, and has been for the last 24 hours really. The wind is blowing too, and it is dark way too early. Oh, and the clocks go back on Saturday night, and then it will be real dark in the evenings. At least we might see light in the mornings again, today it was still dark as we climbed into the car at half six.
Yesterday, we were up even earlier, as I had some travelling to do. Up at five and at Dover Priory Station for six as I was travelling to Norwich for the 34th beer festival. I was to meet my friend Matt at Ashford, and the train then carries on the Stratford, change and get the train direct to Norwich and beer there for half eight.
What could go wrong?
Well, the train manager not turning up for work, and so the train could not run. Or, it could run but not pick up passengers. apparently. So, I stood on the platform and saw it approach, and come down the platform and not stop.
A garbled announcement said that:
'Something, something, something, dark side', or that we would have to wait for the next service, but that meant missing the connection. I got on a slow train bound for Cannon street, thus meeting my friend at Ashford where we could discuss our options. As it was, we took the next service to Stratford and had breakfast.
We caught a train to Colchester, and then an express to Norwich, and arrived an hour later than intended. We left the station, walked along the river to look at Pull's Ferry, then cross the footbridge and onto the cathedral.
It was a cloudy, grey day, but at least dry for now, and the walk along the river was good, and after turning down over the footbridge we could have been in the middle ages for all the sounds of the modern world we could hear; the only thing spoiling the illusion were the parked cars.
We followed someone who looked like they knew where they were going, and ended up within the cathedral precinct. There is a new building, the refectory, but through it we found our way into the cloisters, and were rewarded with great views to the tower with it's impressive spire.
A quick look at the watch revealed we had half an hour until the doors opened, and we quickly dashed through Tombland, up Elm Hill over the cobbles to St Andrew's Hall and joined the queue.
We quickly got to the front at half eleven as people paid to enter, and then we crossed their palms with silver and we too were in. We paid for our tokens, got a table down in the bottled beer tent, and we both went to get our first drinks.
And that is it, repeat that process every 20 minutes or so, and buying some food on occasion, and that was it until half two. As well as rolls, they were selling bags of proper pork scratchings, which went down very nice with the beer.
The rain had stopped when we came out, but wandered through the City centre to another fine pub that also had a beer festival; The Murderers. We took a table in the corner and nursed our beers until nearly four, at which point we walked back down to the station and onto the train. and at half four it glided out of the station and the Norfolk countryside slid by, basking in the rays of the setting sun.
We changed again at Colchester, climbing onto a commuter service, getting off at Stratford, and after a short wait, the train back to Dover. It had been a long day, but good.
Time enough once in Dover for Jools and I to call in at a chippy for supper, and back home to eat and then to bed.
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