Saturday 10 August 2019

Saturday 10th August

A Yellow weather warning in force today for high winds. It was already windy yesterday afternoon but  incredibly warm........... I had windows open all over and curtains going crazy. The heavy rain forecast didn't happen here and neither did a big power outage which affected some areas of the country.


Because of baking 3 cakes for the show and bringing them home and popping in the freezer I won't need to do any baking for weeks - very handy. The 1st prize-winning tomatoes were skinned and added to the bag in the freezer and that made 2lb so far towards my Red Hot Relish and I picked the rest of the mange-tout, added the ones I'd shown on my pathetic 'tray of vegetables' class and they went in the freezer too. I gave away the prize winning cucumbers on Saturday and shoved the courgettes in the fridge with the peppers and aubergines while I decided what to do with them.

On Tuesday I went to Ipswich, hadn't been for months but there were a couple of things I needed from Lakeland and Wilkinsons. Goodness me the town looked sad, so many empty shops that weren't empty last year. The only thing cheering was the Hospice Elmer trail. This is one of 55 to track down. I looked on line to see the story behind the design and found............

This sculpture is based around the life and early years of local boy Ed Sheeran. The design shows mini murals depicting the special and memorable events of his life, many of which are featured in his single Castle on the Hill, and which have shaped him into the man, and very talented artist, that he is today. Among the patches are many images of his tattoo characters and items that have featured heavily in his life and music.

This is the second time I've seen the "Cornhill Improvements" and I still don't understand the huge amount of money spent. Water fountains - like so many other towns and the concrete "stonehenge" and there were deckchairs too
And behind you can see one of the huge empty shops. A family run department store for years until 1996.
Looking on line for the date it closed I found this........................
Could a new tenant soon be found for the former Grimwades store on the edge of the Cornhill as the council prepares to replace the controversial plinths outside it?

As we revealed yesterday, the concrete "Four Arches" structure - described by many as "Cornhenge" - are to be replaced at the end of the summer with polished plinths that meet the original specification.

This has prompted some people to ask why they are being replaced and not removed altogether - but a spokesman for Ipswich Council said they were a "Marmite feature" with as many supporters as those wanting to see them gone.

He said: "They add an element of height to the redevelopment of the Cornhill and once the final plinths are put in place, we're confident more people will like them - we have already heard from
many people who like the concept even if the concrete doesn't look very good."

As the debate on the plinths continues, construction workers have moved in to fit out the former Grimwades store that was being converted into a Pret a Manger last year.

The up-market sandwich chain pulled out of the deal just before Christmas with the interior unfinished. It is understood that the building's landlords have found it difficult to find a new tenant to move into a half-completed unit and have decided to finish fitting it out themselves.

They hope this will make it easier to find a new tenant within the next few months - although no one is lined up at present.

During the fine summer days the Cornhill has been full - many families with young children enjoy sitting down near the fountains that have become a popular feature.

The safety work on the Cornhill is expected to get underway within the next weeks after the borough got the recommendations of an independent expert - the full report cannot be published until after the completion of the inquest into John Stow who died the day after falling down steps there in January.

The council is to install extra handrails, a permanent barrier beside the tapered step in front of the Old Post Office, and improve the definition of the steps so they can be more easily seen by people on the Cornhill.

This work is due to be completed over the summer - with the new plinths installed by October half term.


Not sure all that work will help fill empty shops!


2 pairs of shorts were an extremely good surprising bargain at the Wednesday Boot sale, I paid just 50p each and one pair still have tag attached , I would have paid more as it's rare to find big-bum clothes at boot sales! And another 50p spent on a Sudoku book because the one I bought from The Works was infuriating once I got passed the Easy and Medium....turned the page to Hard and got completely stuck so never even made it to the Extra Hard pages!



Decided to use some of the aubergines with courgettes, peppers, potatoes and onions all from home plus a few bought carrots to do a big tray of roasted mixed vegetables. One lot to eat and 3 boxes popped into the freezer. I think I might do another batch next week, when more courgettes appear.

Youngest and Florence visited me this week which was good....... And that was another week gone.

This week I'm grateful for.........
Food from the garden
Clothes from a boot sale
The Internet to find out interesting things


Back Monday............Have a good weekend everyone....look out for those Yellow Weather warnings!
Sue

35 comments:

  1. I love Ed Sheeran, I remember reading stories about Elmer the Elephant to my son (now 22). Have a good weekend.

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    1. The Elmer trail around Ipswich is fun for children, the hospice have a different trail each summer then the art is auctioned off to raise more money

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  2. Another early riser here (thanks to shift work). Ed Sheeran was born in Halifax I think and moved to Suffolk as a child. Good for you that you can wear shorts, I have a big bum alright but I absolutely hate my legs and hardly ever show them. Despite the weather I am happy it's weekend!

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    1. I love Ed Sheeran singing - he is a bit less popular where he lives now due to loud parties disturbing the village!

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    2. I read (in one of the UK newspapers I follow) that the neighbors are more than irritated that the livestock pond has been turned into a swimming pool as well.

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    3. He has bought up several houses in the village and what with that and the pond/swimming pool palaver and the loud parties - it's not a good way to make friends in a village!

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  3. I've heard that Ipswich has gone downhill in the past 10 years. That's about how long it's been since I was there (maybe even longer and I only live just outside it. If I need to shop I pop to Woodbridge, that's still very up-market. I don't think things will improve until they sort the parking problem out. Apparently the hospital lost power yesterday but I didn't and I'm almost in sight of it! Well done on your successes at the veg show!

