Sunday Picture Post: Bridging the Wensum

Posted on August 2, 2020 by crispina kemp

Tuesday 28 July 2020, a day to remember, for today I donned my face shield and ventured forth on public transport all the way into Norwich to walk part of Marriott’s Way. Oh, bliss! To renew my acquaintance with this.

Norwich Guildhall: 28 July 2020

A historic building, delightful flint flush-work… and passed on my way to the Wensum

Coslany Bridge: 28 July 2020

The first of many bridges

The start of Marriott’s Way: 28 July 2020

St Crispin is the patron saint of leatherworkers (cobblers and glovers). Norwich grew as a city upon the wealth of wool and shoes

A contemporary bridge: 28 July 2020

Of metal construction, the bridge thunders and roars. Child that I am, I love it

Railway bridge: 28 July 2020

Taken from the river bank… I braved beds of nettles for this!

The Bridge at the Bounds: 28 July 2020

Here Norwich stops and Costessey & Hellesdon begin

Where I stopped for lunch: 28 July 2020

I remember this as a child. A gravel pit. Now it’s flooded and home to both white and yellow water lilies. But the sun, strong, leached the colours

A view from Costessey over Wensum Valley: 28 July 2020

I’ve left Marriott’s Way behind… it’s down there in the valley. My intent instead is to visit the woods, haunt of my childhood and much missed this year

Green Hills Wood: 28 July 2020

Since I can remember, there was a pine plantation at the top of this hill. But 2 years ago it was felled. That spring the air was heady with the divine scent of bluebells. Alas, I could not visit this bluebell season, the first time I haven’t returned since I moved away.

Willows beside River Tud: 28 July 2020

Two rivers flow through Costessey: the Tud and the Wensum… though the Tud is more of a paddling stream.

In East Hills Woods: 28 July 2020

No social distancing here. Here the trees gather in a loving embrace.

So many photos I shot that day. Which ones to share with you. After much cogitation, I decided to omit the flowers. The flowers aren’t special to the place, the bridges and these woods are.

Hope you enjoyed.

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

The Madder Market

Posted on August 1, 2020 by crispina kemp

Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich: 28 July 2020

When first built this medieval hall was the trading centre of the wool industry for this area, hence its name, madder being the dye plant that produces soft reds.

Today it houses a Shakespearean style theatre. Incredible, I once saw the Maddermarket Players perform an adaptation of War & Peace here, complete with the battles!

So By the Book, another title achieved in Maria’s Antonia’s #2020picoftheweek

(The “Book” being the play’s script)

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Book Review: Lake of Dreams by Crispina Kemp

Posted on July 31, 2020 by crispina kemp

sammicoxwriter's avatarSammi Loves Books

My thanks to Crispina Kemp for providing me with a copy of Lake of Dreams in return for an honest review…

Lake of Dreams is the second book in The Spinner’s Game series by Crispina Kemp.

Quick Review (read on for full review)

Enchanting and magical, this historical fantasy series goes from strength to strength. The characters, setting and story kept my attention from the very beginning and did not let up until the last page. A fantastic read.  Highly recommended! 5 / 5

Summary (from Goodreads)

Powerful visions… but can their dreams reveal the truth of Kerrid’s fantastical origins?

In the first book of The Spinner’s Game, Kerrid explored and developed her powers, gained a glimmering of what she might be, discovered the source of the accusatory voice, and worked to transform her status to that of a genuine shamanic wise-woman, able to enter the Spinner’s Otherworld Web. At…

View original post 827 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

CCC 90: Little Clogs Clatter on Stairs

Posted on July 30, 2020 by crispina kemp

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #90

Fredrik clumped and clattered his way up the stairs. “Come on, Trudie, there’s plenty of room up here.”

Trudie wasn’t so sure, but she followed him up, nose twitching and sniffing.

“Something’s missing here,” she said after another sniff of the air.

“Nah, it’s cool. No one else here, no fight for the food.”

“No food,” she remarked, now she’d figured what was missing. “This isn’t a mill for grinding grain. No wonder there’s no one here of our kind.”

Fredrik stopped at the top step and looked around him. “Hmm. Not agricultural land, only grazing.”

“Plenty of room… but no place for mice.”

