"Girl Friday" @ HATFIELD HINES GALLERY

A Whale of a Time in Old Hunstanton...

2012-01-07T15:55:00.010Z

Visitors to Old Hunstanton this Christmas were in for a big surprise when a 55 foot sperm whale washed up on the beach.

Just before Christmas, traders had told local weekly The Lynn News they had never known business so bad in the town, with shops almost deserted in what should have been the busiest shopping period of the year.

But the arrival of the sperm whale, which washed up on Old Hunstanton beach on Christmas Eve, brought a fresh flood of visitors into the town.

Kevan Fleming, owner of Legge’s store, said: “It has been a godsend for us. The whale on our beach has brought a tremendous amount of business through."

Tourists from outside the area flocked down to the beach - for the rare and fascinating chance to see such a large animal up close.

Leicestershire schoolgirl Charlotte Kearn told Hatfield Hines 'Our Mum and Dad made a special trip here so me and my brother Adam could both see the whale. My Nan had seen it on the TV News!'

However, the new arrival also brought rather more macabre repercussions. Police are continuing to investigate after parts of the whale were illegally removed and allegedly offered for sale.

Within five days of its arrival, all of the whale’s teeth had been removed and there were rumours that it’s lower jaw bone had been sliced off with a chainsaw.

Police have said no further action will be taken against a juvenile who was questioned after parts of the whale were offered for sale on Facebook.

But a spokesman added: “Enquiries continue into other reports of the theft and sale of whale remains linked to the sperm whale washed up on the beach at Old Hunstanton.”

Are you King of Christmas Lights?

2011-12-23T11:38:00.006Z

In the spirit of Street Art - this year the Hatfield Hines team has scoured North Norfolk for the top 'amateur' Christmas displays.

So far, we have two stand-out contenders for the accolade of 'King of Christmas Lights' - but maybe you know different?

If there is a site near you with even more Christmas curb appeal, then email us a pic!

Tribute to Charles Phillips

2011-11-25T13:26:00.023Z

Hatfield Hines Gallery would like to pay tribute to Charles Phillips, our colleague and trusted friend, who passed away on Tuesday at 2pm, after a long, dignified battle with cancer.

Charles, a proud family man, was a charismatic and inspirational person.

He was much loved by our staff and customers, and had a great feeling for people and an extensive knowledge of art.

He was a good listener, well known for his distinctive personal style, his fondness for all things French and his weakness for unusual cars.

A key member of our Gallery team since his arrival in 2007, Charles was a constant source of energy, enthusiasm and ideas.

As well as his Gallery role championing the work of other artists, Charles was a gifted painter in his own right, with his pieces featured in many local exhibitions.

He was also a passionate educationalist with a strong belief in the positive talents of the local children whom he guided in his previous role as Head Teacher.

Charles was a deeply caring individual who made a positive impact on the many lives he touched.

He will be greatly missed.

For those who would like to pay their last respects to Charles, his funeral will take place at 10:15am on Wednesday 7th December 2011 at St. Faiths Crematorium, Norwich.

Santa Sails in for Wells Christmas Tide!

2011-11-11T14:07:00.006Z

Wellsfolk get set to welcome in the Christmas spirit at their special Christmas Tide weekend to be held from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November.

The weekend kicks off with Christmas Cocktails on Friday 25th, followed by a Christmas Market and Cafe from 12 noon onwards on Saturday.

Budding dancers-on-ice can triple-salco on a synthetic skating rink behind the Maltings on the Sackhouse carpark.

Father Christmas is due to arrive in the harbour on Saturday evening at around 6pm, welcomed by an Illuminated Welcome Parade, accompanied by 'Thundermetal' with fireworks by 'Booom'.

Full details of all events and timings can be found at the Wells Carnival Committee website.

Focus on - Jean Dryden Alexander

2011-10-15T14:28:00.011+01:00

This week at Hatfield Hines Gallery we are proud to unveil our newly acquired collected works by the renowned East Anglian artist Jean Dryden Alexander.

Fifth child and youngest daughter of noted Victorian watercolorists Robert G.D. Alexander and Effie Alexander, Jean spent an idyllic childhood en plein air in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex countryside learning to paint and draw with her parents and siblings as well as other noted artists of their circle including H.B. Brabazon and Sir George Clausen.

Influenced by Turner and Constable as well as her parents' own art tutors Henry Tonks and Mark Fisher, Alexander's work displays her natural gift for capturing the transient moods and intensity of light of the East Anglian landscape.

To browse featured pieces, and learn more about this artist, just click on the above catalogue icon to view in fullscreen mode.

Urban Fox - Fun for Free in the City

2011-08-19T15:15:00.012+01:00

OK - so there may be 'no such thing as a free lunch', but during the school holidays there is certainly plenty of free fun to be had on London's South Bank...

Yep - the oversized astro-turfed armchairs are back! From now until 11th September, The National Theatre's outdoor 'Square' venue offers a varied programme of free performances including theatre, dance, performance art, circus skills and - well - downright silliness (custard pie throwing!)

To give a flavour of what's on offer - Jacques Tati meets Harold Lloyd in the hour-long silent-caper-scape "The Station".

The innovative production, staged by circus-skills veterans Bash Street harnesses a host of 'silent' slapstick tropes (yes - there are gangsters with violin cases, a stolen Mona Lisa, a demure heroine who gets roped to the train tracks, hi-jinx with a pyramid of luggage and a hapless hero suspended from a clock face).

The silent action is knitted together by uber-accordian-player Julian Gaskell, who from behind the thicket of his handlebar moustache supplies live incidental music, steam jets and imaginative sound effects for the whole team.

The deceptively simple set is a slick machine which brilliantly facilitates the cast's physical comedy - culminating in a live train crash!

Once you've finished laughing... cool off in the 'Appearing Rooms' water sculpture outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall and check out the amazing 'Urban Fox' - a giant-sized straw sculpture from rural Cheshire which peers down quizzically towards Tracey Emin from the roof of the South Bank Centre...

Small but deadly - Lautrec at the Courtauld

2011-08-05T13:15:00.022+01:00

A summer gem glinting in the London galleries this season is the excellent Toulouse-Lautrec / Jane Avril exhibition at the Courtauld...

This small top-floor show (tip - pack extra oxygen and wear flats, or prepare to join a long queue for the lift!) focuses on the painter's works featuring Moulin Rouge muse, dancer Avril - notorious for her skeletal frame and erratic bird-like movements.

Of Lautrec, Avril said "Without a doubt I owed him the fame I enjoyed from that very first moment his poster of me appeared."

Lautrec's intense, studied and vibrant works absorb the viewer into the skewed, bohemian world of 1890's Paris.

The exhibition includes sketches and studies for some of Lautrec's most famous paintings and poster-works, giving an insight into his creative energy and composition process.

A major highlight is his iconic 'At the Moulin Rouge' group portrait - on special loan from the Art Institute of Chicago - a dynamically composed homage to the major players in his Montmartre circle.

Speaking of Lautrec's unique rapport with his female models, which shines through in these works, Avril commented "They were his friends as well as his models. He in turn had an uplifting effect on them. In his presence they were just women, and he treated them as equals. When he ate with them, often bringing a party of friends, they held their knives and forks daintily, restrained their conversation, had the feeling of being women of some standing. Lautrec's almost womanly intuition and sympathy shone like a light for them."

There is also a portrait of Avril dancing made by her eventual painter husband Maurice Biais. This offers a fascinating contrast in view of this otherwise familiar subject - a rare and somehow strangely inauthentic glimpse of Avril smiling.

Many historical documents accompany the exhibition (including photographs, playbills and letters) which follow Avril from the genesis of her erratic style - discovered whilst incarcerated in a mental hospital, at the bizarrely conceived 'Madwoman's Ball' - through her rise to fame at the Moulin and subsequent London tour.

To read more about the exhibition click here. To read more about the life of Jane Avril click here.

The show runs until 18 September 2011. Entry: £6 (£4.50 concessions) but admission is FREE on Mondays 10am-2pm.

Behind the Scenes at Sheringham

2011-08-05T11:59:00.010+01:00

Thank you to all the Gallery clients who joined us on Monday to celebrate the launch of our brand new art space at Sheringham Little Theatre.

Guests first enjoyed drinks in our new Gallery space before taking a VIP backstage tour with theatre Director Debbie Thompson.

Tour highlights included the hi-tech wizardry (and incredibly tidy cables!) of the lighting booth.

This was followed by an actors-eye-view walk through the set to the dressing rooms for a backstage meet-and-greet with rep stars of the theatre's current production 'Last of the Red Hot Lovers'.

We were then treated to a special performance of the play.

A great evening was had by all, so thanks for coming along and making the event such a success!

To make sure that you receive a personal invitation for our future events, register for our mailing list HERE.

Beanlands Abound

2011-07-12T12:38:00.010+01:00

This month Hatfield Hines pays special tribute to the landscape talents of British abstract artist Frank Beanland.

A selection of new works can be viewed at our main Gallery in Holt as well as much larger works on display at our 'coastal satellite' at the Sheringham Little Theatre.

To celebrate the launch of our new show, we've also created a special new exhibition catalogue which can be viewed as an online flipbook by clicking the arrows on the image above.

To access fullscreen option, hover your pointer over a page, wait for the fullscreen tab to appear, then click.

The Art of 'Come Dine With Me' - Norwich!

2011-06-17T12:56:00.007+01:00

Addicts of hit Channel 4 reality show 'Come Dine With Me' might have noticed a few empty picture hooks over recent mantlepieces...

If you've ever been intrigued by this 'missing picture' phenomenon, Hatfield Hines can now reveal the reason...

Before shooting, the production team have to research and contact the copyright holder of all artworks which are likely to be shown in the programme to obtain explicit permission for them to appear. Without this, the artworks must be removed from view.

How do we know this..? Hatfield Hines can also exclusively reveal that 'Come Dine With Me' are shooting in Norwich next week, at the home of a Henry Holzer collector, hence we've been contacted on this very issue!

To learn more about Henry Holzer, see our artist profile.

To try out some of Come Dine With Me's magic/tragic recipes for yourself, see their website here.

Hatfield Hines goes Coastal at Sheringham...

2011-06-10T16:56:00.006+01:00

This month Hatfield Hines goes coastal with a brand new show opening at the Sheringham Little Theatre...

Get ready for drama with a selection of major new panoramic pieces during June - making the most of the size and scope our brand new coastal art space!

Norfolk poised to catch Royal Wedding Fever!

2011-04-26T12:02:00.009+01:00

Whether you are mad-keen to waggle a flag at the TV this coming Friday, or you're planning to carry on regardless you'll be hard pressed (it not potholing) not to catch Wills & Kate fever in Norfolk - with more than 80 celebratory events planned!

These range from Prince and Princess dress-up parades to 'knees-up' street parties to Punch and Judy shows (that's the way to 'I do it'!) to an elegant celebratory Tea Dance with local dance teacher Niall at Northrepps Cottage Country Hotel (£9.95 per person - booking essential on 01263 579202).

Or for the strictly sentimental there is the option of a 'Trousseau Tea' at Starston (a French wedding tradition where the bride's family show off all her new things) organised by the local WI. All the guests plan to don posh frocks and bring along pics of their own 'big day'.

Big screens will abound across the county - even at Carrow Road, where for £55 per person 'wedding guests' will kick off with coffee and pastries before the celebrations move to the top terrace for 'all the traditions of a wedding including champagne and canapés, a four-course wedding breakfast and wedding cake.'

A 'match' made in heaven? Only time will tell..!

For full details check out the EDP's comprehensive listing...

Coast to Coast at Hatfield Hines

2011-04-26T11:58:00.005+01:00

Throughout the bank holiday period Hatfield Hines Gallery will be celebrating East Anglian coastlines, with works from 1900 to the present day.

This will be a diverse show, with a few surprises..from fresh takes on some of the most well known coastal views by Gilia Florentin-Lee, David Baxter, Geoffrey Chatten, Derek Inwood and John Tookey, to some slightly rougher seas painted earlier in the 20th Century by accomplished seascape artist Rowland Fisher (1885-1969).

Easter Ahoy!

2011-04-16T15:43:00.007+01:00

In keeping with Hatfield Hines' April theme of 'East Anglian Coastlines', this Easter we thought we'd focus on special seasonal events and activities with a watery connection...

Friday 22nd April - Easter Egg Hunt at Salhouse Broad - a 1.5hr trail of clues to follow around the Broad along with arts & crafts and Easter themed games. Cost: £3 per child / £5 for two children. Further info tel: 01603 722775.

Friday 22nd April - Easter Special River Trip at Wroxham Broad - Discover this magical waterland with children's on-board nature quiz, egg hunt and colouring competition whilst the Skipper will point out nesting birds and young. Cost: £7.50 adult / £6 child / Free for under fives. Book on: 01603 782207

Saturday 23rd April - Dawn Otter Spotting Canoe Trail - Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden - Ideal for early risers who will join 'The Canoe Man' at 6am (!!) on this guided paddle, meandering down quiet, undisturbed tributaries to see the elusive otter - we hope! Cost: £25 adult / £15 child. Booking essential on: 01603 499177

Sunday 24th April - Otters for late-risers - For those - like me - who fancy a Saturday lie-in - there is also a later - and more extended - Otter-Canoe-spotting session available on Easter Sunday, departing from Honing Lock at 10am, at the higher price of £40 per adult and £25 per child.

Thursday 28th April - 6pm onwards - Powerboat Racing at Nicholas Everitt Park, Outlon Broad. Something completely different for those who prefer speed to Simnel cake! Cost: Free. Information: 01603 881112.

Saturday 30th April - Birdsong for Beginners - Nope - not a flashback to Johnny Morris or Doctor Doolittle - but a special RSPB guided walk around Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve, to learn the distinctive calls of woodland and water birds. Suitable for adults and older children. Cost: £5 adult / £3 child. Booking essential on: 01603 715191.

Mum's the Word - Post-war Pioneers at Pallant...

2011-03-31T12:49:00.011+01:00

This week sees the opening of 'Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior' at Pallant House in Chichester.

The retrospective features distinctive interior works by the most celebrated British designer couple of the post-war era.

