Those Bright-Sharp Years

speaking with ghosts at a railway station

The Pump House at Honing Station, Norfolk. It’s been restored but the fabric of the little house is largely original. 27 July 2026

Hello, lovely ‘between the moons’ friends.

I don’t know whether any of you, like me, are regular partakers of the free daily takeaway coffee offered by Waitrose? It so happens that I (almost) pass our local branch on my way home from my Zumba class, and as there’s no requirement to purchase anything in order to qualify for the freebie, it’s become something of a ritual to claim my black Americano and sit quietly with it in a peaceful place before heading back to the cottage.

Yesterday, I was enjoying my coffee while sitting cross-legged on Honing Station in whatever tree shade I could find, when it occurred to me that you might like to see this relic of the past in all its poignant glory.

Nowadays, the station is most often passed on foot by walkers or dog exercisers and I’m not convinced that many people stop to read the small circular interpretation panels that dot the site. But I was glad that I did, as the ghostly presences that must haunt this place were brought so close that I almost felt I could touch them.