Normandy and Norfolk

Normandy was occupied by the Vikings or Norsemen in the 9th and 10th centuries.The Vikings also invaded Norfolk from time to time during the same period but the name was used to distinguish  the  North Folk of the Angles from the South Folk, subsequently Suffolk, of the Angles to the south.

I am lucky enough to enough to be able to spend part, most in fact, of my time in Normandy and part in Norfolk.For keen birdwatchers,both regions offer wonderful opportunities to indulge the hobby.In  Normandy  you can see the Black Woodpecker and Crested Tit, both absent from England. Norfolk is renowned for the best birdwatching in Britain,because of the rare migrants that get blown on to the coastal fringes.

It has been a long cold winter in Normandy, and in Norfolk as well but I love my big open log fire here in Upper Normandy and the shooting almost every weekend throughout the autumn and winter with my chasseur friends inSeine-Maritime.Sometimes I miss the wide open spaces of the marshes of the north Norfolk coast, especially in winter  when the huge flocks of geese arrive from the north.I also miss the local pubs and the fish and chips!

The shooting in Normandy is much less elitist  and more accessible than in the UK and there is great cameraderie,not to say ribaldry, among the chasseurs of Normandy .

One aspect of rural life that is important for me is walking the dogs.Although Normandy has expansive  forested areas especially in Orne and Eure, such as at Lyons-la-Foret,there are usually restrictions on Divagation des Chiens and dogs have to be kept under control, ironically because of the many wild boar and deer in the forests.So the dogs don't get as much exercise as they might otherwise and I am some distance from the coast.In north Norfolk they can run around to their hearts' content on the miles of sandy beaches and dunes all along the coastal fringes.

So there are pros and cons for both regions but Normandy is a wonderful place to live, with its quiet roads, lively weekly markets in every town and outstanding regional produce such as Normandy cheeses ,boudin noir, herrings,scallops and Calvados!