From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads - Life on Mars , David Bowie
It sounded just plain ridiculous as I said it.
We were on the Norfolk Broads in a day boat with the family and I was explaining to the grandchildren that the Broads were man made.
It sounded ridiculous as I stared (or should that be steered) into the water and the vast expanse of it all. How or why was this national park created by man? Well it's quite simple and it certainly wasn't deliberate.
Back in the mists of time (one of my stock phrases) the Broads didn't exist. In the Middle Ages they were peatlands which were excavated with the peat fuel being sold to Norwich and Great Yarmouth. These must have been huge trenches dug by thousands. Then something strange happened. The sea levels rose and the pits began to flood. There were attempts to stop this flooding but it continued and we were left with what we have today - a series of mainly navigable waterways that have become a national park.
It wasn't until the 1960s, however, that it became acceptable knowledge that the Broads weren't a natural phenomena. That is a very simplistic explanation of the Broads but one I imagine would be quite hard to grasp for a seven and a nine year old.
We started at Wroxham which is generally known as the capital of the Broads and went past Horning and Ludham and moored at How Hill which has many memories for us, as the historic and hugely picturesque house is an environmental study centre.
When Anne was a teacher she used to take her pupils there for residential stays and I went on a couple of occasions to help her. I remember well the excitement of the children and how on the first night they wouldn't get to sleep but how on the second night they were so tired that there was almost silence throughout the house. There were visits to Barton Broad in open top boats to look at the vegetation and wildlife. Today we are still Friends of How Hill and regularly enjoy the newsletter they send out.
How Hill was as beautiful as we remembered it and made a good stop for lunch on the boat as it was very windy and pretty cold as well. At least the rain held off for much of the day. How Hill was about as far as you can get in a day because you have to remember that the trip back takes as long as the trip out. I did have a short drive of the boat but it was tough going in the string winds. Poppy voted me the worst driver of the day - a title I will cherish because it was probably true.
Taking photos from the boat with the roof on for most of the time was difficult but I have included a few and also a number of How Hill. Hope you enjoy them.
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Before we set off I caught up with the news and was told numerous times about the Government's commitment to new energy.
Indeed Kwasi Kwarteng, the man with the very deep voice, told us numerous times that the Government has a strategy.
I believe the word strategy should join the phrase Road Map in being expelled from our language.
Most strategies end up on a dusty shelf and often the word is used as an excuse for not doing anything.
"Can you tell us Minister why you have done nothing on xxxxx?"
"We have a working strategy on that."