There and Back

On a rather dull, gray morning, a walk at Flatford and a coffee and cake seemed a good idea. Get us out of the house anyway, even though the weather looked threatening! Not a lot to photograph that we have not photographed before, but some tree shapes might make a picture, we thought.  So, first picture was of Willy Lott's Cottage on a grey day This one I guess has been broken for a while as its branches have curled upwards toward the sunlight. This one has seemingly grown a lot since falling, as its branches have grown skyward. The power of the wind. `Framed`. This broken tree formed a frame for the river and cow on the opposite side. `Come on in` Looks like a doorway to somewhere. `The pathway in` - from the carpark.  Not too much to shout about but an hour or two in the open strolling by the river - lovely.    Index of posts

With a spare couple of hours on our hands, we decided to visit a couple of the many Suffolk churches that I find so intriguing. As many churches were open for private devotion and visitors, we took a chance on these two - unlucky! - both were closed. However, not to waste this opportunity I took some exterior shots and have added a little of their history, and will re-visit when able to explore the interiors. First was Swilland`s Church of St Mary which was founded in 1678 and is recorded to have had a graveyard. In fact records for church burials are recorded back as far as 1679.  The extraordinary appearance of this building is due entirely to its  large tower with a lantern spire, this was designed by an Ipswich architect by the name of John Corder, and is  was set on top of the surviving lower part of the Tudor brick W. tower. It could probably be a folly or a dovecote as easily as a church belfry, Yet it is certainly remarkable, and it makes distinctive a little chur...

Another bright sunny day (I am not complaining!) and a walk starting at the famous Maltings, and taking a circular route through Snape Warren RSPB site and back to the start. By the time we arrived back at the Maltings the place was `heaving` with people and cars, so no photos today actually at the Malting, although here are some I took previously, when not so busy! However, for today, here are my images. Starting our walk along by the River Alde, this is the view looking over the reed beds toward the Maltings. Puffball fungi Parasol fungi. Not having a lens on my camera for most wildlife, I looked down instead! Entering the area known as Snape Warren, we were lucky to see some heather still making a bit of a show, if a little past its best. Lucky to catch this Hoverfly sitting on some Marsh Sow Thistle. Another view of the heather, before wandering back to our start (with an impromptu pub lunch on the way.) And lastly, the Snape village sign.  Snape Village Sign was dedicated on ...

Last month, 16th August to be exact, we went on a Scavenger Hunt to Walberswick with Gill Moon. Today we revisited the same place, on our own, but walked in the opposite direction to see more of this lovely area.  One of the first things encountered on entering the village is the village sign, which appears to have a story behind it.The story of the village sign as in BBC news:  A village sign which was made for the Queen's Coronation in 1953 but stolen in the 1980s is back on display. Lea and Philip Newstead had bought the sign in London in the mid 1990s, without knowing it had been stolen from Walberswick in Suffolk. They donated it back to the village and were guests of honour on Saturday as the restored sign was unveiled. Mr Newstead said: "The sign was made for the Coronation and has come back for the Jubilee." The couple had paid about £180 for the sign, which has the locally-made HMS Basing as its centrepiece. They said they did not know Walberswick...

St Mary's church in Washbrook is a Norman country church just beyond the urban sprawl of Ipswich. St Mary's lies up a winding track, surrounded by trees and meadows in an idyllic setting. The core of the church is 12th century or even earlier, but it was heavily rebuilt in the 14th century, with the result that much of the interior fittings and furnishings date to that period. The church was subject to a more modern restoration by Edmund Lamb in 1866. The building is constructed of flint rubble and brick, dressed with stone. The layout is very simple, with a traditional nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, north vestry and baptistry. St Mary's is no longer in use for regular worship and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust. The tower is decorated with stone and flint flushwork in the chequerboard pattern that you so often see in East Anglia. The tower is set upon a plinth, as are the nave and chancel, also decorated with flushwork panels. You can just see the...

 I always think of fungi as one of the first signs of autumn, although this is not strictly true as some fungi grow happily in late summer, while the weather is still warm. Berries appearing are another good sign, and this year has been no exception. But of course ploughed fields and the appearance of some particular floral varieties, also herald the advent of the end of summer! All these images were taken locally and record the beginning of the autumn season. Parasol Fungi In a row - and on our lawn! One of my favourite autumn things - the teasel, although not strictly speaking confined to autumn. The teasel is probably best-known for its brown, prickly stems and conical seed heads, which persist long after the plants themselves have died back for the winter. Between July and August, when teasels are in flower, the spiky flower heads are mostly green with rings of purple flowers. Found in damp grassland and field edges, or on disturbed ground, such as roadside verges and wast...

One of the areas where coastal erosion is remarkable clear is at Walton-on-the Naze, one of our favourite spots. The cliffs here are a geologists` dream, as so much can be learnt from the multiple layers that are exposed, and which change over the seasons, year on year. Some information found on the web: The town of Walton-on-the-Naze lies on the north-east coast of Essex, about 10 kilometres south of the  port of Harwich. The town itself has a population of around 6,000 people although this increases with  visitors during the summer. The word Naze comes from the old English word ‘naes’ which means nose. The Naze itself is a promontory found to the north of the town. Part of it is made up of a hill about 23  metres high which ends in cliffs which rise directly from the beach. Further north the land gets gradually lower 300 metres until it drops to the level of the beach. The Naze separates the North Sea on its eastern edge from the Walton Channel on its west. In the north...