I know I'm always biased towards Norwich because I was born here and have lived here most of my life and know a bit about the history of the place.
But Norwich this Saturday seemed to have a vibrancy that was lacking in Coventry.
We had a look round an independent book shop in London Street which incidentally was the first pedestrianised street in the UK. We did this whilst we waited for 11am when the wonderful Gelato shop in Opie Street would be open.
A very strong coffee along with a small tub of pistachio ice cream set us up for the day. After buying a few things we had chips on Norwich Market - almost compulsory on a trip to Norwich. We ate these in the nearby Remembrance Garden.
This is close to the City Hall where there was a well behaved demonstration against the current war in Gaza. "Free Palestine" was the shout. I have very little understanding of this conflict so won't comment out of ignorance.
In the undercroft beneath the market was an art exhibition which featured work by our friend Jo Cole whose artwork is carried out under her maiden name of Jocelyn Jacobson. I have mentioned Jo's work before. Much of it is political and it's not a comfortable view but it is never far short of being stunning.
Very often modern art leaves me stone cold. I just don't get it. But this exhibition was very interesting. I was particularly interested in the work of Tracey Satchwell and Julia Cameron.
Tracey had an audio visual installation about the life of a bored housewife from what looked like the 1950s, how her marriage changed over the years and her secret passion for writing. Was this really art, I ask? Well yes I felt it was. It was certainly thought provoking.
Julia Cameron is essentially a photographer and for this exhibition featured hazy, dreamy reconstructed photographs of Victorian men and women. Art combining with history.
We then had a look round art stalls outside the iconic Forum and paid another visit to the American Library where we spoke with a very helpful member of staff. We are trying to help our friend in America to trace where her father was stationed in the UK during the Second World War.
Apparently the American Library has databases which might help. So when I got home I sent them an e mail of all the details I have on Max Alth. He's an interesting guy. If you Google his name you will find that after the war he wrote a number of self help books to teach people how to do various do it yourself tasks.
We got the bus home with a pretty fuzzy feel about our visit to the city.
The other half got up early on Sunday morning to finish watching a documentary on Coco Channel. She (that's Coco Channel and not the other threequarters) doesn't come over as a very nice person but one of the people who knew her said something along the lines of:
"Today we want our heroes to be nice people but that's not always possible as heroes are often very complicated people."
Absolutely not true. On a low level over the years I have worked with and for people I regard as being top people. Without exception they have been nice, charismatic people respected by all.
I have also worked with and for people I regard as bullies and not nice. These people I have no respect for. This is a tough thing to talk about as defining the word nice is a difficult thing.
My heroes are always "nice" people. That's why they are my heroes.
I have mentioned former rugby league player Kevin Sinfield before. I am currently reading his autobiography which I have on an e book from the library. Kevin strikes me as a thoroughly good human being through the millions of pounds he has raised for motor neurone disease research on behalf of his friend and teammate Rob Burrow.
Kevin Sinfield is an aggressive sportsman but also a leader of men and somebody to be admired. Perhaps Sir Nick Clergy could give him his knighthood as somebody who deserves it.
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A headmaster was so concerned by children at his school vaping in toilets that he put detectors up. In one day the sensors were activated 112 times through vaping.
This whole vaping thing has gone horribly wrong. I might be incorrect but I thought vaping was brought in to help people to kick the habit of smoking. Now vaping has become a habit in its own right. Do I detect the murky smell of money in all this?
And whatever happened to the old style "quick drag behind the bike sheds out of sight."
Apparently some of the pupils are so addicted to vaping that they are aware of the sensors but are prepared to risk being caught. Some are so addicted that they cannot go an hour without vaping.
In trying to stop one form of addiction we seem to have invented another.