Monday, October 13
Sunrise: 7:58AM Sunset: 6:47PM – Cloudy conditions will continue all day. Wind gusts up to 9mph – low -54 high – 63.

It was a low key day for me today – after our 3 mile walk/run we had some coffee and breakfast, Esther went to the lab and I worked on cleaning. Hard to believe but we’ve been here for 2 weeks now and things are starting to look a little grimy – we are also leaving tomorrow evening for the UK and we want things to be clean before leaving. The washer and dryer are little challenging – only one can be plugged in at a time and the dryer settings are a little confusing but we are managing.
Went to town around 11AM this morning and even though the weather said only cloudy there was a very heavy mist or light drizzle – I bought 3 shirts, pair of jeans and some socks.
Dinner: Chicken breast, leftover couscous with onion, garlic and red peppers, and cooked cabbage.
After dinner we watched a Diane Keaton movie Something Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson with honor of her recent death.

Tuesday, October 14.
Sunrise: 8AM Sunset: 6:454PM – Partly cloudy conditions expected around 6PM. Wind gusts up to 6 mph. Low: 53 and the high: 62. Rode my bike into town this morning to buy a dress shirt for the formal event in Ropsley this weekend.

Wednesday October 15
Sunrise: 8:02 Sunset: 6:43 – Cloudy conditions will continue all day with gusts up to 5mph. 

We left the house at 6:30pm yesterday and made it to Gerard’s house in Aalsmeer at 8:30pm. Chatted and hung out with Esther’s dad until about 10PM then went to bed. We’re going to hang out here until 2PM then head to Schiphol airport for our flight to Norwich UK. We headed to the airport at 2pm by UBER – it was our first time not taking public transportation and costs only 8 dollars – pretty good deal.

At the airport we found out, the travel agent who booked our flight had misspelled Esther’s name so the name on her ticket didn’t match the name on her passport. We managed to get this fixed at the Schiphol airport and were told this would have a been a big problem if we were flying to the US – so note to self, double check the work of others.

Thursday – October 16
Norwich, UK
Norwich is a historic city in eastern England, located in the county of Norfolk. It’s known for its rich medieval heritage, vibrant culture and blend of old and new architecture. Once one of England’s most important cities during the middle ages, Norwich boast a stunning cathedral, a 12th century castle and a well-preserved medieval street layout.

Norwich was famous for having an extraordinary number of pubs – more than any other city in England for it’s size – In the 19th century, Norwich had over 600 pubs, with some estimates suggesting as many as 1,000 at its peak.

Churches – Historically, during the Middle Ages, Norwich had around 57 churches within the city walls, plus several more in the surrounding area. That made it one of the most church-dense cities in medieval England. About 31 medieval parish churches still survive – many now repurposed as art venues, community centers oe cafes.

Esther was invited to Norwich to give a talk to the John Innes Institute and the Sainsbury Laboratories (TSL) by her long time friend and colleague Sophien and his partner Soskia. Our hosts Sophien and Soskia took us out to dinner on the night we arrived to the Wildebeest a gastropub that was refurbished from one of the old pub. The Wildebeest – is a 3AA Rosette Restaurant, in Stoke Holy Cross, just outside of Norwich. Chef Patron Daniel Smith and Head Chef Fabio Miani take great pride in their kitchen serving the freshest ingredients, bringing dishes together that embrace every season and using all that is great and good from Norfolk. 

Esther and I had the pan roasted holkham venison, potato pave,jerusalem, artichoke purée, confit swede, CEP mushrooms, venison and chorizo ragout pie. 

And for dessert we had the caramelized apple crumble soufflé with crème anglaise – AMAAZING

Friday and Saturday – October 17 and 18
Ropsley, UK
David and Soraya had invited us to their family estate in Ropsley for their annual, formal English style bird hunt. Ropsley is a small village located in Lincolnshire, England, about 4 miles from Grantham. We got there late Friday afternoon and missed the clay pigeon practice shoot but, we weren’t planning on shooting anyway so it was all good. The estate was purchased, pretty much as is, by David’s parents as a investment. I estate covers about 3,000 acres, of farmland and a building that includes several kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms and probably 12 or more bedrooms. There are also several cottages on the estate. It’s a working farm with 5 employees and a trust was setup with a manager to handle all of the financial needs.

A formal English bird hunt – often referred to as a driven shoot or game shoot – is one of Britain’s most traditional and ceremonious countryside pastimes. Here is what it involves.
The Setting – Usually takes place on a country estate or manor grounds
The participants
– Guns – the shooters (guests or invited sportsmen/women).
– Beaters – who flush the birds out from cover.
– Pickers-up – handlers with trained gundogs to retrieve shot birds.
– Gamekeeper – manages the estate and oversees the day.
The Days Structure
– Morning meet – Guns gather, often with coffee or a light breakfast at the lodge/
– Safety briefing – Conducted by the gamekeeper or captain (Alister)
– Drives – Several organized sessions where beaters drive birds over the guns’ line.
– Elevenses – A mid-morning break with drinks(Slo Gin) and snacks in the field.
– Lunch – A formal sit-down meal, in the estate house.
– Afternoon drives – followed by tea or drinks to close the day
Dress Code
– Tweed jacket or shooting coat
– Breeks (knee-length trousers) or plus-fours
– Long shooting socks with garters
– Collared shirt, tie and waist coat
– Sturdy boats or brogues
– flat cap or fedora-style hat

We had a traditional full English breakfast – Over easy eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and roasted tomatoes

On Sunday morning we took UBER, the train and bus to get back to Norwich for our flight home. There was a little train delay back to Wageningen due to construction so we went to Gerard place, spent the night and traveled back on Monday morning – and this ends a very busy week 3.