A11 dualling

The government has brought forward capital expenditure projects already given the go ahead with preliminary work to start on the Barton Mills to Thetford stretch next Monday.

Highways Agency

The works will make the journey on the A11 dual carriageway from the M11, and the main east-west A14 road, to Norwich. Hopefully the widened road will alleviate the traffic jams at the notorious bottlenecks at Fiveways and Elveden .

Last of the Indian Summer Sunshine

Only the long shadows give away these were taken only last Friday.

© J Reed

© J Reed

© J Reed

No such sunshine this weekend.

Cromer Crab Company Crisis

The Seafood Company arm of the Findus Group is 'consulting' on closing down the Cromer Crab Company section of the organisation with the potential direct loss of 230 jobs.

Antony Kelly/NEN24

There is a petition to keep the Cromer Crab Company in, well, Cromer. In 2006 Findus started to ship scampi, to be sold in the freezer departments of European supermarkets, from the langoustine grounds of Scotland to the deshelling hands of Thailand and then 6000 miles back again. The decision isn't set in frozen seas yet, but past decisions don't bode well for sentiment beating cold financial decisions.

Fly tipping, again

Almost a daily sight, new signs of fly-tipping around the Pickenhams' has long been a problem.

© J Reed

© J Reed

The vacuum cleaner was on Houghton Lane on the way to the Ashill Recycling Centre, the burnt out carcass was in fact a loaded rubbish laden trailer, dumped some days before it was burnt with the fire brigade attending the situation, and not a caravan as the press reported.

Breakthrough Broccoli

The Institute of Food Research in Norwich has developed broccoli with higher than usual anti-oxidant producing properties.

Beneforté

Beneforté, to be sold by M&S in the UK, has three times as much glucoraphanin which the body turns into sulphoraphane and is believed have anti cancer properties.

Bartlett Beets to Rainbow Roots

With the sugar beet all but harvested and sweet smelling tractor loads of onions thundering down The Street, this truly is a harvest time to feel festive about. But what of more exotic fare?

PA/Mail Online

Half way between Swaffham and Oxburgh Hall, near Cockley Cley (Cock-lee Kl-eye), they are growing rainbow carrots exclusively for Tesco. Modern GM madness, no. A 15 year old variety that harks back pre William of Orange's edict to promote his house's colours and make the night sight improving vegetable more patriotic. Some or all of these facts may be apocryphal. One of the root's original colurs, purple, seems to run in the roots of grower Alan Bartlett.

A family firm, the Scottish Albert Bartlett branch provides the tasty Rooster potatoes amongst many others, started by boiling beetroots in post war Scotland. The history of the soil syndicate can be seen here.

Beautiful Butterfly Better than a Busy Bee?

Red Admiral (Vanessa Atalanta) photographed on the warmest October day on record.

© J Reed