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