An afternoon in the sun in Potter Heigham

My unexpected presence in the United Kingdom due to volcano-related travel disruption has allowed me to do a little more campaigning than had been originally planned, and so, yesterday afternoon, it was time to visit North Norfolk which, last time, saw Norman Lamb increase his majority from perilously small to really rather large.

Without much on the itinerary, we took the pretty route via the Reedham Ferry, pictured here, and stopped at the Ferry Inn for lunch. The ferry is a chain ferry and is the only crossing of the River Yare between Great Yarmouth and Norwich, so it potentially saves a lot of miles if you're travelling in the area.

Having been to Mundesley last year, and discovered how well liked Norman was then, I was expecting a fairly warm reception on the doorstep. Today, it was no different. The sun shone, as residents heard the magic words 'Norman Lamb' and smiled, told us that we could count on their support and, in many cases, were happy to take a poster for the window or a stakeboard for the garden.

I was extremely impressed by the number of those I spoke to who had written to Norman about some matter of concern or other and had been pleased by the response they had gotten - something that any aspirant politician could learn from. The team of canvassers, eight of us in total, made steady progress through the village, with Norman talking personally to as many people as he could.

It would be rash of me to suggest that Norman will get in easily, as that's for the voters to decide. However, Ladbrokes are suggesting that he's a 33/1 on favourite, so nobody will get rich backing him...