Another week

Bit of a Max Angus fest, but no apologies for that as she has just brought me a new print which I think is one of her best.

This little group is to be found between Thornham and Old Hunstanton or so I am told.  Time for a bit more investigating I think.

Having to go the far east (Holt) twice this week before opening, it's striking just how good North Norfolk is looking despite the lack of warmth.  The stretch between here and Wiveton is particularly enticing and I've finally now visited The Anchor at Morston in its new guise.  Many years ago, we used to pretend to sail an Oyster out of Morston Creek and despite The Anchor being the closest we hardly ever used it. Now run by two talented chaps, Harry & Rowan, I can at least vouch for the quality of the food coming out of the kitchen.  The belly pork was delicious... and the Norfolk Rarebit.... and the puddings...  Also very happy to report that even though the boss wasn't present, the service was good. As they say - 'you've all done very well!'

Having spent a little time in Holt including trying to get a local phone number via Google on my phone and eventually leaving a messsage for the lucky recipient - Sarah of Brays Pork Pie fame (food again), I crossed the road and went in Starlings only to find myself standing next to her.  Sadly she had no pies about her person, but she did point me in the direction of a good article about North Norfolk in Food & Travel magazine.

As far as Holt goes, I always think it looks great but the people don't seem very happy. It could be me.. or maybe it's the stress that goes with controlled parking?

It's been a long time

Just over the 3 months since the last entry, in which time we've had summer, the wettest drought anyone can remember and the last week has been wet, windy and cold even for an English autumn!  Strangely all this doesn't seem to have adversely affected the gallery.  Visitor numbers are up on last year and whilst trading continues to have no discernible pattern, sales are encouraging.

Amongst this seemingly random scenario, a number of our artists, including Max Angus, Gerard Stamp and Niki Bowers attract consistent interest.  Two of Max's recent linocuts have been particularly appreciated, Redwings - seen at Binham and Fieldfares - captured (artistically) closer to home here in Burnham.

Last weekend, just before the Jubilee celebrations, we opened our first solo exhibition for a while, featuring the characterful work of Brian Hinton.  With a small collection of drawings and studies going back over some 20 years together with 5 new paintings - all featuring jazz musicians and their followers - "All that Jazz" has been very much appreciated.

The Four Seasons

Heading into March, and we've just had a taste of spring - we managed 18.4° yesterday although that may have been sunshine assisted.  Not to get carried away though, just 10 days ago we were down as low as -10° and the week before there was quite a snowfall on the Saturday evening. Burnham Overy is normally only 5 minutes away but it took rather longer than that to get back from dinner just before midnight. Never let it be said that weather comes between me and a decent dinner party.

In the gallery, the customers keep coming and continue to surprise.  Often it is the most unlikely day and weather that seems to work, but as I remember from a conversation with my friends at Made in Cley some years ago, I am not alone in this. Not sure whether it's peculiar to North Norfolk but our visitors seem to be coming from further and further away - as well as many more from Norwich. Strange but true.

Our excursion into the world of social media following prompting from more street-wise members of staff and family is proving interesting, enjoyable and - despite my initial misgivings - worthwhile. It is a source of continuing delight who you come across socially but also fascinating how it is strengthening the business community up here in the north.  In particular I should mention Sarah Pettegree of Bray's Pork Pies - not just because I like the pies (!) but as an exemplar of how a business profile can be developed using social media.  Many miss the point - it's not advertising and to think of it as such is a big mistake. It's about the glue that goes in the cracks of life - including business. Profound, eh? Anyway if you are interested, you can follow the minutiae and trivia of life in North Norfolk by looking for Grapevine Gallery @grapevine_art

On the art front, prints are selling well and my good friends printmaker Max Angus and her husband Richard visited last weekend bearing, not gifts, but two new prints. One is very seasonal and is in the gallery now... so don't delay!

Who know's where the time goes?

Not just the timeless words and music of Sandy Denny but an all too familar feeling. Can it really be over 2 months since my last scribblings here? Well that remarkable late burst of summer and an extended autumn seems finally to have given in to slightly more seasonal weather with the temperature easing down to what is laughingly referred to as normal.  Just remember, twelve months ago we had snow and very low temperatures but, despite the sensationalist predictions for a repeat performance - it hasn't got here yet.

The lights have been on around the Green in Burnham Market for two weeks - it really did feel a bit too early - but for whatever reason, they're not on at this end of the village. We do, however, have a nice green tree.

Can't really claim any credit for this, but just by chance, we managed to get a brief fix of early seasonal cheer with a visit to Copenhagen. Bit chilly, a Christmas Market and some fantastic food and a little drink. A very civilised place.  I shall be back for more.

Slightly closer to home, but still to the east, I spent a very enjoyable evening with Gerard and Jacqui Stamp at the 'soft' opening of The Gunton Arms.  Restored and reinvented from its former slightly off-target existence as a country house hotel, it looks set to transform various lives at Gunton. The man behind it, Ivor Braka has already restored much of the Park to its former glories and having it's own pub - for that's what is - is just fantastic.  Good to see so many friends there for its first night including Diana Parkin, Helen David and of course the man who started the whole restoration at Gunton - Kit Martin.  More surprisingly there were others like me who have gone to the dark side (West Norfolk) but thought it worth the journey. Which, of course, it was. The beer's great - Yetmans of course, and the food was good. Not surprising given the chef's pedigree but it was first night.  Oh and there's a piano which was suitably christened by Gerard, who despite these distractions continues to paint.  Amongst recent works, two in particular stand out.

