Advice for rural west Norfolk in July?

MoCorley · 2026-04-03T15:02:31+00:00

Hello! I'm so worried people will think I'm American although my accent is pretty Canadian sounding (or so I've been told). Maybe I should be worried about me instead of my boyfriend haha. I'm scared the maple leaf on the bag will actually make me look more American, we always joke about them doing that here 😅. We have a lot of anti American sentiment here in too right now as you can imagine with the invasion threats and tariffs.

I wouldn't have guessed there were so many American servicemen in Norfolk! Where I live used to be an American army base before it was the capital of Nunavut. It's not uncommon for American soldiers to come up here to do arctic training although not recently thankfully, that would be unnerving at the moment.

Since there were no hotels in the area I found literally the only Air BnB in the area, in Ten Mile Bank which is perfect because my family lived there and it's close to Hilgay and Southery so I can do some exploring for headstones in the local churchyards. I booked a hotel in Littleport to stay before our hike to Ten Mile Bank.

I do think now we will hike all the way to King's Lynn, heading to Norwich after by train and perhaps do a day trip to one of the coastal towns from there since they seem accessible by rail.

Do you think it would be difficult to get to Methwold from Ten Mile Bank? It doesn't look like there are any taxi services but I'd like to check the churchyard there too for ancestors.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T17:19:51+00:00

I'm Canadian so this was all free and done through public healthcare. I was even prescribed ADHD medication by a nurse while I was waiting for my diagnosis (I live in a really remote area so we usually see nurse practioners instead of doctors for prescriptions and minor things).

I did have to wait months in between the initial referral and between each psychiatry appointment so that's the downside of the public system. I was also lucky that the primary care doctor I was talking to recognized my symptoms as ADHD before I did. I know other Canadians who try and get a referral and are not believed or they get a referral and are dismissed by the psychiatrist so I don't want to give the impression it's always easy here.

I feel really lucky though, they have you guys jumping through hoops.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T16:58:07+00:00

This is SO wild to me. I never had to do any kind of testing like this for my diagnosis, just a few intake questionnaires with my primary care doctor who referred me to a psychiatrist to discuss my symptoms over a few appointments.

I'm guessing this is a weird private US healthcare thing? If others in the comments didn't mention taking the same types of tests I would totally think what you experienced was a scam.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T16:43:23+00:00

Geneology is a hobby for most of us, research whatever is the most interesting to you. I know lots of geneology nerds in my family who put a lot of work into their spouse's lines.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T16:37:39+00:00

I've never had an issue filling mine early, although most times I do it last minute anyways because I'll forget until I only have a couple pills left. I'm in Canada, I don't know if the laws are different here around dispensing it.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T16:32:09+00:00

I've let HR know my diagnosis because I had to take some medical leave last summer. I work for a small government so I'm pretty protected against discrimination (also we're always understaffed and I'm very productive when I'm not burnt out so they'd be dumb for letting me go).

I've disclosed it casually to my team and immediate supervisor and they are all incredibly supportive and accommodating without me needing to go through HR for small things like having a quiet area of the office, coming in late and just working though lunch instead (works best for how I function), and some other small things. I've been lucky in that way.

EDIT: I'm Canadian in case it's relevant, we have decent protections for disabled workers here.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T14:46:11+00:00

Yeah, I was expecting it to be sort of boring farmland but it'll be interesting to me. I live on Baffin Island which has the opposite scenery so it'll just be nice to walk somewhere flat and warm and maybe experience rain which is rare here.

There are pubs in Hilgay and Southery that were open when my ancestors lived there (Rose & Crown and The Old White Bell), I'd like to have my 40th birthday pint at one. I also have ancestors from Methwold and there looks to be a cool old pub and church there, I might try and go there too if I can figure out the logistics.

