Author Archives: Scribe Doll

Postcards from Nice: the Feast Day of the Patron Saint

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Scribe Doll

(Sunday 6th October 2024) A few people have already gathered outside the mairie in the old town.  The statue of Saint Réparate stands ready in a white boat filled with lilies and red roses, eyes downcast, holding a silver olive … Continue reading →

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Postcards from Nice: Blue.

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Scribe Doll

Blue.  The first thing that struck me about Nice was its blue.  The blue of its sea.  Deep, rich, silky, alluring blue.  I never knew blue could be warm.  The blue sea in the Baie des Anges.  Swathes of aquamarine … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Chocolate Notes. Goodbye, Norwich. Goodbye, England.

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Scribe Doll

I push open the door to Chocolate Notes and make a deliberate effort to take in the white floor with the swirly scores, the dark wooden tables and chairs, the shelving packed with CDs.  Fiamma and Jan give me a … Continue reading →

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Saint George’s Day @ Chocolate Notes

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Scribe Doll

(23 April 2024) One of the local pubs is displaying white flags with the red cross of Saint George.  I suddenly feel the need to be in an international environment and can’t think of a better place than Chocolate Notes, … Continue reading →

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FEASTS & FANCIES @ CHOCOLATE NOTES

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Scribe Doll

Of Writers and Rice I push open the door of Chocolate Notes and do a double take.  Two well-known, award-winning writers – one of whom I’ve met before – are sitting at one of the large corner tables.  After a moment … Continue reading →

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Feasts & Fancies: New Year’s Eve @ Chocolate Notes

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Scribe Doll

The weather is true to this time of year in Norwich: undecided between rain and tentative sunshine, and temperature with mood swings.  A gust of warmth and coffee greets me as I open the glass door to Chocolate Notes.  And … Continue reading →

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FEASTS & FANCIES @ CHOCOLATE NOTES: EARLY WINTER TEA LOAF

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Scribe Doll

I have always felt comfortable writing in cafés.  I have never been able to focus on any kind of work in libraries, not even when I was a student.  I find something distracting about the silence, perhaps because libraries aren’t … Continue reading →

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A Niçard Scrapbook: The Blue, Blue Sea.

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Scribe Doll

It was one thing I was determined to do in Nice, even more than to see the Dufy collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts.  For weeks, I pictured myself slipping off my sandals and standing in the sea up to … Continue reading →

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FEASTS & FANCIES: HALLOWE’EN @ CHOCOLATE NOTES

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Scribe Doll

At Chocolate Notes, there are no polystyrene cobwebs on the glass front door, no hairy spiders climbing the walls, no plastic bats swinging from the ceiling and no pumpkins with macabre grimaces.  Unlike in many other shops and cafés, the … Continue reading →

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FEASTS & FANCIES: BAROQUE PORRIDGE at CHOCOLATE NOTES

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Scribe Doll

My body and mind are having some difficulty adjusting to Norwich after a few days in the  south-east of France.  My muscles stiffen against the North Sea wind blowing ruthlessly across the Fens and Broads, my skin feels uncomfortably cold … Continue reading →

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