10-Jul-2020
So we've moved...
After 17.5 weeks in one place, moving felt very strange. In fact, we've been experiencing a huge range of emotions.
There's sadness (this was our initial place of refuge when the covid crisis struck; and if we had to get stuck anywhere it would be hard to find a better place to do it). There's also anxiety (we'll miss the sense of security that the quiet weeks in Cromer provided, especially as we're now launched into the getting-back process, and we know it's going to be tense).
But there's also relief (we've been a really long time away from home, and this is the first step on the way towards reaching our moorings again). And there's a bit of excitement, too (we have a whole new place to explore!).
Such a jumble of feelings.
It's probably just as well that we were really busy over the last couple of days. There was food to eat up (in the right order). There was 17.5 weeks' worth of accumulation to sift through. There was cleaning to do. There were rucksacks to pack.
You wouldn't think this all fits into two large rucksacks and two small daypacks. And after being out and about for such a long time, stuff doesn't initially want to buckle down and squash in. But it does. Eventually
So, by the time we strapped the packs on again, for the first time since March, we were pretty exhausted.
The train, like all the trains (and buses) we have seen over the past few months, was largely empty. (This, to me, is one of the saddest aspects of the whole covid fiasco. We spent so much effort persuading people to use public transport, and now we don't know how to keep them safe if they do. And don't even start me on the follies of mask-wearers...)
The covid-era traveller: clippered, masked, and slightly anxious
The initial part of the journey was quite nostalgic, as the railway line had popped up in so many of our Cromer-based walks. Then, once beyond our previous narrow radius, we just settled into watching the scenery.
Our new accommodation is so close to the railway station that you can hear the rumble and squeak of the trains (that's a good thing). It's right by the Norwich City football stadium (but that's obviously pretty quiet at the moment). And it's a very short walk from a scarily busy supermarket. Terns, you're not in placid Cromer any more...
There's no view (unless you count the car park), and I'm already missing the sound of the birds that was such an integral part of our Cromer residence. But it's spacious and reasonably well equipped. So it will do us very nicely for the next two weeks.
Chia pudding looks great with the dining-room decor...
Norwich, we're told, was once the second most important town in England (after London).
This morning's walk took us along the historic River Wensum. The fortifications, ferry houses, bridges, and mills along its banks offer a very nice little introduction to the city's past.
We're looking forward to finding out more.