Rubbish

 There are big changes on the way in Mid Suffolk with regard to rubbish and recycling collections.

(Apologies, this appears a bit strange, it's OK in drafts )

Will it make any difference?

I think we need legislation to stop excess packaging- that would at least help a little. Especially after reading this..................

Back in April, The Big Plastic Count results revealed that a whopping 58% of all the plastic we throw away at home is incinerated here in the UK.

 A lot of rubbish in this part of Suffolk is incinerated to produce electric for the grid. But I heard recently that new studies have shown that waste incinerators pollute as much as coal fired power stations did- so councils are going to have to come up with a different plan.

This is what we've been told here in Mid Suffolk. It will be interesting to see how or if it works to reduce landfill.

From 2026, you’ll be able to recycle much more as we introduce additional collections – helping the environment, and cutting how much waste goes into your black bin

To meet new government legislation, we’ll be:

introducing new WEEKLY food waste collections for your unusable or expired:

leftovers

meat

fish

bones

tea bags and coffee grounds

bread

pasta and rice

eggshells and dairy products

fruit and veg peelings

accepting more items in recycling bins - including glass and cartons such as Tetra Pak (and plastic film from 2027)

providing a separate bin, box or bag for paper and cardboard, which will improve its recycling value and quality

With significantly less rubbish in black bins (an estimated 58% reduction), and no longer containing food items which are most likely to cause bins to smell, we will also move to three-weekly rubbish bin collections in the same year

However, our waste team would be sympathetic to those with exceptional needs on a case-by-case basis, such as those with larger families, with medical needs or without available space for the new bins

Working with other councils in Suffolk and Suffolk Recycles, these changes ensure we can meet new government legislation aimed at increasing the UK's plateauing recycling rates

Back Soon

Sue

All Saints, Chelsworth

To reach Chelsworth church you have to walk through the front garden of a lovely old house 

Very pleased to see some people at the door as it meant the church was open and there were two people inside doing a big clean before Remembrance Sunday service.

Chelsworth church is unusual in being cement rendered on the outside, inside was Victorianised but more recent changes moved the beautiful organ up so that a kitchen and toilet could be built underneath at the base of the tower.

Grade 1 listed All Saints Church in Chelsworth has just completed an amazing £330,000 project to make it a valuable community centre whilst retaining its important role as a place of worship. The Church lies in the heart of pretty Chelsworth (population 120) and is now providing a venue for meetings, film shows, concerts etc.

Note the flintwork structure on the north wall - it's the outside canopy of a huge tomb inside.

From this angle the two side aisles show how wide the church is

The man inside was very knowledgeable about everything, he said the font was much older than the church building and might have been in the previous church that is mentioned in the Doomsday Book or brought here from elsewhere.

The door to the vestry, which was the South porch,  is usually locked but I was lucky to go inside to see these very old pieces of stained glass. They  were found wrapped in a cloth and buried on neighbouring land and date from 1657. This was probably when the puritans came along smashing windows.

This is the inside part of the tomb which might have been moved here from elsewhere in the church as it looks as if the windows have been altered. It's probably for Sir John Philbert and dates from 1334

Another very special thing in this church is the doom painting over the chancel arch. The Victorians decided to repaint it in the C19 which did it no good at all and the present church users are trying to raise more funds so it can be restored properly 

Traditional colourful stained glass but the last one photographed  is C20 and very pale

This is the organ up high above the new kitchen with new small wall paintings each side.

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Sue

First Christmassy Event

 This is where I headed on Saturday morning. It sounded more interesting than the usual Christmas Fayres and  was being held at the place where I bought the corn dolly that I wrote about in September

when the one I had began to fall to pieces.

 I thought I'd see how much they are now and there were two churches close by that  I could visit too.

 There were lots of interesting stalls in the big barn, many had vintage Christmas decorations and all sorts of lovely things

I had a good look round and then spent £1.50 on 5 tickets from a charity tombola stall. Usually I win nothing but when I opened my tickets I discovered 3 were winners and the prizes weren't just one thing but some taped together and others in a gift bag.

When home I unpacked all these things. A cookery book, a candle holder, small bottle of wine, tiny Christmas crackers, some bath bombs, a small bag of sparkly glittered pine cones and three hanging gold bead Christmas tree decoration plus the mystery below.

I need some ideas about what this is, the main bit looks like an enamelled pendant but it's attached to something that looks as if it goes on a finger, with a ring at each end.

I'm not sure what I'll do with all those bits and bobs - probably pass some to a charity shop, add others to a Christmas present and keep the mini Christmas crackers, the red wine and the gold tree decorations.

I was very good on my morning there because of 'Low spend November' and £1.50 was my only spend. The Corncraft corn dollies are now very expensive - £8 upwards - so they were left and nothing jumped out at me from the stalls or the shop. I avoided the expensive coffee and scone in the cafe by having breakfast before I went out and even passed on the £2 coffee with free mince pie in the barn  ......................See my halo!! 😇

On my way through Needham Market when going home I stopped at the Sue Ryder charity shop and found these small Christmas tree decorations of 3 little corn dollies for £1, which seemed a coincidence not to be ignored.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Gloomy First Week of November

 Grey, grey, grey and even greyer - that's what the sky has been every day this week in Mid Suffolk. It's not very inspiring. According to the Met Office website we might get a little sun on Monday and Wednesday if we're lucky................at least it's not cold - about the only good thing to say.

