There and Back

Well, the end of the year is almost upon us and we are all looking forward to the warmer weather. However, there are still things to photograph and keep us venturing out in the cold! Well wrapped up of course. On the 8th of December I captured this rainbow over the Layham Church as I was setting off on my morning walk. Of course this would be a morning I had no camera on me - how could you I thought. However the mobile phone came to the rescue so I was reasonable pleased with the result. I have never seen a rainbow over the church before, and I have walked past it hundreds of times. Today was the right time and day - it lasted a very few minutes, and then was gone. A chance call into East Bergholt church on my way home from Flatford on 11th gave me the opportunity to capture the window dedicated to John Constable. A one time resident of the village. Lights of another sort as I captured (hand held) these wonderful christmas lights in Hintlesham village. Difficult...

There have been numerous occasions in the last few months of torrential downpours and flooding in various parts of the uk. Most of these have been on the western and northern side of the UK, and have resulted in massive damage and horrendous experiences for huge numbers of people. The last few days we, on the eastern side, had some of the rain, but not on the scale (thank goodness) of the western side of the UK. We live by the River Brett, and fortunately the ground slopes away from the river, on the opposite side so we don't have to worry too much! However, the local area had its fair share of water for several hours. Looking toward Hadleigh, the small river Brett is in there somewhere! However, today it has disappeared. The seat, normally overlooking the river, is now isolated amongst the flood waters. I don't  think I shall sit here for a few days. The remains of the Conservation area. The football pitch and toddlers slide. ...

Having seen the news items and listened to the superlatives as people described it, I thought I must visit the half sized replica of Noah`s Ark which arrived in Ipswich. Although the brain behind the Ark said it was a non Christian floating museum, I fail to see how a 70 m long floating museum, full of bible stores, can be construed as anything else!. The Ark was the brainchild of Dutchman,  Aad Peters who said the ship was an "emotional and cultural" experience for visitors, not religious. From the stern end It is certainly impressive as it sits in the Neptune dock, in Ipswich. It is around half-size to the Ark described in the Bible. As far as I know, the largest wooden vessel ever built (about the size of the Biblical Ark) was Wyoming, a wooden six-masted schooner built and completed in 1909 by the firm of Percy & Small in Bath, Maine. With a length of 450 ft (140 m) from jib-boom tip to spanker boom tip. Because of her extreme length and wood co...

We had visited the Sherwood Pine cabins before, and enjoyed ourselves greatly. So this time we asked Hayley and Izobelle to share a cabin with us and it proved a good choice - enjoyed by all! This site is just a mile or so from the real Sherwood forest which was a place to visit during the week. This was our cabin set among the pines. To keep Izobelle amused, we had a choice of onsite activities. `Let's try archery` we thought. Obviously the smaller archers` had to use a smaller bow etc, but Izobelle quickly showed us all up with her accuracy, seeming not to be daunted by the whole process. Putting the bow back on the rack. The bow being nearly as big she is! Sculpture of Robin Hood and Little John fighting at Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre The Major Oak.  Whilst no one knows an exact age, we do know it’s been standing for anywhere between 800 – 1100 years. If we go by the earliest estimate, it has stood through the Vikings, the Battl...

Today we tried something that we had not done before, and that was to attend a Photographic walk with local photographer, Gillian Moon. (Gill)  This was a free walk, and about 8 to 10 of us  set off with Gill for an amble through the forest. Look Down and look Up  and find Textures said Gill and these are some of my results offered here! Looking down - a carpet of Pine cones. Violet Webcap - looking down Common Puffball - looking down Fungi unknown - looking down. Straight up the tree - looking up  Sawfly caterpillar on birch - looking up Textures on tree bark - Textures. These walks are a good idea for (a) Bringing like minded people together, and (b) having some useful tuition from Gill. Gill has a great website which is here. As you will quickly see, she loves Suffolk and Norfolk!    Index of posts

It is only in recent times that I came across an article about a nearby Church of `King Charles the Martyr`. I must confess that this was quite a surprise as I had never heard of one before, and this one was reasonable close to where we live. Having done some research, I paid a visit to get some photos of course, but also to see this quaint 18c Parish Church, having never heard of the village of Shelland where this church is situated. But first some background information surrounding the unusual name. Charles I, head of the House of Stuart, was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his death on 30 January 1649. He believed in a sacramental version of the Church of England, called High Anglicanism, with a theology based upon Arminianism, a belief shared by his main political advisor, Archbishop William Laud. Laud was appointed by Charles as the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633 and started a series of reforms in the Church to make it more ceremonial. This wa...