Upton, Nr: Acle.

At nine this morning the Ranworth church bell rang out calling the parishioners to the Sunday morning service. As for us, it signalled, time to get up. Yet again, the morning was bright and warm. A blue metallic sky lit the broad. Right Marge, day off for you today, we're going cycling. 

A short drive back to Wroxham, lunch bought and we were on our way alongside the Bure Valley Railway to Aylsham, or so we thought. At the Beginning of the cycle path, work was being undertaken to improve the path, so we followed the diversion along the road and onto a footpath. On the road, Angela's front wheel slipped on some sand and she nearly fell off. This isn't fun!

Then onto the footpath. This isn't fun either! We partly cycled and walked, the long grass whipping against our legs, eventually finding ourselves at the bottom of some steps leading up onto the cycleway. The ride was hard going on the narrow path, loose gravel under the tyres of the small wheels of our Brompton bicycles.

The Bure Valley train passed us on its way back to Wroxham setting a seed in our minds that this might be the way to return to Marge. We paused a while to eat our lunch and for John to pick field mushrooms.

Butterflies sat on the path, taking flight a split second before our wheels touched them. After two hours we arrived at Aylsham, tired from struggling against one of the cyclists' pet hates, a head wind. We cycled around twelve miles, and knew it. Tesco loomed large as we arrived in the town and we rewarded our efforts with a box of mint chocolate ice creams. Yes, a box! Across the road at the station ticket office, we enquired as to the time of the next train to be told it was just about to leave and we'd missed it. Oh, and it was the last one of the day. What! It was still sat in the station. John walked around and the guard asked if we were going to board it. Quick, buy a ticket! The officious man in the ticket office did not seem happy, well sorry mate you should have been more helpful. Anyway, that's another twenty pounds in the coffers.

Angela was well excited about riding on the train. There's nothing like the smell of a steam train and smut in your eye. Forty-five minutes later we were back at Wroxham. It was now late afternoon and we couldn't believe yet another day had almost passed by. It's only when you get older that you realise you must live every day to its fullest. 

Tonight's stop is The White Horse community pub at Upton, near Acle. A couple of drinks in the pub garden with the sound of birdsong ringing in our ears ended the day nicely. We have no idea where we will visit tomorrow or where we will stay tomorrow night, but we don't mind. We know one thing, we will make the most of the day whatever we do.