Count Your Blessings

It's not all bad; you can see the stars!

In April's Pump, Chris Hollier exhortation to enjoy life and our environs really struck a chord with me. At the Village meeting in February, we all moaned about the things that we wanted changed to create a better life style, but really we are all incredibly lucky in this lovely county of Norfolk.

We incomers probably appreciate things more. Coming from the Thames Valley, the first thing I noticed was the change in the pace of life. Everybody has time for each other up here and you have time to take in the world around you. People are so friendly here, although this may be because they have time to chat and get to know each other properly. Another factor that affects the pace of life is the relative lack of congestion on the roads. I thoroughly enjoy driving now whereas before I had come to hate it.

And what lovely countryside we have to drive in. Undulating Wolds, beautiful forestland, pretty villages, attractive farms and picturesque seaside towns. We do not have a motorway in the county, thank the Lord, and the pollution levels are far lower than the big urban areas. When we first moved to Stoke Ferry, we went for a walk one night and saw the stars in crystal clarity, something that I had never done before.

Finally, the quality of life seems to be better here. There are more things going on, more attractions and better food to buy. To eat really fresh vegetables bought at the roadside as well as really new-laid eggs is a joy. Add to that, the markets in our corner of East Anglia where you can buy fish and game, as well as meat, that hasn't been through the lengthy supermarket chain, and we certainly are fortunate people.

We all have our gripes and moans but in the bigger picture, we should really count our lucky stars for being here in Norfolk. At least we can see the stars clearly!

Graham Forster