Dawn Treaders

The nicest thing about Autumn is that it's bird watching time again. Dad and I got up before dawn and drove all the way to Norfolk to a place called Snettsham. It's on the West Coast of Norfolk and is basically famous for mud. Miles and miles of it stretching out into the Wash. To humans it looks anything but welcoming but to millions of birds it's FOOD big time. The trick is to get there just as the tide is starting to ebb. As soon as any mud is exposed flocks of waders fly in from the fields and start frantically digging and poking. If you're standing on the shore they fly right over your head, lines and lines of them, thousands of them. The knot form vast flocks that from a distance look like live smoke or huge arial monsters you can't see individual birds. The whole thing flashes black and white as the birds all turn in unison and you see their white tummies. I've seen it on TV but it's even more amazing in real life. We had a dreadful drive there through v scary dark and torrential rain but dad's trust in the weather forecast held good. It stopped as we got out of the car about 8 oclock and by 9 as we were watching the flocks on the wash the sun came out behind us, lighting the scene up as it by magic. We could see right across to Lincolnshire on the other side.
Snettisham's famous winter bird though is the pink footed goose. Most of the world population comes here from Iceland and Greenland. They spend the night on the wash and at dawn fly over in their thousands to feed on the sugar beet in the fields. We missed them this time - apparently December is the time. So another trip clearly in order!

Hastings 940

October 14th -940th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and Leo and I went to Battle abbey for the re-enactment. Great stuff! Massed armies of Normans and Saxons slogging it out on the original battlefield in front of 20,000 spectators. 3000 re-enactors, including 300 mounted knights from all over the world (including some genuine Normans) were all camping semi authentically, cooking organic wild boar and dubious looking beans and showing off their battle axes and hand made chain mail. Apart from the battle there was the medieval market which was doing a roaring trade in authentic leather wear and such like. Want to buy a badger skin (£29), a yard of hand woven wool (£50!), or some assorted arrow heads? re-enactment days are the place to go. The market goes from more to less authentic as you move down the street ending with various fast food stands so you get frequent surreal moments – ferocious looking Saxons eating hot dogs. The mounted Norman knights were very impressive and we all very properly booed William as he came by on his black charger. Harold died with suitable drama on top of the hill defended to the last by his fyrd. However they recovered quickly and were last seen marching down the main camp road shouting ‘Beer tent –right WHEEL!'
Whole colllection of photos at

Vikings on line