Working alongside each other in their shared studio, the Days pioneered the introduction of modern design in furniture (Robin) and textiles (Lucienne) during the 1950s and 1960.

Their designs gained mass recognition after the Festival of Britain in 1951, in which they played a major part.

For an extra special treat - Pallant House Gallery are offering free entry to the exhibition and afternoon tea (worth £13.95) at 'Field and Fork' for all Mums (accompanied by fee paying offspring) on Mother's Day this Sunday.

There will also be the option to indulge in a celebratory glass of bubbly on the day for an additional £6.

How very civilised!

To pre-book for teas, contact the Gallery on (01243) 770827.

April Flowers...

2011-03-25T11:30:00.005Z

This week - at last - it has been possible to venture forth in North Norfolk coatless!

To celebrate this outbreak of sunshine, we highlight some of the county's best upcoming nature walks, to help you seek out some secretive species in sublime places...

Telegraph Walk of the Week - Salthouse (self-guided)

Monday 11th April (10am to 12.30pm) Reptiles, amphibians and mini beasts. a mini beast hunt at 10am and at 11am with Wild Frontier Ecology. See exotic snakes and tortoises with our local expert and help with an ecological survey. £3.00 per child Under 3s £1.00. No booking required

Monday 18th April (10.15am to 12.30pm then 1pm to 3pm) Eggs of nature. Learn about eggs in nature from reptiles, birds, insects, amphibians and plants. Easter egg story and face painting. Each child on trail receives prize (chocolate egg). £3.00 per child Under 3s £1.00. No booking required.

Wednesday 27 April, near Thetford, (10 am) Spring Flowers in Breckland. An expert guided walk looking out for Breckland's three special speedwells (Breckland, Fingered and Spring), Wild Grape Hyacinth and a good variety of other spring flowers. £15 (children under 12 free acompanying an adult)

Thursday 28 April, (10 am) Spring Flowers at Holt. An expert guided walk visiting a delightful site with a mixture of habitats that hold beautiful plants such as Bogbean, Lords-and-ladies and Wood Anemone. £15 (children under 12 free acompanying an adult)

Urban Dynamic...

2011-03-15T20:04:00.007Z

During March, Hatfield Hines explores the art of Street Scenes...

Thoughts turn townward in our March exhibition, with urban landscapes ranging from the picturesque pastoral towns of Rowland Fisher and the working harbours of master muralist Henry Collins to the dynamic lines and evocative twilights of Gordon Hales' contemporary London.

Happy New Year from Hatfield Hines

2011-01-03T19:44:00.004Z

For all those art lovers who also love fireworks, but weren't lucky enough to get to Cromer seafront's spectactular 14 minute display on New Year's Day, here's a little treat...

Spotlight on Rowland Fisher

2011-01-03T19:11:00.006Z

For our first blog of the New Year, Hatfield Hines is delighted to spotlight new acquisitions by noted marine and landscape artist Rowland Fisher.

Rowland Fisher, ROI, RSMA (1885-1969) was an artist noted for his coastal and marine subjects in oils. In his earlier years he worked frequently in watercolour. He was also an accomplished painter of landscapes.

Fisher was born at Gorleston, a small town to the south of Great Yarmouth. He lived at 3 Upper Cliff Road in from where he had a superb vantage point for all the activity of the harbour.

His neighbour was Campbell Mellon, also a well known and much loved Norfolk artist.

Fisher was a founder member of the Society of Marine Artists in 1939, and showed there from their first exhibition in 1946 (delayed by reason of the War) until his death in 1969.

He also exhibited at the Royal Academy and with the prestigious Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) of which he was a full member.

Fisher also worked extensively in Cornwall, and became a member of the St. Ives Society of Artists alongside fellow Cornwall contemporaries Stanhope Forbes, Sir John Arnesby Brown, Sir Alfred Munnings, Sir Stanley Spencer, Sir Frank Brangwyn, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.

Happy Holidays from Hatfield Hines!

2010-12-28T13:49:00.005Z

By popular demand, we've made you an updated video (courtesy of ace cameraman Olivier) showing Holt Christmas lights 2010.

Sorry there's no snow but we couldn't get up the hill with the camera when there was!

Merry Christmas from all at Hatfield Hines and our very best wishes for 2011.

Norfolk's Top Ten Views - The Results!

2010-10-23T22:45:00.009+01:00

Over the summer months, your survey responses have flooded in by email, by post and in person to the Gallery...

Now - the wait is over. The Top Ten Views in Norfolk - as voted by you - are as follows:

1. Cromer Beach
2. Views over the River Bure
3. Morston - looking towards Blakeney
4. Salthouse church towards the sea
5. Holkham Beach
6. Brancaster
7. Weybourne Beach
8. West Runton Common
9. Sheringham Park
10 Castle Acre Priory

And the lucky winners of the prize draw to have their own favourite Norfolk view painted by local landscape maestro David Baxter are - Neville & Helen De Spretter of Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire.

The view they love the best is 'The view from the edge of Sheringham Park looking over to Weybourne, with the church just visible and the sea beyond'.

As they told Hatfield Hines "This is Norfolk at her best - sky, land and sea and nature, merging with the village in a timeless setting. This view is so evocative of what for us is paradise on earth."

Congratulations to Neville & Helen!

Gallery 'goes public' at new Gastro-Pub

2010-10-09T10:58:00.000+01:00

Foodie fans of Hatfield Hines' artists will be pleased to know that they can now browse works from our 20th Century art collection over dinner...

The gallery will be showing a selection of works at the 'Parson Woodford' gastro-pub in Weston Longville, Norwich.

For those who just can't wait to view - the newly refurbished venue - focusing on the work of local artists - will re-open on Tuesday 12th October at 8am...

Check out the menu...

Click below for the route from Holt to Weston Longville on Google maps.
(Sat Nav users - head for NR9 5JU)

Art all night long at Nuit Blanche, Paris

2010-10-09T10:30:00.031+01:00

Visitors to Paris last weekend were treated to a night of spectacular (and not so spectacular) free installations, courtesy of Nuit Blanche, the French capital's annual all-night-art-fest...

Contributions viewed by Hatfield Hines' roving Girl Friday included:

- 'Reflexion!?' a giant exclamation mark constructed of tiny illuminated micro-fans, suspended in mid-air inside the ancient church of Saint-Paul

- 'Crisis' an illuminated shed which promised (but did not deliver) smoke effects, at Square Leopold Achille, in the Marais

- 'Aurora Borealis' an amazing Swedish installation of gauzy banners, billowing in the breeze, projected with luminous images, inspired by the northern lights

- 'Cinema en Plein Air' an all-night open air cinema at Place du Marche Ste Catherine, showing a series of short films

-An amazing walk-through '3D Bridge' installation on the Pont Saint-Louis

-'(M)ondes' - a courtyard installation with light projections reflected from suspended wire structures, to create an animated firefly effect

- 'The Kiss' - an installation at the Ecole Nationale Des Beaux-Arts where two naked dancers, housed inside a canvas-covered box, press against the screen to recreate elements from celebrated sculpture. Also at the same venue, a spectacular glass room within which actors pose inanimate - like mannequins of the 1940s - until a spectator is invited to enter, to interact with them.

Last Week of our Norfolk Landscape Competition!

2010-09-28T08:52:00.011+01:00

As we enter the final week for entries to our competition to find Norfolk's top landscape, we hear a personal view from well-known local author and wildlife expert John Hurst...

"My favourite view can be seen when walking in a northerly direction down the east bank at Cley Marshes NWT Reserve. As you near the shingle bank there is a fabulous view to the east over Arnold's Marsh towards Salthouse.

The location is named after the famous 'collector' of rare and interesting bird species - E C Arnold - who at the turn of the last century supported the local taxidermy trade by his pursuits...

In the 1970s the viewpoint became famous when acclaimed ornithologist, writer and artist, Richard Richardson was regularly seen at this point - observing birds and encouraging others to do the same.

Since 1972 I have seen many wonderful species of migratory waders from this point and only a few days ago in the company of friends saw a group of Lapland Buntings from northern Canada and a wryneck from eastern Europe; such is the magic for ornithologists of 'The East Bank, Cley'."

John's viewpoint is recorded in his book 'Norfolk Coastal Colours' on page 64 along with one of his earliest sketches, drawn from an inspirational visit to the area.

Norfolk is good for you - it's official!

2010-09-14T12:09:00.009+01:00

Boffins at the University of Sheffield have today published new research which proves tranquil countryside living environments - such as Norfolk - are good for the brain.

Their findings show that tranquil scenes with natural features - such as the sea - help the brain to function whilst man-made environments - like motorways - hamper it.

The research team measured brain activity when people were presented with different images.

The results showed that the natural, tranquil beach scenes caused brain areas to become `connected´ with one another – indicating that these brain regions were working in sync. However, the non-tranquil motorway scenes disrupted connections within the brain.

Neuroscientist Dr Michael Hunter said: "People experience tranquillity as a state of calmness and reflection, which is restorative compared with the stressful effects of sustained attention in day-to-day life. "

For a taste of tranquillity for all those who aren't lucky enough to live here day-to-day, grab a cuppa and have a restorative look at our online landscape collection...

Art Alfresco at Sheringham Woods...

2010-09-07T18:10:00.008+01:00

For North-Norfolk-dwellers, a walk in the woods can involve a bit more than botany, boots and bird-watching these days...

In Sheringham Park's new 'Bower' area - complete with disabled-friendly nature ponds and a wildflower meadow full of intriguing-sounding 'mini-beasts' - the National Trust team are inviting locals to get creative in 3D with a selection of natural 'found' objects.

Snaps of woodland works of art can be emailed for display on the Park's website at: sheringhampark@nationaltrust.org.uk

Here's one they prepared earlier! Is it 'art'? You decide?

Radio Norfolk's Money-Guru in-Spire-d by survey

2010-09-03T16:53:00.018+01:00

Thanks to Jeremy Hooke - the voice of BBC Radio Norfolk's 'Monday Money' and former Lord Mayor of Norwich - for tipping us off to his own favourite Norfolk view...

"My personal favourite is the view from the top of St. John's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Norwich looking eastwards, out towards the coast.

This is a rare and spectacular view from a spot which I was fortunate enough to visit several times during my tenure as Lord Mayor of Norwich.

The tower - which is the highest point from there right the way until the Ural mountains in Russia - is open during Heritage Open Days - and it is well worth a visit!"

To mark your own beauty spot on the Norfolk landscape and win the chance to immortalise it in a specially commissioned oil, just enter our competition or pick up a form at the Gallery. Hurry though - the closing deadline is now fast-approaching on 15th September!

Hatfield Hines - Coming Up Roses in September

2010-09-03T16:20:00.013+01:00

During September, Hatfield Hines Gallery celebrates all things floral with a special exhibition featuring Norfolk Gardens and Flower paintings...

Styles range from the painterly still-lifes of Naomi Clements-Wright and Eleanor Hope-Henderson to the vivid semi-cubist collages of Naomi Munuo and pastoral pastels of emerging talent Liz Inwood, daughter of well-known local artist Derek Inwood.

Celeb Chef Galton Blackiston's Top Landscape

2010-08-31T13:16:00.013+01:00

Michelin-starred TV Chef Galton Blackiston has cooked his way around the world, but his heart still belongs to Norfolk...

“My favourite view is seen when driving from Langham to Morston.

At one point in the journey you get a perfect view from Blakeney Point to the Watch House.

On a Summer's evening it’s just fantastic and I love it!”

To mark your own beauty spot on the Norfolk landscape and win the chance to immortalise it in a specially commissioned oil, just enter our competition or pick up a form at the Gallery. Hurry though - the closing deadline is 15th September.

Naomi Munuo at Gallery late night view

2010-08-03T16:43:00.008+01:00

Hatfield Hines was pleased to welcome special guest - artist Naomi Munuo - at Holt Festival's 'late shift' evening opening at the Gallery on Tuesday.

Munuo joined staff and exhibition browsers for a glass of wine and spoke of her latest project-in-progress - a series of unique local landscapes.

The new works - inspired by the ambience and architecture of the parklands surrounding her home - carry Munuo's distinctive style into new and exciting territories.

Watch this space for further developments!

Art hits the streets in Holt...

2010-07-27T14:51:00.010+01:00

Thanks to pavement posse 'Urban Canvas', who took their chalks for a walk in Fish Hill yesterday, creating an amazing 30 foot multi-colour pencil doodle.

Today's browsers have been equally entertained by glimpses of a bowler-hatted gent power-walking through the town playing audio clips of helicopter landings from his concealed-speaker-briefcase!

Raise a Glass to Holt Summer Festival...

2010-07-24T11:41:00.011+01:00

Holt Summer Festival kicks off this Sunday with a week of special arts events and workshops in store...

From July 25th to 31st Festival-goers can take a songwriting workshop, paint pots, enjoy a blues picnic in the woods or hitch a ride on a free shuttle bus to explore contemporary greek myths in Holt Country Park.

For our own artistic contribution to this year's festival, Hatfield Hines are taking part in the Holt Gallery Trail.

On Monday there will be pavement art to enjoy outside on Fish Hill and on Tuesday and Thursday evening we will stay open with drinks until 8pm for two special after-hours viewings of our current exhibition - Naomi Munuo.

We're also launching a new competition to find Norfolk's Best Loved View. All entries will go into a prize draw and the winner will receive a specially commissioned oil of their own favourite Norfolk landscape.

To enter, either pick up a nomination form in the Gallery or click here to enter via email.

What's Your Favourite Norfolk View?

2010-07-07T05:26:00.011+01:00

Tell us and you could win a specially commissioned oil painting in our new survey competition!

Your County Needs You!
At Hatfield Hines we're always keen on introducing visiting art lovers to new views of Norfolk, so we're launching a summer competition to find the most enjoyed view in the area.

To nominate your own favourite, simply click on our recruiting poster to email us the details.

As a thank-you for taking part, we'll enter you into our free summer prize draw.

The lucky winner will receive a painting of their own favourite Norfolk view by local landscape artist David Baxter (so it will be your opportunity to specially commission your own painting for free..!)

