This early British short is a simple but frantic farce which sees Percy entering a female beauty contest in order to win the prize of £100. He immediately heads for Charles Fox, theatrical wig-maker and costumier (still to be found in London's Covent Garden).

The contest itself is a rather hurried affair featuring an array of women wearing very large hats and furs - it turns out that Percy is not the only female impersonator in this bunch! But can Percy be crowned the winner? Men in women's clothing were something of a staple of English music hall and translated very quickly onto film, where the possibilities for mayhem gave delighted audiences a comic frisson. (Brian Robinson)

From its “gauging” test run on 2nd June, through to its last round trip on, Sunday 17th July, King Edward II completed in the order of 75 full return journeys on the Mid Norfolk Railway; equating to over 1600 trouble free miles. Chairman of the Mid Norfolk Railway Barry Woodgett said.......... “On behalf of everyone at the MNR I wish to express our gratitude to the Great Western Society for entrusting the MNR with the important task of “running in” King Edward II. The memory of its eye-catching BR Experimental Blue livery and the sound of its exhaust beats will remain with us for a long time to come.


 King Edward II has helped demonstrate that MNR already had a very credible Steam Operations Department, which is now reinforced by the appointment of Dennis Howells, M.B.E. as Traction Inspector—Steam and Bruce Murray as Chief Mechanical Engineer—Steam.

Finally I would again appeal to the people of Swaffham to discover and return King Edward’s Safety Valve Bonnet [see photo] which was dislodged during the King’s delivery journey by road, on 1st June, by a tree hanging over the A47.”

This year’s Family Fun Day at Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts will take place on Sunday 31 July 2011, and will feature live performances, creative activities and fun for all the family. The event runs from midday until 4pm and takes place on the lawns outside the Centre and in the galleries. Admission to the event is free. This year’s event is all about rocks and stones, linking to the Sainsbury Centre’s summer Object in Focus the ‘eccentric’ flint. The event is supported by the Evening News and BBC Radio Norfolk.

“We have a great day planned for this year’s Fun Day and there will be something to keep all the family entertained. It’s gonna rock! Don’t forget to bring your favourite stone or pet rock to use in some of the activities.” – Charlotte Peel, Education Officer

During the afternoon there will be a fun-packed programme of events linking to our theme of rocks and stones. Community Music East (CME) will uncover the rhythm of stone in a series of workshops, where visitors can create and use percussion instruments using stones, including slide trays and shakers. There will also be a chance to play the ‘hag stone harp’, made by CME from guitar strings and ‘hag stones’ (stones with holes in). When not making music with rocks visitors can listen to music that rocks, with live performances from ‘50s-style rock-a-billy band Big Black Cadillacs!

The event’s theme links to the Centre’s Object in Focus, the ‘eccentric’ flint. Each season the Sainsbury Centre focuses on an object from the permanent collections, and this summer the object is a fascinating flint, thought to have been shaped over 1,000 years ago in what is now Guatemala. Elaborately worked flints, known as ‘eccentric’ for their curious shapes, have been recovered throughout the Maya region of South America, but this one is a particularly rare example. The complex profile heads which decorate it are extremely difficult to shape and would have been cut buy a specialist craftsman.

At the event visitors can find out about how the ‘eccentric flint’ is shaped, with a demonstration by flint-knapper John Lord. John has been flint knapping since 1975, when he and his wife Val took custody of the Neolithic flint mines at Grimes Graves. Since leaving Grimes Graves he has worked as a professional flint knapper, providing tonnes of flint to the construction industry. He and Val now demonstrate knapping and other primitive technologies around the country.

During the afternoon, children can have their face painted (£1 per child) or take part in playground games with a twist with artists Townley and Bradby. There will be creative activities suitable for all the family including badge-making, creating a drawstring bag out of felt to collect things in, and making a special display stand for their ‘pet stone’. Visitors are invited to bring in stones to be identified by GEO East and discover the amazing diversity of rocks and stones to be found. GEO East work to promote and conserve geo-diversity in the East of England and have worked with the Sainsbury Centre on outreach projects looking at flint and chalk in West Norfolk.

Every half-hour throughout the event there will be the opportunity to hear ancient Mayan stories, told by members of the Sainsbury Centre’s superb guiding team. Visitors can discover the tale of the Rabbit and the Moon, or hear about Tzunuum the hummingbird. Children will also have the chance to explore the collections and even win a prize, in a treasure hunt, searching for stone objects in the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection.

Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, or treat themselves to an ice-cream or something from the BBQ. The Sainsbury Centre Gallery Café will also be open serving a range of drinks and light lunches.

