Day 5. Twelfth night.

This has been my favourite tree

According to tradition, all Christmas decorations should be taken down by the end of Twelfth Night, January 5th, or they must stay up for the rest of the year to prevent bad luck. It was believed that the foliage, originally used to decorate homes during the festive period, contained tree-spirits that needed protection during the harsh mid-winter. However if they weren't released back into the countryside not only would they wreak havoc in the house in which they remained but the vegetation would fail to grow come Spring and agriculture would suffer.

In this region, working the land is a mainstay of the economy so down they come and let's hope 2013 is a prosperous year for Norfolk's farming community.

Day 2. West Norfolk sunrise

If we can find the right property it's pretty much decided that we'll move house in 2013. This morning I was up before everyone else and watched the sunrise, coffee in hand, again questioning the wisdom of our decision. Big skies and beautiful views. The two dots of light to the right of the left hand tree come from one of the neighbouring farms.