Thursday 1.

Better put these on before I forget. Coming home from Wisbech on Tuesday at about seven p.m. we were accompanied by a rainbow for several miles. The weather varied between bright sunshine (as above, somewhere near Brandon) and thoroughly stormy.

Wednesday 2.

And finally my favourite house in Sudbury. That is, if I had to choose a house in Sudbury to live in, I think it would be this one. I love the look of it, but my choice would be at least partly because of its location - it backs onto the water meadow and river, and is still surprisingly central in the town. It's recently been repainted though, and I don't like the new colour much. Still, I suppose it will soon fade.
We motored over to Wisbech yesterday and spent the day with Ann's mother. She seemed a little quiet and depressed, which is unlike her - or at least it felt as if she was having to make an effort to be cheerful. On the way home called and had tea with an old schoolmate Roy, and his wife Janet. Roy and I spent an hour or so wandering down memory lane (as old schoolmates do), whilst our wives seemed a little surprised (not to say shocked) at the things we got up to fifty or so years ago. Roy has a rather better memory of these things than I (which can be convenient when pressed for detail of them afterwards).
Ann has spent today with our friend Helga. They went to an Ikea store near Dartford, shopped and had a Swedish lunch there. I spent the day in my workshop. Got on quite well. I've been working on a Black Forest clock that I bought in Denmark. It's now ticking away quite happily, but I think I will have to do a bit more work on the strike.

Wednesday 1.

Another fine and ancient house in Sudbury. Probably fifteenth century, with some sixteenth century modcons added (chimneys, Etc.)

Monday 3.

View along the river and water meadows, nearly opposite where the last picture was taken (still in Sudbury). More pictures soon (D.V.)
In the meantime - Goodnight All.

Monday 2.

Another solid old property in Sudbury.

Monday 1.

This morning we motored out into the depths of Suffolk to call on friends, and, hopefully, fix two clocks for them. They live in a secluded old farmhouse. Diana made us coffee, then Terry let me loose on the clocks (both old aquaintance and both dating to the 1730-1750 period). The first was a laquer cased grandfather by a Norwich maker, on which the under dial work was jammed (due to a problem with the strike/silent dial). This one yielded to my ministration in about five minutes flat, and has now resumed its full duties, I'm glad to report. The second one, a small bracket timepiece by a London maker (not one of the major ones), was very reluctant to go at all. Set it in beat, and it then appeared to be running fairly happily. However, I was not entirely happy with it, and have booked it in later in the year, when I have less on. I think (and hope) that a fairly minor internal operation will cure it. The four of us sat round the kitchen table chatting, drinking coffee, and generally setting the world in order, whilst I tinkered with its insides, and mentally eliminated the potential problems of the clock. I think I now know what, and where, the problem may be.
Left them at 11.30, and drove on as far as Sudbury, where Ann needed to do some grocery shopping. While she did it I walked around the town and took photoes for the blog, one of which is illustrated above. From memory I think it's the old Moot Hall. More in a min.

Saturday.

Above snapshot is of a hibiscus plant I bought Ann in town a few days ago. It is now full of buds.
This morning we drove into Manningtree and put Matthew on the 11.18 a.m. train to London. He 'phoned us at 1.35 p.m. to say he was safe home. The train takes just under an hour to get to London Liverpool Street, but then it took Matthew just over an hour to get out to Chiswick High Street. It's been nice having him to stay, and he really has pulled his weight.
Scrabble Club this afternoon. Played with Joyce and Phyllis. I won the first two games, then Phyllis got into her stride, and put down two seven letter words in successive goes and won the third game easily. Been pottering in the workshop since supper, and completed two jobs I'd not been looking forward to. Nearly bedtime now, so - Goodnight all.

Friday 2.

Sorry about the delay (four hours) between me knocking off for a minute and charging upstairs for a cuppa with grandson Matthew, and finally resuming blogging. In the meantime we had just started to partake of said cuppa, when Annie came home from a trip out with friends Brenda and Judy. We then all had tea, and when Brenda and Judy went home played scrabble (which Matthew won by two points) whilst dinner was cooking , had dinner, then another game of scrabble which Matthew again won (by eight points this time), and I finally came down to complete the blog. I must say he is becoming a really good player. He makes me exert meself. He tells me he only ever plays the game when he's here.
To return to the theatre in the forest. There were eight players in the cast, all of whom doubled or tripled the characters they were playing. The above player's main character was as Puck. I have published this photograph because here he is playing in a small orchestra before the play actually started. The instrument he is playing you will, of course, recognise as a tea chest double base. It interested me because I played a similar instrument in a village skiffle group in the late 1950s. Yesterday evening's play was excellently well performed by a cast of very talented youngsters. We all thoroughly enjoyed our evening.
Been a busy day today, Cafe Church as usual this morning, followed by shopping in town, then home for lunch, Ann and Matthew helped at the Luncheon Club, then Ann out with friends to celebrate Judy's birthday, and evening as described above. I'm about ready for bed now, Ann went up twenty minutes ago. Goodnight all.

Friday 1.