I even had to use the tumble dryer for 30 minutes one day as there wasn't any drying weather all week.

 

I got my scrapbooks and bits that I've been cutting out from various places, onto the table. The dull weather meant having the lights on a lot to see but I spent a while adding more themed pages.

Making scrapbooks all started in 2021 when I found these below at a boot sale and wanted to save some of the cuttings and postcards rather than them being chucked into landfill. I couldn't save everything as some were water damaged and foxed but kept the best bits including the postcards of Eric Ravilious - on the black pages.

 Someone asked what I do with them. Well there are only two so far and not yet full up but I'll keep them and perhaps pass them onto grandchildren or maybe they will be useful to someone. 

This isn't the scrapbooking that is done using bought bits and photos but recycling all sorts, including old tatty books, stamps, cuttings from various places, cards and I found a bundle of old nostalgia postcards in a charity shop a long while ago that have been good to use.

These are some of the pages I've done. (I've used a couple of art sketch books picked up at boot sales rather than buying special scrapbooks)

Chairs - with room for more

                                                           

Working horses and donkeys

Through doors or windows - with a bit of space left for more

Apples and blossom

Hats

WWII

It keeps me out of mischief!

*******************

Thank goodness for the TV this week - I've not been far so it's been good company . There are new series of Antique Road Trip and QI and the second of a police drama called Ellis, and Shetland came back. I watched series 10 of The Brokenwood Mysteries on the U channel - it's the New Zealand version of Midsummer Murders!

No  LOW spend November to date..............

Brought Forward £ 242    Direct Debits (Council Tax, phones, broadband, charity)

                             £    8   Various donations re book fair etc

                             £  36.80  Food Aldi and Morrisons; Keep Moving Group; Gift and postage for new                                                   baby.

This weekend........................In my diary there is a Christmas Fayre or Sale somewhere every weekend from now to mid December. Sometimes even three on the same day, which will be difficult!

I didn't get to one last weekend but hope to this weekend and perhaps another church visit too and I really need to empty the compost bin that's been stood for a year.

Have a good weekend

I'll be back Monday 

Sue

Persephone Books

 Persephone Books have shrunk their lovely Persephone Biannually publication to this little Persephone Pamphlet - much smaller, fewer articles and no coloured pictures. They don't actually say so but it's obviously to save money - especially on postage. As it's still free I won't complain but the pictures in the Biannually were always handy for the scrapbook.

Persephone Books  publish books, just 3 or 4 a year,  that have been forgotten, usually by women writers. I've enjoyed several of their books and have a small collection of favourites but two they've re-published recently are books I've already read.

I owned a copy like this one below for many years  - The Waters Under The Earth by John Moore, but it went in one of the house moves. 

I can't remember anything about it now and wouldn't mind re-reading so I suggested the library buy a copy and they did. I was able to be first to reserve and it will be on the library van for me this month.

Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther is Persephone's most recent re-print (number 151) and I own a Virago Modern Classic copy from 1989, which is still available second-hand for pennies, so I'm not sure why Persephone chose this to reprint. The original started as columns in The Times in 1937 recounting the everyday events of a fictional middle class family.

It was turned into a film during WWII and became popular on both sides of the Atlantic with Winston Churchill saying it had been very good for the Allied cause.

Jan Struther was the pen-name of Joyce Maxtone Graham and her Granddaughter Ysender Maxtone Graham is also an author - of non-fiction books. I read one of her books (British Summer Time Begins) recently in the summer bit of my Reading The Seasons 'challenge'.

Before going to the second-hand book sale on Saturday it was over a year since I'd found a Persephone anywhere but then I spotted this lurking at the back of the gardening books and picked it up quickly for £1.

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Sue

Final Boot Sale Finds

 These were my finds from the last (except a December special)  Needham Market boot sale a couple weeks ago. I found more than I have at most of the others this year.

Everything was 50p except the jigsaw puzzle which was £3 - It's a spot the difference puzzle so will make a good blog post when I do it later. The gloves were a good find as they are what I use outside all the time and I'd got to the end of some that Col got many years ago. They are cheap enough to buy online but often in packs of a dozen - which I may not be around long enough to use!

I was pleased to find cheap Christmas wrapping paper as I'd forgotten the last lot had been used up until I was sorting through the wrapping box looking for baby paper that I thought I had. (Now a Great Aunt for the third time - a girl this time - good news)

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Sue

St Peter, Westleton

 Westleton is a village just a few miles inland from the North Sea at Dunwich.

It was a gloomy morning when I went to the book sale and then to the church so inside photos are not very good. On a sunny day it would be really light and bright inside as everywhere is white including the chancel ceiling.

The church is one of the few thatched churches in Suffolk and  also has no tower. The original tower fell down in 1776 and a small wooden replacement was destroyed by bombing in WWII.

 I like their hanging globe electric lights. The pews are from the C19 restoration and have low doors.

The altar cloth is lovely. Westleton has a Wild Flower Festival every year although I've never been. I'll try and remember to look out for a date for it in 2025

Piscina and Sedilia date from the C14

Stained glass window featuring St Felix and St George

A grand piano is something not often seen in a Suffolk village church

A reminder that life could be short in the C18 .

Back Soon

Sue