Diss

"If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family
reunion." - Ashleigh Brilliant

We arrived in Diss shortly before 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon following a teary departure from Eric's. We meandered through the countryside, taking in the changing landscape which moved from Queen Anne's lace and poppies to ferns and rhododendrons and back again. Along the way we stopped at Hunstanton to look at the sea and have a bite of lunch. A lapse in our collective memory resulted in a £50 parking ticket.

Until Friday we will be staying at the home of Myron and Sue in the village of Winfarthing just outside Diss. Their home is a small cottage on the main street. There is no street address, the house identified only as the School House, named for it's location across the street from the village school. Myron, who served as best man at our wedding, is Merv's oldest friend. Merv was to Myron's parents (now deceased) what Jonathan is to us.

Last night we went to a restaurant in Diss for the family reunion dinner. There were eleven of us, Myron and Sue, their daughter Emma and her husband Neil, their son Warren and his fiancee Lynsey and Lynsey's parents Phillip and Heather. Phillip is Merv's first cousin. A tracing of the family tree has somehow connected Myron and Merv as family though admittedly I had trouble following the connections. This is the meeting that I was nervous about - the one that precipitated my diet. Of course, as most things in life go, there was no need for nerves. By comparison, my weight is absolutely fine, not to mention I have beautiful teeth. Too funny.

In a few minutes I will get into the shower and then Merv and I will head to the cemetery to visit the graves of his mom and sister. We have a seaside visit scheduled for a little later in the day. I also need to find a computer store where I can buy a suitable power cord for my netbook as it's out of juice and we didn't bring the right adaptor.

The sun is brilliant in the sky today. The odors from the pig farm adjacent to the house are unfortunately wafting in the morning breeze so I'm struggling a bit. Sue tells me I'll get used to the smell. I'm not convinced.