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Barrie's love affair with Norfolk's big blue sky 

Norfolk church leader and ex-dentist Barrie Lawrence has six daughters and 20 grand-children living in five different countries, but his favourite place is his life-long home under those famous big blue skies. Review by Keith Morris.


BigBlueSkyCoverBarrie’s new book Big Blue Sky – A Celebration of Norfolk details his over 70-year love affair with his home county of Norfolk. He was born in the south at Ditchingham, now lives in the north at Frettenham and never wants to leave.

An unstoppable author, Barrie’s previous tomes have covered the extremely funny side of being a dentist and the sometimes hilarious but often more thoughtful side of life as a leading light in the county’s Christian community.

And now he has turned his attention to the mostly amusing sides of life in his beloved Norfolk.

Barrie says: “From the immediate post-war years, I have early memories of a formation of bombers and fighters growling across our Norfolk sky, whilst  I innocently caused our chickens to become so drunk that they could not stand up. The local accent can be confusing – a shiver in your finger? – and at times, almost hilarious, with churchgoers sitting in poos, and regular churchgoers sitting in their own poo. If you follow me; if not, read the book. 

“I love this county of my birth, and enthuse to relate stories concerning the culture, legends, accent, history, landscape, and more, illustrated through innumerable memories from childhood and later. I trust you will enjoy reading of my romance with Norfolk, lived out under a big blue sky.”

Escapades with mates Sludge, Beefy, Shadley and Roger the Rough, and childhood romances with Sandra, Carol, Ann and Sarah are plentiful.

The humorous side of the Norfolk dialect and vocabulary is examined as are some of its more fascinating characters, which are normal for Norfolk, of course.

There are brief punchy historical facts on Boudicca, Nelson, Allan Smethurst, Bernard Matthews, Scottish drovers, the Huguenots, coypus, the origins of the Broads – and plenty more – all written in short, easily digestible chunks.

School day japes, holiday memories, bird watching and even the Puppet Man get a mention or two.

Barrie writes: “From an early age I walked, ran, cycled, swam, caught mice, trapped coypu, played golf, chased girls, kicked leaves all under the big blue skies of Norfolk.”

Big Blue Sky – A Celebration of Norfolk is available in East Anglian bookshops. 216pp. RRP £9.95. On Amazon or at barrielawrence.com Or Barrie will dispatch copies to addresses within the UK for £10, to include p&p. Contact him at barrielawrence@btinternet.com


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