Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Seeds for this year

 Eventually I got around to opening my seed packet storage tin to see what I needed for this year. I can never get up much enthusiasm for gardening when the weather is gloomy.

I have a few seeds left from last year, some might be OK - they sometimes keep well and sometimes not, even when they should. I've bought 5 new packets of seeds  and I'm growing much the same as last year. 


I'll grow two types of tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines and peppers in the greenhouse. Outside will be Runner and French Green climbing beans, courgette, butternut squash and sweetcorn for definite. I do have a packet of Kale seeds - might try them but with the problems from, pigeons, cabbage white caterpillars and next doors neighbours cat it might not be worth it. 
The leeks I grew last year all got Allium Leaf Miner ruining them, this is a pest that was unknown in this country until relatively recently. They affect late grown leeks so I might try and find some early seedlings at a carboot/nursery and then make sure to harvest early and freeze.
I'll buy  pots of growing Parsley and Basil from Aldi or Asda and propagate them, cheaper than a packet of seeds.
The five packets of seed from DT Brown came with a free packet of Carrot seeds which will be passed onto BiL. He has more room and grows a few each year. They are not worth my while growing.

So plans made for 2025 and hopefully with the big Sycamore gone it will make for better growing conditions in my small patch, more air movement and more sunlight.

Back Soon
Sue


Tuesday, 11 February 2025

The February Library Book Photo

 9 books picked up from the mobile library. They are all books I'd reserved online beforehand but I'm not sure about several so I might be reading from my shelves well before the March mobile visit.

Two more with Winter in their title for Reading The Seasons - if I can get into them and before the end of February and there's only one out of nine that I know will definitely be OK - worrying!




In January I collected these from the van 



and these from Stowmarket library because I forgot to alter the pick up point back to the mobile.

I read a dozen books in January, including most of the above as well as some which were left from December, one from my shelves and one from a jumble sale. I reckon 12 books in a month is pretty good going - proves that Just Stay In January was good for reading, as was not feeling too well for a week!
The details of the books I read are on the Books Read 2025 page.....February has got off to a much slower reading pace. I'm watching the original French series Astrid - subtitled of course -- so I can't read at the same time.

Back Soon
Sue

Monday, 10 February 2025

Grey Weather and Saturday Morning Jumble Sale

 The weather this week doesn't look very exciting.



See the row of little grey clouds?

Trying to find a plus and the only thing I can see is that sunset is now  5pm and it's not too cold.

Had to remind myself yesterday how to take a screenshot again - wish I was better at computers.


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As Jumble sales are such a rare event I had to go and have a look. A good crowd inside. I didn't look through the massive pile of clothes but found 4 things. Two for the Granddaughters and two just because.





The beautiful glass ( a vase I guess but really just a piece of art glass - not to be used for flowers) is incredibly heavy, I liked the colours - turquoise and gold, but I'm not sure why I bought the Beswick Cabbage Leaf dish except for it being only 50p and I knew it was worth a bit more. I've been thinking of doing a car-boot sale sometime this summer with Son and DiL maybe, so this can be added to the car -boot box, I might even make a 50p profit!!
Total spend was only £1.50......I do love Jumble sales when they sell stuff cheap to get it gone - so sensible.

 I stopped outside BiL's house on the way home where he was parked unloading yet another mower that needed repairing, his least favourite job he says but the one many people ask him to do. He's still hoping to cut my grass which is too long now for my battery powered mower, if only some drying weather could coincide with him not being busy and looking at that weather forecast I don't think it will be this week.

Back Soon 
Sue

Saturday, 8 February 2025

First Week of February and I'm Still Puzzling and Puzzled

 I think the weather has been better this week, at least in parts, I remember putting towels out on the whirly on Tuesday and getting them half dry, apart from that I've forgotten! although I've done some bits of garden clearing so it must have been mostly dry. The garden waste bin is full of Buddleia again and the wheelbarrow the same - waiting for the bin to be emptied on Monday.

We now have 7 new people at the Keep Moving group and most have been for the last 3 weeks, some other regulars returned so we had 16 there this week which is very good news. It's only half an hour working through a sequence of exercises but I'm sure it does us good physically and then socially when we have coffee afterwards. Three of the new folk are people I knew from way, way back, when we lived in the area through the 1980s. They've not moved, while I've been halfway round Suffolk and back.

