Normal for Norfolk

(It's the name of a shop here... I'm also hoping it explains the kids eating scrambled eggs with their fingers!) The amazingly mild, sunny March weather has changed to well...grey. Even so, the boys have managed to paddle at the beach at Wells-next-the-Sea where we have been staying. We went to a small village called Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire and visited (by private appointment) The Manor, a house built by the Normans 900 years ago which was the inspiration for the Green Knowe series of children's books by Lucy M Boston. www.greenknowe.co.uk Tom was thrilled to see the toys and rocking horse which feature in the books (but sadly no ghosts). Lucy Boston's daughter-in-law still lives in the house and showed us around. We were sad to hear from her that Tom's Midnight Garden, also close by, is now a swimming pool. We stopped at Cambridge itself on the way home and Tom remarked that the provosts at Trinity College look like Thomson and Thompson from Tintin! Like Virginia Woolf, James found it very frustrating (and insulting) to have to (please) keep off the grass! In keeping with our 'Norman' theme, we explored Castle Acre Priory and Castle where the boys had great fun playing 'hide and seek' in the ruins. There is much less traffic here, some of it of the equine variety, though crowds are starting to build for the Easter long weekend. We're off to York and Scotland in any case - hopefully less popular with holiday makers...