Tag: Little Plumstead

Schön ist die Welt

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On a perfect early Sunday evening where earlier my family was gathered in the house for a meal now scattered over four floors and Doris Day is singing with the most wonderful angelic voice ever heard on earth in perfect German Schön ist die Welt I am now sinking back in my armchair to reminisce about that same feeling years ago in another time and place so far away and yet I am in another castle of my own but for me it doesn’t matter as I am perfectly content and the world ís a beautiful place and I can close my eyes.

Time traveling

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Many years ago I lived in England for a few years, I am sure I have told you all about it on many occasions. Even though I love my life in The Netherlands, the love of my life my wife, and my four children and all the friends I have here, I do long to be there at times.

I think it has to do with all these great memories I have of those good time I had as a young man, being in England, having friends around me there (just as I have them around me here nowadays) and not in the least the British food. Yes, there are times I wish I could just pop over for a pint or a proper English meal.

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Love over Gold

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Love over GoldFrom the time when the heating went out in winter and we got snowed in and hills were hard to take with a pushbike.

When we had to choose between Home and Away and Coronation Street, and we were absolutely sure we had seen The Grey Lady and Castle Hill wasn’t hollowed out yet.

When we found time to go out together and drink a pint or two or more, when we lived high above the ground in a castle and had parties every weekend. And life was never dull.

We have something that others don’t have and it is friendship.

Memories

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My first gold watch, I bought it in 1989 at Ratner’s in Norwich. So many good memories come back now when I pick it up to look at it.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish I could go back in time and hop on my pushbike and speed down Kett’s Hill and turn left into the city center to go there again.

It’s safely tucked away with all the other good memories now.

Snapshot Old Hall

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Snapshot of Old Hall, Little Plumstead, Norfolk England – August 1989. Praktica MTL5 with a Pentacon 1.8/50mm lens. Scan from Kodak Gold paper at 300dpi.

I was rummaging through my night stand and found this old photograph. I thought it was gone but I must have hidden it too well a long time ago. It’s probably the best picture I ever took in England. This is a moment of utter happiness visualised, after that I never experienced anything like it.

The Grey Lady

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Old Hall

The Old Hall in Little Plumstead burnt down on 14 August 2016 and was consequently demolished, they believed it was arson. This story is to remember Old Hall as it was in “the good old days” when I lived there with my friends. I will never forget the good times we had.

HappyThe Grey Lady

Old Hall of Little Plumstead has no ghost and it isn’t haunted. At least not on the inside. Well, there is The Grey Lady of course but she is roaming the grounds outside Old Hall: “Near the stables and the duck pond she can be found, crying.” as the story goes.

The history of The Grey Lady was once told to me by a dear friend, Liz, who got it from her mother Susan who, probably, has heard it from her mother as well as it must have originated from sometime during the first half of the 20th century. Well, aren’t most ghost stories?

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A weekend with friends

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meine-liebe-300x300Last weekend I was in England again after several years. I spent a few days in Cambridge with one of the bests friends I have. The weather was excellent throughout our stay and we had lovely meals in various restaurants. Cambridge, although expensive, is one of the most beautiful cities in England.

Almost the entire city centre consists of buildings built over one hundred years and some of them are several hundred years old.

The first evening after we landed at Stansted we decided to have Chili Con Carne in a Tapas restaurant. I noticed a bottle of hot sauce and I thought, how bad can it be and I sprinkled it on my food. Ok, here is a warning: when the bottle says ‘hot sauce’ it is really hot sauce and you do not put 20 drops of it on your food.

cholula-hot-sauce
Cholula Hot Sauce

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