Middle Grandson had his 5th birthday this week, I went round for Pizza and Cake - his request for tea after school on his birthday - I'm not going on Saturday when he has 4 friends round to play! 

Thank you to everyone for comments this week - I'm glad I'm not the only person who doesn't like strong scents, random book gifts and only doing jigsaw puzzles I like the look of. The comments were split on finding the edges already separated of the February jigsaw, some people agreed that it was good to find while others said they would miss searching for them. It wasn't a new puzzle so would have been repackaged like that by the person who did it last. I'm very strongly in the first camp - it was a treat!

Here's how I'm getting on with it..........slowly.



My Bad Blogger post a couple of weeks back wasn't meant to be taken entirely seriously but since then  I've been ever so good and have checked the comments spam section everyday (well almost everyday!). Nothing in it most days which is good news, perhaps blogger is behaving itself, although I won't bank on it.

But I'm still puzzling over one comment that was left on the Bad Blogger post

I comment often on your blog and rarely are they posted by you. I have become discouraged. I never know if the were removed for moderation bec you didn't like my [innocuous] comments or if they're lost in spam and you never look there. I found it ironic a week or so ago that you asked people to comment, please....Maybe they like me are lost in Blogger ether.

PS I see above my position is unpopular--to clarify, I don't mind if you don't answer! But if my comments are never posted, I will stop commenting, not just your blog but in general.

I don't have comment moderation switched on  and never have (except for the odd day, like after Colin died, or to get addresses for giveaways) so all comments should pop up straight away , so I looked back pre January and can't find any other comments by Lizzy D. I wonder if there is another place comments can go to that none of us know about!

However,  there are 66,000+ comments that Have been published - blimey no wonder I've not answered all of them!

Back Next Week
Sue

Friday, 7 February 2025

The Karnser

 When I was a child we went to Stowmarket on the bus and got off before the town centre to walk to see Grandma and then we would walk into town which meant going over a raised path, which I've always known as the Karnser. Grandma and Mum were Stowmarket born and bred so that's what they called it.

There WAS a picture  below which I copied from a local 'Stowmarket In Old Photo's' Facebook page and several people commented that they'd never heard the word. Some references say that it's an East Anglian dialect word but below the report says it's much older.

The picture vanished and I couldn't find it again despite searching all the Stowmarket facebook sites - luckily I'd copied the text.......................

The raised pathway on one side of Station Road, whether it is spelled with a 'c' or a 'k', is an old word of Anglo-Saxon origin. There are other places in East Anglia with a reference to the word, such as Mellis Common in Suffolk and Blakeney in Norfolk, which refer to a raised footpath or causeway across a marshy area.
The Stowmarket spelling with a 'k' is quite unusual, but the meaning still has the same derivation of a raised footpath. In this case it was developed to allow brewers' drays to pull up beside Steven's Brewery, that later became part of the Greene King Group, so that barrels could be rolled directly onto the back of the carts without involving heavy lifting or rolling heavy casks up sloping ramps etc.

Information from Stowmarket Local History Group.

While searching for the picture that I copied here from facebook and which later vanished, I came across this one from a bit later when the brewery had been taken over by Greene King. It doesn't really show the Karnser except for the railings.


No photo description available.


And here's what it looks like today. Back in the 60's there were breaks in the barriers with steps built into the wall to get down to road level, but they are long gone. This road is a very busy one now leading in and out to the town centre and the main carpark beside Asda.



It's a very, very long time since the building was a brewery and it's been rebuilt, stood empty or used as offices for many years.

Back Soon
Sue
Thanks for comments yesterday, I thought I'd answered but I hadn't and then it was late!

Thursday, 6 February 2025

There and Going, Going, Gone

I'm always sad when I hear or see mature trees being cut down, but sometimes when they are very big and in among houses it's probably safer for everyone.

These were the huge Willow and Sycamore trees in the sunshine on Sunday morning. The Willow on the left is in the garden of the house over the back and the Sycamore is right in the corner of my next door neighbours garden.

