The Old Rectory News & Events Blog

There’s a lovely sunny weekend forecast and we have limited availability for a late getaway break – call us on 01603 700772 or book online. Events this weekend include an ‘Early Risers’ wildlife walk at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, a Spring Gala at North Norfolk Steam Railway and the ‘JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters’ exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Looks like it’ll also be a great weekend for a walk along the beach or maybe around the broad at Whitlingham.

New season Norfolk rhubarb is now featuring on our menu, as is local rabbit, goat’s cheese from Fielding Cottage and Cromer crab

The Norfolk and Norwich Festival programme has been launched this week featuring a fantastic line up of music, drama, art and more with international as well as local artists. It’s on 11th – 26th May – a great time to visit Norwich

Our delivery of seeds has arrived – this year we’ll be growing leaf beets (Canary Yellow of course), hot red chillies, salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, french beans and courgettes – hoping to sow some of the early seeds indoors this weekend!

If you are not already one of our Twitter followers, just go to https://twitter.com/#!/OldRectoryHotel where you can follow us and keep up-to date with what we’re doing.

Our newsletter is sent out about once a month to our growing list of subscribers with details of our short breaks as well as forthcoming events, a profile of one of our local suppliers and more. If you would like to receive a copy by email please click here to visit our website and sign up.

English Tourism Week runs from 10th – 18th March encouraging Brits to take a break in England rather than going abroad. Events in Norfolk and Norwich during the week include:

• an ‘Early Risers’ wildlife walk at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen on Saturday 10th March from 07.00 – 09.00 looking for marsh harriers, Chinese water deer, bitterns and otters
• a ‘Dawn Otter Spotting’ guided canoe trail at South Walsham Broad on Sunday 18th March from 06.00 – 08.30 with The CanoeMan
• ‘Swallows and Amazons’ at Norwich Theatre Royal from 13th – 17th March – a dramatisation of Arthur Ransome’s popular novel
• Norwich Fashion Week – events in and around the city centre, 8th – 15th March
• ‘Open Day’ – Thurne Windpump – unique opportunity to see the workings of the mill Sunday 11th March 2-4pm

Our ’50 something’ Aga has finally gone to be recycled after serving us well for the last 16 years. It had become a little temperamental in the last few months, getting somewhat overheated from time to time so we took the decision to replace it with a new model which was installed a couple of weeks ago. We hope the shiny new one will serve us equally well.

We had a brief walk at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen recently and were lucky enough to see a bittern on the wing just as we were leaving. Around 18 sightings had been recorded on the day we were there, making Strumpshaw one of the best places in the country to see this elusive heron.

If you are not already one of our Twitter followers, just go to https://twitter.com/#!/OldRectoryHotel where you can follow us and keep up-to date with what we’re doing.

The recent snow brought with it lots of tracks so we know a fox was in the garden. Lots of bird tracks as well, although they are more tricky to identify. The cold weather has brought lots of birds to the garden looking for food and we’ve seen a songthrush, lots of great, blue, coal and long-tailed tits as well as our usual blackbirds and dunnocks, jackdaws and chaffinches at our feeder. We even found a wagtail in the Conservatory one morning – highly unusual as we’ve never actually seen one in the garden!

Our newsletter is sent out about once a month to our growing list of subscribers with details of our short breaks as well as forthcoming events, a profile of one of our local suppliers and more. If you would like to receive a copy by email please click here to visit our website and sign up.

We took a fabulous winter walk at RSPB Buckenham Marshes on Boxing Day – lots of wildlife to see including flocks of widgeon, barnacle geese and lapwing, and a distant marsh harrier. It was a warm sunny day, if a little windy, and lots of other folk had the same idea – never seen so many people there.

Our shiny new Aga is being installed today; the old one, which had become a little temperamental, went off to Aga for recycling yesterday. The new one is black and shiny with an electric hob built in, as well as the two iconic Aga burners. We can’t wait till it’s up to heat and ready to use.

We’ll be running our popular Valentine’s package again this February – book now for Saturday 12th Feb to enjoy pink fizz, James’ superb five course menu and of course a lovely overnight stay in one of our stylish guest rooms. Call us on 01603 700772 or book on-line at http://www.oldrectorynorwich.com/book-online

If you are not already one of our Twitter followers, just go to https://twitter.com/#!/OldRectoryHotel where you can follow us and keep up-to date with what we’re doing.