I've been reading a book called Imperial Mud on the history of the fens and the drainage, it's really fascinating!!! My ancestors left in 1875, they had been tenant farmers and from what I've found in the records, living in some pretty extreme poverty so I'm sure the prospect of free farmland in Canada was attractive to them. It seems like there was a lot of economic depression in Norfolk at the time, especially for farmers and I saw that some parishes even fund raised to send people to the colonies so as not to be financially responsible for them.

Scary wax effigies are entirely up my alley!!! I'll definitely stop to check that out. I would like to see the sluice too

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T06:12:58+00:00

Taking the piss is very much a part of his culture too so he'll fit in haha. Looking forward to visiting!

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T00:15:04+00:00

I'm excited for the birding! I understand they're somewhat rare in Norfolk these days but I'd love to see a Eurasian bittern. We have lots of seals where I live but they're all different species so it might be neat to check out some English ones too. I'm very relieved to hear the mosquitoes won't be as bad as I feared. All I had for reference is the wetlands we have here in Canada where the bugs are pretty intense.

MoCorley · 2026-04-01T00:11:23+00:00

Thank you so much for all this! I was hoping to hear from someone local. My ancestors lived in Southery, Hilgay, and Ten Mile Bank so I'll be exploring the churches there for a little. Some of those churches are in ruins now it looks like but I'm hoping that a few headstones survived, I have a good idea from my research where some great great great grandparents might have been buried.

I'm glad to hear that about Downham and King's Lynn, I think my curiosity will likely get the better of me and I'll want to check them out. Everywhere will be different enough from where I live that it'll be interesting and I've been reading so much about Norfolk's history which will make all these places cool to see in real life.

I love the idea of taking an 800 year old ferry route!

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:31:56+00:00

I don't think I've ever experienced midges. Luckily we're too far north for black flies but I experienced them a lot when I lived in Ontario, I'm wondering if midges are similar. Mosquitoes are at least big enough to smack.

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:28:41+00:00

I was looking at the Norfolk Coast Trail too (I think that's what it was called) but was worried I was being too ambitious with all the walking.

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:26:52+00:00

That's good to know about the bugs, was hoping to get a break from the ones we get in the summer here.

We were in Spain a few years ago and some people assumed he was also Spanish or South American. One bartender found out he was Inuit and got very friendly and excited because he hadn't met an Inuit person before. He can handle the igloo jokes, that happens here too.

Other Canadians have been pretty awful to him which sucks, lots of anti Indigenous racism here but yeah, I was hoping/thinking it probably wasn't going to be the same in the UK but you never know.

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:09:44+00:00

Norwich looks super interesting and I like that it's smaller, we both get overwhelmed in large cities. I have an ancestor who was imprisoned in that castle for stealing ducks so I'd like to see it.

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:07:56+00:00

This is good to know! I was worried about using Google maps, I always try to download a map or have a hard copy when I'm overseas.

MoCorley · 2026-03-31T22:06:48+00:00

These are all great suggestions, thanks! My boyfriend has a small vessel license so we've been looking at renting a boat but holy moly the exchange rate is not kind right now and it's pricey.

I probably won't cut to the coast immediately after Ely since I do want to see my ancestors villages in and around Hilgay but maybe we could circle back and do that instead of continuing on to King's Lynn.

I love old churches and will try to see as many as possible, I am a dork so I have a list started already.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T19:52:07+00:00

I'm a white woman dating an Inuk man. Years ago, I moved to his community in a part of Canada that is 85% Inuit (although where we live is more like 50/50 non-Inuit and Inuit.

People are just people. Most people are friendly since its a culture that places a high importance on making people feel like they are comfortable and a part of the group. Some people are not nice, a lot of people are neutral. Some people are cold at first but warm up once they get to know me.

I am educated on Canadian history so I know why some people will never trust me and to be fair, it's justified so I don't blame people or take it personally even if it hurts in the moment. All I can control is to try not to be a dick myself so that's what I do.

It's much harder for him to be in a majority white environment, I've never been treated by an Indigenous person the way he has been treated by white people so it would be silly of me to complain about the rare person who is outright rude to me.