Yesterday (at six thirty p.m.) a group of six of us went to see a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Red Rose Group's 'Theatre in The Forest'. It was held in Rendlesham Forest, about thirty miles from here. We've been going to it for some years now. The above photo (taken by grandson Matthew), shows meself and Ann, with Heather standing behind us, Eileen to the right, and Hilary (standing) to the right again. After the photo was taken we unpacked, and partook of, a very good picnic, which we shared. Heather and I had both taken a bottle of white wine, and Eileen a bottle of red wine, which was not in fact opened. As two of our number were driving (they had fruit juice) it meant that Heather, Eileen, Matthew, and meself averaged about half a bottle of white wine apiece, which is about the amount needed to thoroughly enjoy the play. Being called upstairs now by Matthew for a cuppa. Back in a min.

Monday 5.

Who could resist sitting for a while in this garden seat, set in its arbour to the side of the lawn? However I must get on with some work and help Matthew, who is busy packing up ready for Long Melford.

Monday 4.

The garden looking up towards the back of the house. The fruit trees give an orchard like feel to the garden.

Monday 3.

This area at the bottom of the garden gives onto David's kitchen garden beyond the palings. It also has a large fruit cage and a green house in it. The vegetable garden is about twice the size of our whole garden. Stop it Michael, mustn't covet!!! Which, as I was saying to Sue this afternoon, is the only one of the ten commandments that gives me any difficulty these days.

Monday 2.

Been a pleasantly busy day, so far. Spent the morning preparing for Long Melford, Matthew helping me. Got through far more work than I expected. A few days ago friends Sue and David invited us to tea today. As soon as they learned Matthew would be staying with us they included him in the invitation, bless 'em. They live in a modern, but spacious, bungalow at the other end of town, set in a lovely, large garden. No, that's not their bungalow pictured above, but Sue sitting on the front doorstep of her Wendy House, in a small corner of their garden. The invitation (as it usually does) included the words "come at three so we'll have time to show you what we've been doing to the garden"; and we always spend half an hour or so pottering round the garden looking at recent alterations and plans for further improvements. Hold on a min. I think I'm going to try and illustrate some more of Sue and David's garden.

Monday 1.

Took this snapshot on our way home yesterday, and quite near Woolpit, which leads me on to this short blog. I find I shall have to tell the story of the Green Children of Woolpit after all.
I'll keep it short. The story was documented by William of Newburgh and Ralph of Coggeshall, both Churchmen and near contemporaries of the story, which they both give as fact and having recently occurred. Both date the story to the reign of King Steven (1135 - 1154 a.d.). They state that at that time two children, the girl about ten and the boy a few years younger were found at the entrance to some old pits (presumably the wolf pits) just outside the town of Woolpit. They were of normal appearance apart from the fact that their skin was green. They were hungry but would eat no food offered, until they saw some green beans, which they ate hungrily. They spoke a totally unknown language and did not understand English. The boy did not thrive and died about a year later. The girl thrived, learned English, and later claimed to have come from St. Martin's land (not identified, although she described it well). She is said to have eventually married 'a man from King's Lynn' (in Norfolk). The family of Earl Ferrers claim her as an ancestress.
That's the short form of the story. There are lots of theories about them, from being abandoned children of Flemish workers to aliens from outer or inner space (little green men ???).

My own idea (a fairly prosaic one, of course) is that they were probably children of very early gypsey immigrants, who claimed to have come from Egypt, hence the name gypsies, but more probably came overland from India, and would have had an 'olive' complexion, seen by the English as greenish. Prosaic (as I warned) but possible.

Sunday 6.

We came home via Woolpit, partly because I wanted to show Matthew the Church. It is a lovely 14th century church with a spire and flying buttresses, which are Victorian additions. It is the only example I know of, certainly in East Anglia, where a large Victorian addition to a church actually improves the appearance of the church (in my opinion- please feel free to differ). It's a pretty village. The name of the village is said to have nothing to do with wool, and was originally Wolf Pit, because there were large pits here to trap wolves. The only thing for which Woolpit is well known is, of course, the story of the green children of Woolpit, which is too well known for me to bore you with. Goodnight All.

Sunday 5.

Great nephew Herbie, his Mama Harriett, and her Mama Sue.

I must say that this, although (or possibly because) rather smaller than usual, was one of our better family gets together . I thoroughly enjoyed it, and managed to talk to everyone, I think.

Sunday 4.

Your blogger and grandson Guy.

Sunday 3.

Granddaughter Lucy and Grandson Matthew (cousins), renewing their aquaintance.

Sunday 2.

Snapshot showing Ann, her sister-in-law Sue, Sue's grandson Herbie, our senior daughter Sarah in the background, and Great Gran.

Sunday 1.

Snapshot of a peculiar plant Ann has grown called (I think) a pineapple lily. This has been a very active and social weekend and I shall have to precis it a bit to fit it all in. First then on Friday evening we drove over to have supper with friends Jill and Keith. Partly business (they are fellow dealers) and knowing we are just back from Scandinavia they asked us to take with us and show them any good treen or early metalware we had found. Good business and a very pleasant meal and evening resulted.
Yesterday evening we went to a performance of The Pirates of Penzance by the East Anglian Savoyard company at Kentwell Hall. The Hall is a gorgeous moated mid 16th century Tudor building, and we picnicked with friends Brenda and Warren, Judy and David, on the steps down to the moat before the performance. The performance was, I think and Ann agrees, the best 'Pirates' we had seen (and we have seen the D'Oyley-Carte Company do it). A superb entertainment in lovely surroundings.
Today we motored over to Waterbeach, calling at Cambridge Station to pick up grandson Matthew, who is staying over to help us at Long Melford. We then went on to the Bridge Inn at Waterbeach, where a room had been booked for a family get together, and where lunch was being held. More in a min.