Last Of The Summer Snaps

The best thing about the latest smart phones is that you're never without a camera. Perhaps the iPhone is not quite as good as the Nikon SLR but the emphasis is really on the "quite" and the benefits of having a multifunctional camera in your pocket all the time far outweigh the advantages of the SLR's slight edge on quality - not to mention the inconvenience of carrying around a camera case and spare lenses. I wouldn't carry a camera bag on a trip to Framlingham for a drink but the light was so good on Wednesday afternoon that, having treated ourselves to a glass of wine and a pint of lager at The Crown, we decided to have a stroll around the castle to take some photos. 

It was five-thirty on a mid September evening but the heat and light were so intense that we could have been in the grounds of a Tuscan castle rather than one in Suffolk. 

I took snaps using the standard phone features.

And the panoramic facility.

I'm pleased with the results.

With weather forecasts also constantly in our pockets courtesy of the phone, we decided to make the most of Thursday as it looked like it might be the last of the summer. We drove to Walberswick where we treated ourselves to an excellent cappuccino and pain au chocolat at the Black Dog deli before walking along the beach to Dunwich.

Half a mile down the beach and we had it to ourselves.

I wished that I had brought a swimming costume as dipping a toe into the waves showed the water to be easily warm enough for a swim. 

After an hour at the beach in Dunwich enjoying a picnic and a reading the newspaper, it was time to walk back to Walberswick. We chose the inland bridlepath and stopped for a cool drink at the Dingle Hill Tearoom before completing the walk. It would be hard to match the walk along the sands but the stroll through the woods was equally enjoyable with great views, plenty of wildlife and some cool shade from a very intense sun in the woods before heading into the wetland area with its abundance of birds. The round trip covered about six miles in total and, with plenty of watering holes and toilet facilities half way round whichever way you walk it, it's highly recommended.

The water near this old wind pump was teeming with fish.

Of course, no week would be complete without a bit of metal detecting and I had a few hours out while Marion was at yoga.

This farthing trade token was issued by Philip Thorne (a grocer) of Sibton. It is interesting as Thorne was the only Sibton tradesman to issue tokens.

This week's hammered silver coins were both a bit grotty. The first is an Edward penny (probably Edward iv) and the other is a Scottish cut half penny.

As I write, it has started to rain. The garden needs it and we needed some bad weather to give us time to catch up on the housework. We've done virtually every room so, time for some more sunshine now, please.