Surreal Summer at Hatfield Hines

2010-07-07T04:58:00.014+01:00

For our summer 'Spotlight' show, we focus on the work of emerging local talent, Naomi Munuo.

This exhibition, running until 31st July, highlights the vibrant life studies and surreal still lifes of Cental St. Martin's and Goldsmith's-trained Munuo, whose works have featured at The Royal Academy.

Beginning her artistic life in fashion design, Ipwsich-based Munuo has continued to be inspired by the human figure, illustrating it using richly textured, irregular shapes in works which often involve layered collage techniques.

She says of her artworks 'In my paintings, I explore the relationship between the object and its environment...I observe the world around me with passion and interpret it spontaneously'.

Her use of colourful figures and modeled pieces set in abstracted, patterned backgrounds are inspired both by the angular works of her sculptor-father as well as an early interest in Japanese art - with its flat shapes and controlled lines.

The textural tapestries which also feature strongly in her work are interwoven from elements of wax resist, batik, ink, oil, pastels and acrylic - contrasting grainy texture with glassy transparency - to dramatic effect.

This exhibition charts the evolution of Munuo's distinctive style over two decades, from early fashion-sketches to recent canvas and collage pieces. Prices: £125 - £1500

The exhibition forms part of Holt Festival's Gallery Trail.
All participating Galleries will be open for drinks from 6-8pm on Tuesday 27th & Thursday 29th July, so please do come and join us.

Museum 'Nights Out' - too much fun..?

2010-06-09T00:25:00.007+01:00

As a friendly kinda gallery, we were intrigued recently when Radio 4 aired the issue of whether Britain's art venues and museums are becoming simply 'too much fun'...

During May - as part of the nationwide 'Museums at Night' scheme - intrepid culture-vultures were given the chance to 'sleepover' with Churchill in the Cabinet War Rooms, or could opt for a surgical slumber at The Old Operating Theatre...

In Coventry, the Herbert Gallery offered string quartets; at Newcastle's Discovery Museum there were human fruit machines, whist in Worcestershire, the Avoncroft Museum relied on the lure of free chocolate to pull in hordes of children to take part in their song-and-dance extravaganza.

Here in Norfolk, we got stuck in with a 'light in the night' lantern-making workshop courtesy of the Henry Blogg Lifeboat Musem in Cromer. These would certainly have come in handy for the Cornish - evidently made of sterner stuff - who were offered the chance to 'follow a night shift' down the Geevor tin mine...

So - 'bring it on' or 'rein it in' - fun or fundamentals? What's your view? Let us know by posting your comments below...

From Abstract to Pastoral...

2010-05-08T10:26:00.008+01:00

After a great reaction to our Abstracts Made Real exhibition through April, Hatfield Hines has decided to calm the pace down with a serene exhibition of Fields and Farms for May.

The front gallery showcases some wonderful rural views by a variety of artists from Norfolk and beyond, including Sir Daniel Lascelles, Philippa Bewley-Pope and Peter Jamieson.

The diversity of style and content illustrates that some of the best subjects for art are just outside the window. The more contemporary scenes also reaffirm that - luckily - so much of the British landscape still remains unspoilt, and is out there waiting to be rediscovered...

Get Romantic in the Local Landscape...

2010-05-08T09:53:00.007+01:00

Garden lovers can enjoy a private view al-fresco today at The Romatic Garden Nursery in Swannington...

Local leadwork artist Brian Turner is hosting a special preview of his newest designs.

Artisan-of-choice to a coveted roster of celebrated garden designers including George Carter (one of the Times' Top Ten horticultural designers) and Bunny Guinness, Turner has already brought home five Cheslea Gold Medals for his creative installations, in collaboration with the Romantic Garden Nursery's topiary and planting.

As well as an amazing display of plants, on show today will be a selection of water features, fountains, plaques, cisterns and urns, together with a display of 'the tools of the trade' showing the complex process of creating art in lead.

There will also be exclusive access to Swannington Manor Gardens, as well as the chance to meet George Carter, who will have a selection of his books on sale.

The event will be open 10-5pm today, with a drinks reception at lunchtime at:

The Romantic Garden Nursery
The Street, Swannington
Norfolk NR9 5NW

Get 'abstract' in April at Hatfield Hines...

2010-03-26T14:05:00.015Z

For April, The Hatfield Hines Gallery has put together an exhibition of original British abstracts from 1950s to the present day, featuring work by a diverse range of artists including Roy Turner Durrant, Valerie Thornton, Frank Beanland and Flora Wood.

The Real Made Abstract

We chose the theme “The Real Made Abstract”, as we've been wondering what it is that drives artists to move from a typically traditional, figurative approach to a more abstract style as they progress through their careers; most of the great “abstract” artists from Mondrian to Picasso were created rather than born, and had a firm technical grounding and an early career based in realism.

Our musings have included the theory that as artists grow in their own experience they are able to draw more on their mental repertoire than the literal reality of figures, landscape and objects around them. Alternatively it might be a case of the 'intellectual' creeping in as artists mature, and their craft expands from representation into an exploration of wider ideas...

Whatever the forces at play, we have pulled together a thought-provoking and - we hope - inspiring exhibition of works at The Hatfield Hines Gallery in Holt, all of which are for sale.

We hope it will tempt you into the Gallery to visit...

The Body in the Gallery...

2010-02-05T11:40:00.014Z

All of us have 'a book' in them, or so they say...

If yours is a potential bunny-boiler, cop-caper or heist-fest, you'll delight this weekend.

Sleuth fiction is set to turn sea-ward on Saturday 6th February as crime writer Kelvin I Jones offers an introductory one day writing course in Crime Fiction...

Jones is a creative writing tutor at the University of East Anglia, specialising in crime and horror fiction. He has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes and his creator, Conan Doyle. His own detective creation - John Botrell - features in a series of novels (see Amazon). He is also the author of many ghost and horror stories.

Budding Chandlers, Christies or Cornwell's should walk the grid, dust for prints and grill Kelvin for further clues on cunningman@hotmail.co.uk or phone: 07976 507954

Featured image: Artist and Model Reflected, by Gerald Meares

Spotlight on - Ipswich painter Naomi Munuo

2010-01-15T11:49:00.011Z

Ipswich-based artist Naomi Munuo revels in the big, the bold and the vibrant.

Her distinctive artistic style evolved whilst studying for a degree in fashion at St Martin's College, London - loose illustration of the human figure combined with interests in both Cubism and Abstract Expressionism to create a scuptural, colour-rich collage effect.

In Munuo's vision, simplified forms of the female body and still life subjects such as busts, plants and flowers are set within a dynamic framework of angular line.

The resulting images are a series of highly arresting scenes which grip the viewer, pulling them into intense, surreal compositions of many textured layers.

The effect is heightened by the varied mark-making made possible through combining media such as thickly applied acrylic paint, oil pastel, wax resist, ink and paper strips. This texural richness is enhanced by the use of pattern blocks which further dramatise the sense of scale within her compositions.

To see further examples of Munuo's pieces, click here.

To view this artist's profile, click here.

Emerging Artists

2009-12-13T20:01:00.005Z

Over the Christmas period, Hatfield Hines Gallery will be celebrating the work of several local artists who display great emerging talent.

Our selected artists share a creative energy, flair and originality which offers great promise for their future recognition.

We invite you to view these collected works - offered at prices from £100 upwards - during December.

An ideal - and affordable - artistic Christmas present, as well as a great way to support and stimulate emerging local talent.

Officially the most 'Special Place' in the UK - Jigger's Meadow

2009-12-13T19:33:00.003Z

Congratulations to budding artist seven-year-old Reece Scoble, deserving winner of the Hatfield Hines 'My Special Place' children's art competition.

We asked young artists to send in a picture of their own special place, inspired by the watercolour work of HRH the Prince of Wales, as featured in the Gallery over the summer.

Reece's special place: 'Jigger's Meadow - where my shetlands live' was selected as the winning painting by a panel of judges including local artist Charles Phillips.

Charles commented 'We loved this picture as it is both lively and peaceful. Well done Reece!'

Climate Crisis - Autumn renders Holt Soupless!

2009-10-09T13:54:00.017+01:00

Yup - autumn is really here...

1. This morning's school run required a rapid U-turn to don an extra layer.

2. The Gallery heater has been cranked back into service for the first time since last winter.

3. Chilled-out of hiding, Holt's 'invisible army' of lunching lawyers, epicurean estate agents, hungry hairdressers and snacking shop-assistants had drunk Byfords dry of soup by lunchtime!

GirlFriday was thereby rendered lunchless - even the very name of the tasty-looking 'Friday Staple' flavour chalked-up on the blackboard was gone by 1pm!

Falling back on takeaway cappuccino and a micro-ed plastic pot of pesto pasta (just not the same...) an online horoscope instructs 'share fondest fantasies today'.

Thus - by clicking on the above image - this blogger is happy to provide a DIY 'Delia-Deli-dejeuner' for fellow art-n-soup-lovers who might find themselves similarly (dis)-placed...

Sea your name in lights with Cromer's X-Factor

2009-10-02T14:42:00.011+01:00

BBC Radio Norfolk, the EDP and the Pavillion Theatre Cromer are in search of a star for Seaside Special 2010...

The lucky hopeful will win a spot in the town's famous End-of-the-Pier show - now in its 32nd year after notching up over a million bums on seats

Entries for 'Norfolk Find a Star' close on 31st October, with successful acts being invited to audition in early November. The best of the board-treaders will then 'face the audience' in a thrilling tenner-a-ticket Showcase Final. (Hopefully the worst ones won't be forced to walk-the-plank...)

Potential stars-in-the-making (who must be aged over 17 on 1st April 2010 and be able to commit to a show season running from June to September) should send details of their act including a biography, colour head and shoulders photos and -if possible - a performance DVD to show what you can do.

Applications should be sent to: Norfolk Find a Star, The Box Office, Cromer Pier, Cromer, NR27 9HE.

Hatfield Hines' Naomi Clements inspires the EDP

2009-09-18T13:56:00.016+01:00

Hatfield Hines artist Naomi Clements talks to the EDP about drawing, Old Masters and a room of one's own - down at the bottom of the garden...

"Naomi is a stickler when it comes to drawing. 'For me drawing is the key to good painting - you can tell by looking at a painting if the artist can draw. Drawing forms the basis of everything from the composition to the execution,' she explains.

She is very inspired by the Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershoi. 'He does these marvellous paintings of interiors where he often paints his wife as well - not as a portrait but as a rather fleeting figure who seems to add something mysterious to the mix.'

She is fascinated by the Old Masters and often visits the National Gallery to research her work. 'For portraits it may be Goya, Rembrandt or Durer. For interiors I may look at Pieter de Hooch, Vermeer and Hammershoi. I long to achieve the depth and beauty of the Old Masters but with comtemporary settings and subjects.'

Naomi's studio - at the bottom of the garden - is pristine and tidy. 'I do find my studio a haven of tranquility after the chaos and noise of family life in the main house. When I get in and close the door I breathe a huge sigh of relief,' she says."

To see more of Naomi Clements' work click here.

Something for the (Heritage) Weekend..?

2009-09-11T14:07:00.009+01:00

Fancy getting to grips with gas, plumbing the depths of the Victorian loo or taking a sedate saunter round a stateley pile - all free gratis and for nothing? Griff reckons this weekend's Heritage Open Days event could be for you...

The annual history-fest - England’s biggest and most popular voluntary cultural event - glories in England’s architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to the weird & whacky properties that are either not usually open, or would normally charge an entrance fee.

This year's offering - officially launched by Griff Rhys Jones and Baroness Andrews in uber trendy Brighton - also includes tours, events and activities that focus on local architecture and culture.

Co-ordinated via English Heritage, but organised by volunteers - usually property owners or managers - for local people, the event attracted around 1 million visitors last year.

Sites up for grabs for gratis this year include follies, contemporary buildings, churches, factories, tunnels, temples, offices, private homes, industrial sites, castles, windmills, town halls - guided walks, concerts, re-enactments and trails.

For full details of what's on in the Norfolk area click here to visit English Heritage's website.

To whet your appetite - look out for: Fish 'n' Ships in Great Yarmouth; Charles Darwin Visits King's Lynn; Trials at The Old Courtroom in Norwich and Civil War re-enactors setting off canons at Greenland Fishery..!

King Henry's single handed band-aid for Salthouse

2009-08-21T11:52:00.012+01:00

Last weekend St. Nicholas's Church Salthouse was crammed with 'krummhorns', 'nakers' and 'sorduns' in the name of charity, as mad-early-music-minstrel Robert Fitzgerald brought King Henry's Band to town.

As the concert began, it occurred to the uninitiated in the audience that Ye Olde Facebook could be called for, since the 'Band' consists of Fitzgerald plus four 'missing members' (variously dismissed for a string of historic misdemeanours involving excessive imbibing, unseemly lustiness and generally ill-considered merry making).

The ensemble sound is achieved by the layered use of pre-recorded backing tracks (in which Fitzgerald plays each individual instrument) augmented with his live performance of a 'missing' instrument.

Between tunes, Kelling-dweller Fitzgerald waxed lyrical about the history, pedigree and construction of the many wind, string and percussion instruments presented including the bizarre 'gemshorn' crafted from an exotic-looking animal's horn.

The concert continued for a marathon three hours on a revolving come-and-go-as-you-please programme and raised over £400 towards church funds through contributions and CD sales.

Afterwards, Fitzgerald still had enough puff left - incredibly - to furnish groupies with tales of construction ups and downs.

We left with extensive programme notes and a CD, desperate for a peek into his garden shed!

Camden Town meets Kitchen Sink in King's Cross...

2009-08-07T12:55:00.009+01:00

A collection of over 100 self-portraits by major British 20th Century artists is on show in a new public exhibition at canal-side King's Place Gallery in London.

The exhibition charts the myriad developing strands of an entire period in British art, spanning figures from the inter-war years through the 50s and 60s, right up to 1971. All kinds of artistic influences are evident: art school academicism, Camden Town, Expressionism, the Euston Road School and Kitchen Sink.

The collection - which represents a remarkable historical archive of the London art world in the period just after the Festival of Britain - was amassed over fifty years by German-born Ruth Borchard, who together with her husband Kurt fled to England in 1939 to escape Hitler's National Socialists.

