My degree was in Environmental Earth Sciences…so I may dabble into the nature sometimes 😉
Overkill? Probably
Annmarie xoxo
Category: norfolk
Big
There’s a circular walking on the Blinking Estate (Norfolk) which seems like a normal lovely walk through a National Trust site. However when me and a friend turned the corner nose deep in our map to ensure we were going the right way, we weren’t expecting to come across a large mausoleum! Although we were at a National Trust stately home so, I guess it could be expected? If you go to the left side of the mausoleum of this picture you can peer inside.
Annmarie xoxo
Connect II
My immediate thought was a bridge, but I’ve already done that. So a lighthouse! A tower of light that allows those out in the sea to see the rugged lands.
I remember when I was in Slapton, Devon on a fieldtrip in my first year of University. It was the first time the me being the big city kid I was spent a night out of a city. I was surprised at how dark it can get without light pollution, amazed at the stretches of stars bright in the sky. To top it off there was a lighthouse nearby whose beam of light kept circling the sky.
Without cheating, how would you pronounce ‘Happisburgh’?
Annmarie xoxo
Solitude II
For me solitude is getting away from normal life, escaping the urban jungle.
Annmarie xoxo
Bliss II
For me bliss is being surrounded by nature. I love going for walks, exploring areas focusing on details in the landscape. I find it relaxing being outside.
Derelict boats, Blakeney, Norfolk
Derelict boats, in Blakeney, Norfolk
Annmarie xoxo
Street II
I’m cheating a little here.
This was taken along a Roman road near Hockham, Norfolk. I loved the contrast between the pine plantation on one side and the deciduous on the other. The light hitting the trunks and bracken on the right. Although I’m a city girl, and will always be one, I think a natural street/road, will always grab my attention more than an urban one.
My last attempt was Elm Hill, in Norwich.
Annmarie xoxo
Bounded by the Sea
One of the most obvious characteristics of the UK (and Ireland) is that we’re an island nation, surrounded by the sea. I’ve always loved the coast, the transition between land and sea. The waves lapping up the beach, the salty smell of the air. The sound of seagulls…as long as they’re no where near your food. The mandatory purchase of seaside rock to prove that you had been to a seaside town. The waves act as a natural metronome, if you’re ever feeling anxious. Building sandcastles, and getting sand stuck in between your toes, or trying to get anywhere on shingle beaches.
But there’s also the darker side to being bounded by the sea – coastal erosion. The waves are continuously re-shaping the coastline, affecting settlements, tourism and ecosystems. And man is always trying to get the upper hand and mange it as much as it can.
All photos taken along the Norfolk (Eastern England) coastline: Mundesley, Sea Palling, Happisburgh, Cromer, Sheringham, Holme-Next-The-Sea.
In response to the weekly photo challenge: “Boundaries.”
Annmarie xoxo
Goodbye old friend
I knew at the end of this academic year I would have to give up my bike. My prime mode of transport for the year, the object that was the subject of my first ever blog post. Something that I insisted on writing multiple blog posts about. But I didn’t expect it to have such an ending.
It all started to go down hill for my bike….literally as the brakes were worn and didn’t work. Come winter (a very mild one as well), I had to install bike lights as England is a lovely place where it’s pitch black at 4pm :l Whilst doing so I somehow hulk’ed off the rear mudguard where it attaches to the frame. I tore about a 2cm diameter piece of solid plastic…I hulk’ed it because I have no idea where the strength came from.
My old housemate and I used to cycle on a weekend along a disused railway path near our house. As a celebration/commiseration to an end of an era we went out on one last ride, but decided to cycle the full length (26miles) and back on what was the hottest day of the year so far.
It was going fine until we got to Reepham and we may have gotten lost. That place seems to be a blackspot for mobile phone signals, so we had to rely on a friendly local to navigate us back to our exact starting point in the town. We hadn’t noticed a hidden fingerpost highlighting the direction we should have gone in. We finally arrived in Aylsham, later than expected, and realising we had to cycle 26miles to get back to Norwich. So we started feeding ourselves with as much sugar/carbs filled foods as we could, watching all the trucks and vans passing us thinking they could easily fit 2 bikes in and take us back to Norwich.
