Norwich

The Suffolk joke is There's a bloke in our village who's been to Norwich ... well he had to.  We rather like Norwich with its market that always reminds us of a souq and it now has its own section on here.

Norwich women's american football team the Iceni Spears are planning for the end of January joint training with the Essex and Peterborough teams followed by a seven a side contact tournament ... can't wait.

Hotel Dunston Hall near Norwich on the A140 has already given up on Christmas and has an A board advertising a Lionel Ritchie tribute for near Valentine's.

This Sunday we will be mostly snapping the UEA Pirates v Queen Mary Vipers at the Colney Lane sports field Norwich ... a free day out.

Bonkers Conkers is happening this Sunday in or near(ish?) to Swainsthorpe near Norwich but that's all we know.

Some changes at the Iceni Spears in Norwich; Vicki Ware is training with the GB national team and Craig Thompson is the new head coach moonlighting from Norwich Devils' offensive coordinator.  Last weekend on a surprisingly ... more here

The cafe in a Norwich Sainsburys has a Customer Self Clear Station ... it's a rack where you put your tray having eaten a £3 cheese sandwich.

It's going to be a busy Sunday tomorrow with the Dunwich Dynamo passing through near the coast in the early hours, open gardens in Double Street Framlingham, free step dancing at the Blaxhall Ship, classic car day at the Debach Airfield and St Lawrence's Brundish will be visited by The Right Reverend Martin Seeley Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, probably the first visit by the diocesan bishop in sixty years and there's a picnic as well.  We will be snapping the East Anglian american football derby of Norwich Devils at Ipswich Cardinals.

No skate outs (when the skaters are introduced to the spectators) at Sunday's Norfolk Brawds' hosted British Championship roller derby bout in Norwich. ... more here

The Dunston Hall Hotel on the A140 just south of Norwich has an A board advertising a Burns Night ... let's get Christmas out the way first eh?

Too hot for roller derby In Norwich last Sunday but we did enjoy Surrey Roller Girl Ampersand What!'s good tempered interaction with an outside ref confirming what she was being penalised for.  Derby name of the day Crazy Cat Lady, not clever, not punningly witty but probably refreshingly true.

Sunday near Norwich the Iceni Spears were training for the autumn's Opal flag football series.  Flag football is no (hopefully) contact American football where you're tackled if an opponent can grab a flag from your waist.  The flags can be just football socks tucked into your waistband or like the Spears yellow streamers held in place by plastic poppers.  The Spears have an everybody welcome flag rookie day next month.

At the Sewell Park Academy Norwich Saturday the caretaker (he probably has a posher job title than that) untypically was friendly (he sorted out the machine giving us the wrong coffee) and actually watched the roller derby.  The officials' sweetie stash included old fashioneds and surprisingly some remembered four ... more here

Saturday we thought we were going to photograph American football in Norwich but discovered it was just part of Derby Day when UEA plays Essex Uni at seventy different sports including ultimate frisby, women's rugby, futsal?, cheerleading both dance and stunt but no roller derby.  A stunning introduction for us to lacrosse, committed support from both sides and placards of which this Donald Trump parody we much enjoyed.  Next year Essex will be hosting.