Originally a collector of diaries, autobiographies and letters, Borchard's interest in artists was ignited after reading Jack Beddington's book 'Young Artists of Promise' and by viewing art school shows and the 'Young Contemporaries' exhibition. It struck her that the idea of introspection in painting truly meant the intimacy of the self-portrait.

With astonishing bravado, she set a ceiling of 21 guineas for any one picture, irrespective of artist, and usually succeeded.

Amongst the artists spotted by Borchard during their student days were: Mario Dubsky, Peter Philips, Antony Green, Ken Howard and David Tindle. As the collection grew, she began to approach artists more advanced in their careers, most of whom were intrigued by the project. Michael Ayrton wrote to her 'I will accept the 21 gns and I much admire anyone who can obtain so many works for no more than that figure.'

The Ruth Borchard Collection: British Self-Portraits in the 20th Century runs until 29th August.
King's Place Gallery
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG
Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 12-6pm
Admission: Free

Prince Charles' artwork to inspire budding painters

2009-07-24T15:05:00.010+01:00

Calling all budding landscape artists... Paint or draw your 'Special Place' - inspired by Hatfield Hines' August exhibition of the works of HRH the Prince of Wales - and you could win a set of artist quality art materials.

Prince Charles's favourite places include Windsor Castle, Sandringham, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Highlands - all of which he has captured in watercolour.

We now want you to show us what is special to you about your own environment. Your picture could show your favourite countryside view, a scene from your house or garden, your school, your playground or sportsfield - even your room.

Winning entries will also be featured in the Gallery.

Just the thing for those grim wet days over the long, long, long, long, long summer holidays..!

For full details, and to download an entry form (PDF) to print off at home, visit the Hatfield Hines Gallery website by clicking here.

Closing date for entries: 22nd August 2009.

Exhibition: 'A Sense of our Place: British Landscapes'
1st-29th August 2009 at Hatfield Hines, open during normal gallery hours.

Other artists featuring in the exhibition will include Paul Maze, Frank Beanland and Arthur Knighton-Hammond.

Triple encore as 'the Ukes' get plucky in Lynn

2009-07-03T14:57:00.010+01:00

On Wednesday, anarchy hit the UK as the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain rolled into King's Lynn...

The melee in the foyer of the Corn Exchange was testament to the diverse crossover audiences which pool to form the Ukes fanbase - everything from mad-keen junior school children to pashmina-porting 'prommers' to aged rockers.

It is rare to find a band who can demonstrate classical skill and sophistication without the stuffiness; who can entertain and enthrall as well as excite; who can make the old seem new and the new seem old: that is the magic formula captured by the seven friends and 28 strings of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

With an inventive repertoire which included everything from a 'happy' version of Anarchy in the UK to a 'Cossack' slowed-down version of Formby's legendary Leaning on a Lampost to 'simul-segues' of threads of six different classic rock tunes woven into the fabric of Bowie's Life on Mars, to Teenage Dirtbag sung as a down-tempo, sentimental ballad - there was wall-to-wall delight, suprise and inspiration.

Quite simply, the best £21.50 I have spent in many a long while, and the 'Live' CD of their 16 most popular performance tracks is a bargain at £10. If you get the chance to see them - go!

Arts & Crafts at Voewood Midsummer Fete

2009-06-26T16:58:00.009+01:00

This weekend bunting meets bedouin as millionaire book-dealer Simon Finch throws open the gates of Voewood - his amazing arts & crafts country mansion - on the outskirts of Holt.

As well as enjoying vintage clothes, arts and craft stalls, home-made cakes, preserves & teas, and Moroccan 'saw music' (no - I'm not kidding) - in the formal gardens of this listed 'Butterfly House', a number of guided interiors tours are up for grabs on both Saturday and Sunday for the lucky few who pre-book.

Following Finch up and down a plethora of wooden staircases, tour participants will discover the labyrinth of quirky, individually decorated bedrooms, bathrooms and public rooms which house his priceless modern art collection, assembled over many years.

Here's a taster, for those of you who are terribly intrigued but just can't make it...

Enjoy!

GF

Kopylova this...frills, quills & salsa with everything

2009-06-19T17:23:00.005+01:00

Sadler's Wells got steamy under the collar this week as the Peacock played host to Strictly Stars Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova in their West End debut show 'Latin Fever'...

The show follows hot on the heels of Raymond Gubbay's previous offering, Anton and Erin's touring production 'Cheek to Cheek', seen by this reviewer at the London Coliseum back in April.

Indeed, many of the same supporting cast were to re-appear decked-out in skimpy barbie-hued lycra & feathers after undergoing full-on 'Latinification' - sponsored by 'St. Tropez' (no, seriously, I kid you not).

Most notable of the corps was the terrific Emma Slater (an ex pupil of D & L), who for me stole both shows with her amazing blend of technical excellence, individual expressiveness and the infectious communication of her obvious love for dance. Plainly put, it was a joy to watch her move. More please.

The show offered 'Daz n Laz' the tantalizing chance to choreograph and perform their own showcase production. The programme pledged to 'capture the passion and vibrancy of Latin American dance'. The routines and costumes were indeed spectacular, but for me offered the audience a dumbed-down, steak-and-prawn-cocktail version of what Latin dance is all about.

This was underlined by the largely unimaginitive and predictable choice of music e.g. 'Brazil', 'The Coffee Song' etc. etc. etc. The sort of songs which feature on old-fashioned strict tempo latin dance CDs and don't really serve to fire the imagination.

The latin standards were supplied, semi-cheesily, by a latin band complete with both male and female singers. This made for a more interesting and varied performance than was the case with Anton and Erin's show - which relied on a solo singer, Richard Shelton - the self confessed 'Murderer from Emmerdale' - who belted out a string of Sinatra standards, with variable gusto and competence.

Both shows fell down bigtime during the many 'costume change' musical interludes, in that there was no visual backdrop to animate the stage once the dancers had vacated it. It would have been great to have been able to dim the lights and have some behind-the-scenes/talking heads footage rather than an empty looking apron and on-stage musicians who rather resembled a pack of rabbits in headlights.

Why not allow the backing dancers the chance to self-choreograph their own fillers for these sections, in a series of solo or duo 'spotlit dances', to show off what they can really do and provide a true modern interpretation of latin dance? Hey - just a thought...

Dance-wise, I found the 'very varied' programme not actually that varied at all, since the choreography was so heavily doused with elements of salsa and with generic 'latin' movements that were not correctly specific to each individual dance style.

It was impossible on a technical level to split the cha cha from the salsa from the jive from the swing - as all the flavours were stirred up in a big pot a bit like Eton mess. Exceptions were the argentine tango (which Lilia pulled off 100% more competently than Erin), the Paso (pretty hard to 'Salsa-fy' that one) and the rumba, a section of which I enjoyed the most of the entire show, as it was the most 'pure'.

Having said that, I realize I am rather a tough cookie to please when it comes to dance. Judging by the rapturous applause received at the end of the show - especially for the band - I have to tip my hat to Darren & Lilia in their correct assessment of their 'target customer base'.

They got it spot on that Joe Public who books a ticket for this West End experience is not looking for perfect basics, purity of form nor technical excellence. He is after 'pizzaz' i.e. frilly skirts, skimpy, spangly, gravity-defying, bubblegum-coloured leotards, 'proper dancing' i.e. lots of 'lively action', cheeky winks (or did Tanya Perera simply have an eyelash stuck in her eye for two hours?) and fixed grins combined with 'proper music' they have heard before on the telly.

Darren and Lilia take a bow and count the cash. You deserve every penny: you rule.

World's fastest man set to rev up in Norfolk...

2009-06-12T16:01:00.010+01:00

Lovers of Lotus cars are set to max-out on the famous marque this weekend at Snetterton...

Racers to feature in this year's two-day Lotus festival will include the world's fastest man, Wing Commander Andy Green OBE.

Taking a break from preparing to be the first man to break the 1,000mph barrier on land in Bloodhound SSC, Andy will be taking part in his first ever race.

The speed demon will also be leading a much more sedate record attempt: the largest number of Lotus cars to take part in a single moving parade, with over 500 Lotus cars expected to join in.

For a full schedule of events click here.

Tickets: available at the track each day: £12/ children under 12 free.

Face Fits...doppelganger drama in 'The Ugly One'

2009-06-05T13:27:00.009+01:00

In an era dominated by PR and the attainment of physical perfection, Marius von Mayenburg's pacey four-hander slashes across the cult of beauty and lifts the concept of identity to the flourescent glare.

Designer Richard Matthews has crafted a Godot-like, monochrome, minimal set of over-exaggerated perspective. Through an electronic fog of white noise, strip lights punctuate a ceiling-grid of white rope. Beneath the harsh glare, fabric panels - stitched in a mosaic of seams - stretch down a corridor which flexes between the environs of a component factory and a hospital. The effect is one of a shattered mirror, a mesh of windows or a web of bandages.

Like the set, the work plays with powerful contrasts. The play opens when Lette (a gifted engineer) is to be excluded by Scheffler (his boss) - in favour of Karlmann (his junior and a much younger man) - from fronting his own invention at a sales convention. This leads Lette to confront the harsh realization - in the words of Fanny, his own beautiful wife, that he is 'unspeakably ugly'.

Sensing the demise of his career, Lette opts for transformative surgery at the hands of a second Scheffler - a materialistic plastic surgeon. Von Mayenburg plays with the unforseen consequences of this operation, as Lette revives to discover he has become physically irresistible.

The naturalistic, and comedic dialogue of the work leads to an initial delusion of accessibility. As the play unfolds, the audience is moved imaginitely through a series of increasingly demanding levels: actors take on and switch between their primary and secondary characters without devices of set, prop or costume to orientate them.

The technique builds incredible pace, as interacting characters switch more rapidly - often mid-gesture, to comedic effect. This is achieved with greater proficiency by Hastings, Marsden and Pryal in the characters of Lette, Fanny and Karlmann.

The play is both powerful and thought-provoking, both because of and in spite of its unexpectedly happy ending.

The Ugly One runs at Norwich Playhouse until 6th June 2009.

Tickets £12 available here.

Chelsea-on-Sea: herbaceous high teas down in Norfolk's 'secret gardens'...

2009-05-29T12:13:00.018+01:00

For a taste of Chelsea close to home, part the shrubbery this summer and grab a glimpse of the many 'secret gardens' on offer in Norfolk's Open Gardens scheme...

SATURDAY 30th May
The Break Teddy Bears' Picnic. Bring a rug, a picnic and the family and join Geoffrey, the Break Bear and the Jayne May-Sysum Jazz Band. Tractor & Trailer Rides, Woodland Walks, Colouring Competition, Decorate Bear Cookies.
Location: Stody Estate 10-4pm £10 per car
Details: (01263) 822161

SUNDAY 31st May
Chestnut Farm 11-5pm
3 Acre plantsman's garden with colourful borders, shrubs and trees in an informal setting. Teas, coffees and light lunches. Plant sales. Admission £3, children free. Ample parking. Proceeds to St. Helen and All Saints Church, West Beckham.
Location: Chestnut Farm, West Beckham, Holt. Further information: (01263) 822241

Derwen and Sol. 11-5pm
Herbaceous borders, shrubs, fruit trees, ponds, gravel garden, vegetable plots, unusual plants and shrubs, lawned areas. 2 greenhouses, chickens. Gravel driveway, some narrow paths.
Location: Between B1146 & A1065. Whissonsett Road, Colkirk NR21 7NL. Alan & Maureen Piggott. 2m S of Fakenham. (Colkirk not signed from A1065), follow NGS signs. Homemade teas. Adm £4, children free.

The Mowle 1.30-5.30pm
Approx 21/2 acres running down to marshes. The garden includes several varieties of catalpa. Japanese garden and enlarged wildlife pond with bog garden. A special border for gunnera. Home-made teas.
Location: 5 W ofWroxham. B1062 Wroxham to Ludham 7m. Turn R by Ludham village church into Staithe Rd. Garden 1/4 m from village. Adm £3.50, chd free. Visitors also welcome by appt anytime, please call first. 01692 678213, ann@mowlegreen.fsnet.co.uk.

Oulton Hall 11-5pm
C18 manor house (not open) and clocktower set in 6-acre garden with lake and woodland walks. Chelsea designer’s own garden - herbaceous, Italian, bog, water, wild, verdant, sunken and parterre gardens all flowing from one tempting vista to another. Developed over 15yrs with emphasis on structure, height and texture, with a lot of recent replanting. Silver Gilt medal - RHS Award Chelsea Show. Home-made teas, in aid of Oulton PPC.
Location: Oulton, Aylsham NR11 6NU. Clare & Bolton Agnew. 4m W of Aylsham. From Aylsham take B1354. After 4m Turn L for Oulton Chapel, Hall 1/2 m on R. From B1149 (Norwich/Holt rd) take B1354, next R, Hall 1/2 m on R.
Adm £4, children free. Visitors also welcome by appt, by written application.

SUNDAY 7th June
11 Bank Road 11-4pm
Small 1/4 -acre landscaped garden with interesting features. Pond, shrubbery, island beds, rock garden, Mediterranean area, seating. Collection of favourite and unusual plants incl bearded iris, heucheras, hostas, ferns. 6-acre allotment site, reputedly one of the best kept in Norfolk, will be open for viewing, adjacent to the garden. Home-made teas in aid of Dersingham Day Centre for the elderly.
Location: Dersingham PE31 6HW. David & Ruth Mountain. 8m NE of King’s Lynn A149 N then B1440 into Dersingham. Bank Rd is 3rd L exit (by recreation ground).
Adm £4, children free.