Our Winter Warmer breaks are also available until the end of March – stay from just £150 per room per night, dinner bed and breakfast when you book a minimum two night stay for two people sharing a room (Mon – Sat inclusive)

If you’re planning a summer visit, or thinking about booking our self-catering cottage, we have a number of dates which are already looking busy, so do book early if you have a particular favourite room or someone may have already beaten you to it!

Coming up….

For all stargazing fans, Fairhaven Gardens have a Star Night on 18 February with Norwich Astronomical Society,  http://www.fairhavengarden.co.uk/whats_on/events.htm

Dawn Nature Walk to see roosting waterfowl, hare, deer, birds of prey; Sunday 29th January, RSPB Buckenham Marshes http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-300002

Snettisham Wader Spectacular, Saturday 11th February, RSPB Snettisham,  http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-282687

NWT Wildlife Watch – Winter Waterfowl Discovery on Sunday 5th Feb, 10 – 2 at Pensthorpe http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/Things-to-do/Events/Events-archive/Wildlife-Watch–Winter-Waterfowl-Discovery.aspx

Moscow City Ballet’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Norwich Theatre Royal 1st – 4th Feb http://www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk/whatson/shows/romeojuliet2012.aspx

Elkie Brookes at Norwich Theatre Royal 16th Feb http://www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk/whatson/shows/elkiebrooks2012.aspx

Mike Harding at Norwich Playhouse Wednesday 7th March http://www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk/viewshowdetail.php?id=797

Strawberries in September? ‘Tis true…we had a small strawberry patch in our garden which has already given us two crops this year, and a couple of weeks ago I picked another handful or sweet, ripe strawberries which the birds appear to have missed. Not enough to make a meal but delicious all the same.

Old Rectory Newsletter – our first newsletter has been sent out to our growing list of subscribers. If you would like to receive a copy by email please click here to go to our homepage and sign up.

On the Ball, City! The Canaries are back in the big time, after a six year absence, and are sitting comfortably mid-table in the Barclay’s Premiership. It’s Swansea at home this weekend, a match we need to win to maintain our place over our promotion rivals, then away at Anfield for the big match with Liverpool. On the Ball, City

Christmas Shopping Breaks Perhaps it’s a little too early to be thinking of Christmas but M&S apparently have their mince pies on the shelves so maybe a little forward planning is appropriate. Now may be the time to book one of our popular Christmas Shopping Breaks – complimentary tea and cake on arrival, three course 2AA rosette seasonal dinner, accommodation and English Breakfast from just £150 per room per night (minimum two night stay). Available Monday to Saturday 1st November to 22nd December inclusive.

Top 10 Shopping

Norwich is amongst the UK’s  Top 10 shopping destinations – a mix of high street stores including John Lewis and M&S (with its newly refurbished and extended store), designer brands, independent shops, the UK’s only 6 day a week open air market and two shopping malls. There are numerous places to stop for a coffee or light lunch and green spaces to catch your breath amid the shopping frenzy – with Christmas Markets in the coming months it’s a great place to find those special gifts for Christmas.

Peregrine at Ranworth

After the excitement of the summer visit of an Osprey, NWT Ranworth have recently reported sightings of a Peregrine Falcon – enjoying the view from the same dead tree which was the osprey’s favoured perch.

Garden Visitors

And we are pleased to report the return of our Nuthatch to the garden – seen this morning doing an impression of a woodpecker on our Wellingtonia tree. A possible treecreeper was also seen but without binoculars we couldn’t positively identify it. There were lots of noisy bird today, including some beautiful great tits feasting on seeds in the Wellingtonia cones, noisy jays scaring off everything in sight and our long tailed tits making their usual rowdy appearance.

An osprey stopped off at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Ranworth Broad nature reserve recently – a rare visitor from Africa with a 1.5m wingspan, enjoying using the fish-rich waters of the reserve as a good place to stock up before continuing its migration north, probably towards a final destination of Scotland or Scandinavia. It was still there a few days ago and seems to like its temporary home! It’s not the only rare visitor to Norfolk as crossbills and a glossy ibis have been seen at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen and a great snipe at NWT Cley Marshes.