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    1. I like to pop to Ipswich now and again and thought I'd found a cheapish car park near the Theatre but found that had increased in price too and was almost empty.
      Very strange about the hospital, heard it on the news and they said the back up generators also failed - serious problem there I think

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  4. How funny, I just read on another blog how much they liked the Cornhill water fountain and how much loved it is by children and that it bought new life into a very dull area.

    I am really intrigued by the Ed Sheeran elephant, why all the Swiss flags and what's the connection? I may have to google a bit ...

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    1. Yes the fountains are fun for children, the concrete used for the henge things is falling apart already!The area was used for a market for several years and I'm old enough to remember when it was still a road with trolley buses!

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    2. Meant to say what look like swiss flags are plus signs for his plus + album.

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    3. Yes, you're right, I just noticed they are all over Elmer! LOL

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  5. Hope you never had any damage because of the winds. My arch blew down but that is nothing compared to some people. My family where camping and gave mit heard from them.
    It is a shame that the little towns are closing down, I think the Internet has a lot to do with it.
    I play sudoku but like you I kind the hard and very hard to to do. We I shall carry on with my blanket to day and hopefully it will get finished today.
    Have a nice weekend Sue and hopes the wind settles down soon.
    Hazel c uk

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    1. Sorry for mistakes on this post.
      Hazel c uk

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    2. No damage from wind so far - touch wood. Still hoping for a good forecast for tomorrow

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  6. I love that elephant so bright and cheery, there is also an Elmer's Big Parade in Plymouth currently, we found 3 last Tuesday, then the heavens opened and we got soaked to the skin, so decided to find the rest of the Elmer's another day. There are 40 in and around Plymouth, but there are an additional 25 young Elmers at Mount Edgcumbe that have been decorated by local school children, they are all there until September 16th hopefully we will be able to get them all. It is also run for St. Lukes hospice. Helen S.

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    1. The Elmers are so colourful and a lovely idea for children to find them all. They are auctioned afterwards

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  7. The wind here in Kent is ferocious with major gusts.....there have been lots of outages but so far (touch wood) we’ve been ok. Hope you get away with little damage.....have a good weekend....

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    1. I was woken by a downpour in the night - water overflowing the gutters but that was all the rain, now just very windy.

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  8. My own personal opinion about the concrete arches is that I think they look like an after thought to make the area look interesting. If the concrete had some kind of design and not just plain maybe, but as they are they don't look right. As I said my own personal opinion, (don't want to upset anyone). I love the elephant though and would certainly give it house room.

    I found a puzzle book a few days ago which I bought last Christmas, so am working my way through that. I never have much success with suduko, even the easy ones, lol. Keeps us out of mischief, doesn't it?

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    1. They just look a bit odd sticking up in the middle of the open area. I like the fountain and there are lots of low plinths for seating, but it does nothing to help to fill the empty shops

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  9. The suduko book comment made me laugh. I recently picked up one and didn't pay too much attention--just wanted one to work on when I listen to audio books or am not otherwise busy with other tasks. It turned out it had no easy or medium puzzles at all but started out with "Hardest". Never seen one like it before, but I've perseverred and been pleased to have succeeded at completing about 75% of the ones I've tried so far. Definitely a challenge.

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    1. I've had books before and been able to work right through them but that book was just very frustrating...it was making me depressed! so I chucked it and started another one

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    2. I hear you. I've chucked a few of them myself.

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  10. I love the different trails cities have going on. They weren't around when my offspring were little. Love the Ed Sheeran 'Elmer'. I think most cities and towns have empty shops these days. I'm sure if the landlords weren't quite so greedy, more independents could occupy them.
    I'm with you on the Sudokus. I love doing them and sometimes on the hard ones, if there's only a possibility of 2 numbers, I'll take a guess. Sometimes I'm lucky, haha!

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    1. The trails are good fundraisers for hospices and fun for children. I can remember when there were no empty shops in Ipswich - so different now and sad

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    2. Really sorry that there's no trail in Norwich this summer

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  11. Every time there's an empty shop in our local town, it seems to reopen as a mobile phone shop (how many do we need in one town?!) or, the latest trend, a shop selling those ghastly vape things. I just cannot stand them. The vape things, I mean. Your bum can't be that big, Sue, if you can fit into those shorts!

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    1. It's odd how the bigger town has gone downhill in the last 20 years but smaller towns like Stowmarket and Diss have very few empty shops and seem to be OK

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  12. It's so sad to see once thriving towns in sad demise. Our 'county town' is now more of a county shambles and I think it would be better of the local council to lower business rents overall to encourage business back instead of giving heavily discounted rates to charity shops, which while needed do nothing to actively encourage businesses and entrepreneurs.

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    1. Even charity shops have closed in Ipswich! and all of them have signs out urgently wanting stock

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  13. The closing of all the small clothing and large department stores seems to be a world wide phenomenon.People don't go out to shop anymore,they just order on line and wait for delivery I know the last of our big shop always seems half empty and are not doing well,despite lovely quality stock.I'm in southern Australia.

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    1. Supermarkets selling clothes is another reason for the demise of the big department stores. I've found better clothes in supermarkets nowadays

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  14. We have had stores closing here like crazy as well. Soon we may be traveling over 200 kilometers in order to buy any clothing.

    God bless.

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