Norwich (don't pronounce the 'W')

Today Josh and I went for a trip to Norwich, which it turns out is a lot closer and easier to get to than we previously thought. We intended to walk three miles to catch a bus from Bungay, but luckily discussed our plans with some more knowledgeable people and thus discovered that there was a bus stop in Broome, less than a mile from the farm. The bus took about 45 minutes to get us into Norwich center. The city was bustling and we walked around in the crowds looking for used book stores and a cheap place to eat lunch (Thai buffet!). Then we set out to find a particular pub, called the Fat Cat. Bob, the farm's horticulturalist, had drawn us a very rough map of how to get from the bus station to the pub. We were a bit worried that we were going to end up on the far side of nowhere following this thing, but at the exact moment we were about to ask for directions, we came across Nelson Street and the landmark "laundrette" on the corner.

The pub was all we had hoped for and more! I had their Fat Cat Ported Porter (which wasn't that good), Oakham Inferno (lot's of flowery English hops), and a lovely, unpasteurized, unfiltered hard cider. They had a bunch more beers on tap and in bottles, and it is a tremendous shame that we probably won't get back to the Fat Cat to sample the rest. However, I will console myself by continuing to plan for our trip to Belgium. We've found a farm to take us during the second half of March, and given the small size of the country and its excellent train system, I fully intend to tax the filtering capabilities of my liver and kidneys.

In other news, we have a little over a week left at Ellingham Hall before we make our way to Wales. I expect that we'll be spending the whole week planting the estimated 9,000 raspberry canes that will be arriving any day now. Luckily, we won't be digging 9,000 holes, since modern technology has provided us with tractors and furrow diggers. Praise be the Gardening Gods, but Josh and I were quite worried that hole digging was in our future. Matt, our fellow wwoofer, has left us for a trip to the US, taking with him his extensive board game collection and his dvd player. We've been watching The Wire with him, and it's turned out to be an excellent show. If you are looking for something to watch, I suggest you give this series a view.

Anyway, I have a bunch of pictures on my camera (including shots of the Admiral's Room! and the Stuffed Tigers!) just waiting to be transfered to the computer and posted online. Some day soon I will get off my lazy bum and make it happen. Stay tuned!