Not a fan of big garden centres (prefer proper nurseries) but needed some cheap garden clogs to slip on, so headed to Fakenham Garden Centre. It was as billed, but O’d had forgotten that it does have the most mesmerising aquarium department. Absolutely gorgeous fish.

Went to see H Is For Hawk at Fakenham cinema this evening. Every bit as good as the reviews say. Clare Foy got right into @hjm.bsky.social’s wonderful skin. Great film making. Six in our party, so we’ll be in Fakenham’s good books.

Cut blackthorn hedges less often = boost brown hairstreak butterflies. Really simple, cost-free (or even money-saving) measures can massively benefit wildlife. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“When we see the hazel catkins turn yellow, we know that spring is not far off” Writer: EL Grant Watson Artist: CF Tunnicliffe

Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.

Yay!!!

Nobody breathe, but I think someone’s coming for the futon at 5.30…

Can’t believe they released the Epstein files to cover up for the Melania movie.

In case you were wondering

Catherine O’Hara didn’t steal scenes she just showed up and ownership automatically defaulted to her

The joy of listing something (perfect condition Futon Company futon in this case) for free on Facebook. Is it still available? Yes Radio silence (repeat ad infinitum) Hi, I’m desperate. My daughter’s coming to stay. It’s available Radio silence Is it a smoke free house Yes (as per ad) etc

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

Reading Julian Barnes Departure(s) and his lockdown experience, I suddenly had the revelation that not going to work now means I’m living the fantasy lockdown that I didn’t have at the time (13hr Pie HQ days). I’m reading, making sourdough and haven’t started relearning French, but give it time. 🪡

Hyper local, but Fakenham Tyres are a breath of fresh air. No shiny reception, chap in overalls appears beside you as you park. Whips wheel off, mends it, back on and general cheeriness abounds. Super speedy, into tatty office and charges £15. Pops some air in the other 🛞🛞🛞 for good measure.

Feeling v positive about this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Long shot, but has anyone got experience/recommendations for people who do domestic stainless steel worktop installations? Thanks. RT hugely appreciated #norfolk #kitchen #UK

GET YOUR NON-SLOPPY VALENTINES HERE! @gailmyerscough.co.uk

The first morning this year that I’ve heard a dawn chorus.

Today’s phone screen saver. Mood.

Picked four small twigs of Sweet Box to dot around for fragrance, and have had to rewild three ladybirds who came in on them.

Marty Supreme at Cromer last night. Very loud, very hectic, feeling exhausted.

Hamnet at Fakenham cinema last night. I enjoyed it more than the book, which I read some years ago. Probably tighter editing to get it to two hours helped. Great visuals - and the top notch performances we already knew was coming. It didn’t do anything for D, apparently.

Your annual reminder that “Blue Monday” is a complete fiction invented by a company that wanted to sell you more holidays. Enjoy January! It’s quiet and cosy and time for semi-hibernation, reflection and being kind to yourself!

When windy place an ear to the bark of a tree, & with a hand stop all noise entering the other ear You can now concentrate on listening THROUGH the tree to the low rumble of the trunk & branches working with the wind You can also feel the movement of the branches as they react

#firstbirdoftheday Great Spotted Woodpecker, heard drumming. Good spring-like sign even if the village is draped in a damp murk this morning.

“I’m a remarkable woman..always was, though none of you seemed to think so.”May Morris, English artist embroiderer, designer, feminist and socialist, dismayed by the lack of support for women artists founded the Women’s Guild of Arts, 1907 #womensart

Was sitting in the kitchen with Mouse cat on my knee and we both heard a loud bang. Turns out D was dreaming he was in a cafe and a man came over and “snorted” at D’s feta. He thought this so rude he stood up and kicked him hard on the bum. Bedroom wall is OK, but D’s foot hurt for a while. 🤷‍♀️

Showed The Ballad Of Wallace Island at the Village Hall cinema last night. A good number of people who don’t often come were there. D brought the house lights up slowly at the end but no one moved or spoke as they listened to the final song. A good sign. Recommended. #villagelife

Walked the 50yds up to the VH to provide teas and @nigella.bsky.social clementine cake at the monthly art workshop. Found out that a neighbour has died, a few weeks after she was reluctantly moved to a care home 😢. And discovered whose car was on the low loader last night. #Veryvillage.

