Chisellers, Councillors, School Children and Incumbent Conservative

North Pickenhams' new village sign was unveiled today by Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman amongst crowds of young and old, and very splendid it is indeed. The effigy, not our representative.

The sunny autumnal light doesn't give justice to the superb carving by Mr.Yorke, expect a few more photos soon with a fuller story on the statue and how this project came to be.

All photos © J Reed

Black and White Breckland

One of those days when knowing what to wear whilst walking warrants the wits a work out. The sun was strong enough to temper the overnight chill and make two light weight layers welcomingly luxuriant by lunchtime.

Breckland offers wide vistas and big skies at any time of year ...

... but autumn adds a low sun for luscious laboured light likenesses.

All photos © J Reed

Beet, Berney, Burning and Build Ban

With the mild and dry weather set to continue, the annual sugar beet harvest race has started in Norfolk. Rude awakenings for the next month or so as the huge lorries thunder around the rural highways with or without their sweet load.

A new Norfolk forum, the Norfolk Mardler (that's Norfolk Gossiper to outsiders), led me to what must be the smallest railway station in the country.

Berney Arms railway station is 3.5 miles from the nearest road and is the most remote station in Norfolk. It is only accessible by rail, boat, on foot or on horseback and is 5 miles west of Great Yarmouth. Trains will only stop on request for you to visit the English Heritage windmill or the RSPB nature reserve.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service had another busy day, so did the reporter who posted this riveting story.

Good news for the nearby Dunhams with a planning reprieve for the huge sub station next to this small settlement, that I reported on in March, to connect the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm to the National Grid. Warwick Energy may well appeal, the associated cable laying was given approval.

10 4 10-10-10

Well the idea was to go and take some autumnal photographs but nature had its own ideas.

With poppies still in bloom, it was a struggle to find any golden brown leaves at all.

  
Oak leaves are so stunning, especially against a cloudless sky.

The t-shirt and shorts 19 Celsius demanded a longer than usual walk past the green lane which goes up to St.Mary's ...

... down towards South Pickenham and the road section of Peddars Way ...

... towards the traditional Norfolk road sign with the updated Houghton on the Hill direction board.

After startling what may, or may not, have been an escaped fir farm mink, the hedgerows show signs of last year's tree cull from our unusually long winter.

Only the silver birches show any sign of being really ready to shed their leaves.

One sure sign of autumn in East Anglia is the sweet smell of sugar beet harvesting, but the machinery here is still dormant ...

... unlike the local kids on their bikes enjoying the sunshine denied them during the school holidays.

.All photos © J Reed

Stop Taking the Peas, Pinched Pony Poo and Phony Potato PC

Well, not strictly all NFN but typical East Anglian headline news.

After the bad news earlier this year that Bird's Eye were to stop buying from the Anglian Pea Growers, the good news this week is that the 15,000 tonnes are to be bought and processed by Ardo in Lowestoft before being packed in Kent.

'Where there's muck there's brass' goes the saying, well it's true if you steal the trailer transporting the manure too. 'Where there's poo there's a pun' is a journalist's motto, and the EDP doesn't disappoint with 'Thieves in Dersingham have dung a runner'. Classic.

Buyer beware, or caveat emptor for the educated amongst you, should be heeded especially when buying a mobile computer from a mysterious merchant coercing monies in the main marketplace. You might say the couple who forked out £650 for a laptop, from a stranger in the street, and got a sack of spuds were a little unwise. No need to have a chip on the shoulder over any police roasting. Sorry for the puns, I'll get my jacket.