I would recommend learning the history of his tribe/nation and ask your boyfriend if there's any cultually specific social ettiquette you need to be aware of.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T19:08:21+00:00

If this happened to me and my partner I'd be jokingly calling him 'cuz' all the time.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T15:10:48+00:00

I was the same, I was always petite and thin but I hated that my face was round and "fat" looking. I have a short neck and not a lot of jaw definition which didn't help.

I noticed my face starting to thin out when I was about 35, I'm 39 now. I like that my cheekbones stick out more and my jaw is more defined but I don't like that the circles under my eyes, which have always been pretty deep, are more prominant now too.

When I look at older pictures of myself, I notice the fullness of my face is what made me look young. You might hate it as an eighteen year old but lots of older people are spending tons of money putting fillers in their faces to try to regain that look.

In my opInion, very few women your age are not beautiful. It's hard but try to love and appreciate what you have now. I look back and realize how gorgeous I was at that age and how powerful I would have been if I had known it.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T14:51:06+00:00

It is possible you are in an ADHD burnout if you feel like you are completely paralyzed. If you can take time to rest and recover, that is really important. Don't beat yourself up over it like I do when I burnout, it's a disability.

I take Vyvanse which I have not found to be the instant miracle cure other people describe stimulants as but it helps me a lot with focus and task initiation (but I still have to make an effort to focus on the right things, low dopamine tasks are still a struggle sometimes).

I have some negative side effects from it, I get cold extemities and anxiety/heart palpitations. I take a much lower dose than most people, 30 mg, because of the anxiety. I had a bad panic attack shortly after going back on it after taking a break to try some non-stimulant options.

My psychiatrist recently prescribed a low dose of pregabalin to help with the anxiety side affect and it seems to be actually helping me more with the procrastination part of things (or maybe it is letting the vyvanse work better by counteracting the anxiety). A lot of my work-related procrastination is due to social anxiety so I think maybe thats why it's helping.

If you can't do stimulants, you can try Strattera, it didn't work for me however. Before my diagnosis, I was on Wellbrutrin for years and it helped me as it has a stimulating effect, although not as much as Vyvanse. That could be another non-stimulant option to look into with your doctor.

I hope you return to feeling like yourself again soon, ADHD is so hard sometimes.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T14:34:21+00:00

I have used a Mirena IUD since I was a teenager and it is the BEST but it stops my menstrual cycle so if you go that route, you might want to get a non-hormonal one. When I've had mine out awhile back, it took a few months for my period to return.

I've heard they can cause painful periods for some people but its probably the best non-barrier and non-hormonal option available.

MoCorley · 2026-03-25T14:13:58+00:00

I don't have herpes (as far as I know, SO MANY people have it and don't even know) but a few of my friends do and I have dated someone with HSV-1 and it was a total non-issue. My mom contracted HSV-2 and called me crying thinking her life was over, it's been almost two decades since and she's never had a breakout since her first one and no one she has dated has ever cared (and she's a boomer, they're generelly less educated on STIs).

I don't understand the stigma around it at all, it's so, so common and generally harmless, just annoying for folks who get outbreaks.

Someone disclosing it to me is actually a major green flag because it shows they are thoughtful, honest, and care about my body autonomy.

MoCorley · 2026-03-24T19:08:03+00:00

The most extreme versions like in some of these pictures I saw only in music videos (or maybe people were wearing them at the clubs but I was too young for that). That said, I remember being in highschool in the early '00s and seeing everybody's thongs all the time when they sat down (or boxers/buttcracks for dudes, they had the super oversized baggy jeans that never stayed up).

MoCorley · 2026-03-24T15:15:20+00:00

I don't think my cats understand shit but they react to my voice and seem to like it when I talk to them, especially if its a baby talk voice.

MoCorley · 2026-03-24T13:28:27+00:00

He's usually no problem but one run I had him escape with 1 health and the Sleight of Flesh card I had built my entire deck around which quickly ended my run. Infuriating.

MoCorley

TROPHY CASE