Burgh in Bloom - Open Gardens 12-5.30pm
Eleven gardens open to the public. Admission £4, children under 12 free - in aid of St. Mary's Church. Ample free parking. Lunches and teas available. Produce and plant sales. Arts and crafts exhibition. Songs of Praise in the church at 6pm, accompanied by the Broadland Brass Band.
Location: Burgh-next-Aylsham NR11 6TP

Old Sun House & Sallowfield Cottage. 11-5pm
Plantsperson’s and artist’s garden, approx 11/3acres, borders, mature trees, river frontage, old roses, bog garden, fruit trees, wild flower meadow, new mini arboretum. Hens, shrubs, ferns, interesting out-buildings. Colour and interest at all times of yr. Gravel drive, lawn and woodchip paths. Home-made teas in aid of St John Ambulance, Wymondham branch.
Location: At T-lights on B1172 at edge of Wymondham turn to town centre. Immed turn L, follow main st, 50 metres past market cross, turn L into car park. From top of car park down Chandlers Hill turn R then L into Damgate. Adm £3, children free.

SUNDAY 14th June
Beck House 11-5pm
11/2 acres, packed borders of unusual perennials, shrubs and trees, large natural pond and paths through wild areas with lovely views across the river. S-facing front garden with drought-loving plants; sit and enjoy the tranquil views on the many seats provided. Featured in ‘Amateur Gardening’. Gravel drive, assistance given if needed.Bridge Road, Colby, nr Aylsham NR11 7EA.
Location: 14m N of Norwich. Take B1145 from N Walsham to Aylsham, after 31/2 m turn R into Bridge Rd opp Banningham Bridge Old Garage, next to school (Colby). Home-made teas. Adm £3, children free. Visitors also welcome by appt. Hazel &Tony Blackburn, 01263 733167 (evenings).

The Dutch House 2-5pm
Long, narrow garden of approx 21/2 acres leading through marsh and wood to Womack Water. Designed and planted originally by the painter Edward Seago and recently replanted by the present owner. Access to Womack Water limited due to steep bridge and uneven paths. Further re-planting in hand. Wheelchair access possible but difficult, terrace, cobbles and steps.
Location: Ludham NR29 5NS. 5m W of Wroxham. B1062 Wroxham to Ludham 7m. Turn R by Ludham village church into Staithe Rd. Garden 1/4 m from village. Home-made teas. Adm £3.50, children free. Mrs Peter Seymour, 01692 678225. Visitors also welcome by appt.

Great Barn Farm (Combined with Manor Farm) 12-5pm
Established farmhouse garden going through transitional phase. Long established herbaceous borders and kitchen garden. Fruit cage and small orchard area. Newly planted low maintenance bed for yr round interest. Established pond and patio. Children’s lawn. Woodland garden with den. Child friendly. Limited wheelchair access, some gravel paths. Moderately sloping garden.
Location: Gayton Thorpe PE32 1PN. 7m E of King’s Lynn. On B1145, R onto B1153, 1st L to Gayton Thorpe, continue through village towards B1145, last house on L. Homemade teas. Adm £4 (share to Gayton & Thorpe PCC).

Manor Farmhouse 2-6pm
Charming 4-acre garden surrounds an attractive farmhouse. Many interesting features. Formal quadrants with obelisks. ‘Hot Spot’ with grasses and gravel. Small arboretum with specimen trees, pleached lime walk, vegetable parterre and rose tunnel. Unusual ‘Taj’ garden with old-fashioned roses, tree peonies, lilies and pond. Small herd of Formosan Sika deer. Featured in local press.
Location: Wellingham PE32 2TH. 7m from Fakenham, 8m from Swaffham, 1/2 m off A1065 N of Weasenham. Garden is beside the church. Home-made teas. Teas in aid of The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House. Adm £3.50, chd free. Visitors also welcome by appt. Robin & Elisabeth Ellis, 01328 838227, www.manor-house farm.co.uk.

Summer Cottage 11-5pm
A ‘Tardis’ created from an old apple orchard in 2000, behind a pink cottage. 5 small gardens in
1/3 -acre linked by brick, grass and gravel paths, featuring wild flowers with pond and summerhouse. Formal English borders, intimate sundial retreat, model kitchen garden and walled area with bamboos. Possibly cricket match on High Common.
Location: High Common, Swardeston NR14 8DL. 4m S of Norwich. Take B1113 out of Norwich, turn R at Swardeston Village sign, down Short Lane, then L round bend on unmade rd to High Common. Park on edge of cricket pitch or by village hall. Home-made teas. Adm £3, children free. Richard & Deidre Cave.

Make clay whilst the sun shines...the Morphing of Chelsea

2009-05-22T15:00:00.009+01:00

Visitors to Chelsea Flower Show might be in for a sticky surprise this year, courtesy of BBC Top Gear's James May...

His version of 'Paradise' - incorporating a veg patch, grapevine, palm trees, lawn, rockery, pond - complete with fish - and even a tasty picnic - is crafted from 2.5 tonnes of plasticine in 24 colours.

But hey, no man is an island - no matter how unique his utopia. To fashion his fakery, May pulled in a fistful of favours from his mates over at Aardman Animations - creators of the famous Wallace and Grommit, as well as a batallion of Chelsea pensioners (who made the poppies), a squad of schoolkids (who made the daffs) and cake superstar Jane Asher (official picnic-on-the-rug consultant).

This year, the RHS is keen to encourage newcomers, especially youngsters, to take up the spade, trowel and dibber. This certainly seems to have worked - erm - to some extent - in May's case: "(to date) my experience of gardening has been limited to digging holes," he said, "I do make sure the hosepipe is untangled."

Oh well, he did have a stab at making some Plasticine flowers and apples, bless him. "Coming at it from a science and engineering point of view, I found model making deeply engrossing," he says.

Hot Jazz & cool Broads? Deep South - head East!

2009-05-12T11:49:00.011+01:00

For the ultimate escape from headlines, bottom lines and the latest outbreak of MP expenses (aka 'swine fever') head down to the Deep South...it's closer than you think.

This weekend, the Southern Comfort Mississippi paddle steamer plays host to 'The Festival All Stars' jazzmen - in one of the classiest closing events of the NN09 Festival.

Sailing from her summer moorings beside the Swan at Horning, she’ll glide along the river Bure to Ranworth Broad, passing some of Norfolk’s most beautiful old thatched houses, windmills and Norfolk reed beds on the way, not to mention a wealth of ever-amusing boat and bird life.

But what is a Mississippi ship doing on the Norfolk Broads anyway?

Well, firstly, both waterways share the common trait of being relatively shallow, making the shallow-hulled riverboat an ideal vessel design for the Broads. Secondly, the leisurely turning of the paddle at the stern of the vessel minimises the wake generated. This is a key environmental advantage, as excessive wash generated by river craft can quickly erode the soft peat of the river banks.

So now you know!

Tickets: £12, available here

Bright ideas - go green at Chapelfield Luminarium

2009-05-06T15:02:00.020+01:00

For a surreal experience this month, head South to Chapelfield Gardens, surrender your shoes and be swallowed up by the multi-coloured karma of a giant Islamic 'bouncy cathedral'...

Architects of Air's Notts - made 'Levity III' luminarium is a gigantic, multi-chambered sculpture which people enter to become immersed in an experience of radiant light, colour and sound.

The structure features a series of winding passages, mood chambers, relaxation pods and small domes all inspired by the architectural forms found in Iranian bazaars.

The spectacular lighting effects to be found within the modular, zipped-together structure are created by the effects of natural daylight shining through the various coloured sections of plastic.

Take something for the kids to play with in the queue if you go at the weekend..! However, once you're ushered inside the airlock rest-assured, they will be satisfyingly wow-ed...

Opening times: 3pm-8pm Mon-Fri
11am-8pm Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Monday

Admission: £4 adults, £3 under 16.

Newsflash - exclusive Private View

2009-05-01T14:59:00.002+01:00

Phil and Clare are very pleased and proud to announce the arrival of Alice Edith Allen who joined the Gallery team just after eleven ten this morning.

The new staff member - weighing in at seven pounds three ounces - will be an exciting addition to the team. Both Mum and baby doing well.

Rural idyll? Snap quotes in N. Norfolk & win a Wii!

2009-05-01T13:26:00.009+01:00

Budding photographers have another chance to shine this summer in a new competition from Norfolk's Rural Community Council.

A picture tells a thousand words, so the RCC are on the hunt for local photographers who can help them raise awareness of rural issues.

Each photo entered must encapsulate one of the following quotes (only one entry per quote allowed):

1. Affordable housing - desirable, comfortable, affordable?
2. Services, access - are you being served?
3. Rural isolation - idyllic or isolated?
4. Many people - one community
5. Healthy environment, healthy community
6. Live local, shop local

First prize will be a Nintendo Wii games console, with camera centre and gardening vouchers up for grabs for the runners-up.

For an entry form either email photocomp@norfolkrcc.org or check the website, www.norfolkrcc.org.uk for a downloadable version.

Closing date Friday 12th June, 2009

Make-Your-Own-Marathon North Norfolk Style

2009-04-24T16:33:00.007+01:00

Well done to all those clients, artists and friends who took part in last weekend's Flora London Marathon, especially Emma Dale, Head of Music at Beeston Hall School, who ran the road race for the first time this year, and completed the course in an amazing 4 hours 44 minutes.

For those who are less keen on crowds or who like their roadside scenery a little more 'scenic' and a lot more local, there is now a very handy tool to 'make your own marathon' route back home.

Norfolk runners (or walkers) can register a User ID at www.buzz.com to gain access to a wealth of pre-defined routes at various distances - complete with maps and way markers. For those with GPS systems, these routes can be downloaded at the click of a button. Users of this system can also plot and publish personal favourite routes, in order to share their own particular tours of the great outdoors with others...

Chocaholic heritage-loving sleuths, read on ...

2009-04-10T13:18:00.020+01:00

This Easter weekend offers a rich bounty for North Norfolk's chocaholic heritage lovers, with a myriad calorific treasure hunts on offer...

Easter Eggspress - Join everybody at the Bure Valley Railway, Norfolk’s longest narrow gauge steam railway for some Easter Fun. Free Easter Egg for every child when accompanied by a full fare-paying adult. Friday 10 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09. Station open from 0930 and trains service start from 10:05. Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham Norfolk NR11 6BW

www.bvrw.co.uk

EASTER TRAIL - Follow the clues around the grounds of Felbrigg Hall and claim your Easter egg prize. Friday 10 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09 - 11am - 4pm. Child £2. National Trust. Tel:Beverley Cook, 01582 500920 Felbrigg Hall, Garden & Park Norfolk NR11 8PR

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&propertyid=52

Easter Egg Trail - Fun self-guided Easter Trail through Sheringham Park, Friday 10 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09 - 10.30am - 4pm. Child £1.50 Includes Prize. National Trust. Tel:Visitor Centre, 01263 820550 Sheringham Park Visitor Centre Wood Farm Upper Sheringham Norfolk NR26 8TL

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&propertyid=55

Fairhaven Garden Easter Treasure Hunt - Join the Easter Treasure Hunt at Fairhaven and search the garden for the biggest Easter Egg – free egg for evry child. Admission charges: adult £5, senior citizen £4.50 and child £2.50, under fives free; dogs welcome on leads (25p charge for pooper scooper). Tel 01603 270449/270683. Friday 10 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09 - 10am to 5pm every day. Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, School Road, South Walsham Norfolk NR13 6DZ

http//:www.fairhavengarden.co.uk

Easter Trail - Complete the Easter Animal trail at Oxburgh Hall and receive a chocolate prize. Egg rolling and special children’s menu in the tearoom. Saturday 11 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09 - 11am - 4pm. Child £1.50 Trail fee per child. National Trust. Tel:Kay Donachie, 01366 328258, Oxburgh Hall, Garden & Estate Norfolk PE33 9PS

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&propertyid=54

EGG HUNT Easter Sunday - Join the fun on Easter Sunday in the EGG HUNT at The Animal Ark. Enjoy exploring the park while you look for Gold and Silver vouchers. Each voucher wins a child’s chocolate Easter Egg. Egg hunt open to children 3 - 14yrs. FREE bag of mini eggs on arrival! Lots of fun with Keeper talks, Prize competitions and puzzles. Adult £6.50, Child £5.50, Conc £5.50 Sunday 12 Apr 09 - Open 28th March 2009 from 10am to 5pm (last entry at 4pm) The Animal Ark, Fakenham Road, Gt Witchingham, Norwich Norfolk NR9 5QS

www.theanimalark.org

Easter Trail - Bring the family and enjoy a children’s Easter Trail around the Blickling Gardens. Includes chocolate gift. Sunday 12 Apr 09 to Monday 13 Apr 09 - 11am - 4pm. Child £1.50 plus garden entry. Tel: 01223 810080 Blickling Hall, Gardens & Park, Blickling, Norfolk NR11 6NF

Calling all Norfolk Artists and Makers...

2009-03-27T14:36:00.010Z

Only two weeks remain to get your submissions in for the Fakenham Contemporary Art exhibition 2009.

Entries are invited to the categories of: ceramics; collage; drawing; installation; painting; photography; printmaking; sculpture; textiles.

Entrants must be resident in Norfolk, and all submissions (maximum of four per artist) must be original work, completed within the last two years.

For further details and an exhibitor's application form click here.

Above work 'Jet Sky' featured courtesy of Hatfield Hines' own multi-talented Charles Phillips

Pipe Dreams - Hirst follows Beatle down the tunnel

2009-03-20T12:24:00.018Z

Kiev's Pinchuk Art Centre, brainchild of Ukrainian metal pipe billionaire Viktor Pinchuk, is poised to stage Requiem a major retrospective of the work of Damien Hirst from April 25th onwards.

The exhibition will showcase a hundred of the artist's most iconic works, including 'A Thousand Years', 'Away from the Flock' and 'Death Explained' a sculpture of a bisected shark, preserved in formaldehyde. It will also premiere a series of skull paintings done by Hirst between 2006 and 2008.

Unlike fellow oligarchs who plough their funds into football squads, Pinchuk - at $2.5bn rated the world's 246th richest man by the latest Forbes poll, is a vulture for culture and already boasts iconic works by Brit Hirst and American Jeff Koons in his personal art collection.

Crisis-hit Ukraine, where industrial production is plummeting by over 30% each month, may seem an unlikely venue for such an exhibition - the latest cultural extravaganza since Pinchuk jetted ex-Beatle Macca to Kiev for a major concert last June.

However, in a public statement, the gallery insisted Kiev was the perfect location "In hosting a major retrospective of one of the most important artists working today, the Pinchuk Art Centre is testament to Ukraine's ongoing cultural development."

