Wednesday, March 31, 2010

when violet eyes get brighter


On Tuesday, it rained pretty much all morning. So I played on the wii fit (it’s so nice – I love how I feel when I exercise, but I have a hard time doing it without direction. And I can mix up the duller strengthening exercises with fun games.) and wrote the blog post.

In the afternoon, Jack took me to King’s Lynn. Wyvner insisted on coming along.



I felt bright and excited when we arrived, and while we were there the rain cleared up and there was even some sunshine.

We went along buildings, and then there was a sort of alleyway with brick on either side, and we went down it, and I was in a very exploring mood. Along the left side was the back doors of a theatre.


A man came out of one of the doors and went across to another. He had left the door he came out of ajar, so I peered in. I couldn’t see much, just a hallway and then what looked like a painting behind glass, and someone sitting on the floor a little way away, but it smelled like backstage.

Continuing along, I ran up to a brick wall as high as my head, and stood on tiptoe to look over into the garden.

“You can see it better from here,” called Jack. And indeed, up a set of a couple steps, one came around to the main part of the garden where the wall was just a couple of feet high.





On up a flight of brick steps was the quay, and the river. And it was bright and silver and I do like water.


What an inscription. It's a pity we're so cynical about people now.







After that we walked around King's Lynn





and then went to the King’s Lynn museum – they had exhibits of life in King’s Lynn from the 1600s through WWII, and a pretty little Victorian garden.


We came to a lovely café that was sort of underground – it had stairs going down into it and an arched brick ceiling. Presumably it was an old wine cellar.



Jack asked if I wanted a coffee or something, and I was feeling a little hungry so I said yes.

We sat down at a little table, and the server came to take our order. Jack had hot chocolate and I had a chocolate milkshake. It was quite an excellent one – kind of dark chocolate tasting.

After we left King’s Lynn, we drove to Snettisham to see the Wash. A storm was coming in very impressively, and it was strange to see the fields lit up with sunshine under the dark sky.



Jack persuaded the gatekeeper to let us park for free since we were only staying for fifteen minutes, and I ran up over the hill and to the water,



and watched the storm come, and looked for pretty rocks and shells. I ran back to Jack at the car when it was sprinkling a bit. I thought it had probably been ten minutes, but it had been twenty.

[I’m having trouble writing this entry, almost as much trouble as I had finding anything to say to Jack during the whole day. My thoughts were all of a sort that goes better into poetry than prose – nothing really coherent or defined. So forgive me for just sort of listing happenings, and enjoy the pictures.]






On the way back we went to Sandringham, which is where the Queen lives when she isn’t at a palace, and where she spends Christmas. We drove all around the brick wall around the outside of the estate, but the main house is too far into the centre so we couldn’t see it. It was all very lovely, though, in the middle of the woods, with lovely green fields and sheep inside the walls, and all the houses for the people who work there.



I would like to work there. I hope that at least a few people who do haven’t lost the wonder and poetry of working at the Queen’s estate.

Trying to get out, we had to drive down a one lane road with rather high banks on either side so that you couldn’t pass, and when a car came toward us we had to back up to where there was a little spot with dirt on both sides for passing.

We had tea pretty soon after we got back, and I watched Jack make it. It was fish and rice and egg all mixed up together, which has a fancy name that I can’t remember. It was fresh free-range eggs and my, they are nice. The yolks taste so yummy and usually I don’t like egg yolks.

Then Jack and I competed against each other on the wii fit. I am bad at the balance games, which is sort of depressing. I always thought I had pretty good balance but I don’t think I actually do. I don’t have very good control and I’m very wobbly. Sigh. I guess I just have to practice more.

I did do pretty good at the ski jump once I switched to doing it in first position. You have to bend your knees, and then extend up to being on the balls of your feet to jump, and hold that position as steadily as possible to go as far as you can. And that’s just plie, releve, and that I can balance in.

Then we did rhythm boxing, and he still beat me.

Then we all three played Sorry, and I won. Only because at the end Jack got stuck with fours and couldn’t get into his home.

I know how to make tea and porridge the way they like them, so I do that fairly often. It’s nice to be able to do things.

10 comments:

Thaddaeus said...

ha ha, i checked my blogger dashboard, read yesterdays, read exploding dog, then came back, and there was a new one, only 32 seconds old! ha ha. And don't worry about trying to prose everything, i like the pictures. :)

Anonymous said...

I swear everything is so much more picturesque and aesthetic in England. You can write in poetry - it'd be just fine.
Curious about the plaque re: Admiral Nelson. Why was it there?
Glad Jan is OK, at least in regards to medical tests. Know how frustrating it is to be ill and not know why, though. Praying she begins feeling better and will be ready to travel to Greece.
Jen

loisgroat said...

I will tell you a funny. Every time I read about Wyvner, Rebeeca thinks he is the butler or something, until I turn the camera around and show the picture.

Oh, she said today, "She sure has a knack for pretty pictures."

Shan said...

Loving the pictures. Thank you for making me smile today. :)

Anonymous said...

You made me look at Kings Lynn in a different light with your pictures Joanna.
Jan

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed all of your pictures! I think Wyvner enjoyed the day also. Did you get to wade in some of that beautiful water? Were the purple flowers Heather? How great is that to see the estate of the Queen! Tea and Porridge, it just seems so English. I ask you do we in America ever talk about having Porridge or calling dinner, Tea?
May you have many more great days in England and hopefully some time in Scotland?
Love you, Grandma Sally

ransomedhandmaiden said...

jen - it was part of a small circle of plaques of various important people relating to King's Lynn or seafaring.

mommy - i laughed out loud imagining wyvner as the butler. and rebecca saying i have a knack for photography pretty much makes my day. i've dreamed of this moment since the first jr high trip where i set out with a disposable camera.

shan - i'm glad i could make you smile. i hope you guys are doing a little better...

jan - i am glad. now you've got me contemplating a picture blog of grand rapids when i get back.

grandma - well, i would have waded, except it was low tide and the water was all muddy and full of seaweed and rubbish... and yes, they were heather! and yes, I'm going to scotland!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks beautiful. I love the pics of the sunny fields under the dark sky. The visit to the Queen's estate is cool too...how fun to have all that history right there!
-Lucy

Ever Thankful said...

It was so cute seeing Wyvner again. :) I always enjoy your descriptions of things. Even when you are, "listing happenings" it's all so interesting to read. I really did enjoy the photos, and I think your doing a picture blog of Grand Rapids when you come back hope is a brilliant idea!
~Cathy Bowman

Joel B Groat said...

Okay, so I think you should have walked in the backstage door and announced to the first person you saw that you were a props mistress and could they please show you to the props room so you could have a look around. So glad life is being an adventure for you - I loved the pictures of the bright fields with dark clouds, its the sort of thing I never manage to capture but you did. love Papa come lately - but I'm caught up to April now :o)