Both neighbours came to tell me they'd got together to have the trees cut down, both trees getting too big for where they are. 

My first thought was 'Oh No' but actually I'll get a lot more sun light into the bungalow, greenhouse and garden and no more leaves to clear - the Sycamore dumps loads in my garden.


Abby next door said she hates having to have the Sycamore down but it's damaging their shed and cutting out all the light from their house and garden and is just way too big for the space between their house, the house behind them and my bungalow. This bit of the estate was built in 1983 and I guess both trees were planted back then with no thought on how big they would get in 40 years.

The willow was first to go.




Then they moved onto the Sycamore



The Sycamore has now gone completely but the willow still stands. I thought they were going to take it right down but perhaps not. It looks really odd but will sprout in spring.


I won't really notice the difference until summer, but now I'll get sun right through the afternoon and evening. I think the greenhouse plants will appreciate it. I might get fewer pigeons in the garden too as they won't be able to nest in the Sycamore every year.


Before and after



Back Soon

Sue

(and thank you for comments yesterday - I've replied to all now.)


Wednesday, 5 February 2025

From 11 Years Ago

 Short of ideas for blog posts this month so here's one from 11 years ago - February 2014.................. still at the smallholding of course.



You know how some days you can be busy without seeming to achieve much, well today I was busy and I can actually see what I've done.

The day started with my usual walk around the field to let out the chickens from their 3 different sheds, check they are all still upright and collect the eggs. Then a basket of washing was hung out good and early with sunshine and a drying wind forecast.
Next job was to get two loaves of bread started and rising in front of the Rayburn.
After a cuppa, I pricked out the next batch of seedlings comprising of a few of each of three types of tomato and a few peppers. Then the small seed trays were refilled with seed compost and some more tomatoes sown and popped into the windowsill propagator.
Then I got a shout to go over and help put the plastic over the small poly-tunnel at our neighbours. Him outside has now finished the job, the boat has been wheeled inside and our neighbour is very pleased.
I had a tidy up in the shed and then a tidy up indoors.
The postman  brought me some books that I'd ordered using my Christmas money. "5 acres and a dream" and "Skeoch - our new life on a Scottish Hill farm". Both look like a good read and both are by people who write blogs.
The bread was baked and turned out well.
The washing dried.
I covered two clumps of rhubarb with bottomless dustbins to get them going.
Leeks done for fritters to go with bacon chops for dinner.

But the best job of all, which will make such a difference, is that after 4 dry days with drying wind Him Outside managed to get the middle sized chicken shed moved away from the sea of mud onto fresh grass - AT LAST!

So many weeks of rain had turned more than half of their run into  a sticky mud mess.

 The shed is on 2 wide metal skids, with a chain attached, they can be moved with the tractor.

A while later after moving water butt, feed bin, straw bin, drinkers, electric fence and the connection to mains electric for the lighting, the chickens are in seventh heaven on fresh grass.

So a good productive day. Our neighbour is happy with her boat shelter, the chickens are happy on fresh grass, Him Outside is happy to have done both those things and I'm happy with two new books, dry washing, fresh bread, seedlings growing and seeds sown.

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Days were always as busy as this back then...........now is so different.

Back in 2025 Soon
Sue

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

The February Jigsaw Puzzle.

 With visitors gone and the house sorted the February Jigsaw is out onto the table .


It's House of Puzzles again and another cheapie from ebay that I wanted to do (and yes I know about libraries and jigsaws but I wanted to do THIS one!) 

Choosing a puzzle for me is a bit like choosing a book . Can't do any old puzzle same as I can't read just any book. Hence the problem when someone gives me a book saying " I've bought you a book because  I know you like reading"..

And yes I realise that I'm just plain awkward!

Anyway, there was a nice surprise when I opened it, as the outside edge had been separated already - handy.

Back Soon
Sue


Monday, 3 February 2025

Moorhens

 One of the photos I took at Needham Lake a few weeks ago was a fairly decent one of a Moorhen.


Moorhens are everywhere, any ditch or pond will provide them with food - they are omnivorous - eating almost anything -  and somewhere to nest which is often precariously placed on a half submerged waterside tree.