To view further details of this exhibition click here.

Bottoms up on the Broads this Mothers' Day

2009-03-13T14:13:00.014Z

Stuck for something a bit more original than daffs, chocs and fighting through an obligatory elbow-to-elbow "Sunday roast 'n' gateau" special at the packed local this Mothers' Day?

Why not lay off the calories, soak up some scenery and take to the water with your brood this year instead.

Broads Tours are running two special Mothers' Day cruises on Sunday 22nd March, each offering a free 'chill-out' glass of wine to Mums accompanied by their children... ah - how very civilized...

The trips depart from Wroxham at 11.30am (returning 1pm, £7 adults, £5.50 children) or 2pm (returning 4pm, £8 adults, £6.50 children). Under fives go free.

Bookings: 01603 782207

Frogger Frenzy on Briston backroads

2009-03-06T13:11:00.011Z

It's not easy being a frog. You've avoided being scoffed as spawn, evaded the tadpole pond-dip nets of toddlers, made it through that - hey, where's my tail gone? - teenage phase, escaped beady-eyed herons and crawled off for a well-earned rest under a clump of grass.

Then before you know it, the nights start warming up, dusk falls, the dew twinkles invitingly outside your trusty clump and you have this sudden, irresistible urge to go a wooing...

As ever - as per the iconic 1970's arcade game - the course of true love often involves a major trek across a hairy stretch of asphalt...

Hop, hop - SPLOT!

Such is the nightly flattened fate of hundreds of frogs and toads squished by oblivious motorists on local roads during the March-May breeding season.

The Department of Transport have now designated a one mile stretch of the Holt-Briston Road an 'Amphibian Crossing Zone'.

So on mild, wet nights keep your speed down, watch out for the frog alert roadsigns and toad patrol wardens (who lift the little fellas across the road to safety - hmm, rather them than me!) and - go on - do your bit for amphibian romance...

Steam buffs 'chuffed' by Holt Gala Weekend

2009-02-27T14:12:00.007Z

A steam spectacular is to be held on North Norfolk's Poppy Line this weekend.

This gala event signals the re-opening of Whitwell and Reepham station - 50 years to the day since its closure, as part of the decommissioning of the Midlands and Great Northern joint railway system.

The spectacular, sponsored by 'Steam Railway' magazine will include appearances by five visiting engines: B1 4-6-0 - 1306 Mayflower; Standard 4MT 2-6-0 - 76079; 4F 0-6-0 - 44422; A Class 0-6-0 - 1300 and Standard 2MT 2-6-0 - 78019. Other highlights will include tours of the former M&GN system with railway historian Adrian Vaughan and an open evening in Weybourne works on 28th February (visitors must bring their own orange hi-vis vests).

All day hop-on, hop-off Rover tickets are available at £16 adult, £15 senior citizen and £10 child. Family discount tickets (2 adults + 2 children, or 3 adults + 1 child) are priced at £45 per family group.

For further information and bookings, see http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/

The Big Chill: Grit Art, Vimto & emergency custard

2009-02-06T14:14:00.013Z

London buses dripped in the garage, planes stayed marooned on runways and high streets were abandoned as one in five of us stayed home with the school kids to watch the UK's heaviest snowfall in 18 years.

Economic analysts forecast that all-in-all 'Snowmageddon' will have cost the UK economy some £1.2bn - so was there any upside?

Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, says that our 'Arctic Incident' would actually benefit certain sectors of the economy: "Consumers spend more on heating and on warm clothes, and any accidents or structural damage leads to increased spending on repairs."

In the meantime though, unoccupied City traders busied themselves building rival snowmen in Paternoster Square, whilst Nurses at St Thomas's hospital in London were delighted to receive 'not just any' consignment of luxury cakes and sandwiches when snow closed Marks & Spencer's nearby Victoria Station branch.

Supermarkets were also smiling - Asda reported a 40% leap in sales of Vimto and Ribena, and a 10% pick-up in whisky sales, whilst Tesco launched 'Operaton Snowplough', clearing shelves to make room for supplies of emergency custard, as well as pies, soup, thermal socks and brandy.

So what is Snow? Contrary to popular belief it is NOT frozen rain. Snowflakes are created inside clouds when tiny ice crystals collide and stick together. Most snowflakes melt on their way to the ground and fall as rain. (So rain is actually melted snow, not the other way round!) Only when the air near the ground is cold enough will snowflakes fall as snow.

All snow crystals are six-sided (hexagonal) and no two snow crystals have ever been found to be identical. Some snowflakes can grow to be 5-7 cm (2-3 in) across.

What affects the size of snowflakes? There are lots of different types of snow, as skiers know only too well. When it is very cold, "dry" snow falls - the ice crystals do not stick together easily and the snow is fine and powdery - in very cold dry conditions ‘diamond dust' ice crystals may fall. At less cold temperatures near freezing point, "wet" snow falls and much larger snowflakes form, especially if there is no wind.

When fresh snow is moist enough to stick together, snowrollers may form on hillsides or in large fields. A ‘snowroller' is like a cylindrical snowball in shape and is blown by winds of more than 32 km/h (20 mph) until it grows too large to travel any farther. Snowrollers can reach nearly 1.5 m (4 ft) in diameter.

Ben Nicholson - a continuous line at the Tate

2009-01-30T13:25:00.007Z

This week, the on-the-road Ben Nicholson retrospective 'A Continuous Line' rolls into St. Ives for spring stabling at the Tate.

The exhibition - the first major UK presentation of Nicholson's work for over fourteen years - reconsiders the artist's position in British art history and offers a new understanding of the modern in art, particularly in relation to national and local identities.

Son of the celebrated Edwardian painter William Nicholson, and partner of sculptor Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson (1894-1982), became one of the most radical British artists of the twentieth century. He made his reputation by absorbing what was essentially a European abstraction – influenced by artists such as Piet Mondrian and Naum Gabo – into English art.

His anglicised version of abstraction concerned itself with throwing-off the constraints and dark palette of 19th-century academic painting. This was no doubt, partly a reaction against the Edwardian art of his father's generation - but also an expression of his own Christian Science beliefs – the mind, body, spirit philosophy of his day.

The high point of his artistic career were his white reliefs, first produced in 1934 and continued into the Forties. Emptied of all extraneous detail and colour, their whiteness stood for what was pure, modern and spiritual. This simplicity was key to Nicholson. In a period of political turmoil, these works offered a new way of thinking about the world and Englishness.

Focusing on Nicholson's English years, the exhibition divides into three sections: Landscapes of the late 1920s; Abstract & landscape works made in St. Ives during World War II and the Cubist still-lifes made between 1945-58, the latter two influenced by his relationship by Hepworth. Each section draws on a selection of key works to demonstrate Nicholson's continuity of vision and approach.

A Continuous Line at Tate St. Ives runs until 4th May 2009.

Click Here for tickets, room guide, chronology, special events and to access a downloadable MP4 walking tour of the exhibition, playable via ipod.

Walk of art - in step with the Norfolk landscape

2009-01-23T11:56:00.024Z

Can you pinch more than an inch after the Christmas festivities? Confounded by cabin fever? Stuck in a creative block? Follow in the footsteps of William Wordsworth and Charles Darwin - beat the January blues by joining one of North Norfolk's many free guided walks...

Darwin and Wordsworth were both famous walkers. Darwin trod his 'thinking path' - the Sandwalk at Down House - early each morning whilst formulating his Origin of Species. Wordsworth took regular 'creative' walks through the Lake District with his sister Dorothy, when the rhythm of his steps would help guide the meter and form of his poetic style.

As well as lubricating the mind, walking's also not bad for the bod. NHS guidelines state that 'Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, at least five days a week.' This translates as any physical activity which leads you to feel warm, and slightly out of breath. People who are obese may need to do 60 to 90 minutes a day to lose weight. Activities such as brisk walking are considered ideal for weight loss.

As part of the county-wide 'Active Norfolk' campaign, 'Fit together' is a Lloyds Pharmacy-sponsored programme of country walks aimed at those 'in mid-life and beyond'.

The schedule incorporates walks of varying duration and intensity, guided through beautiful Norfolk landscapes, to suit a range of abilities and fitness levels.

The Jan/Feb programme includes:

Mon 26th Jan: Kelling Heath/Bodham Woods, 4 mile walk, 10.30am
Tue 27th Jan: Gresham 'Three Churches', 4.5 mile walk, 10.30am;
Sheringham Prom, wheelchair-friendly 1.3 mile walk, 1pm
Wed 28th Jan: Baconsthorpe Castle, 3 mile walk, 10.30am
Fri 30th Jan: Holkham Lake, 2.5 mile walk, 10.30am
Mon 2nd Feb: Salthouse, 3.75 mile walk, 10.30am
Tue 3rd Feb: Holt, 1.5 mile walk, 10.30am
Wed 4th Feb: Walsingham, 3.7 mile walk, 10.30am;
Sculthorpe, 1.8 mile walk, 2pm
Thur 5th Feb: Cromer Cliff top, 2 mile walk, 10.30am
Mon 9th Feb: Bengate Weaver's Way, 1.4 mile walk, 12.30pm
Tue 10th Feb: Holt, 2 mile walk, 10.30am
Thur 12th Feb: Felbrigg Victory and Lake, 3.5 mile walk, 10.30am
Fri 13th Feb: Bayfield Brecks, 4 mile walk, 10.30am

For further details, Click Here to see the 'Fit Together' web page, where you can download a Word Doc containing the full programme.

To incentivise you still further, Holt Library are running a competition to find the 'Best Winter Walks Photograph' of the local area. All entries must be snapped and submitted to the library by Saturday 28th February, 2009. Entries will be on public display throughout March for viewing and voting.

North Norfolk's answer to the Strawberry Thief . . .

2009-01-16T14:55:00.011Z

We'd like to congratulate seed supplier Haith's on their new Bill Oddie birdfood range 'Garden Banquet' - one of the more unusual Christmas presents which emerged from under our tree.

The glossy packaging blurb promises that this tasy treat will really deliver the goods - enticing an exciting mix of wild and wonderful birdlife to brighten up the grim January back yard.

Bill says: "Who loves our Garden Banquet? House sparrow; Robin; Greenfinch; Song thrush; Collared dove; Blue tit; Great tit; Other birds you might see: Tree sparrow, coal tit, blackbird, siskin, chaffinch, goldfinch, pied wagtail."

Urr - we think you might need to add another species there, Bill . . . unfortunately the other lot don't get a look in!

Still, our visiting raider is certainly great to look at - definitely wild and definitely wonderful - despite being a total gannet. Bill, as bird chefs go, you evidently know your stuff.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with daylight robbery..? If so, let us know through comments on this blog.

Roll-up, roll-up for Cromer 'Big Bang' 2009

2009-01-09T12:54:00.016Z

10,000 North Norfolk locals and holiday-makers packed Cromer seafront shoulder-to-shoulder on New Year's Day for the town's 10th annual Torchlight Procession and Fireworks Spectacular.

The evening fundraising event - initially conceived as a 'one-off' to commemorate the millennium - proved such a big hit that the Town Council decided to make it a regular feature.

Each year over £5,000 is raised in bucket-rattling donations. The cash goes to local good causes - last year the Seaview Playgroup got £1000 towards a new heating system - plus a contribution goes towards the cost of staging the following year's display.

This year's show - masterminded by Clive Casburn (who had thoughtfully booked a clear night, so as to avoid soggy spectators!) - began with the North Norfolk Beach Runners Fun Run along the Prom, followed by a Torchlit Procession led from the churchyard by the liveried Town Crier.

The awesome 15-minute pyrotechnic display kicked off at 5pm, with 10 rockets fired from the pier in a single symbolic shot, to commemorate the 10th Anniversary.

Despite huge crowds, the atmosphere was at all times warm, friendly and festive: the seafront provides so many excellent vantage points from which to view the display - reflected dramatically in the waves along the shoreline - that there are plenty to go round.

There was also the credit-crunching bonus that car parking in the town was made free-of-charge from 2pm, thanks to the Council.

Click the Play button below for 'live' footage of the sights (and sounds!) of the event - as seen from our viewpoint up on Runton Road. Look out particularly for the amazing 'Olympic Hoops'!

Eve's Orange - a biblical Christmas with a Twist

2009-01-02T13:15:00.020Z

At four o'clock on a fair-yet-freezing Christmas Eve a scarfed-up, gloved-up posse of locals took a break from the sellotape and made their way up the 'fairy path' to St Nicholas's church, Salthouse...

With traditional carol-singing, crib-dressing and the obligatory candle-lit procession, the village's annual Christingle Service - in aid of the Children's Society - is specially formulated to appeal to young families.

It is always a lovely reminder that there's something a bit more to all this Christmas business than Cadbury's advent calendars, a new set of pyjamas and the latest-coloured Nintentendo DS.

It is also great fun - given the unpredictable tension garnered when combining small children, naked flames and organized religion together in a highly combustible ancient building.

This year certainly did not disappoint on the pageantry front: First there was the delighted tot who lit the advent candles. Next, the assorted hoodies - ranging in size from two foot one to five foot six - who shuffled up to assemble the 'manger-players' plus animal entourage. Bringing up the rear, a diminutive quartet, bibbed with laminated signs to represent the four compass points. They held on to a ring of red rope and were put in charge of the Produce of the World (in the form of an apple, a satsuma, a packet of coffee and a bag of crisps).

The highlight of the service - the lighting & processing of the symbolic Christingles went hitch-free. However, superb comedy ensued when the congregation came to realize, via the tell-tale teethmarks left in the apple, that 'South' - the tiniest compass-point-boy - had quietly chomped a great sly chunk out of the 'Produce of the World' stockpile!

As usual, the music - in the form of the organ-playing of the amazing Rev. Angela Dugdale MBE - was terrific; the flu-subdued caroling of locals supplemented by the hearty lungs of some of the more healthy out-of-towners - plus, of course, Angela's own superb singing voice.

Thanks to Father Phil, the Rev. Angela and the very hard-working church-wardens who made it all possible. Even the torchlit trek home through the pitch black dark was pretty magical.

