home will always be here, unseen, out of sight

On Friday, Jan and Jack had eye appointments, so we went into Wisbech for that. While Jan had here appointment Jack and I went to Eversons because they needed to buy an air mattress for taking to Greece. I sat on the floor because I had gotten carsick. After that, Jack went to the eye appointment place and I wandered around the market. I went to the 99p store – they have some socks and tights that I kind of want to buy… - and also to some other store that I can’t remember now. I was a little bit later than I was supposed to be coming back to the eye place, but Jan was still choosing glasses frames, so that was all right. I helped her pick them out. They’re very nice, oval frames with dark purple on the sidepieces. Then Jan and I walked around Wisbech while Jack’s appointment finished.

When we came back to the eye place Jack still wasn’t done, so we went to the shop next door that’s a shop full of random stuff with a coffee shop at the back. Mostly kitchen-y and garden-y things, plus assorted decorative objects. You know the kind of thing. Jack joined us after a little while, and we went to the coffee shop. Jan and I both had milkshakes and Jack had hot chocolate. Apparently I am more picky about milkshakes than Jan because I thought it was ick…

For some reason I don’t remember what we did during the rest of that day. I think I was still kind of wiped out from the cycle ride or something.

Saturday was a fun day. Jan and Jack and I were invited to the home of some of Jan and Jack’s old friends from when they lived in Norfolk. We left, with our guide, Sean – a GPS with an Irish accent – giving us such sage advice as, “Turn around when possible.” This was while we were sitting in the driveway. Facing the house. I laughed.

Just after we left we turned around to go back and get Jan’s purse. Sean was annoyed, and sulked and turned off. But we turned him back on again.

It was fun driving back the same way as when we went to Norwich because I could recognize things. I even remembered the name of the pub Jack told me about when he asked me – The Canary and Linnet. It’s named that because those two birds are the mascots of two schools that it’s halfway in-between. (Of course, I don’t remember which schools…)

We stopped in the town that Jan and Jack used to live in, Beccles, and I got to walk around a little bit, and go over the bridge, and walk around the block.

I had gone round and couldn’t find a road to get back, and the road I was on was curving the opposite way from where I wanted to go. To the right were children playing in an alley, and then walking down it to the river, which was where I wanted to go.

“Hey, wait for me!” called one. I was watching them when I realized that the alley didn’t appear to be anyone’s particular property, and there were no signs forbidding entry, so I could go down it to get back to the river where we were parked.

When I got back, Jack had gone to find me, so I went to find him, but came back quickly, and sure enough he was back at the van.

We stopped by two of Jan and Jack’s old houses, and then went on to their friends’ house. Another couple was there also, who Jan and Jack were also friends with from when they lived there. When we first got there, we sat in their back garden in the sunshine and had tea and water and I had apple juice. Which was really good.

Group picture. No one is standing behind their own wife...

When dinner was ready we came inside. And dinner was really good. It was a sort of creamy chicken dish, and also a kind of beef stew, and roast potatoes, and vegetables – broccoli and carrots and another one that I forget the name of – a root vegetable – that I liked a lot.

They had lots to talk about so I didn’t have to talk much, which was nice. It always happens to me that people ask me questions about myself but I forget to ask them any back. I guess because although I don’t mind telling about myself, I usually don’t love it, so I don’t think of that other people do.

Then for pudding we had apple pie and cream or custard (I had custard) and then fruit salad with cream. Apparently it’s been a tradition for many years for them to have two kinds of pudding when they get together. I think it’s a good tradition. And I am very fond of both custard and cream.

When we were done with dinner and pudding, I curled up in a corner of their sofa to write, and one of the men sat on the other sofa and read a magazine,

and the other two men sat and talked in the sun room (they sat down shortly after I took the picture), and the women stayed at the table and chatted. They didn’t seem to mind that I didn’t stay with them – they were talking about things from their times together anyhow. And sitting in a chair where I can’t put my feet up for a long time makes me achy because my legs are kind of short. So I was very comfortable on the sofa.

Then the men turned on the Grand National, so I got to watch that. It was very exciting, but I worried about the jockeys and horses who fell. Someone who had raced in the Grand National fifteen times but never won, won the race, so that was happy.

After the race was over, we looked at some of the couple who lived there’s pictures on the computer, of a gathering that their church had had for someone’s anniversary, and some other things that I don’t remember. I remember that I thought the pictures would be boring, and they weren’t, though.

They have a pretty kitchen and a cuckoo clock a lot like Grandma Sally's.

We left at about 4:30, I think. I was sleepy on the ride back.

When we got back, I was hungry, but Jan and Jack weren’t. So Jack made me a very nice omelet. And we watched Doctor Who. This is the first TV show I’ve ever been very attached to. Anybody want to watch it with me when I come back home? After that we watched Poirot, and then the Masters, and I went to bed.

Sunday... was church. Nothing particular happened at church, except that I found a good place to sit afterward – on the edge of the stage, far right. I never knew what to do with myself afterward, so sitting there and watching everyone was a nice option.

After lunch, Jack and I went to the Art Exhibition at Leverington Church. Jack had a few of his pictures up in it. There were some very nice pictures in the exhibition, as well as some very mediocre ones. I walked around criticizing and admiring (in my head).

These pictures were my favorite of the exhibition.

After we got back home, I was going to go for a cycle. But when I set out, I found that it was so windy that I could hardly move forward. So I went back. Along Gote Lane I stopped to take pictures.

I kind of really want to live here:

And then I went for a walk instead.

I started out in our back garden.

Then around the side of the house, under the drying laundry...

and through the gate.

The sun was at that time just before setting when it’s very golden but still bright. It made me think of being at the playground or bicycling down the sidewalk when I was a kid. I felt very young. And I took lots of pictures because everything was so pretty.

I went to the play ground (they call it a “playing field”) that I had gone to on my first cycle ride. There was a zip line! It was so fun. I went on it about six times. After that another girl got on it.

Oh, and you know how I had a picture before of how there was an archway made of pussy-willow branches? Well look! They're really alive!

Such lovely places...

One driveway was so lovely that I was bold to walk nearly all the way down it.

Nobody appeared to yell at me, so I guess it was all right.

When I came home it was tea time, so we had tea.

The Groat's house:

But this is how I think of it, because you don't really think of that big part out front:

And I did some packing for the convent before going to bed.