St Olave’s Mill is a windpump, for draining the marshes

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Mostly Micro, Photos | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #90

Posted on July 29, 2020 by crispina kemp

CCC#90

Welcome to my weekly challenge—open to all—just for FUN, FUN, FUN

Here’s how it works:

Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.)
You respond with something CREATIVE

Here are some suggestions:

  • An answering photo
  • A cartoon
  • A joke
  • A caption
  • An anecdote
  • A short story (flash fiction)
  • A poem
  • A newly minted proverb, adage or saying
  • An essay
  • A song—the lyrics or the performance

You have plenty of scope and only two criteria:

  • Your creative offering is indeed yours
  • Your writing is kept to 150 words or less

If you post a link in the comments section of this post I’ll be able to find it
If you include Crimson’s Creative Challenge as a heading, WP Search will find it (theory)
by ‘Searching’ in the WP Reader (fingers crossed)

Here’s wishing you inspirational explosions. And FUN.

FYI only, it’s not a windmill, but a windpump used to drain the marshes.

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

I Remember Well

Posted on July 27, 2020 by crispina kemp

10 July 2020

I remember well the day we met
Beside the turbulent sea
With seagulls loud
And wind that screamed
The surf breaking at our feet
Our dogs far away and chasing
And your words as nuanced as the clouds

38 words written for Sammi’s Weekend Prompt: Nuance

Posted in Mostly Micro, Photos | Tagged | 22 Comments

Sunday Picture Post: Green Lanes and Pines

Posted on July 26, 2020 by crispina kemp

I invite you to walk with me. Inland this time, along green lanes and over hills (okay, not high hills but hills the same).

We’re going to Lound where we’ll pick up the Snakes Track that’ll take us to Asby: 14 July 2020

Humph! 14 July 2020

The start of Snake’s Track. But it’s okay, there’s a clear path to the side of this nettle-grown gate.

Snake’s Track: 14 July 2020

Chicory growing wild: 14 July 2020

A full halfway along, there’s a break in the hedge (new trees being planted) and we can see into the fields. Wildflowers form wide borders, intended to attract pollinating insects and bees, and thus also birds.

Scabious: 14 July 2020

Scabious had become rare but again is flourishing thanks to the farmers and their field-edges

A typical cornfield in N E Suffolk: 14 July 2020

Cornflowers, corn-marigolds, poppies, ox-eyed daisies, wild geraniums, self-heal… some of the flowers I identified here

A riot of colour: 14 July 2020

Loud with the humming of bees

Hemlock: 14 July 2020

As we turn off the track, to pick up another to take us to Ashby, there is an incredible smell. It doesn’t find favour with most people, but it makes me think of roasting coffee. It’s hemlock in the sun

Lound Lakes

Beyond Asby, heading back to Great Yarmouth, Lound Lakes are a reservoir managed by Anglian Water. And private property. This was all we could see.

Pine cones… 14 July 2020

Pine isn’t native to Norfolk and Suffolk. These have been planted on the hill that rises above Lound Lake (a former Board).

Pines: 14 July 2020

Pines and bracken on a hillside; it could be Scotland. No, it’s Suffolk

Rowan: 14 July 2020

And you can’t have pines without Mountain Ash (Rowan)… all heavy in berry

Pylons. And rain clouds: 14 July 2020

The weather had remained fair for us, so we couldn’t complain if the clouds started to mount as we were heading for the bus home.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. Deciding which to use out the 300 I took was a major challenge!

Posted in Photos | Tagged , | 34 Comments

Water Under the Bridge

Posted on July 25, 2020 by crispina kemp

Transportation, another title achieved in Maria’s Antonia’s #2020picoftheweek

The bridge is at St Olave’s on the Waveney River. Part of the Broads area, the river forms the border between counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.

I liked the double-take, of both water and road transport

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Because I’ve been asked…

Posted on July 24, 2020 by crispina kemp

In 1998 I stayed a week in Wells, in Somerset. I visited Glastonbury, climbed the Tor. I walked the Mendips. I visited Cheddar, famous for cheese… and explored the caves there. I took some 72 photos of those caves (2 x 36 exp films, back in the day). Here are a few, quality not digi-perfect (these are scans)

Sept 1998

Sept 1998

Sept 1998

Sept 1998

Maybe one day I’ll go back to Cheddar… with a digital camera and take 700 photos more

Posted in Photos | Tagged , , | 42 Comments

CCC89: Vertically

Posted on July 23, 2020 by crispina kemp

Crimson’s Creative Challenge

Nah, you’ve got that wrong.

Six foot apart LATERALLY, not vertically

Posted in Crimson's Creative Challenge, Photos | Tagged , | 8 Comments