We were left with only one Christmas Conundrum - what to do with our half-dozen leftover Christingle oranges. Here is our list of uses from 2008 to assist any readers facing a similar challenge in subsequent years:

Top ten things to do with your Christingle Orange...

1. Leave out the jelly babies and dolly mixture on a saucer for Santa and Rudolph on Christmas Eve - a refreshing change from the usual fireside mince pies and carrot.

2. Refrigerate, squeeze and enjoy for a fresh, zesty start on Christmas morning.

3. Squeeze and add cranberries, port and sugar-to-taste to make your very own gourmet D-I-Y cranberry sauce. Or Click here for a non-alcoholic Channel 4 recipe.

4. Go for a Christmas Morning Constitutional and combine the candle with hedgerow snippings of holly, pine, ivy and rosehips stuck into a raw potato to make a 'natural style' table centrepiece.

5. Get the kids to draw round the orange onto the backs of any waste wrapping paper and cut out snowball decorations for the insides of their bedroom windows. For those feeling particularly ambitious: glue cotton wool on to both sides of each disc and suspend on lengths of cotton for a really sophisticated, twirling, touchy-feely version...ooh, ah!

6. Grate off the zest and use to bake up some carrot, orange and cardamon fairy cakes for any guests who fancy a change from heavy fruit cake for Christmas tea. Save a few teaspoons full to add to a mascarpone and icing sugar topping - yum yum yum.

7. Use the cocktail sticks to make small menu flags for 'vegetarian' and 'non-vegetarian' platters for your Christmas buffet table.

8. Wrap in foil to make the base of a fabulously retro 70s-style 'cheesey pineapple hedgehog'.

9. Separate into individual segments for chocolate fondue dippers with a twist.

10. Use the red tape to entertain toddlers with endless games of 'fly away Peter, fly away Paul'.

Last chance to see - Victor Willing - Closes 11 Jan

2008-12-12T14:11:00.006Z

Victor Willing (1928-1988): Revelations, Discoveries, Communications at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester brings together over twenty enigmatic paintings and drawings, including a selection of rarely seen early paintings.

Willing, the late husband of artist Paula Rego, was once described by Sir Nicholas Serota as ‘a fiery comet which would eventually guide us all.’

Born in Egypt, Willing moved with his family to England in 1932 and studied at the Guildford School of Art (1948–9), and at the Slade School of Fine Art, London (1949–54). As a student, he met Francis Bacon, (who gave him a copy of Friederich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, which became one of Willing's favourite books) and admired the work of Picasso and Matisse.

In 1957 after embarking on an affair which led to the conception of the first of their three children, he moved to Portugal with artist Paula Rego, whom he eventually married in 1959. He worked in her father's business during this time and painted very little. He subsequently destroyed much of the work of that period.

He and his family returned to London in 1974, settling permanently there, and he began to paint again as a way of supporting himself. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, his paintings from the late 1970s were made after hallucinating their images, possibly a side-effect of the medications he was taking at the time.

Willing and Rego, like many of their generation were interested in Surrealism and the role of the subconscious in art. Both underwent Jungian analysis. As he later explained ‘All my life I’ve tried to recapture the intense pleasure in painting and drawing I had as a child, when I did battles with people going -Aaaaaarrgh!'

In many of Willing's paintings, a situation is presented as a scene to be played out by an absent protagonist. Primitive shelters and furniture, as settings suggestive of the isolation of the artist, are motifs that he explored in many works of this time.

He described the process of painting as 'a revelation, simultaneously discovery and communication.'

In the 1980s Willing was recognized as an important and established artist, but his health was worsening. He painted on a smaller scale at this time, with a series of women's heads being the last works that he completed prior to his death.

This is the first solo show in a public gallery of Willing's work since his retrospective at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1986.

For links to Willing's work held by the Tate Gallery click this link Willing, Victor

Admission:
Full price £7.50, Child £2.30, Family £17, Students £4 Tuesdays 10am to 5pm half price, Thursday evenings 5 to 8pm

Location:
Pallant House Gallery, 9 North Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TJ

Website:
http://www.pallant.org.uk/

Jingle Bells - or was it just the Trimphone..?

2008-12-05T13:36:00.006Z

It's fifty years today since the Queen made Britain's first ever national trunk call.

She rang up the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from Bristol telephone exchange - 300 miles away - addressing him "This is the Queen speaking from Bristol. Good afternoon, my Lord Provost".

To commemorate this year's anniversary, some of the original engineers are returning to the exchange to re-enact the call. They'll be using state-of-the-art video-conferencing technology, so - alas - this time Edinburgh definitely won't be able to do their bit from the 'home-office' wearing fluffy bunny slippers and a hotel dressing gown...

Notably, the Queen didn't sign off her call with 'Merry Christmas' (or 'lol' - whatever that means), as in those days Yuletide hadn't already started on 6th November (when this year's Bond Street lights were switched on by Kelly Brook) but had to hang on for a more sedate mid-December kick-off.

Locally though, this year's Christmas season is already in full swing, with lots of Christmas markets and events happening this weekend

For full details see:

http://www.northnorfolkradio.com/local/index.php

A special local highlight will be the Medieval Fayre at St Nicholas Church, Salthouse (pictured below in previous blog) to be held on Saturday 6th December (11am-4pm). This will include a Father Christmas, a juggler and live music all day with King Henry's Band playing a wide variety of early instruments. At 5pm there will also be a Mummers' Play and Medieval Carols with Kelling Consort of Voices.

In Holt the lights are on in the gallery and we are furnishing Byfords with a roaring trade in hot soup, home made Christmas cake and tree-shaped choc-chip cookies.

As a special treat for our non-local customers, here is a sneak preview of this year's Holt lights, to get you in the festive spirit (you'll just have to imagine the soup, cakes and cookies).

NB If like me you live several light-years from a BT exchange and you've got 'tortoise' rather than 'hare' broadband, mute the sound & let this clip buffer once through (whilst you do a few air-pirouettes on your office chair, pat the pet dog or grab a quick refill for your coffee cup) then un-mute, click play once again and watch it all the way through in smooth, non-stuttering comfort - ah bliss!

White Christmas in Salthouse (a month early!)

2008-11-28T12:39:00.012Z

This week, Christmas hit North Norfolk - a month early - with scenic snow falls in Salthouse on Sunday and hog roasts, mulled wine and carol-singing at the now famous festive lights switch-on in Holt on Wednesday.

Accordingly, our in-house snapper cast off thermal mittens and braved frostbite to capture a few timely snaps for those of you not lucky enough to be here (or get a parking space after the 'barricades' went up on lights night).

There was a credit-crunch-busting atmosphere in Holt with a great turnout of families on parade to make the most of this free event.

We did not see Auntie Pearl but Razz the clown gamely entertained the troops outside Benbows with his trusty conertina. Meanwhile, a top-hatted eight foot stilt-walker strode through the town, shadowed by a scuttling entourage of diminutive lantern-bearers.

Fewer 'Star Wars'-style light sticks and flashing LED rabbit ears may have flown off the stalls than in previous years, but the spectacle of intrepid juniors scaling the ice-wall outside the Nationwide Building Society more than made up for it. (Maybe someone told them there was a child trust fund pinned to the top).

PS Many thanks to all those customers who braved the crowds and dropped in to the gallery to share a spicy cracker, mince pie and glass of wine with us. It was lovely to see you!

Holt Lights switch-on: Snap the ‘crack’ for Pop!

2008-11-21T11:56:00.010Z

Calling all budding photographers – Holt Christmas Lights committee is offering prizes of champagne and notoriety for the best shots taken at this year’s switch-on, scheduled for 6.30pm on Wednesday 26^th November.

Entries will be judged by world famous wildlife photographer David Tipling and Peak District National Park official photographer Andrew Midgley. The winning shots - along with their ‘highly commended’ counterparts - will be exhibited at the Photographer’s gallery from December 12^th. In addition, the two best pics (one from the actual switch-on night and one from the following few days) will net their snappers a bottle of bubbly each.

Closing date for the competition is midnight on 30^th November.

For further details see: http://www.holtchristmaslights.org/photo_comp.html

For a fuller flavour of what is on offer at this year’s switch on, check out the hog roasts outside Budgens and Sidalls, roast chestnuts at Fish Hill and the obligatory hot dogs and burgers outside Barclays bank.

To accompany your munching, there will be a variety of family-friendly entertainment on offer in four different zones of the town as follows (don’t forget, Holt town centre will close to all traffic from 4.30pm on switch-on night, so don't get caught out!):

On the Stage

5.30 Father Philip & the churches
5.50 North Norfolk Radio Link up live then:
5.50 Gresham's choir - Mark Jones
6.10 North Norfolk Radio games and crowd interaction
6.30 Counting down to switching on with North Norfolk Radio - Church bells start ringing, fireworks
6.40 Cromer Pier team
6.50 North Norfolk Radio finish off
7.00 First academy of dance
7.20 Winston the singing farmer
7.40 End of stage shows

Apple Yard

5.30 Stilt Walking & fire juggling
5.40 Lanterns
5.50 Razz the clown & Auntie Pearl
6.20 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer
6.30 Dave Harper - Bagpipes
7.00 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer
7.10 Town Crier - Tony Nelson
7.30 First academy of dance
7.50 Winston the singing farmer
8.10 Cromer Pier Team

Chapel Yard

5.30 Dave Harper - bagpipes
5.40 Winston the singing farmer
6.00 Cromer Pier Team & Lanterns
6.10 Town Crier
6.30 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer
6.40 Prep school choir
7.00 Razz the clown & Auntie Pearl
7.30 Stilt Walking & fire juggling
7.40 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer
8.00 First academy of dance
8.20 Winston the singing farmer

Lees Yard

5.30 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer
6.00 Prep school choir
6.10 Lanterns
6.20 Senior school choir
6.50 Town Crier
7.00 Stilt Walking & fire juggling
7.20 Cromer Pier team
7.30 Razz the clown & Auntie Pearl
8.00 Dave Harper - Bagpipes
8.20 Rigagig-gig fiddle & dulcimer

The Art of Remembrance (1914-1918)

2008-11-14T12:49:00.010Z

This week marks the 90th anniversary of the Armistice, which brought World War I to an end.

The Western Front of World War One was a short train journey away from central London. The British government took advantage of this by commissioning paintings based on scenes witnessed at first hand by the leading artists of the day.

They sent artists to cover other aspects of the war as well - on the home and diplomatic fronts.

The intention was to use these images for propaganda purposes, and also as a way of commemorating the war and the people caught up in it.

Many of the artists fulfilled this brief admirably, some also taking the opportunity to examine the moral issues surrounding the war in the process.

Many special exhibitions have been staged by the National Museums, to commemorate this anniversary. They offer a fascinating insight into the art of war:

Click here: http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/visite.html for an interactive guided tour and directory of the art and painters of the First World War.

Click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/wars_conflict/art/art_frontline_gal.shtml for a tour of the BBC's History Trail on the Art of War and Conflict, including picture analysis of Totes Meer, by Paul Nash, a quiz on art in wartime and useful links to many national museums.

Click here: Special Displays for a link to Last Post: Remembering the First World War at the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms (6 November 2008 – 28 February 2009)

This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the story of the Post Office during the First World War.

It follows the stories of soldiers and spies, machinery and medals, commitment and communication and looks at how the Post Office responded to the war in getting mail to those serving or being held prisoner around the globe.

Here come the Pearls - a Ladies' Nite 1950s Style

2008-11-07T14:15:00.012Z

Sheringham Little Theatre is calling all local 'Desperate Housewives' for a ladies' night with a difference next week...

Not so long ago housewives had a number of very good reasons to be desperate. Not only did they have to look after their families in an age of depression, war and austerity, but they did so without the consumer durables that we now consider essential.

With humour frequently in its sights, Archive Film: Housewife’s Choice (U) is a programme of films from the BFI National Archive that explores the lives of British housewives from the 1920s to the 1950s. The programme includes documentaries, cinemagazines, propaganda films and adverts. It also features films by two of the women who helped to shape the British documentary movement of the 1930s and 40s – Ruby Grierson (1904-40) and Kay Mander (1915).

The film will be introduced by film historian Stewart Orr.

Event Date: Fri 14th Nov 2008, 8.00pm Tickets £5.00

Reader's Wives - 50s Style...(what our grannies really got up to)

To get you in the party mood, here's a 'Good Wife's Guide' appetiser from Housekeeping Monthly, published 13th May 1955, to give you some handy tips on how to (really) please your man...:

1. Over the cooler months of the year prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

2. Prepare yourself. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash hands and faces, comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

4. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment, without you. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure.

5. Don’t complain even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

6. Listen to him. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

7. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

8. Don’t ask questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

9. Remember: A good wife always knows her place...

Halloween - a Horrible History

2008-10-31T14:52:00.022Z

Fascinating facts, folklore, and some fab fireworks thrown in for good measure...

Halloween was originally a Celtic holiday celebrated on October 31st. The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night and began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday. Pumpkins were later adopted into the tradition when Europeans arrived in the New World. They took seeds back to Europe where they quickly became popular.

The Irish are also believed to be responsible for instigating the tradition of 'Trick or Treating': townsfolk would visit neighbours - in preparation for All Hallow's Eve - and ask for contributions of food for a town feast.

Orange and black are the traditional colours of Halloween. Orange is associated with the autumn harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

Halloween the movie was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a shoestring budget. The film was shot in the springtime and used fake autumn leaves.

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is said to be the spirit of a loved one watching over you.

The common little brown bat of North America, myotis lucifugus, is the longest-lived mammal of it's size, with a life span averaging 32 years. Don't worry though, there's no need to stay indoors after dark: it eats insects, chomping its way through a staggering 1,200 mosquitos per hour at peak feeding periods.

In the USA, Halloween is the second biggest seasonal money-spinner behind Christmas. Each year 2 billion dollars are spent defensively stocking up on trick-or-treaters' candy (the same amount that Canada has pledged to combat global warming!)

Halloween Events & Fireworks - North Norfolk

Blickling Hall Friday 31st October

Halloween Spooktacular!