Today’s plan was in the calendar to go over to Cromer for a walk with Johnny & Julia, previously village residents. But consensus yesterday was to wait until there’s a bit less arctic coming off the North Sea.

More ridiculously bright moonlight down the garden at 6.30 this morning. Narnia stuff.

When I was working I used to walk Juno up the hill to work. The first time I saw this view in 2007 it captivated me and, once I had Juno to walk, I photographed it 100s of times, a sniffing dog pulling at her lead beside me. This is 4th January 2016. First day back after the holidays.

Having a bit of cognitive dissonance here. Had a lovely snowy day, feeding the birds, walking the dog with Jeremy, a nice lunch. Meanwhile in a previously benign country an evil old man invades a country for oil, grabs its president, and what the actual F…?

I make this regularly during citrus season. It’s incredibly easy and with just eggs, clementines (or whatever you have), ground almonds and a smidge of sugar I don’t think it would ever be wrong to have it for breakfast. Flipping delicious, of course. I cook the clems in the pressure cooker.

Quite the full moon last night. Kitchen bright enough to navigate at 3.30 am. #norfolk

Pre Traitors supper tonight in considerable contrast to last night’s fab Caucuses extravaganza. From Amber Guinness’s Winter in Tuscany. Another gift that I’m very much getting into. Love a proper bit of seasonality.

Made a bookmark for one of this year’s gifts from last year’s calendar.

New Year’s Eve at our village Georgian restaurant. Georgian music, Georgian food and Georgian atmosphere. So good. (Thanks Jeremy for all the hard work and skill)

Borrowed book book, read it read it is one from Mary to D to me. Beautiful Ruins. 2012, I didn’t realise it was that old until I finished. Fascinated by the interwoven structures, and spending some of the book in Italy at this stage of the year with a fictionalised Richard Burton is no bad thing.

Great big pressure cooker of turkey, herbs and veg stock on. My mother looks down and smiles* *Also tells me how it should be done ❤️

Why are Americans not in the streets bearing their much cherished anti-overbearing government weaponry? Why are ICE vehicles not on their sides and in flames? How much longer will they put up with this shit before they say, "You know what, that's just wrong"?

Made a big mistake at the VH last night (our turn on the bar rota). Invented a cocktail of rum & Fentiman’s (quite warming) ginger beer, with ice and lime slices. So delicious I had three. Three drinks isn’t excesssive. You’d think. Turns out that much ginger stops you going to sleep until 2am.

I might be bold enough (two glasses of red in) to say that if you consider turkey dry and tasteless then you have the wrong turkey or aren’t doing it right. That was perfectly delicious.

i post this story every christmas, and will keep doing so until it stops making me cry merry christmas xx

Happy Christmas. All is calm, all is bright. And nothing says Christmas like a festive Swedish dishcloth (in a mixed pack and awaiting its moment in the limelight for about 18 months - forgot it last year).

It’s that time of year when it takes longer to bath the dog and then clean the bath than it did to walk her. Having a consolation limoncello mince pie.

Morning.

Excellent Strictly final night - enjoyed everything about it hugely. Including the two Brick pizzas we got from the Farm Shed. But the end always seems so abrupt. Could we not have one last joyous debrief It Takes Two on Monday?

A short notice 🎄Festive Friday 🎄bar night tonight at the Village Hall, requiring festive nibbles. I seem to have invented ‘nduja and shallot pinwheels. Sprinkled with the pistachio dhuka that Chef Dave made and left us with. Quite tasty.