During the event there will be free admission to the Sainsbury Centre’s two special exhibitions (usual price £4, concessions £2, family price £8, concessions £6). The Face of the Artist is an exhibition of portraits by renowned photographer John Hedgecoe from the Sainsbury Centre’s collection of works by the artist, acquired earlier this year, while A World Observed is the first comprehensive retrospective of work by photographer Dorothy Bohm.

Event detail is subject to the weather. The event will take place inside the Sainsbury Centre if it is raining.

Greenfinch

Characteristics
The Greenfinch is 14-16 cm in length; it is mainly green, with bright yellow flashes in the wings and tail.

The female and young birds are duller and have brown tones on the back. The bill is thick and conical and a pinkish colour.

Habitat
Woodland edges, farmland hedges and gardens with relatively thick vegetation are favoured for breeding. It is a frequent visitor to town gardens especially when there is water for bathing or peanuts on the bird-table.

Greenfinches build their nests in trees or bushes, using twigs moss or roots. Usually they lay between 3-8 eggs.

Behaviour
Greenfinches feed largely on seeds, but also feed their young insects. The call is a loud rapid twittering on one note, followed by four or five musical notes; after a pause there is sometimes a single ‘greee’. In song flight the male has a "butterfly" display flight and will flit and weave erratically.
B.A.B.


www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife

 

As a club we would like to invite you to join us by entering a team and giving you the chance to be crowned World Champions.

Details of this unusual game are available at www.thenorfolkbroads.org an then by following the links to Events and Dwile Flonking.

This is a really fun day and drew media attention from all over the world last year when Norfolk Licensing banned us from using Real Ale and we had to substitute it with Ginger Beer. The issue of using Real Ale or Beer of some description this year is currently under negotiation and a statement will be issued as soon as a decision has been reached.

If your members would like to make a weekend of it, there is a large field at the pub where they are welcome to camp at a very reasonable price.

The Dog Inn serves good food and a selection of drinks and is situated at Ludham Bridge approximately half way between Norwich and Great Yarmouth.

If anyone staying for the weekend would also like to take a trip out on the beautiful Norfolk Broads, day boat hire is available at Ludham Bridge Boatyard just 300 yards away.

Entry fees are just £1 per person for your team of ten. Sponsored T-Shirts are welcome and can be ordered through us at a competitive price if you don’t have any already made.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information or to register your team.

We look forward to seeing you in Norfolk this August!

Sue, Pete and Hank

Admin Team at NBO
www.thenorfolkbroads.org



 

The Field Naturalist can never be bored and my notebook and pencil are always with me. A snatch of bird song is heard and identified and added to my records, perhaps only a Blackbird or Robin but it does build up a picture of the wildife in any area you may visit if only once.

Sometimes what we call a top to toe survey of a particular site can throw up many records from tiny fungi growing on dead matter, a nice showy flower or a leaf mine. One can often find inverterates feeding on certain plants, Butterflies nectaring on certain flowers, even land molluscs under logs and stones.

My favoured method is to record all the singing and calling birds, nesting birds and feeding species, followed by the plants in flower and then in vegetative condition and fruiting. Perhaps in the course of my study I will find tiny fungi, the larger agarics and rusts on leaves.

Every habitat is a goldmine and a new site is just as rewarding as visiting a regular study area.

Try it yourselves and look for and record everything you can identify, soon you too will be bitten by the bug and follow this up with a nature diary and perhaps in time your own records on a spreadsheet.

Colin Jacobs

At the beginning of August last year, you may remember I reported on the arrival at the Sanctuary of our stunning Spectacled Owl Cecil.  As a brief reminder, Cecil was donated to us by Mr Brian Draycott as a poignant tribute to his late parents, for which we are very grateful.  And Cecil has turned out to be a true star.  Not only is he wonderful to handle, but he has also wowed our visitors for the last year with his striking appearance.

It was always the intention that Cecil should have a mate, as owls do like to pair for life, but the spectacled owl is an exotic bird and it was unlikely that we would be able to find a female before this year.  So it’s with great delight that we are able to announce the arrival of Phyllis, future spouse to Cecil.


She hatched in May of this year in Oxfordshire and is currently residing in one of our weatherings to give her time to settle and get used to visitors.  Once she is ready, she will become the newest member of our flying display team, replacing her husband-to-be Cecil, who will then retire to an aviary for a well earned rest.


As yet, Cecil and Phyllis are too young to breed and so the idea is that they will remain a part of the display team for the next three years.  Then, once they are both mature enough, they will be paired into an aviary and we will await with bated breath the sound of tiny talons.


Naming Nemo

Phyllis is not our only new resident this year; we were also joined a couple of weeks ago by a young, female Northern Hawk Owl by the name of Nemo (yes I know, most of us think of Nemo as a brightly coloured, male fish, but remember we do also have Napoleon the female Great Grey Owl – we just like to be different!)

