At Orford Quay

The Angela Harding illustration for spring that nudged me into going to Orford castle and after the castle I went down to the quay. .

Orford Hares

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The best way to describe the way the rivers of Alde and Ore flow to the sea are by looking at the Wikipedia page HERE

A bigger fishing boat

Small boats anchored in the harbour

Fishermen's huts

Below  is a display from the castle about the story of the  'wild man of Orford' caught by fishermen in the 1100's.

Remembered in the shop, smokehouse and cafe at the harbour

Apologies for people who looked at this post when it briefly escaped yesterday - I didn't notice the date was wrong in drafts.

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Orford Castle

A lovely sunny day with a cold wind but I'd not had an adventure out for weeks so decided to have a day out and the Angela Harding print of the Orford Hares gave me a nudge to use my English Heritage membership for a visit to the castle at Orford before my knees give up completely. It's all steps!....from the car park to the top.

All that is left of the castle built there in the 1160's is the keep on the top of the mound or motte.

When we first moved to the smallholding at Knodishall we could see the light from the lighthouse in the far distance, when the night was clear but  I think English Heritage need to update this board below as the lighthouse was demolished in 2020 - the Wiki report is here

Huge fire dogs in the very large fireplace

One of the display cabinets on the Orford Castle museum floor - I took pictures of the others but the sun made too many reflections.

And then finally, after 100+ steps you get to the top and look at the view all round

My last visit to Orford including the  church visit  was in 2022 the post is  HERE if you want to look.

There's not a huge amount to see at the castle but it's worth the climb to the top for the views. By the time I'd got down again the knees were like jelly and I could hardly walk! Think I need to move from bungalow to a house to give them more exercise!

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Some Lovely Greetings Cards

 It was a chilly start at the HUGE boot sale last Saturday although the cloud soon went the East wind was very cold. I didn't stay very long as most of the people selling were once again market traders, dealers and house clearance businesses. But a few private sellers are starting to emerge and from one I found some gorgeous greetings cards.

When I said " what lovely cards you are selling" she said her mother used to work in a printers where they were made and at the end of season they were given big bundles of unsold cards. She said she still had dozens at home. I bought 11 cards for £2. 

Below - And they included cards with illustrations by Eric Ravilious and Angela Harding. The Owl and Hare will be put away for Christmas cards as they are snowy scenes as will the fox and badger cards, above, by Sally Elford.

I also picked up from other people the new pack of pens for 50p and some larger  envelopes also 50p.

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News From the Week and the April Library Book Photo

A good week of sunshine. The magnolias are now in full flower and green shoots appearing  on hedges and trees around although I noticed when I was over by the coast last week that the Hawthorn hedges are a week or more ahead to those here in Mid Suffolk.

In the garden something else was also enjoying the sun -  the first proper butterfly sighting of the year - a Peacock on the roof tiles, unfolded it's wings to sunbathe. Not many things around for it to feed on so I hope it survives.

I've moved the 11 tomato seedlings from modules to pots, although I only need 5, and they are now out in the greenhouse with fleece right ready. My pepper and aubergine seedlings are now pricked out into modules. Plenty of peppers but just 2 aubergines but I'll make that enough for this year. They are still on the spare bedroom window cill/sill (which is right?!)  for now.

 Brought these 10 books below home from the mobile library van this week. 9 were reserved and I spotted that the van had another M.W.Craven on the shelves- it's a small novella from the 'Quick Reads' collection from 2022. It's been read already and  took less than an hour.

Several favourite authors this month - Alys Clare, Elly Griffiths with her new series of time travelling detective, Tracy Chevalier, Kate Webb and Jim Eldridge. A couple of new-to-me authors - Jim Kelly and Elif Shafak and Robert Peston (although he's a bit odd when on TV news etc!) Decided to re-read 'A Croft in the Hills' while the library still have a copy. I had a copy once, and her other books,  but they  went in one of the moves.

In March I collected these 9 below and read five of them, took lots of photos of the pages from "The Year Unfolding" to use on the blog and returned the others unread. I decided not to read 'Murder on the Marlow Belle' as it's on TV catch up channel and I rather watch it.

The books that I've read have been added to the Books Read 2025 page

Have a good weekend, I'm off to watch the EGD in her ballet school show. Enjoy the early April sunshine if you have it.

Back sometime next week

Ahead of the Times?

The author wrote this book in 2021

Did he know something we didn't?

 

This was a new-to-me-author and the book was on my shelves although I can't remember who mentioned the author or where I found the book - it wasn't new so must have been from a charity shop. The story was excellent and it means I've found a new series to read as this is the fourth out of six so far about Washington Poe who works for the National Crime Agency - with socially awkward but brilliant civilian analyst, computer whizz and profiler Tilly Bradshaw.

This story reaches back to soldiers serving in Afghanistan, involves stolen historical artefacts and all happens while preparations are going on for putting in place security at a International summit being held at a Cumbrian Hotel.

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Sounding Old!

 I was sat in the TSB bank waiting for an appointment and thinking that a few years ago there would have been a long queue waiting to be served and each position would be open, now they only open a counter if it's needed for someone to pay in coins. I said the same to the lady I saw for my appointment and then reminisced on the time before single line queueing and having to guess which queue at which counter was going to move quickest - banks and Post Office. Seems so strange to think how long it took to change to a single line. Then I thought OMG I'm turning into one of those old people who are always looking backwards!

Back at the end of the week with library book photo or before if I think of something worth saying!

April, My Second Favourite Month...........

 ................except for the expenses.

It's bad planning how so many things need renewing and paying for in April. TV licence, house insurance and dentist for a start and birthdays, but then it's my birthday month and more spring-like too which makes it my favourite month except for June - due to strawberries and Wimbledon tennis on TV (although I've just googled and the dates are mainly July this year - so that's mucked that one up!) Never mind still looking forward to a good second-favourite month.

And it's no wonder I'm feeling cheerful. The weatherman said March was the sunniest ON RECORD for Norfolk and Suffolk - that means the sunniest for many, many years. Really good for mental health.

 This bit below was written in my April 1st post of  2019

There are often a few warm days at the end of March or beginning of April which brings the Blackthorn into flower then the weather will often turn colder which is called The Blackthorn Winter. According to forecasts that looks very likely for this year. 

It was the same in 2022 and much again this year, warmth at the end of March and into April, so there is bound to be some cold sometime in April.

The rest of this post is bits from 2020 and 2022 post so I apologise for repeating.

 My Illustration for April is again from the book 'A Sparrow's Life as Sweet as Ours' by Carrie Akroyd.

The male blackbird is one of our most recognisable birds, there was a decline in numbers through the latter part of the C20 but since the beginning of this century numbers have increased again.

In Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream, Bottom says

 The Ousel-cock, so black of hue, with orange tawny beak.

because until the C17 blackbirds were just one of the birds of the ousel family, they didn't have their own name. 

This year...............

Easter is almost the latest it can be and falls just after my 70th - family get together planned for that which will be good. And then of course  St Georges Day on the 23rd,  but there are lots of Saints in my book who are less well known. What about St Vincent Ferrer on the 5th, St Waudru on the 9th, St Zeno of Verona on the 12th, St Soter on the 22nd and  St Zita on the 27th? Some wonderful names and stories.

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