Don't panic...

... I'm still going. It's just we've been away 'en famille', as a posh friend put it, and 'outre de l'internet', or however our French cousins say it, in deepest Norfolk (not far, as it happens, from Great and Little Snoring - which I seem to remember as the setting of the classic children's books, The Little Fire Engine, and The Little Train, written by Graham Greene and illustrated by Edward Ardizonne).

Of course, while we were there, we, i.e. England, convincingly won the Ashes back. Ozzies, eat your hearts out. Unfortunately, we didn't do so well in the Belgian Grand Prix with both Hamilton and Button crashing out on the first lap. So the flying Finn in the Ferrari came in first.

Anyway we had a great week, good food and drink, good weather, plenty to see and do, and of course the best company!

Here we are enjoying the chef of the day's offering in The Old Cartsheds.

Bird-watching at Pensthorpe, home of Springwatch 2009, but no sign of Kate Humble or Chris Packham, I'm afraid.

The third generation went to the Norfolk Ark Wildlife 'Park' while the uncles slobbed back at the ranch.

Meanwhile Charis met her grandfather's namesake.

Blickling Hall had a motorised scooter which was great for me.

Some of us were inexplicably camera-shy.




Others were not.






Highly recommended - The Norfolk Riddle, in Little Walsingham - where we took refuge from pouring rain, and had an excellent meal to boot.


Packing up to leave in our different directions.