26,029 days

...before, my parents posed on these steps after their wedding at the Catholic Church in Great Yarmouth.

The steps & columns were the front entrance to my aunt's house, The Grange, Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk. I'm not sure my parents ever revisited the house as Aunt's Jess' husband Horace died two or three years later & the house was sold.

Quite emotional being there. Taken on a tour by my host for the week, Annie, who was my first real girlfriend from 1973-6. Although we strangely met in London where she was training as a nurse, she's spent most of her life as a 'Norfolk Girl' - also the name of the fishing boat being launched in the extra photos from Caister Beach.

The Grange is nowadays an American style 'Smokehouse'. It's closed lunchtimes during the week, at least at this time of year, but a young lady working there did come & have a chat and knew quite a bit about the history. Sadly the owners were away on holiday in the USA but she did say to try & come back & have a chat with them. Interestingly, Annie grandfather was vicar of Ormesby St Margaret up until about 1952 when he moved to Norwich Cathedral as Canon. He almost certainly knew my father & possibly my mother.

Followed a drive to Caister beach & down coast road right to Great Yarmouth port. Doesn't seem to have changed a bit since 1950s & 60s obligatory stays with Grandmother who lived in a residential hotel near Caister for decades. Our visits were always in Winter!

Then drive back to Norwich, charge the car for the lady time at Ionity Cringleford before setting off to Harwich at 18:00 to catch evening Hoek of Holland ferry. Naturally had to stop at Tesco, Colchester to buy all those silly things one thinks one needs like HP Sauce, Marmite, Mince pies..... Truth is only important thing nowadays for us in Germany are packets of paracetamol for £0.60/16 tablets, which in Germany cost an arm & a leg and are only available from chemists - none in drugstore or supermarkets!

Somehow managed to just get out of Tesco's in time to catch the ferry.