A Norfolk trip

Green and gold were the colours of the weekend, and not just in the rugby. A first visit to the Norfolk coast for a few months was more rewarding than watching England tumble out of the World cup. The green leaves of the hawthorns and sycamores that shelter the coastal margins are turning golden with the onset of autumn, and the season burnished saltmarshes and blue mirror lagoons were pure lit in October Sun.

Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests connected each bush with spider-silk calls, flitting along untangible webs. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs still hung on to the last warmth of summer, and suddenly the metallic shawl of a Firecrest stood out. And then the mossy green of an eastern warbler. As if a leaf had been stroked into life by the pale milky morning- a Yellow-brow. 

Out on the Purslane and Sea Lavender, startled by a Peregrine, then worried by a hen harrier, Golden plover calls drifted across the muddy flats while young starlings took refuge among the thorns and berries.

A large flock, safer on the reserve, glittered on the blue water - gold next to green. Ducks slept as various waders stood or prodded or preened, and the sun set.