We've had a busy but enjoyable five days in Framlingham. We got back late on Tuesday night and have packed loads into the time we've been home and are now getting ready to head back to Rochester for another few days of babysitting.
We've done a couple of spinning classes and a circuit training class at the college. We've been in the monthly quiz at The Railway too ; we won last month but this time we were half way down the rankings despite a very good score. I've also been writing letters to the district councillors about the reckless overdevelopment that's being planned for the town - that makes me sound like a NIMBY but I'm all for development if done sensibly and for the benefit of the residents and not just the developers. There are scores of arguments against the plans. Here's just one.
This was the scene in the Co-Op car park on Saturday morning with cars driving round and round before exiting without finding a space. Does this show that the town can cope with a 30% increase in residents (and their cars)?
Halloween was a non-event in our road. We stocked up with sweets but the bell didn't ring.
Meanwhile in Rochester, our two year old granddaughter was terrorising her neighbourhood as a bright red and very ferocious crocodile.
After another excellent Saturday cooked breakfast and a stab at the Times2 crossword at The Lemon Tree (finished all bar two this week), it was time for a look around the market and to pick up some food from Hall Farm Butchers and Leo's Deli.
In the afternoon Marion carried on with her master plan for the garden and planted a superb specimen Mexican Orange Blossom from nearby Crown Nurseries of Ufford. Our neighbour David came and put up some wire trellis for me while I acted as his assistant. Thanks David! I'm a bit useless at DIY and don't possess much more than a screwdriver and hammer by way of tools and, having bought this custom made wirework to support a new rose, Marion didn't want it wrecked by my handiwork.
With the days getting shorter I didn't think I would have time to get out with the detector but David was so quick that I managed to walk down the road and have a quick try. It was a successful ninety five minutes and these were the better finds that I made. Apart from the small medieval buckle and the small pistol balls, there were two medieval to post medieval lace tags, a cut medieval silver halfpenny, a medieval harness pendant and a possible medieval to post medieval hawking bell. The "bell" might be simply a button with holes in it but the local FLO (finds liaison officer) will be able to tell me.
This harness pendant would once have been decorated with a coat of arms and been part of the decoration on a knight's horse.
This cut silver halfpenny dates from around the same period (13th century).
One of the lace tags.
Our daughter Sarah phoned yesterday to ask if we could get to her old Sindy house easily. She got it as a present from her nana and granddad when she was three and was thinking of handing it down to her own daughters. Fortunately we spent four hours on Thursday afternoon tidying the garage so finding it wasn't too hard.
We fished it out of the garage and put it back together. It's in pretty good condition for thirty plus years old.
Here's Sarah with it on the day that she got it all those years ago.
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.
Yesterday afternoon we headed down the road to the lovely ancient moated house Crow's Hall near Debenham. The owner Caroline Spurrier organises an annual Charity Opera evening in the adjacent barn.
The weather was kind and a good crowd enjoyed Pimms and strawberries in the glorious gardens before the event.
It was good to have the opportunity to get dressed up for something for the first time in a couple years.
The music and singing was provided by London Festival Opera who performed an abridged but fully costumed version of Cosi Fan Tutte in the first half of the programme. There then followed an interval where we enjoyed canapés and fizz before a raffle and auction to raise funds for the children's cancer charity CLIC Sargent. The highlight of the evening for me was the second half in which the ensemble presented a sort of Opera's Greatest Hits. Some of the most famous and beautiful arias were performed exceptionally well and Mary Plaza's rendition of Un Bel Di from Madame Butterfly reduced Marion to tears. It was a fitting finale to a lovely evening. The programme overran so we didn't enjoy our super picnic from Leo's Deli in the garden as originally planned but ate it at home in front of the comparatively lowbrow (but still enjoyable) Britain's Got Talent.
In other news I finally got around to publishing my novel on Amazon. It's been a long haul getting to this point and the next job is to try and get it noticed. Thanks to those friends and family who have bought a copy I have a few sales and when I get back from France I hope to do a little promotion to try and raise its profile. It's a romance set on a beautiful Greek island in 1969 and was described by an established author as romantic, funny and touching. You can see a little more about it by clicking this link. If you are enrolled on Amazon Prime you can read it for free using their library service.
After 195 days or six and a half months homeless, we finally moved in today and as I write, surrounded by unopened boxes, I am really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed again. The kitchen is not quite finished (the ovens and hob are being connected tomorrow) but we've got all the other essentials - hot water, fridge, toilets, heating and lights and, as we've got some men coming to fit a new surround sound system and burglar alarm at eight o'clock in the morning we felt it was easier to sleep here than at the cottage. I'm not convinced of the need for a burglar alarm here but the difference in the insurance premium was quite substantial.
Our only problem today was the lack of a vacuum cleaner which somehow got lost in storage. The removal people offered to pay for a like for like replacement at the best internet rate but as I'm trying to support local shops I bought it at the well stocked local electrical suppliers John Bradlaugh. Okay I paid £60 more than the lowest internet price but it's a price worth paying for immediate delivery and knowledgeable advice.
With no cooking facilities I stocked up with some delicious bits and pieces from the excellent little deli Leo's in the town and we had a picnic in the lounge washed down with a well earned bottle of wine. We've managed to put our feet up and watch TV tonight - back to the world of normality. Tomorrow is going to be hectic. The kitchen fitters are sending a cleaner to tidy up and another staff member to help unpack the boxes and load the kitchen, the men are coming to fit the speakers and alarm, interior designer Jemima is coming to help with the final curtains and we've both got to go for a check up at the doctors - they do that for all new patients.
Mind you, if we think we've had it bad, we should spare a thought for Tony the landscape gardener. His attempts at maneuvering his digger in a snow filled garden looked pretty scary. Lets hope that he gets some respite from the snow and can get on with the job.