In small spaces they will annoy ducks and drown ducklings being very territorial during the breeding season.

The naturalist, country man and poet John Clare (1793- 1864) wrote a poem 'The Moorhens nest' but I've not been able to find the whole thing online anywhere. JC wrote so many poems over his lifetime  including several about various bird's nests. 

This is the Moorhen illustration from the book ' A Sparrow's Life's As Sweet as Ours' by Carrie Ackroyd. It has mention of John Clare's poem ' - though danger comes, it dares and tries but cannot reach their nests'


Thank you to everyone for comments about the February weather sayings on Saturday's post. Candlemas Day was "Fair and Bright" so "Winter will take another flight". .....Oh dear ...Better Be Prepared!

Back Soon
Sue


Saturday, 1 February 2025

February Country Days


A February page from The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden

The Anglo-Saxons called February 'Solmonarth' which means flat-cake month. Cakes would be made as offerings to the gods in thanks for the lengthening daylight.

The full moon this month, on the 12th, was known as the Ice Moon or the Snow Moon and snow and ice are  just as likely in February as they are in January.

I found this February poem by Jane G Austin. An American poet and author who lived between 1831-1894.

February

by Jane Goodwin Austin

I thought the world was cold in death;
The flowers, the birds, all life was gone,
For January's bitter breath
Had slain the bloom and hushed the song.

And still the earth is cold and white,
And mead and forest yet are bare;
But there's a something in the light
That says the germ of life is there.

Deep down within the frozen brook
I hear a murmur, faint and sweet,
And lo! the ice breaks as I look,
And living waters touch my feet.

Within the forest's leafless shade
I hear a spring-bird's hopeful lay:
O life to frozen death betrayed
Thy death shall end in life to-day.

And in my still heart's frozen cell
The pulses struggle to be free;
While sweet the bird sings, who can tell
But life may bloom again for thee!


I wrote about Imbolc, St Bridget's  Day and Candlemas last year so won't repeat again so soon but there are lots of weather sayings for February....................


When gnats dance in February, the husbandman becomes a beggar

A February spring is not worth a pin

Fogs in February mean frosts in May

                                                                 Double faced February

There is always one fine week in February 



Two weather sayings for tomorrow, February 2nd............. 

If Candlemas Day be mild and gay,
Go saddle your horses and buy them hay
But if Candlemas Day be stormy and black
It carries the winter on it's back 

 If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will take another flight
If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.





Back Soon
Sue

Friday, 31 January 2025

Book Talk

  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is another excellent well written story from this author. I picked up my copy from a jumble sale, grabbing it quick when I spotted it in a pile of books. 



This is the Amazon blurb

This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II, when women’s stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.

It was an excellent story, well written and researched and especially thought provoking as I was reading it just prior to National Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The library have more Kristin Hannah books than they had a while ago but still none of the earlier novels - pre 2003. The books they do have in stock have good sized waiting lists so she's become a very popular author this side of the pond, with over fifty people still waiting for her 2024 publication - The Women.
I've now read five  of her most recent seven books because for some reason I didn't read Home Front when I had it on loan and have reserved True Colours (2009) and can reserve Another Life, Between Sisters and Wild.
Has anyone read her earlier books? I'm wondering if they are worth looking for on Abe books or Amazon or is she an author who's got better with time?


A few weeks ago I'd got down to only half a dozen books on my library reserved list and went through my 'Book of Books Read' to see if any of my favourite authors had had books published without me knowing! 
I was able to reserve Murder at St Paul's Cathedral, Murder at Whitechapel Road Station and Murder at Lords Station all by Jim Eldridge who seems to write about 3 books a year - pretty good going........that's what I call prolific, although they are not 'classics' they are quite readable. 

Somehow I'd missed hearing about the new series by Elly Griffiths, starting with The Frozen people so I'm 235th on the waiting list, luckily they've got 80 copies so should be a few months rather than years. I also found a new book by Alys Clare - The Chrysanthemum Tiger in her Gabriel Taverner series and Spoilers Prey by Robin Blake the most recent in his Titus Cragg series.

Now there are already  six books on the way for February mobile library visit and another 13 reserved, which looks much more promising.

