Firstly, thanks to everyone for comments about card making, I'm not in a hurry to pass on everything to a charity shop yet and I'll ponder other ideas for later.
I thought I'd go and look at The Cider and Song Festival at The Museum of East Anglian Rural Life in Stowmarket
I didn't go round the whole museum as I've been round lots of times and I didn't want to risk the back ache returning
A new thing to see as you go in the museum is this..............5,864 Suffolk Puffs - find out more
HERE
I headed here - to the apple identification tent as I wanted to find out what varieties the three apples were on my family tree. They said that family trees are nearly always Bramleys with two grafted varieties. One of my eating grafts is probably a James Grieve but they couldn't come up with a idea for the other. So it remains a mystery .
Then I had a wander round the rest of the museum
This building below is The Boby Building was one of the first moved here, it came from Bury St Edmunds I think - if I'm remembering correctly. Unfortunately they were having a special unveiling of their restored traction engine with only "important people" allowed through the barriers.This building is full of all the old crafts - like coopering and a farrier and lots of other things that I've seen but can't remember. I didn't really want to hang around for half an hour so went and looked at the other buildings on site
Edgars Farmhouse was the first building moved here when the museum opened. - definitely timber framed!
This pathway on the edge of the museum is an old medieval track "Crowe Lane" that would have been used to bring animals and produce down into the town for the weekly markets. It is many feet lower than the surrounding land.
In the Abbots Hall Barn there was a display of knitted poppies put together by local British Legion commemorating the 100 years since the end of WWI
Gypsy caravans have also been here for many many years
There are a couple of WWII huts which have room layouts from the 1950s
and Victorian times. These are used by local schools doing projects. Much of the museum work is educational.
I could have stayed longer and perhaps if I wasn't on my own maybe I would have done. Some things are better with company.
After a final look round the craft fair I went home for a late lunch
Son and DIL went with friends to the Saturday evening cider and song
festival proper where there were 40 different ciders to try with lots of
different folk bands. Needless to say they had booked a taxi home!
Back Tomorrow
Sue
What a fascinating place. I wonder how far away from me it is. I must investigate. I'm glad you had such a lovely day and that the back was well enough to enable you to visit.
ReplyDeletexx
Up the A12 and along the A14, Stowmarket is halfway between Ipswich and Bury
DeleteGreat post - that is definitely a place I would like to visit. A shame we didn't do so when we used to stay with my b-in-law twice a year (he's near Colchester). There was an apple weekend at the Botanic Gardens this weekend and although I could have gone on Saturday, I didn't want to pay £9 to get in!
ReplyDeleteThat's the only problem with events held at places with big admission costs . Next year I'll go to another place where they have an apple day
DeleteThat does look a nice place Sue.
ReplyDeleteHugs-x-
It's interesting but I've been lots of times now so not as interesting as the first time!
DeleteHi Sue, lovely post and some items in those 50s picture looked rather too familiar :-)
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/ website? Might help to identify your mystery apple.
I'll try and remember that for next year as I've eaten them all now!
DeleteGoogle Marcher Network too, you can send fruit off to them for ID.
DeleteAll looksso interesting Sue. Re the apple tree - we had a James Grieve apple in our garden when I was a child - delicious apples.
ReplyDeleteThey are so tasty much better than shop bought
DeleteThat does look very interesting and the caterpillar made me smile. Inwas making suffolk puffs or yo yos for Christmas brooches last night. Mine were slightly smaller than the caterpillar segments!
ReplyDeleteIts a very very long caterpillar, must have taken a long time to do
DeleteWhat an interesting place - it seems like Blists Hill in Shropshire where we visited a lot when down at the in laws. I love the thought that Crowe Lane has been worn away by all the feet that have trodden the path and now it is lower than the land surrounding it!
ReplyDeleteI wish it was as good as Blists Hill! (or The Black Country Museum or Beamish) but its on a much much smaller scale. There is a water mill and another farmhouse but they haven't erected any more buildings here for many years.
DeleteThat looks a fascinating place. You do seem to be finding some great places to go to recently. It's quite good that you've still got a 'mystery apple'.
ReplyDeleteApparently they need 3 or 4 of a variety to look at tohelp them work out what they are. I'll try and remember to put some in the fridge to keep them and take them somewhere next year to get ID
DeleteEnjoyed the visit Sue, thank you.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great place to visit, lots of interesting exhibits. The poppies were a delight to see.
ReplyDeleteI went there some years ago. I can't remember lots of it but do recall seeing the gypsy caravans. I know I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have such lovely sites near you to visit.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It's a great place to visit! I took my kids there one year when I brought them over to visit Mum. They loved it! So much to see and do.
ReplyDeleteLooks like my kind of place to visit. x
ReplyDeleteI've been away and am now playing catch up. I love these places that you are sharing with us! Amazing things so near to you!
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