Flora and fauna on the way to Cromer.

We are off to Cromer --- a sudden decision.

It is a mild and magical October day, 22degrees, the trees are colouring up nicely, yellows, oranges, fiery reds and golds.

On the right hand side of the M11, above the golden fields I watched a red kite circling, almost immediately a pigeon flew low across the road in front of the car and I realised how very large a red kite must be. I suppose everything is comparative, seeing the pigeons in the garden they always look so large compared to most of our other garden birds, now seeing the pigeon against a higher flying red kite, suddenly I see them as a mid size bird.

The left hand verge is almost barren of plants and looks white and dusty, between the sparse greenery the ground looks like pure chalk. We pass a field of sheep, spread out widely and all laying contentedly down. I wonder if they are ruminating like cows do and are chewing the cud. Do sheep chew the cud, I wonder.

Where the A11/14 separates we took the left hand road toward Norwhich, as we did so we saw two more red kites above the road.

Just past Elvedon we saw some magnificent  beech trees, fully mature and just starting to show their autumn colour. We drove past great banks of trees of all types, most of them changing colour, in a few weeks they will be breathtakingly beautiful.

Passed another field of sheep again all contentedly laying down, not too long after we saw many pigs spread across a muddy field, all with their snouts in the brown earth.

Almost immediately we passed a field of the most delightful, curly tailed, pink and black piglets, seeing them I was reminded of the Enid Blyton stories of a pink pig with a curly tale who flew the children off on adventures.

We saw a kestrel hovering high above the verge, it is the first Kestrel we have seen on this journey.

Next up is a field of black and white cows, sheltering in the shade of trees, it is 24 degrees, and they must be glad of the cool shade on such an unexpectedly warm day.

Two small flocks of rooks, the first eight, the second eleven were flying back and forth and circling above the road as we drove.

Eighteen miles from Cromer we saw another field of cows, these were varying shades of brown and had many pretty calves with them.

In two places during this journey I saw groups of garden flowers flourishing on the roadside verges. The first was a large group of beautiful, showy, red hollyhocks and the second was a smaller group of pale pink lupins.