Timed entry between 6pm & 8.30pm. Family Halloween event with spooky story telling and ghoulish happenings in the Hall. Children’s fancy dress competition and seasonal food in the Restaurant. Adult £7.50, child £4, family (2 + 2) £21 Booking advisable on 0844 800 4308

Felbrigg Hall Friday 31 October, 11am – 3.30pm

Halloween Trail. Follow the trail around the grounds and solve the 'spooky' clues. Normal admission prices apply. £1.50 for the trail. No booking necessary.

Holt Country Park Friday 31st October-Sunday 2nd November

Gruesome creatures trail, from Visitor Centre, also Toddlers pumpkin trail, 10am-4pm free.

Bewilderwood, Hoveton Friday 31st October

Giggling Pumpkin Parade and launch of Bewilderbats, 10am-4.30pm adults and children over 4 years £10/concs £7.50/children (3-4) £5, family ticket £45, 01603 783900.

Saturday 1st November and Sunday 2nd November

Monster Party, old fashioned party games, Twiggle disco and all the fun of the treehouse adventure park for final open weekend of the season, 10am-4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm) £10 (five-59), senior citizens (60 plus) £7.50, children (three-four) £5, under threes free/family ticket £45 (six people, one of which must be an adult, extra person £7.50).

Letheringsett King's Head Friday 31st October

Children's Fancy dress Halloween party 5-7.30pm.

North Walsham, Sadlers Wood Friday 31st October

Friends of Sadlers' Wood Halloween event, spooky stories and chestnut roasting over bonfire, meet by the dip in the woods, 5.30pm.

Overstrand, White Horse Friday 31st October

Fancy dress Halloween party, led by the Audio Junkies, 7pm.

Aylsham, Bure Valley School Saturday 1st November

Fireworks display, barbecue, toffee apples, gingerbread men and hot drinks available, gates 6pm, Guy Fawkes competition 6.30pm, bonfire lit 6.45pm, fireworks 7pm £3.50/children £1.50 advance from JP Post and Martin's in Aylsham, on gate £4/children £2.

Corpusty Saturday 1st November

Traditional family bonfire and procession, refreshments and tombola available, procession 6pm, bonfire and fireworks 8pm. Collection for local charities.

Sheringham Sports Field Saturday 1st November

Firework display organised by Sheringham & Beeston Scouts, bar, food and hot soup available, gates 6.30pm, display 7.15pm £2/children £1/family ticket (two adults, three children) £5 advance from Blyth & Wright, Whistle Stop and Starlings in Sheringham, on the gate £3/children £2/family ticket £10.

Spixworth, Grange Farm, Buxton Road Saturday 1st November

Firework display organised by 1st Spixworth Sea Scouts, barbecue and side stalls, gates 6-9.30pm, bonfire lit 6.30pm, displays 7.15pm and 8.15pm £3/children (five-13) £2 advance from Spixworth Post Office and Co-operative Store or £3.50/children £2.50 on gate (under fives free).

Worstead Village Hall, playing field Saturday 1st November

Firework display, children's entertainer Stevie Spud (village hall) 5.30pm, performance of fire stick twirling and dancing by Amber Hale, 6.30pm; children's firework display 6.45pm; main display 7pm £3/accompanied children £1.

Bodham Playing field Sunday 2nd November

Fireworks display and bonfire, barbecue and soft drinks available, gates 6pm, bonfire 6.45pm, fireworks 7pm £2/children £1/family ticket £5 (two adults, two children).

Meeting ‘The Maestro’ - virtuoso of local colour

2008-10-24T13:08:00.014+01:00

North Norfolk painter Derek Inwood talks to Hatfield Hines’ Clare Hatfield about life, work and the art of simplicity.

CH: What is the trigger for you, which sparks off the idea for a picture?

DI: My work is about colour. It starts with a mood and that gives me a colour.

CH: Where do you prefer to work?

DI: I capture the mood on the spot by taking oil pastels with me, and then work up canvases in the studio. Sometimes I do local scenes straight into oil paints.

CH: How would you describe your style of working?

DI: I am a natural painter. I basically like looking at things – I am interested in the art of looking and seeing through the eyes.

CH: Which subjects most interest you?

DI: There is nothing complicated about my work. I like to paint figure compostions on the beach, boats, groins, passing ships.

CH: What most excites you about the process of making a picture?

DI: I like to take a flat surface and then transform it into a painting just with colour. Just with colour you can create space and relationships between things in a scene. You can create people, sky and people doing things.

CH: How do you feel your work has changed over the years?

DI: My work has slowly evolved rather than really changed over the years – it has always been about colour.

For more information about Derek Inwood, and a catalogue of available works, access Derek's artist profile page at:

http://www.hatfieldhines.com/artistProfiles/DerekInwood.html

Derek Inwood runs from 1st to 29th November, 2008.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am-5pm; Thursdays: 11-2pm

Colour is good for you – it’s official!

2008-10-17T13:11:00.009+01:00

Japanese scientists have proved that colour is good for you in a recent study.

In an experiment conducted at Kyoto University Hospital and published in the Japan Journal of Nursing Science - a test group of adults were first biochemically measured for stress. They were then shown a variety of colour images of natural landscapes and re-measured.

In the experimental group after viewing the colour images, the negative mean mood score decreased.

Also, 40% of the subjects were shown to have had their mood changed to a more parasympathetically dominant state.

This is the opposite of the stress-building ‘sympathetic state’ which governs the ‘fight or flight’ reaction and instead promotes rest and sleep and is asociated with encouragement of healthy digestion, relaxation of the muscles, slowing of heart rate, calming of breathing, lowering of blood pressure, and improved immune system function.

Conclusion: a healthy dose of art appreciation before bedtime can be the perfect antidote to the credit crunch!

It's a shard life - the perils of Paris a La Boheme

2008-10-03T12:30:00.016+01:00

Norwich was transported back to 1830s 'Garret Paris' last night in Ellen Kent's latest touring production of Puccini's La Boheme.

Set against a classical amphitheatre backdrop, the opera follows the love lives of Rodolfo - a penniless poet - and Marcello - a struggling artist, who eke out their creative crust in a Montparnasse studio along with friends Colline - a philosopher - and Schaunard - a composer. As Rodolfo falls for neighbour Mimi - a sickly seamstress who drops by to borrow a light - so Marcello rekindles old flame Musetta - now mistress of rich diplomat Alcindoro.

The Eastern European soloists gave bravura performances, especially Ruslan Zinevych as Rodolfo. His diminutive stature (he still fell a matchbox short of Mimi despite stonking 2.5" cuban heels) belied a tremendous, warm, emotional voice which captivated the audience. Also noteworthy were the sonorous Petru Racovita as Marcello and Maria Tsonina as Musetta. Tsonina's wholehearted physical acting, which included table dancing, chair-toppling and plate smashing (shards of which flew down over the edge of the stage into a very startled string section of the orchestra - perhaps payback for a slightly off-key harp performance during Act I...) was a perfect balance for Mimi's poignant, more sombre scenes.

Taken from the stories of Henri Murger, Puccini's characters are based on real-life inhabitants of the Latin Quarter: Rodolfo on Murger himself, Musetta on Mariette, a popular artist's model (whom Murger described as having 'a neat figure, plenty of coquettishness, a dash of ambition and hardly any education') and Mimi on a young, pale, sickly girl called Lucile. While Murger's Mimi was a small, delicate-yet-mercenary 22 year old, whose blue eyes contained 'an expression of almost savage brutality,' Puccini's Mimi is - rather - a tragically doomed, saintly beauty.

The audience - which gradually succumbed to Mimi's contagious, consumptive cough - were also gripped by this production, enriched by smoke effects, snow and fire.

To see venues and book tickets for this touring production, click on the link below:

Full Diary

Bourne dancer: local lad spotlights in Dorian Gray

2008-09-26T12:33:00.021+01:00

This week, a dark myth of 'celeb' culture exploded onstage at Norwich's Theatre Royal, in Matthew Bourne's latest dance spectacle: the ultra-stylish black-and-white fairy-tale, Dorian Gray.

The production (based loosely on the 1890s gothic masterpiece which finally did for Oscar Wilde) - sees Dorian reinvented for the noughties as a fame-hungry waiter-on-the-make.

Discovered by fashionista Lady H. (Bourne's vampification of Wilde's corrupting mentor, Lord Henry Wotton) and top photographer Basil (played by Taverham's own Aaron Sillis), Dorian is catapulted to fame amidst the glitterati as poster-boy for new men's frangrance 'Immortal'.

As Gray's billboard image (which replaces the portrait in the original tale) becomes an icon of youth and purity, celebrity snares him in a fraught bisexual triangle. This plays out through a revolving set which carries the audience on an odyssey from bedroom to bathroom, from gallery to studio and from opera house to posh party. As Gray's fame grows, his poster crystalizes into an evil doppelganger and the stud-made-good embarks on a one-way journey of debauchery, drug-fuelled excess, and murderous rampage.

Bourne, in his 21st year in the business, admits that this unsympathetic piece - which has met with much negativity from reviewers - is 'different' to his usual productions - including the celebrated all-male Swan Lake and double Olivier-winning Play Without Words.

However, audiences have disagreed with the critics in their droves: August's sell-out premiere performances in Edinburgh made Dorian the biggest dance hit in the Festival's history. In Norwich's smash run, the audience - which included comedian Stephen Fry - was similarly enthralled, as the Calvin-Klein-clad company of 11 played out their homoerotic horror-story of vanity, violence and serial-killing. Definitely not one for the squeamish!

Click on the link below for a full-length audio interview with Adam Sillis:

Listen: Feature-length interview with Aaron Sillis

Shore Thing - another 'splash-hit' for Holkham

2008-09-19T11:41:00.029+01:00

Hundreds of starstruck locals vied for coveted 'movie extra' places at Holkham this weekend, after London production team Celador Films - of Oscar-nominated Dirty Pretty Things fame - put out a casting call via Radio Broadland.

As cameras rolled, seventy new Norfolk stars were born on the same vast beach where Gwyneth Paltrow famously strutted her stuff at the end of Shakespeare in Love. But a little goes a long way in modern cinematography: movie-effects geeks multiplied their hand-picked squad of locals into a 500-strong search party, pivotal to a key scene in coming-of-age tale, The Scounting Book for Boys.

The shooting session repeated the spectacle seen in Holkham and Cley in November 2007, when UEA-trained Director Saul Dibb recruited hundreds of extras to appear in smash-hit period costume drama The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes.

Dibb - keen to show off the best assets of the local community - hired Hunstanton's Emma Dent as Knightley's body double for bedrom scenes with lusty love-interest, Earl Grey. He also cast Fakenham mum-of-two Catherine Farrell for key 'extras' role as the wet nurse to whom Knightley surrenders illegitimate baby Eliza in a major scene, shot on Cley Marshes at a bleak 6.30am.

With some of the biggest, best and most memorable natural landscapes in the British Isles, Norfolk is no stranger to the silver screen. Blockbusters Stardust, Atonement, 007's Die Another Day, Shakespeare In Love and The Dambusters have all immortalised Norfolk locations.

Churchill’s Torpedo Boat Hits Home of Red Herring

2008-09-12T14:40:00.042+01:00

Ship lovers were spoiled for choice at last weekend’s Maritime Festival, held at Great Yarmouth’s Historic South Quay.

A sweep of the dockside took onlookers through centuries of seafaring - from the sedate tall ship, Mercedes, right up to the present day with Caistor Lifeboats’ Bernard Matthews II – Britain’s fastest lifesaving vessel, notching-up a wave-slashing top speed of 40 knots.

Especially for the Festival, the Mercedes played host to The East Norfolk Militia. The local re-enactment group brought the sights, sounds, smells (and smoke!) of the 1800s vividly to life in a crimson-clad quayside parade which included drills, bayonet charges and live musket practice.

The star attraction for naval history buffs was MTB102, the 1937 motor torpedo boat which - as part of the hastily assembled ‘little ships’ fleet - crossed the channel some eight times during ‘Operation Dyndamo’: the

evacuation of troops from Dunkirk.

She later carried Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower on their review of the greatest armada in world history: the 5,000-strong fleet assembled in readiness for the epic D-Day landings.

There was also homage paid to Great Yarmouth’s fishing heritage. Landlubbers were welcomed on board the herring steam-drifter Lydia Eva, and treated to views of Horace and Hannah – the town's very last seaworthy shrimper – as she sailed up and down the river. The vista recalled the industry's heyday at the close of the 19th Century, when 100 boats a day put to sea to bring home pink and brown shrimps for holiday-makers’ teas.

_______________________

NB: True History of The Red Herring

Yarmouth is the recognised home of the red herring: fish smoked for a week, to turn a deep, brownish red.

Already well-know by the time of the 16th Century, the red herring was the principal export of Britain's fisheries for over 300 years. The strong-smelling snack - reputedly a great thirst-producer - was often found on the bars of public houses: hence its absorption into the crime fiction genre. The canny criminal, when cornered in his drinking den, would grab a reeking fish on his escape, to literally throw the dogs off the scent - or so the story goes...

North Norfolk artists 'up in arms' over summer sails

2008-09-05T13:12:00.027+01:00

North Norfolk's landscape painters were crestfallen this summer to find picturesque Weybourne village lacking its landmark.

For the whole of the holidays, Weybourne Windmill - the 1850's towermill once allegedly occupied by WWII nazi spies - had to be sketched minus its famous sails, which had been removed due to damage.

However, this week two giant lorry-mounted cranes rumbled into town, to take their part in a major re-hang.

Artists touring the area in the autumn will be cheered to find the local landscape once again fully intact.

Hailstones batter Fish Hill in August!

2008-08-29T16:49:00.006+01:00

High summer continues to mystify the tourists with yet more bizarre weather…

Last week’s gallery browsers came armed with wrist straps dangling mini-umbrellas and mac-in-a-sacs. Larners must have done a roaring trade.

However, this week’s clientele were in dire need of Dad’s Army style hard-hats from Muckleburgh when hailstones the size of golf balls pelted down on them as they dashed across the High Street and under the awning for cover.

Every cloud has a silver lining though – especially if you are a coastal art gallery. Good thing we had just taken delivery of a new batch of extra-large weather-proof carrier bags!