Anny-Wanny's Expo!

Earlier in the week I decided to play hookey for the morning in order

to attend a showing of the work of three extremely talented

local artists over at Horning. 

The right-hand end of the Swan Inn which Google have
decided to pimp up a bit.  I do wish they wouldn't.

If I'm brutally honest I probably

wouldn't have gone at all had in not been for the fact that Ann Mills,

one of my oldest friends and stalwart support through far too many of life's

thicks and thins, was one of the painters who would be making

 an exhibition of herself in the gallery beside the river

17th century cottage untouched by either time or Google.

For those of you who don't know it, Horning is a pretty little village

in the heart of Broadland, Norfolk which attracts thousands of visitors each year,

many of whom take to the river in all shapes and sizes of boat clad in stripey jumpers,

 nautical wellingtons and even the occasional pirate eye-patch, while others

prefer to sit back and chill in one of the many pubs, bars and restaurants

whilst at the same time simply watching the world float by their gin and tonics.

Leaping Puffin by Ann Mills

Whilst it didn't actually manage to draw throngs of clamouring paparazzi, despite my

brief, unannounced appearance, the exhibition did have a steady

stream of visitors come through it's doors.  Some appeared to be

knowledgeable on all things "arty", others wouldn't have been able to

tell a Banksie from a backside unless he had actually decided to spray

paint their car and one elderly couple had somehow managed to mistake

the sign which clearly said "art exhibition - open" for the public

conveniences and were suitably bemused by the whole experience.

I musn't appear to be biased so I will give you a quick look

at a close up of the Sweet Peas painted in watercolour by Vivien Proctor.

She makes an excellent cup of tea by the way.

Norfolk brown hare by Anny Wanny

But the star of the show for me, complete with his own frame,

was this beautiful Norfolk hare which needless to say simply had

to come home with me.  And I think I snapped him up in the

nick of time because as I was leaving the Mississippi style river

boat with it's 100+ passengers had just come in to moor and

three coach loads of sightseers had just rocked up on the staithe.

Let's hope they followed the correct signs and didn't end up in the

public loos with the two old ravers. 

The Village Bike by Ann Mills