English Wine Week is taking place between 28th May and 5th June and we are delighted to have taken delivery of the new vintage of our delicious Bacchus from Chapel Down vineyards in Tenterden, Kent. The wine has been so popular on our list that we ran out of stocks of the previous vintage and were unable to  get more until the 2010 vintage was released. Described as ‘Quintessentially English’ by the Sunday Times, it is a lovely crisp and refreshing wine bursting with aromas of elderflower, gooseberry and rhubarb. It tastes fantastic!

This last week has been a week of chicks in the garden – we have lots of young blackbirds, indeed one found its way into our conservatory, twice! Well we’re not actually sure it was the same bird but we evicted two in fairly quick succession, completely unharmed I’m pleased to say.

Where's the feeder gone?

We’ve also had fledgling blue tits at our feeder – a parent was seen feeding a youngster just close by and several have been seen tucking into one of the ‘fatty’ treats we put out for them. There are lots of nests in the garden and close by too, as we’ve seen many birds flying off with mouthfuls of food to feed their nestlings.

Our garden ‘allotment’ is a little behind schedule this year, we have been hesitant to sow any seeds because the ground is so dry. We may well have a glut of tomatoes however, we have so many plants in the greenhouse we have had to move some to the Conservatory, and we have  managed to get the runner beans and dwarf beans planted out, as well as a few banana squash plants. Our courgettes are not doing overly well, probably due to the lack of rain, but we are still hopeful for a good, if small crop.

Until next time…..

Norwich City will be back in the Premiership next season – fantastic news for the fans, the players and everyone associated with the club. Congratulations one and all, NCFC are back where they belong!

And more great news for the city – the route of the Olympic flame torch relay has been announced today and it will be coming to Norwich to spend the night on the 4th July 2011. More details are still to be released but this will be a brilliant sight and will hopefully draw big crowds to the city.

The 2011 Tour of Britain will be following in the wheels of last year’s race and the riders will be coming to Norfolk on Saturday 17th September, with Stage 7 starting in Suffolk at Bury St. Edmunds and finishing at the Sandringham Estate.

We are delighted to have received a Broads Quality Charter ‘Gold’ Award for our food and service – the scheme has been running for 10 years now and recognises restaurants, pubs and cafes across the Broads network which serve quality food using local ingredients with friendly, well-trained staff who are able to promote the many qualities of the Norfolk Broads to their visitors.

The 1st Broads Outdoor Festival took place from 7th – 15th May with over 60 events designed to get people outdoors to explore the unique environment of the Norfolk Broads. Events included boat tours, canoe trails, wildflower and wildlife walks, geocaching and paddlesport taster sessions – something for everyone. Particularly interesting was a guided walk around Thorpe Marshes and the New Broad, just across the road from The Old Rectory, with the opportunity to catch a glimpse of kingfishers, water voles and barn owls. Unfortunately we were unable to go but we understand Norfolk Wildlife Trust have taken on the management of the area and there will be more guided walks throughout the summer.

NNF11 continues this week with highlights including pianist Noriko Ogawa on Wednesday 18th and the Charlie Haden Quartet West on Thursday 19th, both at St Peter Mancroft and the Ballet Nacional de Espana on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st at Norwich Theatre Royal. There have been some amazing performances so far….and it’s not over yet!

All this shows why Norwich is such a brilliant place to live, work and visit. There’s just no end to the things you can do….

The Norfolk and Norwich Festival is almost upon us with an exciting and varied programme of music, dance, theatre, circus etc from 6th – 21st May. Highlights include Beats and Pieces Big Band, recently awarded European Young Artists Jazz Award 2011, Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra at Gt Yarmouth Hippodrome, John Williams at St Peter Mancroft, Ragroof Tea Dance in the Spiegeltent, Andy Sheppard’s Saxophone Massive at Millenium Plain and there’s much, much more. Visit http://nnf11.nnfestival.org.uk for a full programme of events. We have special Festival Break rates available during the festival, although availability is now limited – to book go to http://www.oldrectorynorwich.com/book-online

Award-winning local brewery Woodforde’s has developed Once Bittern, a new copper-coloured ale with a distinctive aroma of rich spice and citrus. Brewed from a special blend of quality Norfolk ingredients, the beer has hints of sweet malt, fruit and warm spice and a dry finish. ‘Once Bittern’ is widely available in pubs throughout East Anglia and carries a pump clip of a bittern emerging from a reed bed. Bitterns are one of Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s flagship species with 2010 being the most successful for the species since they recolonised the UK in 1911. A penny from every pint sold will be donated to Norfolk Wildlife Trust so we hope all our guests will give it a try if they see it on their travels around the county.