We arrived back in Reepham very quickly and went for a pub dinner as it was 8pm and we were still a far distance from Norwich. The first sign that something was going wrong was that my calf muscles started to seize up everytime I would stretch them to get onto my bike and pedal. But I thought that was my body saying I’m a little tired here. After dinner we were back on our bikes, thankful that it was June and still light at 9pm.
We then reached Attlebridge, saddened that our favourite picnic bench was no longer there. My second sign was my legs started shaking. But we pressed on. The section between Attlebridge and Felthorpe is one of my favourites during the day, the woodlands are pretty and I remember one trip when I still had my mudguard after it had rained just going straight through the middle of muddy puddles and not caring. The only problem is the Norwich bound section is a gentle (we are in Norfolk of course) 2 mile incline. By then we had to have our lights on, it was pitch black. Baring in mind my lights are the shitty £3 set that light up nothing were able to light the path in front of us. Along this section I started to feel really light headed and dizzy. Asking if we could walk for a bit, we walked to the next road junction.
Now it was 10:30pm, we were 6 miles from Norwich. As we arrived at the junction I started to feel worse, at first I thought it was panic attack but it felt different. In the end I had to call for a taxi to take us back to Norwich. Luckily having worked for a year studying this route inside out, I knew exactly where we were and was able to give the road names to the cab firm. Except that wasn’t good enough, I assume they thought we were prank calling, and wanted a postcode. We were in the middle of no where, between two villages and surrounded by trees. Luckily I had enough internet (and actual signal) to find the nearest postcode to a business around the corner and they dispatched a cab, and lucky the cab driver knew exactly where we were compared to the phone operator. We then had to hide our bikes discretely so someone couldn’t steal them.
Once back in Norwich we then drove back to the spot we hid our bikes. It was then my friend had told me that whilst we were waiting there were bats flying over. Which then freaked me out. Although my bike had quick release wheels, I’ve never used them and I don’t think the previous owners used it as we struggled to get it open. After lots of manpower and shear determination to not admit defeat my friend got my front wheel off and by 1am I was finally at home in bed.
However, my night wasn’t over with. I felt even worse than I had when cycling back. I was so hot and for some reason my body wasn’t wanting to cool itself down, and once the headache started and I felt nauseous I decided to call 111 who sent me to A&E. It was only when the doctor had said plainly ‘You’ve cycled for 10 hours, in 26degree heat’ (remember England) and that’s when I realised no matter how much I drank it was still a stupid idea. Four hours later I was told I had heat stroke, and spent the next few days recovering.
Sadly my friend tried to repair my bike but in his words. He reattached the front wheel but the lever wouldn’t lock so it would be fine to ride as long as you didn’t shake the bike….which is fine if most of the roads you cycled on didn’t have humps, potholes and drain covers. As the front wheel will just roll away. I then donated the bike to a local enterprise called Bicycle Links, hopefully it was some form of use to them!
It seems quite poetic that my bike died along the same path that I first rode it.
Annmarie xoxo
2014 in photos
Holme-Next-The-Sea
I thought a nice way of summarising the year would be to do so in photographs!
January – Winning drunk bowling…please drink responsibly…
February – Day trip to Blickling Hall, North Norfolk with housemates
March – Creating a toad fence at Cranwich and having a photo of myself in the EDP / Norfolk County Council website.
April – Revisiting Hickling Broad, I love The Broads one of my favourite parts of Norfolk.
May – Buying my first bike and learning how to ride it.
June – Royal Norfolk Show, first country show I’ve ever been to and certainly want to return again this year.
July – Visiting Holme Nature reserves and chilling on the wide stretches of beaches with hardly anyone else being there.
August – Having a rest back home after being on my placement year for the last 12 months.
September – Ireland fieldcourse as part of my degree, saw a lot of cool rocks…and had a 24 hour journey from Norwich to Western Ireland.
October – Halloween! First time I was able to carve a pumpkin, (tradition for my mum to do it)
November – Norwich big boom! Bonfire night is the best occasion after Christmas.
December – Spending waaaaay too much time in front of a computer wanting to bang my head against a wall whilst trying to complete my dissertation!
Looking back, I really want to do the photo 365 challenge, but then I would actually have to have a life!
Hope you’ve had a great 2014!
Annmarie xoxo
connect
Bridges act as connections overcoming obstacles, allowing you to explore areas that may have not been possible previously. It’s funny I love the look of bridges, but with my fear of heights and deep water, some bridges just make me queasy!
Annmarie xoxo
Dream and Flutter 