Nemo hatched in early May and has come to reside with us courtesy of our friend Mike Cady.  Her parents were originally imported from the Czech Republic and we hope that she will help to provide a new bloodline for the UK population of Northern Hawk Owls.  It is vitally important that new bloodlines are introduced from time to time to avoid interbreeding, which can result in birth defects.

Again, we are hoping that Nemo will become part of our flying display team and perhaps also be one of our course birds.

The Northern Hawk Owl is so called because of its distinctive likeness to a hawk.  The greyish colouring and barring on the chest are very hawk-like as is the colouring on both wings and tail.  Northern Hawk Owls originate from the boreal zones of North America and Eurasia and inhabit open coniferous forest and moorland.  Their plumage offers ideal camouflage for this kind of habitat. Northern Hawk Owls mainly eat small mammals particularly lemmings and voles, but will also catch birds, frogs and, unusually, even fish.

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Blog

Do you think you're cool as a cucumber? Not merely is the cucumber known for it’s capability to cool down our bodies, it has additionally been known to help with jaundice, diarrhoea, epilepsy, sore throat, conjunctivitis (redness of the eye) and swelling of extremities.

Frequently you should try to de-seed them yourself easily by cutting them in two and utilizing a spoon to eliminate the seeds or if you wish to eliminate this step you can buy cucumbers that are already seeded.

Fresh cucumbers are easy to add to salads and for an easy salad just toss diced cucumbers with sliced red onions, red tomatoes and your favourite all-natural, low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. This can be a fast way to make a refreshing salad that reaps the benefits of cucumber.


Anti-diabetic Advantages of Cucumber:

Beta cells contained in the pancreas produce the hormone insulin.Cucumber is found to have a hormone needed by the beta cells in the insulin production. Moreover, the Glycemic Index of cucumbers is found to be zero.

Why Cucumbers have not a glycemic index listed? Does this mean that they do not raise blood sugar?

Not at all. It simply means that under the "rules" for the definition of the glycemic index, it is too difficult to get an accurate number. It is because you'll need to eat a very big amount of the food to get 50 grams of carbohydrate at once in order to be tested. Usually, the lower the quantity of carbohydrate in a vegetable and the more fibre it has, the less the rise in blood sugar will be.

The carbohydrates are primarily responsible of the raise of the glucose level.But the carbohydrates contained in the cucumber are easily digestible in a diabetes patient’s stomach.


Suggestions for Preparing Cucumbers:

Unwaxed cucumbers don't need to be peeled but should be washed before cutting. Cucumbers are usually sliced, diced or cut into sticks.


One or two Quick Serving Ideas:

- Use half-inch thick cucumber slices as petite serving "dishes" for chopped vegetable salads.

- Mix diced cucumbers with sugar snap peas and mint leaves and toss with rice wine vinaigrette.

- For refreshing cold gazpacho soup that takes five minutes or less to make, simply purée cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and onions, then add salt and pepper to taste.

- Add diced cucumber to tuna fish or chicken salad recipes.


Cool Cucumber Salad Recipe:

Ingredients:

- 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin

- 1/3 cup minced cilantro


Dressing:

- 1/2 cup rice vinegar

- 2 tsp. honey

- 2 tsp. Reduced-sodium soy sauce

- 1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

- Pinch dried red pepper flakes


Preparation per 8 servings:

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Marinating time: 60 minutes

1. Combine the cucumbers, carrots, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.

2. Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over cucumbers, cover, and refrigerate for 60 minutes. Salad might be eaten using a fork.


Nutritional Values per Meal: 1/2 cup

- Calories: 25

- Calories From Fat: 10

- Total Fat: 1 gram

- Saturated fats: .1 grams

- Cholesterol: milligrams

- Sodium: 50 milligrams (without added salt)

- Total Carbohydrate: 5 grams

- Soluble fibre: 1 gram

- Sugars: 3 grams

- Protein: 1 grams



Complete Bio: http://www.diabeticdietrecipes.org/

Norfolk’s mental health trust will be attending the third annual Norwich Pride, to show their commitment to equality and diversity in the county.

Representatives from Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust will be attending the event at The Forum, Norwich on 30 July 2011.

The Trust has a joint lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) network with Norfolk County Council. Members will be on hand at the stalls to talk to members of the public about the links between equality and mental health services.

There will be a two metre tall ‘Tree of Pride’ based on the Trust logo and people will be invited to attach a 'leaf' saying what they are proud of.

On the day Robert Nesbitt, Trust Secretary, will be giving a talk about mental health and LGB issues, which forms part of the event’s “Full of Pride” informal discussions.

