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IN THIS ISSUE

• Margaret Manning continues her account of an English holiday
• Gerrit de Leeuw forwards a story of an incredible guy
• Peter Rollo reveals how an elder forecast the weather
• Jack Peaker sends an example of great patience
• Dick Monaghan´s story is about a test for grandmothers
• Carol Hansen and Tom Telfer recommend websites

Margaret Manning recalls another busy day in their

TRIP TO REMEMBER

We were due to visit Eric´s niece and her husband at their home north- west of us on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. That was a good opportunity to have a stop en route in Thetford Chase and also to visit the Iceni Village. For us it was marvellous that places like Thetford Chase still exist and are as we remembered them, apart from improved roads. There is absolute quiet only a few metres off the main road. We had an old-fashioned picnic, spreading a tartan blanket on the ground, enjoying coffee from a Thermos and home-baked cakes.

We then took the road to Swaffham which signposted "Iceni Village". We found ourselves on a Norfolk Byway that led to the village of Cockley Cley. The owners of this "Iceni Replica" do not claim this was the actual site of an Iceni village but historical finds and records show the Iceni were very prominent in this area. The story of the village is told via display boards and life-size models dressed in the clothing of the era. The faces of the men were painted in woad dye, a very strong blue colour. It was a tradition of the Icni to make the menfolk appear more fierce when on duty for Queen Boadicea. There is also a museum of farm equipment, an Education Centre, and walks around the property, which include skirting a lake. A Saxon Church (6th Century) across the road is also part of this package.

We again went through part of Thetford Forest on our way to Janet and Neville´s. They live in a delightful village in Breckland and not far from three American air bases. The bases have been sited there all my life and have provided work and business projects in the wider area for what was previously a part of Suffolk with few job opportunities. Once again the landscape was stunning with its mix of Breck landscape, and flint and thatch buildings.

We returned to Stowmarket a few moments after our nephew had injured his left knee. The pain was so severe he was taken to the nearest Hospital for attention, returning with his partner at 3.30 a.m. That put paid to going out anywhere with him as he was barely able to walk for the rest of our time in England.

We had to return to Norfolk to re-visit family members from both sides living near Norwich. This time we stayed in a motor inn near the airport. The weekend was very busy and included an afternoon at the Norfolk Broads, where we saw the end of a yachting regatta. Not for us the crowded town of Wroxham. Eric´s nephew Peter knew a quiet lookout point at the end of a country road so it was bliss having a vantage point to ourselves right by the water´s edge.

The north Norfolk Coast was also a "must-do" but there´s a lot of it to drive and visit in one day so we chose Blakeney. This place is a haven for birds, for people who like going out in boats, and for those who love long walks. From there we drove along the coast to Cromer, famous for its crabs and pier. It was great to find the pub courtyard where we had enjoyed Cromer crab 10 years previously, and did so again. We took a walk down to the pier and were delighted to see youngsters with their dads trying to catch crabs from the pier. With children building sandcastles, playing with buckets and spades, and eating candy floss it was a great old-fashioned English seaside setting.

All too soon we had to go back to Suffolk and plan the final week of our visit.

(To be continued)

Gerrit de Leeuw sends the story of a wonderful guy:

FRANK FELDMAN

A man walked out to the street and caught a taxi just going by. He got into the taxi, and the cabbie said, "Perfect timing. You´re just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He´s a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the grand-slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star, and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special."

Cabbie: "There´s more.... He had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody´s birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right."

Passenger: "Wow, some guy then."

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic to avoid traffic jams. Not like me. I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman."

Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?"

Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank. He died and I married his widow."

Peter Rollo sends this story from Australia:

FORECASTING THE WEATHER

It was April and the Aboriginals in a remote part of Northern Australia asked their new elder if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was an elder in a modern community he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn´t tell what the winter was going to be like. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the tribe should collect firewood to be prepared.

But being a practical leader, after several days he had an idea. He walked out to the telephone booth on the highway, called the Bureau of Meteorology and asked, "Is the coming winter in this area going to be cold?"The meteorologist responded, "It looks as if this winter is going to be quite cold."

So the elder went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.

A week later he called the Bureau of Meteorology again. "Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?"

The meteorologist again replied, "Yes, it´s going to be a very cold winter."

The elder again went back to his community and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later the elder called the Bureau again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?" he asked.

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It´s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the elder asked.

The weatherman replied, "Our satellites have reported that the Aboriginals in the north are collecting firewood like crazy, and that´s always a sure sign."

Jack Peaker forwards the story of

ALBERT

A woman is in a grocery store and happens upon a grandpa and his poorly-behaving three-year-old grandson. At every turn it´s obvious gramps has his hands full with the kid screaming for candy in the candy aisle, cookies in the cookie aisle, same for fruit, cereal and soda.

Meanwhile, gramps is working his way around, saying in a controlled voice, "Easy, Albert, we won´t be long ... easy, boy."

Another outburst and she hears gramps calmly say, "It´s OK, Albert, just a couple more minutes and we´ll be outta here; hang in there."

At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items from the cart, and gramps again in a controlled voice is saying, "Albert, Albert, relax buddy, don´t get upset - we´ll be home in five minutes ... stay cool, Albert."

Very impressed, the woman goes up to gramps as he´s loading the kid and the groceries into his car and says, "You know, sir, it´s none of my business, but you were amazing in there. I don´t know how you did it. The whole time you kept your composure and no matter how loud and disruptive he got, you just calmly kept saying things would be OK. Albert is very lucky to have you for his grandpa."

"Thanks, lady,´ said gramps, "but I´m Albert - the little bastard´s name is Johnny."

Dick Monaghan sends this one:

THE GRANDMA TEST

I was out walking with my four-year-old granddaughter. She picked up something up off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that.

"Why?" my granddaughter asked.

"Because it´s been on the ground; you don´t know where it´s been, it´s dirty, and probably has germs," I replied.

At this point, my granddaughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Grandma, how do you know all this stuff? You are so smart."

I was thinking quickly. "All grandmas know this stuff. It´s on the Grandma Test. You have to know it, or they don´t let you be a grandma."

We walked along in silence for two or three minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. "Oh ... I get it!" she beamed. "So if you don´t pass the test you have to be the grandpa."

"Exactly," I replied with a big smile on my face.

When you´re finished laughing, send this to another grandma!

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Carol Hansen writes: This surprising YouTube video is about helping people achieve their dreams. Dan Phillips may have a revolutionary idea on his hands. He wants to help the working poor build their own small-scale houses. He requires the future owners to get their hands dirty, and he keeps costs down by using garbage. That´s right, these are houses made from garbage.

Philips realized tons of perfectly good building materials were being thrown away. They may be defective or ugly materials, but with a little work, they can be structurally sound. And in the end, these homes are unique and amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Std5taGTP6I&feature=related

Tom Telfer forwards this URL for important information about secure sites on the internet:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/https.asp

For an anti-spam site, see

http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/antispam.html

Another video in the series of Playing for Change:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAjFnJuk1Aw&feature=channel