01 May 2026

Today

 Today.....................I'm making scones (Bank Holiday/Clotted cream treat again!) planting out leeks and courgettes and getting stuck into one of my new library books. 

First I have to dash up the post-box to get ED's birthday card into the post. There it was laying on the side when I went to the library van, which stops just by the post-box and there it was still laying there when I came home again!

And I must make a hair cut appointment - it really needs doing.

Full Moon tonight - The Anglo Saxons called it the Milk Moon and it's other name is The Flower Moon.

Back Tomorrow with library book photo.


30 April 2026

April Ins and Outs and Any Penny Savers?

The usual income of State Pension, interest on savings and Suffolk County Council Spouses pension - I'm worried about what happens to this when Local Government Reorganisation makes SCC vanish. I've read that pensions are protected by law so it should be OK, but you never know. Interest  on savings seem to have dropped - need to check that out.

As predicted April was an expensive month, and then I bought my new bike. The TV Licence[up by £5.50] and house insurance[down by £3] were the planned large expenses and the bill came for the March boiler repair. Council tax of course [up by £8] and charity plus broad band and phones are all direct debit. I put £71 worth of diesel in the car. Finally I read the electric meter and paid for the month. 

I was going to say I'd not needed the tumble dryer all month  but when ED and the boys were up after Easter she brought 3 loads of washing with her! - her washing machine was playing up and of course boys get very dirty very quickly. Everything needed getting dry as soon as possible so I tumbled it.

Garden spending was growbags and compost, then the vegetable plants from car boot sales and a tray of leek plants from the garden shop.

There was other spending on two birthday gifts, odd bits for the house, window cleaner, bathroom and kitchen and some sunflower hearts for the birds.

Back in March Aldi were supposed to have some metal plant pot holders that hook over a fence. I was going to get a couple for my sisters birthday but they didn't appear in Stowmarket Aldi until late April. So when I saw them I got two each for both my sister and sister in law - they are ready for Christmas.

When the weather warmed up last week I sorted through the clothes in wardrobe and drawers to see what state summer clothes were in and decided I needed new summer shoes, a second summer skirt and shorts and I really need tee shirts too but will scour charity shops first. 

image from google freepik

The only penny savers I can think of...........

  • Gift of rhubarb from my sister
  • Dishwasher only used every other day
  • Filled car up with diesel when visiting YD - saving 6p a litre on garages near me
  • Made up a tin of Lemon Home Cook Marmalade, works out at just over £1 a jar


  • No alcohol bought as usual, and no lotions, potions etc
  • No newspapers and magazines - except for the Puzzler
  • Bread made in the bread-machine. 50/50 wholemeal/white flour
  • Lights only needed for reading after 8pm now
  • Reading library books and from my shelves for free
  • Saving apple peels etc into the freezer for making the next batch of 'compost jelly' sometime
  • A gift of flowers from my sister for my birthday lasted two weeks


May should be less spendy, as far as I know there is just the car breakdown insurance and EGS birthday. No more bikes or big expenses! [Touching wood]

29 April 2026

St George's Church, Stowlangtoft

 This church was locked when I've visited a couple of years ago so I was pleased to see the 'Church Open' sign.

When Simon Knott [Suffolk Churches website] visited here in 2018 he was told by the lady who let him in that the church was heading for redundancy, to be taken over by the Historic Churches Trust as it wasn't being used for services . But it seems this didn't happen and the church is now open at weekends and has a once a month service.




Opposite the door into the church is the WWI War memorial


Above it is the huge remains of a Medieval wall painting of St Christopher carrying the Christ Child over the water.


Octagonal font with seven saints and Christ carved in the panels


Every window has some stained glass, mostly Victorian






A very bad photo of a  drawing showing who's who in the East window glass
.

People come here specially to see the Flemish wood panels of the reredos. They were given to the church by an owner of Stowlangtoft Hall and date from the 1480s. But in 1977 they were stolen and disappeared for five years until the were found in an Amsterdam gallery. Legal proceedings to get them back failed but luckily they were bought and all costs paid by a Dutch businessman and returned to the church. Now the Sanctuary and the panels are alarmed so hopefully they won't be stolen again.




Like the last church I visited at Framsden, Stowlangtoft also has misericord seats with carvings that survived better than Framsden.




There are lots of excellent carvings on the pew ends too










There's an online church brochure HERE for more information.


Back Tomorrow