The weather forecast for Saturday was bleak and brutal. To get a head start, our November break in Norfolk began on the Friday with a visit to Eldernell.
This viewpoint over the Nene Washes rarely disappoints, and an immediate flight of Common Cranes trailed in over a wash of distant Whooper Swans. Roe Deer munched their way through the far field, and a Kestrel took a working vole lunch on a metal fence. With the low sun blaring away, Fieldfares and a scattered flock of Siskin shone in the afternoon light.
At least six hours of rain was forecast for the following day. Titchwell, with its huge Parminder Hide and the bonus of shelter, seemed a good option to begin with. However, although there were sporadic outbursts, there was little in the way of the promised deluge and a good morning’s birding was enjoyed, topped off with a Cornish Pasty.
Titchwell is another one of those places that never disappoints, and by the time we left, there were Spotted Redshank, a couple of Pochard, Grey Plovers, godwits, Snipe, Avocets – all manner of geese and ducks, including the stately Pintail – and a sky full of Marsh Harriers to look back on and list (if required).
On the beach, little clockwork Sanderlings zipped along the shore as if wound up and set free. A Velvet Scoter, easily identified with its white wing bars, flapped recklessly across the choppy waves. On the freshwater marsh, Curlews were giving short shrift to a pair of Ravens kronking overhead. The beefy curlews looking surprisingly small against the heavyweight corvids.
Wells-Next-The-Sea was next to the sea, and next on the agenda. The tide was out but there was plenty of sea left on the vast, sweeping sands with a particularly rich vein of channel that housed a couple of Red-throated Divers, a Razorbill, and a female Scoter.
On a second visit during the weekend, it was a Black Redstart mooching around the lifeboat station that took the birding plaudits.
There were a couple of visits to Warham Green, including a walk along the coast path from Stiffkey to the Whirligig, a swirl of a viewpoint overlooking the saltmarsh. The Whirligig is an overgrown circular area surrounded by a metalled track. At its centre there is a metal pole, which was a Cold War rotary launcher installed in the early 1950s by the USA Air Force and used to launch RCATs (Radio Controlled Aircraft Targets) for the practice firing of anti-aircraft guns.
The following day, a short walk from the opposite direction delivered a Red-breasted Goose that was shamelessly consorting with a small flock of Brent Geese.
On the Holme Dunes, it was so windy that Garden Patio furniture was as likely to be seen flying low over the sea as gannets and gulls were.
It was also quite blowy at Thornham where a group of hardy Spoonbills took off from the distant shore but had to put down again in the same place.
At Choseley Barns, top spot was a female Hen Harrier winging its way over the low fields, fields that were strewn with Golden Plover and a healthy sprinkling of Red-legged Partridge (ripe for the shooting).
The short drive along Lady Anne’s Drive to Holkham was full of birds. Cattle Egrets were true to form on the estate, strutting around the cattle like it said on the tin. A small group of Pink-footed Geese were on the grass close to the road, Greylag Geese were in the next field back, and a pair of Egyptian Geese stood sentinel in another flooded field as the dusk sky filled with geese of every ilk, fired into view as if from a party popper.
Red Kites were a numerous feature in the vast Norfolk skies but never more so than at Holkham where just about every sky-bound raptor sported a forked tail.
Deer abounded at Holkham – mainly Muntjac but also Chinese Water Deer. Chinese Water Deer are currently not under threat, and the numbers are increasing in Britain. However, in its native East Asia the species is declining and it is currently classified by the IUCN as vulnerable.
12 Angry Men at the Alexandra Theatre
A jury of twelve (the clue’s in the title) hold the fate of a young delinquent in their hands. It’s really 11 because the Man from Atlantis/Dallas actor Patrick Duffy is calm and a voice of reason. He’s the one who votes not guilty, and then the rest of the piece focuses on the changing attitudes, preconceived ideas and morals of the remaining jury. A gripping and entertaining piece, with a great cast, including two ex-Coronation Street actors – Tristan Gemmill, a member with an unexplained personal agenda, and Gray O’Brien, the angriest of the angry men.
Ex-Eastenders actor, Michael Greco, sensibly wants a quick guilty result so he can catch a ball game.
The design of the production is perfect – a hot, stuffy room in the middle of a heat wave, with a big ceiling fan giving it some heft. A cunning table, around which the action centres, turns around so incrementally, it is only noticeable after it has done so.