“We’ve known for some time that LGB people can experience higher rates of mental distress,” Robert said. "There is good evidence to show that is caused by growing up or living in a homophobic culture.


“I’ll be looking at the history of homophobia and there will also be time to discuss how we can tackle bullying and build resilience.”

The talk will be held at 4:45pm on 30 July 2011 in The Cube, which is upstairs at the Forum.

Trust Chair Maggie Wheeler said: “I am really pleased the Trust is involved with Norwich Pride again this year. This is about being part of our community, and showing that our services are open to everyone. Embracing diversity isn’t something we add on to our work – it should be what we do every day. Taking part in Pride is a brilliant way of showing this.”

Members of the Board of Governors and Directors will be attending the event.

The peak summer holiday season sees four very special plantsman’s gardens opening their garden gates for the National Gardens Scheme in Norfolk.

Each garden has many rare and unusual plants coupled with some fascinating garden designs on view. Visitors will have the opportunity to buy plants selected from the garden displays and to enjoy homemade teas with Chestnut Farm and Furze House also offering light lunches. If you want a musical treat while strolling in a garden then The Reepham ensemble await you at Dunbheagan.


DUNBHEAGAN Dereham Road, Westfield NR19 1QF

Open (12.30-5.30). Adm £3.50, chd free. Home-made teas.

Has one and a half acres of flower garden richly planted for year round interest and reaches a peak with masses of colour into late summer.Over the last few months the garden owners John and Jean Walton have been busy adding even more plants and features to an already action packed garden. The many rare and unusual plants are showcased in, island beds, ponds, rockery, exotic bed, ‘Heaven and Hell’, gravel beds and even a carnivorous bog! Paths/stepping stones invite you to walk through many beds. Beautiful music from Reepham ensemble completes the picture. There is a gravel driveway and access to 90% of garden for the disabled.

2m S of Dereham. From Dereham take A1075 towards Shipdham. Turn L at Premier Food Store/Vauxhall garage (Westfield Rd). At staggered Xrds continue straight ahead down narrow lane. Garden 4th on L. Disabled parking in drive.


SEVERALS GRANGE Holt Road, Wood Norton NR20 5BL

Open (2-5). Adm £3, chd free. Home-made teas.

The gardens surrounding Severals Grange and the adjoining nursery Hoecroft Plants are a perfect example of how colour, shape and form can be created by the use of foliage plants, from large shrubs to small alpines. Movement and lightness is achieved by interspersing these plants with a wide range of ornamental grasses, which are at their best in late summer. In this garden you can see mature plants in garden settings and then buy the same plants in the renowned and well stocked nursery whilst taking advantage of the long experience and comprehensive knowledge of the owners. However a note of caution watch out for the black cat in the nursery he thinks he owns the place and acts like it---you have been warned!!

8m S of Holt, 6m E of Fakenham. 2m N of Guist on LH-side of B1110. Guist is situated 5m SE of Fakenham on A1067 Norwich rd

FURZE HOUSE Harleston Road, Rushall, Diss IP21 4RT

Open (10-6). Adm £3.50, chd free. Light refreshments & Home-made teas.

New to the NGS this year is a 2-acre plantsman’s garden with herbaceous and shrub borders displaying cottage style planting in profusion. Lawned paths flow around many new island beds, incorporating established specimen trees, intensively planted with unusual shrubs, special perennials. Established, informal wildlife pond and a large alpine scree area with a water feature flowing through.

There are 2 large polytunnels protecting tender and special specimens. A rose pergola, vegetable and fruit gardens complete the picture.

Philip Greenacre said "Our first open days in June raised over £800 for the vital caring and nursing charities supported by the National Gardens Scheme so we hope to raise even more money for the charities on the 20th and 21st August. Among our visitors in June was the retired Curator of The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew who was impressed with the range of unusual and rare plants we have in the garden. Many people also enjoyed our ploughman's lunches which we will be providing again"

2m W of Harleston. A140 to Dickleburgh Village, turn R at church, then 3m on L. A143 Harleston r’about to Diss. Turn R Upper Harman’s Lane, turn L at T-junction, 1st house ½m on R.


CHESTNUT FARM Church Road, West Beckham NR25 6NX

Open (11-5). Adm £4 chd free. Light refreshments & Home-made teas.

See a garden and small arboretum with many new and exciting plants, shrubs and bulbs abound There is also an herbaceous border and a small but interesting collection of Aroids and Pinellias. Wheelchair access weather permitting.

2½m S of Sheringham. Mid-way between Holt & Cromer. 1m S off the A148 at the Sheringham Park entrance. Sign post indicates 'By Rd to W Beckham'. Chestnut Farm located behind the village sign. Lots of free parking.