Thursday 27th October 2022

Pay day.

Which is good.

So: Dateline Norwich, Norfolk.

I wake at half six, with buses and trucks heading into the city just outside the bedroom window, whatever, I slept well, so messed around online for an hour, had a shower and then went down for breakfast. Dressing first, of course.

I chose the "continental breakfast", of fruit and toast, and two pots of coffee which set me for the day.

I had a number of plans: first was to go to Cantley and the Limpenoe for some churchcrawling, but with the swing bridges at Reedham and Somerleyton closes for maintenance, that meant rail replacememnt buses. THe other choice was to go to Cromer to the church there, have lunch of chips beside the seaside, beside the sea.

But first, a a walk to St Stephen's on Theatre Street, as I had not been there before, and was oepn, apparently.

Despite being the end of October, it was warm and humid, and would exceed 20 degrees in the afternoon. But was cloudy, and there was a chance of rain.

More than a chance as it turned out.

So, after breakfast I set out through Tombland, past The Halls where the beer festival was being held, and fresh supplies were being delivered.

Through the market, up the steps and across from The Forum to Theatre Street where the doors of the church had just been opened. What greeted me was a fine large East Anglian church, but instead of pews or rows of chairs, was tables and chairs all set out to be a cafe.

All churches do their best, I know, but St Stepehens is now a calling point on the etrance to the once new shopping centre, the windows offer a large and bright space, but not very churchy.

I made the mistake of asking a volunteer when it stopped being a church: it's still a church, anf the tables can be quickl replaced with rows of chairs, it seems.

I go round and get shots, but avoiding, as warned, not to get people in my shots. Its a big church, so I managed that pretty well.

Ten minutes later, St Peter Mancroft opened I wanted to snap the east windows as best I could, so with my compact I did my best. A guy sat behind me and tutted loudly as I took shots and when I asked a warden if I could take a shot of a memoral in the chancel. He had the whole church to sit in, but shose to sit behind me, already taking shots, apparently just so he could complain.

So fuck you.

I got my shots, and left, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Outside rain had began to fall. Falling hard enough not to be pleasant. My plan had been to walk tot he station, but wasn't going to walk in this weather. So, I walked through the market, lingering as rain fell harder, then corssing to Royal Arcade before emerging onto Back of the Inns, and walking into Castle Mall, taking a series of escalators to the top, all the while hoping that by the time I reached the top, rain would have stopped.

It hadn't.

But I did snap the decorative paving marking the source of an ancient spring, then headed down Timber Hill to the Murderers, where I went in and had a pint. And eneded up staying for another and a lunch of nachos.

Last stop was St John Maddermarket, where I retook many shots, but had a long and interesting conversation with the warden about the church and the font found at St John in Folkestone.

I went back to the hotel, lay on the bed for a snooze edit some shots and post them with a description which became the backbone for the previous blog post.

For the evening, I had been invited for dinner at my good friend's, Sarah's.

So at five, I walk up through the City to Pottergate, then along, through the underpass and estate beyond, arriving at her door at just gone six.

Darkness was falling, the street was ankle deep in golden leaves, quite the most fabulous place, really.

We have a drink, chat abut churches, butterflies, orchids and Norwich City, after which we eat: a kind of duck stew, which was hearty and very good. Alnong with that, we su from the bottle of fruity red I had bought on the way to her house.

The evening slipped by, and after walking 15,000 steps, I got a taxi back to the hotel, along fairly deserted roads, dropping me at the door of the hotel, where just insode a wedding repception was nearing its end, back in my room, I put in ear plugs and slept long and deep.