In the meantime, the book I've been reading this last week is  Arthur Ransome's Winter Holiday - The Swallows and Amazons plus two extra children. Only my 3rd Winter book for the Reading The Seasons not-really-a-challenge which has just 4 weeks left.

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Thursday, 30 January 2025

The Week

 Thanks for the messages on Monday. Nothing was wrong but nothing much was happening this week apart from lots of tidying up and reading and I knew I wouldn't be able to conjure up ideas for blog posts.

 I had a few days under the weather last week with no energy, but struggled on as the Surrey family were here for the weekend. They were away in Thailand for Christmas so hadn't had Christmas presents from every one.
 I made Quorn korma curry plus Indian bits for 11 on Saturday evening. The Suffolk families were here too so cousins could spend as much time as possible together, and then we went out for a big family meal at a local pub on Sunday lunchtime before they headed off home.
 I've never complained about a meal out before but as we were booking a table for 12 (BiL came too) son did  a pre-order. Unfortunately they had forgotten we had pre-ordered and we ended up waiting well over an hour for our meal - you can imagine how 'hangry' the 5 grandchildren got! I wasn't impressed at all so negotiated a discount off our bill. The food wasn't the best anyway - cold plates make cold vegetables. We won't go there again! It's BiL's local and he said they never seem to have enough staff even on a normal evening.

So since Sunday I've been resting up and reading between stripping beds, cleaning the bathroom, doing washing, sorting toys back onto the shelves in the small bedroom and generally tidying up after having 4 extra people in the house. Nothing interesting. Nothing to blog about - Oh I see I just have!

Also this week I'm sure I aged as my 70+ driving licence renewal form came through the post, ready for April - it was easy to fill in so that's been done, and then, just to make me remember I'm almost 70 my knees started hurting even when not getting up from a chair!
All Jolly Good Fun!

Back Soon
Sue


Monday, 27 January 2025

Friday, 24 January 2025

St Mary Magdalene, Thornham Magna

 The church here is all about the Henniker family. They own the huge Thornham Estate all around the church. Much of the land is open to the public with Thornham Walks being a well known part of the estate for over 40 years.

I was pleased to see the little Church Open sign hanging on the side of the new Lych gate


 



Large and ornate porch


The  church has many stained glass windows, even in the porch - the one below


The text over the door


I liked the intricate door handle


The view down the nave, with the Christmas tree and nativity set still out



Many memorial stained glass windows for various members of the Henniker families in the past







The church seems to have two pulpits - I don't think this one below is used





This pulpit is the one that's in use



Several corbels of faces in the chancel roof





The church still has it's rood screen, with Christmas decorations




This ornate memorial to one of the Henniker family


Memorials go from pre Victorian right up to C20









A very Victorian church - more information here on the Suffolk Churches Website


Back in a few days
Sue


Thursday, 23 January 2025

The Corvid Family

 Crows or Rooks?

Crows are usually seen on their own whereas rooks are nearly always in large groups. I confused people a while ago when I quoted the old saying " A rook on it's own is a crow and a crow in a group is a rook". That's just a saying to help decide which bird you are looking at and doesn't mean the same bird has two different names.  

But  what about when there are two birds over the road in the graveyard? Rooks or Crows?

Here's the illustrations and descriptions from the book "An Illustrated Country Year" by Celia Lewis



They are definitely not Ravens, Jackdaws or Jays. I decided that they are two crows...........probably. 


Back Tomorrow
Sue



Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The Lake in Winter

Thanks to everyone for comments yesterday, I'm glad most people didn't take me too seriously!


On Sunday morning I decided to go and look at the nearest body of water in the hope that the reflection of light on water would improve a dull day.

This is Needham Lake, next door to where the big boot-sale is held on Saturdays later in the year. I wasn't the only person to have the idea and there were families everywhere with children on scooters and in pushchairs walking the circular path round the lake. There's a bit about the lake HERE.




Most of the birds on the lake were mallard ducks, and various gulls, moorhens and a couple of swans.







The only other interesting bird was a little egret - below cleaning his feathers- a poor photo  - who flew off when I got a bit closer.





It was 3℃, damp and chilly and I didn't hang around long.


Back Tomorrow
Sue