We have now been here in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth for 7 weeks. The house we are living in is on the coast and we just cross the road to the beach and a sandy one at that!!! Before we left NZ I registered with a teaching organisation called "Timeplan" who have agencies throughout the UK. There were many teaching positions available but we chose to come up here because of the cheap accomodation. So far, so good. I am at a Middle School (yrs 4 - 7, 8 - 11 year olds) and working in a specialsit area with small groups of children from all the above years. My junior teaching comes to the fore!!! Each day I travel by bus which takes about 40mins using a £10 weekly ticket. Everyday I come home with a story from "on the bus" - just unbelievable. i wish i could imitate their accents as it would be a real party entertainer when we arrive home!!! Our house is shared with 2 other NZ ladies, supply teaching as well.However Linda's time is up and she is now on her way back home to Nelson. Gillian (Wellingtonian) has been here in the UK the same length of time as us and will probably leave at the end of the year too.
Our first weekend was spent looking for a cheap but reliable car (can both criteria be met?). Well Ian knew every available car for sale in every car yard from here to Gt Yarmouth! He studied the local papers and by the end of the week knew what he wanted. Weh the local came out on the following Tuesday he spotted a Toyota Corina, 1992, 2 owners, 70000 mls for £250. He was first to ring the owner who collected him and drove him to his house to view it. After due consideration, Ian knocked him down to £225 and the deal was done! The insurance cost more! Anyway, it just purrs along and may it continue. We had it serviced and the cambelt renewed so hopefully it will take us around the UK and Europe over the next 6 months.
We drove up to York one long weekend, a city of extraordinary culture and historic wealth, enclosed by a magnificient 13c wall. Luckily we found a handy park on arrival, wandered through the city centre to the Saturday Market which was one of the better markets we've visited so far. It just oozed with atmosphere and quality goods to purchase. We restrained ourselves!!From here we meandered through their cobbled streets to the Shambles with its overhanging Tudor buildings, offering hints of what a medieval street might have looked like. In the afternnon we explored the Minster. This is one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world and dominates the city of York. We climbed the tower's 275 steps, an exhausting exercise but well worth the awesome view of the city. The stained glass windows are just unbelievably beautiful. Down in the undercroft archeologists uncovered Roman and Norman ruins - just mind blowing for people like us coming from a country with such a young history. Well we just knock down anything with a bit of history and build something new don't we?? On our way back to the car we were tempted into buying some delicious looking breadrolls for a late lunch. Mine was a chicken and salad one while Ian chose beef and horseradish. I made the right choice but by Ian's remarks and his sweating brow, the horseradish jur had obviously emptied out onto his roll!! To complete the day we finished off with an Iandian meal!!
On Sunday we took advantage of one of the walks around the city, taken by volunteers. This was a most enlightening 2 hour walk, helping us to understand some of the history of the various landmarks in York. It seems that everybody has wanted a piece of this land at some point in history.
Our timeplan coordinator was celebrating her 40th that Monday evening, so we returned in time for her barbeque.
Great Yarmouth is like so many other seaside resorts here, packed with amusement arcades and greasy cafes. Gorleston, south of Gt Y is exactly the dsame. However the beaches are sandy and we enjoy our strolls along their shores. Gorleston beach has numerous groynes spaced out along the shore. An unsightly view when looking down the coastline but they obviously serve their purpose holding the sand in place as the North Sea can certanily be harsh on the landscape.
Norwich is our nearest city so we drove over there one Saturday and visited their castle / museum. I've noticed most museums really cater for children with "Hand on" experiences for them - great for us as well!
Bizarrely, Norwich casle has had a gigantic shopping centre grafted onto it, a quirky blend of modern and historic. If you visit Norwich another must is also a walk dwon the medieval Elm Hill.
Another Sunday we drove southward to Southwold, a pretty coastal resort town and then on to Snape Maltings - a renovated group of buildings that house top qua;ity homeware, art, clothing and a musical theatre and school for the arts. Amazing place in the middle of the country. There is just so much to do and so much to see!!!
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