One of the places I really enjoy visiting as a tutor is Broadlands Arts. The choice of wonderful painting venues were added to this year by a visit to Waxham barns and a wonderful old farm that Angela had arranged, providing a sketchbook full of inspiring subjects. One place I like to go back to is Horsey Mere windpump which always offers a wealth of subjects as well as a very good café for refreshments. As I circulated amongst my students I saw out of the corner of my eye a blackboard with a long list of different bitters such as Kingfisher, Kestrel and a number of other lesser known brands. I wondered on thinking how unusual that this out of the way place should offer such a wide choice ales and maybe they were prominent on Camra’s ‘places to visit for real ales’. Later we stopped for a coffee and as I waited for my drink, I looked at the blackboard in more detail. The word Bitter finished with a small ‘n’ and it was then I realised I had been admiring not a list of beers but birds that had been spotted in the area. It’s amazing how many beers are named after birds. Perhaps they should do a Bittern ale!! www.timfisherartist.co.uk