The cast: Patrick Duffy, Tristan Gemmill, Michael Greco, Ben Nealon, Gary Webster, Gray O’Brien, Paul Beech, Samarge Hamilton, Jeffrey Harmer, Mark Heenehan, Kenneth Jay, Paul Lavers, Owen Oldroyd. Directed by Christopher Haydon.
Comedy Night at the Bear Tavern proved to be fun and funny with headliner Matt Richardson. These comedy evenings garner a decent audience of about 40-50, which doesn’t seem too shabby for a mid-week gig at the local pub.
TUNISIA
Then, of course, there was Tunisia.
Winter sun was calling and was answered with a surprisingly short flight out to North Africa from Birmingham – something to do with a tail-wind.
It was not so blowy once we landed with a very agreeable 28 degrees, requiring instant and urgent scampering to the poolside bar.
There are worse places to stay than at the Royal Kenz hotel in Port El Kantaoui with its Arabic-inspired interiors, palm-framed pools, and extensive buffet dining.
Situated favourably on the central Tunisian coast, Port El Kantaoui was constructed in 1979 specifically as a holiday resort. The beach is less than a five-minute walk to the hotel’s own private sandy stretch.
For a bit of culture, Port El Kantaoui is also perfectly placed from which to embark on a little further exploration with a selection of organised tours:
Hergla and Sousse Medina
Beginning with a stroll around the whitewashed village of Hergla, sitting pretty on top of the coastal cliffs. It’s a charming place where the blue of the windows and doors echoes the sea below. It’s possible to wander the lanes to see the old mosque and watch the basket weavers at work. Crafty note: Berber artisans use Halfa grass – a dry plant grown in the region – for making these hand-woven crafts.
Oozing old-world Tunisian character, Sousse medina’s web of lanes are bursting with activity. This medina is one of the largest in the Islamic world encircled by walls, and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1988 for its fine Arab architecture which hasn’t changed for centuries. The Great Mosque and the Ribat fortress are favourite monuments.
Kairouan Holy City and El Jem Colosseum
The past is part of the landscape in Tunisia and nowhere more so than Kairouan, the country’s holiest city, and in the Roman amphitheatre of El Djem. The Great Mosque of Kairouan is Africa’s second oldest. The interior is dazzling, with ornate tiles, colourful carpets, and pine-shaped chandeliers that add to the beauty of the space. Even the drains are decorated with intricate tilework.
The tour kicked off in the walled city of Kairouan. Protected by sandstone walls, the medina offers quiet narrow streets, whitewashed houses with brightly painted shutters and brick-laid archways. Kairouan’s unmissable Great Mosque is considered one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the region. As well as the mosque’s splendid interior, the complex also features a large prayer hall, a courtyard, and a minaret. Another important site in Kairouan is the Sidi Sahbi mausoleum, a significant site for Muslims around the world and known for its beautiful tilework and stucco decorations.
The Aghlabid basins are a Tunisian historical monument located in Kairouan. Dating from the 9th century and located outside the ramparts of the medina of Kairouan, they are considered to be the most important hydraulic systems in the history of the Muslim world.
The El Djem Amphitheatre is the third largest built by the Romans. During its heyday, up to 35,000 spectators would pack its steep stands to watch gladiatorial fights.
Ancient Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Carthage was the capital of ancient Rome’s greatest rival and the site of a titanic clash of civilisations. Today, its ruins bear testament to Rome’s ultimate victory.
Under renowned military leaders such as Hannibal, Carthage was one of the greatest powers of the classical world. The ruins include the Baths of Antoninus – which were the largest thermal baths in the Roman Empire – an amphitheatre and the Tophet sacrificial site.
Sidi Bou Said is a clifftop village of cobbled alleys fringed by whitewashed houses with sky-blue doors and window shutters. The blue and white colour scheme has echoes of the Greek islands, and contrasts nicely with the sea beyond with tidy views over Tunis Bay.
Afek91Grim note: Port El Kantaoui is the beach resort where the infamous 2015 Sousse mass shooting took place, when thirty-eight people – 30 of whom were British – were killed when a terrorist gunman attacked a hotel.
On 4 March 2019, a memorial to the British victims called Infinite Wave, was unveiled in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham.
jacey666 
Fabulous!! What a November for you! 💜
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