This is the beginning of a new feature on our web site which will consist of my ad hoc ramblings about everything and nothing. Some will be relevant to the cafe and some will not.

The aim of these ramblings will be to inform and involve and I hope make the cafe come alive in a real way by involving our customers in this ongoing story.

We are not aware of any other Cafe that has its own Blog and, as such, we are in uncharted territory. Please feel free to respond by using the web link to our e-mail and let us know what you think.

As you will know if you have read " the History of the Yard" in the front cover of the magazine, we are a family run cafe. Pam and myself are the owners, our daughter Amy is the manageress and our very good friend Jennette is our other full timer. We have three regular part timers, there's Kirsten, (Jennette's daughter), a student at the City College, Angela (with the South African accent) we have told her to speak sloooowwwweeeerrrrr!!! She is a student at the Art College and Rachel our newest member (daughter of our friends in our home village) who is an A level student at Wymondham.

So that's the cast, small, in more ways than one!!, but very hard working and as anxious as we are to make sure that our Cafe is the best, friendliest place in the city with service second to none.

Talking of service, we have another daughter in South Carolina, Jennie, and so we visit the States pretty often. It's here that we have picked up our ideals on what constitutes GOOD service.  Whatever you think of the USA, it's difficult to think how they could make the dining out experience more pleasurable. The waitressing staff cannot do enough for you and are always so knowledgeable about the food that they are serving. And if anything is not quite right, then they will do anything to put it right and really seem to care. It helps that the staff take a pride in the job (it may be because they rely so heavily on tips!! Yes I know that but then you don't mind if the service is so good) So we try to take the best of the States and recreate that in our Coffee shop. 

You may notice all the quirky things on the window sills and hanging on the walls and several customers have remarked on them and wonder where we got them. So now you know, Pam loves to shop (surprise, surprise!!) and we are always going round the Malls looking for those odd special things that will add interest to our place.

This Blog or diary as they used to be called, will not just focus on the Cafe but on the people as well to add that essential extra colour, because, as my father was very fond of saying, " There's nowt so queer as folk" (He was from Burnley).

Have you ever heard of "The Orford Cellar"? Well it was under the Orford Arms Public House which was where Nandos stands today. The entrance was from the next alley to ours (the other side of the Chelsea) and in the 60s it was a thriving club for Jazz and new pop and rock groups. It was a tiny place, 300 souls would fill it wall to wall and it was there in 1967 that I saw Jimi Hendrix.  

You may have heard the recent Radio Norfolk hour long 40th anniversary programme from the cellar with reminiscences from some people who were there and a tribute band "Fourplay" playing from the actual cellar. I went down to witness the scene and spoke with the promoter of the time and he told me two very interesting facts. He booked Hendrix for £45 and around the same time a promoter, Brian Epstein, rang him and offered a booking for a new group from Liverpool who were making their way down to gigs in London. They wanted £70.

He thought that was a bit too expensive and didn't book this new group called "The Beatles"!!!!   I was 16 at the time and I remember that I paid on the door and went down into the cellar via some very steep wooden stairs (that was the only way in and out!!) It was heaving down there and the Hendrix band was producing a wall of sound. The session was over all too soon and, though my memory isn't good about the night, I knew I was watching someone very special and have remembered that to this day.

So that's it for now. We've made a start and I hope you will  come back to the site and check out the next instalment. Tell your friends, get them to come in and see us.

We also intend starting a photos' page. One for us "oldies" and another for the babies who come in. Pam and Jennette love to see the new ones but that's another story!!

Until next time.....

Bye y'all.