The first of these, of the Duomo di Orvieto in Umbria is by anyone's reckoning a staggering achievement.  From those who know his work, to visitors who know nothing about what has gone before the reaction has been overwhelming. Favourable, that is.  Which is good, because we are planning a major exhibition for Autumn 2012 which will include more paintings from Umbria.  Our current thoughts are to open the exhibition in London and then for it move to Norfolk.. and possibly even further afield.

There may be other delights in store as well.... Watch this space as they say.







The second is equally remarkable - but this time for it's simplicity. Much, much closer to home Saltmarsh Creek is a return to a the Norfolk coast.  Andrew Ballantyne, author and Professor of Architecture at University of Newcastle summed it up. There is a touch of melancholy - but it is the serenity of the space and the light that holds your attention.  My thoughts entirely. It's a big picture but it's going to look stunning on someone's wall - and in these strange times, it reminds you that we are so lucky to have these spaces just down the road.

Here comes summer!

Just a couple of months back I wrote, "Strange old summer we seem to be having.  The wall to wall sun of April is but a distant memory and the routine seems to be days of quiet where nothing much happens weatherwise. More like early October than late July" Now it's nearly October and like the rest of the country - with apologies to our followers in the north and west - it's more like late July.  In fact, better than that. It's simply glorious and looks set for a few more days at least.

Today being Michaelmas Day (by the New Calendar), it's traditionally the last day of harvest and, most importantly in our neck of the woods, it's Nelson's birthday. 253 today to be precise. Hard to imagine, but they must have had days like this as well.  It being Thursday it's also Market Day in Fakenham, a much derided and under-valued town. Wandering round the stalls today it's hard to see why it is so un-appreciated. Fantastic fruit, veg, food and plants - and it's got every conceivable piece of ephemera, tat, curiousities - call them what you will.  Most importantly it attracts people. Real people who live here and roundabout.  You could live happily just coming here once a week and very prudently as well.  As a lapsed architect and urban designer, Fakenham on Market Day has got what every urbanist world-wide aspires to - life!  Real people, all shapes and sizes, not just the trendy uber-cool beloved of students and designers, doing real things; buying eggs, dog-biscuits, bulbs electric and bulbs horticultural, cheese, and a few old toys for good measure. You couldn't imagine it could happen but it does, week after week.  I know it's quiet between times, but it's a market town and that's what it does!


It also has possibly the best HSBC branch in the world, but don't tell anyone.


On a similar note, spurred on by the weather no doubt, we also have possibly the Best Post Office in the World at North Creake and the Best Bit of Norfolk Coast in the World at Overy Staithe and to be fair, one of the Best Churches in Norfolk at Norton but as before.... shhhh!

Eating, drinking and music

Knowing how good the Wiveton Bell can be, I just couldn't wait to find out how The Duck Inn at Stanhoe is getting on under their care.  Pleased to say Bank Holiday Saturday lunchtime found it pleasingly busy - and crucially service was good!  Beer and food more than up to scratch, probably better than my last visit to Wiveton. Hope they keep it up, for as I've said before it's a perilous business being asked to suggest places to eat round here.

Purely by chance, this was followed very closely by a return to The Hunny Bell.  What a great pub. Just shows what hard work can achieve.  Having said that I've always preferred the bar to the restaurant in terms of atmosphere.  Last time, they had jazz in the bar; Three in a Bar to be precise, who we liked so much we booked them!  This time, I don't know who they were, but again very good.  I've heard far worse fiddle playing in much more august venues.  It would be fascinating to know whether good music boosts their sales?  I doubt it but I very much hope I'm wrong. The only problem for me is that its 17 miles away.

Done different

Of all the quotes dragged up about Norfolk, the two that most people know are firstly what most think is the county motto - "Do Different" and secondly Noel Coward's "Very flat, Norfolk".  Well as most of us know the latter of these isn't exactly true whilst the former is in danger of going the same way as more and more is 'discovered' by the weekend supplements.  However, Norfolk does remain different for those who care to look and in a final quote "Once you get to know Norfolk, there is no better place to live" in the words of the late John Timpson.

So what prompted all this navel gazing?  Well not actually the current exhibition by Kevin and Ann-Marie Ryan, but more the reaction to it.  Just in case you haven't seen it or don't know their work, they are - like most - incomers,  and have lived in a quiet corner of high Norfolk for the last 20 years.  Their palettes are dominated by intense colour - orange, brown, red punctuated by the occasional intense blue, whilst their compositions are singularly lacking in either horizontality or any obvious reference to big skies.

So - not flat, and very different. And people love it.  Which just goes to show that the Ryan's are firmly in the Timpson camp and that there are plenty out there who understand and can look beyond the Norfolk being peddled by the Sunday supplements.