Sunday 30th December (Day 1)
A prompt start so that we arrived for 1.00pm for the meeting. We were at the motorhome for 10.00am. Then it was load up and off. A slight delay though as filling with water, which usually takes quite a while in any event, took even longer as we discovered a split in the hosepipe. Despite this were were on the road just before 11.00am the Motor Caravanners Club New Year Meet at Fakenham. Arrival was from 1.00pm and we found ourselves a bit in advance having made good time so we stopped and had lunch and so arrived at 1.30pm. We quickly settled in the school car park and went over to have a cup of tea and say hello. Gill and Dave had already arrived and so by around 3.00pm we walked into Fakenham to peruse the shops - well a pint or two at 'The Limes' a Wetherpoons pub. Then back to the site for a curry before going to the hall for the evening entertainment which was a very good picture quiz followed by bread, cheese, pate etc for supper. Around 11.00pm saw us returning 'home' to go to bed.
Monday 31st December (Day 2)
A good nights sleep and a late start - breakfast was not until 10.00am for us. We had decided a walk was required and found on a map we had that there was a disused railway line that went from Fakenham to Little Walsingham. It was about 6 miles in distance. It started off a bit muddy but soon became a pleasant easy walk. We have been to Norfolk at New Year a few times and always vowed never to return as it was, on those occasions, so cold. Well this time could not have been more different. The lowest it is forecast in the next few days is four degrees and that's in the middle of the night. On this walk we were sweating as it was positively warm. 'In the middle of nowhere' we found a car park filled with cars and 'The Roman Catholic Shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham. The people were there for a mass which was underway. We went and visited the shrine itself. The original shrine was built five years before the Battle of Hastings by Richeldis de Faverches. It appears he had been led in spirit to Nazereth by 'Our Blessed Lady' to the Annunciation and commanded to build a replica in Walsingham! Well he did. However a lot has happened since then, not least Henry VIII who had a small row with a man in Rome. So the current building is not over 900 years old. Still it is worth a visit. We continued on to Little Walsingham to find it a lovely little village. It would appear that to live here you need to be religious, as most houses had religious artefacts in their windows and/or religious named cottages and most of the shops sold religious artifacts. We paid a visit to the Bull as the bus back to Fakenham involved a 50 minutes wait. Back at Fakenham a quick Tesco shop for bread was needed and then it was laze and recover in the motorhome in preparation for the evening event.we were then invited into Dave &Gills van for pre dinner drinks. By just before 6.00pm we were all gathering in the main hall at the tables we had decorated with our plates etc for the main meal. Not knowing what to expect we were pleasantly surprised. All freshly cooked and prepared. Turkey, ham, sausage rolls, jacket potato with cheese, Pork pie, mixed salad, three types of pasta mix, two types of rice mix, a choice of really nice bread rolls and that was before the pickles and 'extras'. The second course was a choice of two gateaux, cheesecake, fruit crumble, profiteroles and cream. It was really lovely. 8.30pm saw the entertainment start. A singer with backing tracks. He was quite good but when he went for his end of session break there was no music playing which brought things down a bit and, for some, his music choice was 'iffy'. At one point I went to the motorhome and got our bluetooth speaker and when he wasn't singing we played our own music which was good for us and our neighbouring table but others were bemused by two tables singing to the hearts content. Midnight came and went and the singer did get much better for the last half hour. People then slowly went to their beds but our table continued singing for another 30 or so minutes while tidying up. Bed was around 1.20am.
Tuesday 1st January (Day 3)
Well a good nights sleep and a lay in; it was gone 10.00am before we started moving (again). We skipped breakfast as lunch was to be served at 12.30pm. After a few domestic chores we strolled over and had lunch. Lunch was, almost, a complete re-run of last night. After again eating to our heart, or stomachs, content we decided that a walk was needed to 'blow the cobwebs away'. So the four of us, Dave, Gill, Chris and myself walked into Fakenham and around the town fairly aimlessly, hitting the local department store while there. 3.00pm saw us back in the main hall for mince pies and bingo. I won £46! Around 4.00pm the bingo concluded and nothing was going to happen until 7.30pm so the four of us returned to our motorhomes to chill out as we are all quite tired still from last night. We four merry people gathered for a pre-evening drink and nibbles in our motorhome. Then over to the main hall. We had not had the notification but it was a 'onesie night' (fortunately optional) and a few were dressed in them. We had a quiz sheet given to us on our arrival on Sunday so the start of proceedings was the answers to this Beatle song title quiz - we were second. What followed was a version of 'higher or lower'. All in the hall tried to get to the six chairs on the stage for the final. We are the only four from the Essex section and we all got onto the stage! Not sure the Anglia people were impressed! In the end an Anglian person won so all were happy. Then it was a bit of chatting and one of the Anglian members (Peter) playing a guitar and singing before bed. We were really tired.
Wednesday 2nd January (Day 4)
We had to be away by 11.30am and managed to be away just before 10.00am having had a sausage sarnie. An easy 100 mile drive to the compound where we drained all the water and swapped the clothes etc into the car and then back home by just after 1.00pm. Chris was thrilled to receive a phone call whilst on our way home from Broomfield hospital. This was them asking her to go for her long awaited wrist injections.I feel like the plug has been pulled out and no energy. A good three days and I am sure we will meet this group again as they were really welcoming and organised.