Lounging in Lowestoft
Friday, 10th November 2017

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We found our way to Pond Farm Dairy in Mutford after the Satnav maintained its policy of misdirection by taking us to another barn conversion at Ash Farm! It had managed to navigate us up the A11 to south of Norwich then across on the A47 then the A146. We were met by the owner's brother and his friendly dog Biggles, we only saw the world's friendliest cat at a distance roaming around. We had a Chinese meal for 2 from Tesco, went back to the Beccles Morrisons for eggs and flatbreads. I later realised I had left toothbrushes behind so had to do more shopping the day after.

The cottage is OK a little cold, dangerously low oak beams, charm, part of a working farm we can see a sweet little pond with ducks and chickens. I bashed my head several times on the beams in the cottage, Virginia pointed out a dangerous hook which I managed to avoid happily. There was a packet of hobnobs biscuits left out which weren't there when we left.

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On the Saturday we took another way out of Mutford to the A164, and it was longer and more nerve stretching single track lanes. Located Sea Life in Great Yarmouth through some narrow lanes, glad it was out of season so we could find places to park. Very similar to its sister place in Hunstanton, didactic angle to it - a trade-off between conservation and entertainment. We had a sybaritic hot chocolate and marshmallows and flake each there, served by an elfin waitress who said she had to train in preparing the drinks which were proving popular in November. We admired the crazy golf places in Great Yarmouth, a far cry from the primitive place in Walton on the Naze! before finding our way to the Toby Carvery and a good lunch. After lunch we were very relieved to check our cat sitter was cat sitting.

In the afternoon we had a very good visit to the interesting Time and Tide museum, plenty of info on the herring trade and the Rows in Great Yarmouth. There was a reconstruction of one of the now demolished Rows, with example shops and living rooms - I'm a sucker for that kind of times past museum.

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On a sunny Sunday morning we found our way to Africa Alive!, a zoo of African animals. There were few other visitors it being so late in the year. In the cold of November we walked around a little of the park, seeing the lions and cheetahs and giraffes in their enclosures. As zoos go the enclosures seemed well laid out, the animals haven't got the space they would have in the wild but they haven't got the threats they would have in the wild. We had something warm to drink and then toured more of the park, including the adorable fennec foxes. The skies were clouding over at this point, and it began to rain soon after we saw the meerkats and servals. There was a 'safari train' and we unwisely caught it, hoping for a ride back to the exit. Instead we were taken on a tour round the park in what was now driving rain, getting soaked, and didn't see many animals the sensible ones having retreated under cover. And we ended up exactly where the safari train started!

It was an unpleasant drive home in the wet and spray, broken by lunch at a Harvester. I'm glad places are now offering sweet potato fries as an alternative to chips.

A bit late in the season really to visit anywhere, it would be a lot more pleasant in summer and there would have been more open.