Woodbridge proved to be a very pleasant town with lots of independent shops and museums.
Waltham Abbey: We stayed here to meet up with friend Gary who we met some 3 years ago when travelling up the River Lee through Waltham.
The campsite was alongside Tottenham Hotspur training ground and Capel Manor College Anyone who listens to Gardeners Question Time will know of it. We just had to visit, It has everything and in spite of the rain we really enjoyed it
The Which? trial gardens The plants are inspected and assessed every two weeks:
There is small Zoo section with wild cats wallabies rabbits and so on
Whilst away we had a literary Zoom meeting and two from Devizes museum. There was a fine lecture on Eric Ravilious. These images were taken by Tony from the TV screen
I do urge you to visit the Museum for this exhibition. The second Zoom was to Explain more about the proposed new museum A considerable sum but worth every penny. I forsee a lot of fundraising!
Now a few odds & ends First a personalised tv advert: I won’t be shopping with this firm:
The Royal Gunpowder Mill at Waltham Abbey. We had wanted to visit here since our trip up the River Lee So interesting but vast area, difficult to photograph. Had wonderful tractor trailer trip with commentary from a former employee and took about 1.5 hours! Such a shame not more visitors, volunteers poised, free hot drinks and lots to see!
June began on a high note with warn sunshine and a cheese and wine evening aboard Lightship Sula and a very interesting and informative tour of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum with Rob Dixon, not to mention a Civic Trust visit to Highnam Court with its fantastic gardens, more of Highnam later.
Armed Forces Day at the Soldiers of Gloucester Museum All the dignitaries on parade
Helping out we did 16,787 steps that day, beating our target of 12,000
A week on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal:
Celebrated wildlife photographer at work. Swallows and sparrows. Enlarging holes in nest boxes evidently worked and now multi occupancy.
And so off to Woodbridge Suffolk where we spent a day with Tony’s cousins and caught up with family news and history.
Sutton Hoo
It was all a bit underwhelming until we met this anglo saxon
Orford Ness
Aldeburgh proved disappointing. Not the upmarket town I had envisaged. Steeply shelving pebble beach. Its redeeming quality was its messages about litter, that we should see elsewhere:
Framlington Castle did not disappoint
Ickworth house part hotel part National Trust. Much more interesting below stairs where the services were all labelled
Helmingham Gardens were just stunning! The house is privately owned and house not open but looks magnificent:
Felixtowe dock area. People were sitting watching boats arriving and being unloaded and containers sorted by huge cranes. We didn’t arrive until after 6pm, but cafe still open and busy. Too late to explore the Landguard fort.
The stately home we enjoyed the most was Kentwell again privately owned and quirky so different to NT
A morning visit to Ipswich, just waterside, didn’t do town, next time?:
Looking back through the diary It seems that most of the month was wet and cool! Our first cruise of the season had rain every day but nevertheless we enjoyed visiting Slimbridge and Sharpness.
We took Henry to Newark for his annual habitation survey postponed from November 2020 and the weather did not improve. We stayed at Holme Pierrepoint the National Watersports Centre. A pleasant enough site with all basic amenities but a bit dated and not secure.
Family history took us to Bingham. We were looking for the home of Percy Bramley my Great Grandfather. The Library had most helpful staff and so was the Landlady of the White Lion who told me my cousin had a table booked for dinner! The pub landlord had been Percy’s son Arthur who was helped by his son Shandy AKA Arthur Percy born 1946.
The only sunny afternoon was spent at Redhill cemetery looking at headstones! We managed to catch up with some friends and family
In Leadenham and Fulbeck just over the Lincolnshire border we were disappointed to find little evidence of our forbears but took shelter in the Hare and Hounds for a very pleasant lunch. Some years ago on a visit to Lincolnshire Archives Tony & I found ourselves working on our respective ancestors in the same village so now I am keen to follow up on both our families. Did our maternal Judson and Snaith families know each other? All may be revealed at some future date!
Began volunteering at The Soldiers of Gloucester Museum. Being on the front desk to welcome and sell entry tickets I have had to learn how to operate the till. Fortunately it tells you how much change to give! (Maths was never my strongest subject). I am learning a bit of the Glosters military history too!
In and around Gloucester:
Happily by the end of the month the temperature had risen and on 30th it 25.2 degrees