Tuesday.

 

Killed several birds with one stone today. Motored over to Stowupland and called on niece Rebeccah and her husband Matt. They are organising a family get-together at a pub/restaurant, so placed our orders from the menu with them and pre-payed our bill. As we were rather earlier than we had arranged we did a bit of exploring, and came across the village of Old Newton (suppose it would have been Old New Town originally). We came over a low Suffolk hill and in the middle of largely bare countryside was the above large church. It's one of the delights of Suffolk that in a sparsely populated agricultural area, where there's a farmhouse and a few cottages in sight, you can suddenly come across a church that's the size of a modest cathedral. Mean to go back and have a good look at it. I suppose it must have been a much more prosperous area when the church was built,six or seven centuries ago. Back to Becky and Matt's and, as stated, ordered and payed for meal, to take place on 21st March. Had coffee and biscuits with them, then on to Colin and Christine's, where I had to put long case clock to rights. Fairly successful job (I hope) then had lunch with them. Colin had cooked a fish pie, followed by baked apples with ginger and cream. Then coffee. Lunched by large picture window giving onto their garden and farmland in the depths of Suffolk. Bird feeders close to window so we had views (at a distance of a few feet)of pheasants, blue tits, cole tits, great tits, long tailed tits, green finches, wood pigeons, doves, and a superb yellowhammer. Hadn't seen on of those -close up- for a long time. Watched him for about ten minutes, then went to car to get my camera. When I got back he had (of course) gone. The others said he flew when he heard me shut the front door - he must have better ears than I have. Motored home at about three, as I had an appointment with Mr. Farrow the foot fellow, or to put it another way, my chiropodist. Feeling better for his ministrations. Ann's calling down that supper preparations are well under way, so had better go up and join her. More later perhaps.