Norwich Cathedral has become home to a pair of peregrine falcons who have not only built a nest but also laid an egg, appropriately on Easter Sunday, on a special nesting platform installed just nine weeks earlier by the Hawk and Owl Trust (with the help of volunteers from Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service) on the Cathedral spire. To view the live feed click here http://www.cathedral.org.uk/aboutus/nesting-peregrines-live-feed-of-the-nest.aspx or visit the cathedral to find out the latest.

The weather has been somewhat cooler, and windier this week, but in spite of that all our courgettes have germinated in the Conservatory so they have been potted on before being planted out in a week or so, depending on the forecast. In their place, we’ve sown runner and french beans and banana squash and have also planted out some mature broad bean plants in the veg plot. Can’t wait to pick those!

Out in the garden last weekend we heard a cuckoo calling from somewhere in the woods across the river and we heard it again during an evening stroll around Whitlingham marshes when we also heard chiffchaff and willow or sedge warblers and saw lapwing, little ringed plovers and oystercatchers amongst others. It’s a tad early for cuckoos and chiffchaff but according to the Springwatch team on TV, they have been heard in other parts of the country too, so I am not imagining things.

The new vintage (2010) of our lovely English wine, Chapel Down Vineyards Bacchus, has arrived today – it’s a lovely crisp, fresh and aromatic wine, a perfect English alternative to New World Sauvignon Blanc!

Until next time….

It’s been a very busy week in the garden with the pool man coming to summerise the swimming pool (which resulted in quite some time spent vacuuming up all the dust and dirt deposited during the winter), a major weeding effort on the first of the veg beds in readiness for spring seed sowing as well as grubbing out and replanting / seeding some of the herb tubs.

We made a visit to a couple of local garden centres in Thorpe and nearby Salhouse to buy plants and compost for hanging baskets (some of which have already gone up as they are south facing and well sheltered at night), as well as seeds and a new trough which now hangs on the wall outside the Old Coach House. This year the various baskets are planted with four different varieties of fuschia, three varieties of begonia, nemesia, trailing verbena, lobelia and brachysome. They should all be lovely and colourful when the buds open.

The veg plots will be planted up with two varieties of courgette, one green and one yellow, broad, runner and French beans, salad leaves and radish, chard, beetroot, small Chantenay carrots and squash and we also have tomatoes and chillis in the Conservatory benefitting from the current spell of glorious weather.

The big job of pressure washing all the terracing is still underway but both the south terrace and the pool terrace have been completed, with just the Coach House and Dowager’s Cottage pathways yet to do.

The birds are both busy and noisy but very tuneful and the dawn chorus gets earlier by the day. We have pairs of greenfinch, chaffinch, robin, blackbird and dunnock as well as great, blue and coal tits. The long-tailed tits seem to have disappeared over the last couple of weeks but maybe we just haven’t been looking, or listening, at the right time! A pair of goldfinches has been spotted regularly at our feeder but we have yet to see them with nesting material in the garden and our wrens are also flitting about. The birds are certainly all hungry as we are having to fill the feeders frequently and a local family of jackdaws, together with a pair of collared doves and some of the local wood pigeons are making the most of the left over bread and toast from breakfast which we have been putting out for them.

Our magnificent magnolia has finished flowering for this year but the clematis montana is in full bloom as is the camellia. The irises have huge buds on them and the tulips are very colourful at the moment.

The weather forecast is excellent for the Easter weekend, dry and warm, and we do have limited last minute availability so give us a call on 01603 700772 or book online at www.oldrectorynorwich.com/book-online. See you soon.

The News & Events Blog for the Old Rectory Norwich