You know life is good when the only thing to complain about is the fishmonger on Framlingham Market selling out of lobster and Leo's Deli doing the same with gazpacho. I know that we are lucky and I don't take it for granted. At the moment we've good health, we don't work and we have enough pension to enjoy ourselves so why not make the most of it.
This week has been one of those good weeks when the sun has shone almost constantly and we've taken advantage of that sunshine with our favourite pastimes, gardening, cycling and metal detecting (not Marion). I'm going to blog about the (very successful) detecting week in another post to avoid boring those who are not interested but on the cycling front we've managed two wonderful outings.
After hearing some fellow cyclists' horror stories on holiday we invested in some mirrors last week so now we always know what is behind us without cricking our necks and we can keep an eye out for each other. The mirrors have already paid for themselves - I saw Marion hit a nasty pothole and end up on the grass verge so I could go and help her rather than ride on oblivious and wonder where she was. Fortunately the damage was just a couple of scrapes and minor bruises - pretty painful though.
We were on our way back from a wonderful ride to Orford where we enjoyed some fabulous ice cream near the castle after a coffee and sausage roll at our favourite Riverside Tearoom. It's not as upmarket as Pump St and Penny's but the views beat both and the cakes and homemade sausage rolls are delicious.
Before leaving we went to the famous Richardson's Smoke house and bought a smoked chicken. This meant that we had to cycle back at top speed to ensure it didn't get too hot on the bike.
Today we had another ride. After the thirty plus mile round trip to Orford we made it a bit shorter today and rode to English Heritage's Saxstead Mill which is just down the road.
It only opens in the summer and then just twice a week but it's a great bit of country history and beautifully maintained.
The white of the mill and blue of the sky made it very photogenic.
From the mill, we headed to Earl Soham for well earned pints of bitter and cider at the Victoria. It was our first visit to this country pub. Great beer, great place.
Tonight we've enjoyed a salad in the garden and washed it down with some of the Chablis we bought in France.
Life is good.
We're in Rochester as I write. It's probably the last time that we will be here on child minding duties for some time as our third grandchild is due in the next couple of weeks and, as he or she will be arriving in Scotland, we'll be heading off to St Andrews very soon. We'll miss our regular visits to Kent - it's been wonderful seeing so much of our family over the summer months.
We spent the Bank Holiday weekend at home in Framlingham. After a pleasant Saturday morning exploring the market and stocking up on some foodie treats at Leo's Deli, Hall Farm Butchers and Darren the fishmonger, we spent a bit of time enjoying coffee in The Crown where attempting the Times2 Jumbo Crossword has become a bit of a Saturday ritual. Needless to say I didn't manage to finish it again this week. I've only completed it once without cheating although I get close most weeks.
The weather was not too wet after lunch so I walked down to a local field to try my luck with the detector. I found stubble almost a foot tall which is not the easiest of conditions to detect on but I was very lucky and within a few minutes of arriving managed to find this.
I know that it doesn't look much but it is a silver annular brooch and dates from around the 12th century. Although the pin is bent it is in good condition and, as silver over a couple of hundred years old, it falls under the Treasure Regulations and I have reported it to the Suffolk Archaeology people in Bury St Edmunds. I thought that it might signal an afternoon of finds but I found little more of great interest although plenty of buttons and the usual stuff kept me occupied.
Sunday gave us the chance to get back out on our bikes. We headed off to Iken church. Standing on a promontory in the Alde Estuary, the ancient church is in a remote and idyllic spot.
It's an atmospheric old building and we loved its thatched roof - not something you see very often. We headed back to Framlingham via Tunstall Forest and Great Glemham after passing a handful of beautiful thatched cottages near Iken. It was another enjoyable ride without too many climbs and with just enough miles to makes us feel we'd done something but not too many for us to regret having done so.
Marion spent yesterday tidying the garden while I had a few more hours with the detector. No more finds - that silver brooch was a real stroke of luck.
We'll be spending the rest of this week preparing for Scotland and hoping that the new baby does not arrive early.
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