There and Back

A distant view of Polstead church of St Mary as we approached. Beautiful surroundings in the pretty village of Polstead with its lovely pond. St Marys is a delightful church dating originally from 1160 but with major alterations in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Still retaining some Norman clerestory windows, its stone spire is the only remaining one of its kind in Suffolk.   North view South view St Mary has an unusual nave roof. Back in the 1980s, essentail repairs had to be carried out economically. Aluminium was chosen, and is a striking sight from a distance on a sunny day. The stone spire  The entrance Not difficult to see in the stonework where previous alterations have been made. One of the little clerestory windows An extraordinary brick octagonal font, which might be any age, but is set on a 13th century base. The most striking aspect of the interior is the colour, the combination between white walls and the red brick of the arcade arches. These bricks bear close examination...

It was a cold and frost morning when we visited Flatford Mill, and we were pleased to see that everywhere was covered in, what my dad called, `a hoar frost`  Not the usual warm day that you visit Flatford , but nevertheless, very pretty!  This image was taken on a cold and frost morning with the sun creeping round from the other side, and the water frozen. Originally part of Gibbeon’s Gate Farm, Willy Lott's House is a Grade 1, listed building. Willy Lott (1761-1849) was a tenant farmer who worked the 39 acres around Flatford that made up Gibbeon's Gate Farm. He lived in a house attached to the farmland, which long after his death, became known as Willy Lott's House. Willy Lott's parents lived in this house, Willy and his sisters and brothers were born there. A image facing in the opposite direction, depicting the Field Study Center, leased by the National Trust to the Field Studies Council, FSC, which is an environmental education cha...

A record number of grey seal births at a Norfolk beach shows a "major change" in behaviour as the animals become used to humans, marine experts have said. The 1.5 mile (2.4km) stretch of dunes at Horsey has hosted 1,018 births so far this winter compared to the previous winter when there were 804. (BBC report) We had been here on a previous visit but decided we would like to see them again. It is a worthwhile trip if you have never seen them. Mother rushing to protect her pup (and herself probably) from approaching bull. Keep away from my pup please! Mothers defending their space by putting herself between the bull and her calf. Mothers and pups, a joy to watch The big males just kept pestering the females, in or out of the water Grey seals have grey and brown fur, sometimes with a pattern of blotches; no ears visible; long muzzle; nostrils parallel; larger and darker than common seal, with flat or convex profile to its head...

Our rear garden was a source of frustration from the time we moved in to our bungalow. Although we made the most of the space as it was and had a small lawn with a few plants, it was not as we would have wished. As well as the garden needing some reconstruction, the conservatory  was small and the worse for wear, so the two things came together in 2016 with a grand project, captured here on a few images. The results - well see below! Starting point - the small conservatory and the steps and slabs which dominated the area. Facing the other direction, we have the area that Rosey turned into a small flower/lawn area. This is how it finished, thanks to a lot of hard work by Rosey. Then, time to move on..... Demolition time! Where has the conservatory gone? plus all the furniture? What a lovely fence! Someone is preparing for action by the looks of the building plant beginning to appear. Re-construction has started as our new conser...

Just looked out of the window and sitting on the lawn was this Sparrowhawk having just brought down his prey which was still struggling to get away. Brutal as it might seem, this is nature and repeated millions of times all over the planet by numerous creature, every day. Images taken with Nikon D5500 and Nikon 18-200 mm lens. Home      Forward        Back

Today we decided to walk along the coastal path and just soak up the glorious day. This looked like a lovely long beach with the prospect of a walk along a short part of the Coastal path. We were not disappointed as, on a glorious day, we arrived at Sandymouth. As you can see, there were very few people about, apart from the odd couple walking along the Coastal path like us, toward Northcott Mouth.  A walk back along the beach was planned but was abandoned when, on composing this picture, we were surprised by a fast incoming tide and ended up with very wet feet. It was funny though!  The reason we were taking picture of this particular rock formation was the apparent presence of `coral` formations on it? Anyway, back up onto the cliffs and trying to dry out the feet on the way back.  This little creature posed for a few moments.  A cup of coffee and a sandwich of crab (a bit disappointing), and we made our way t...