Framlingham

Declaration for yesterday's Suffolk county council elections expected at 2pm.

4:10pm:  Finally ... the Beeb's figures show Labour and UKIP taking seats from Tories, LibDems and the two Greens have gone.  ITV shows not much change in nearthecoast constituencies but around midday yesterday the Framlingham poll's presiding officer was reported as saying it was a good turn out.  So if you voted good for you.

Framlingham Camera Club's Dick Knight and Simon Garrett start a training course for beginner and intermediate members this coming Thursday.

Slice of Life's comedy show in Framlingham last night was just an hour long but that's still an hour more than you get in Fram most of the year.  We arrived in time to hear Pierre Novellie say Thank you and here's Jonny.  Jonny Lennard's 30 mins had some very clever writing, we particularly liked I spent my gap year with the Inuit, do you know they've never had a case of arson? and Julian appeared at the door smelling of Desperation, a new fragrance from Lynx.

We were right about Framlingham posh frock bird coming back as a different posh frock shop, today it transmogrified into Boo Tiki.

Providing a plot line Sunday for the BBC's very punted The Village 1916 (two years into the Great War) was the first time this country used conscription to man its army, and didn't the great and the good use them well.  So Private J Potter from Bedfield couldn't have been a conscript but this 1915 note from his mum on a postcard of Framlingham's Market Hill is still very poignant.

The web site of Framlingham's finest The Outlaws was a little unwell recently but to paraphrase Sophie Tuckshop It's alright now.

In the middle of last century the junction at the top of Fore and Castle Streets in Framlingham looked different, the station didn't have any broken windows and still the fire buckets in place despite grass growing where the track had been.  Mind you Wickham Market looked pretty much the same though the carnival was still happening despite the A12 passing through the village.

Having lost their Debenham venue the Debenham Players will be presenting eight one act plays at Robert Hitcham's Framlingham Friday and Saturday night.

No surprise that there's often an association between private education and the military, indeed as we passed Framlingham college this morning a laminated piece of A4 on a gatepost said RAF Coach This Way.  We were surprised though how much of the student body was involved at the college's joint Combined Cadet Force inspection in 2010 and surely the sticks these boys are holding are too long to be swagger sticks?  Did the college once have a cavalry section?

We were wrong about Framlingham posh frock shop bird, it has reopened as a posh frock shop called bird.

Strictly gossip holds that in Framlingham closed posh frock shop Impulse will re-open on the other side of the Market Hill in what was estate agents Abbotts, what was the posh frock shop Bird will re-open as a different posh frock shop and the cafe in Bridge Street will re-open as cafe The Common Room.  Not gossip that what was Impulse is opening as estate agent Huntingfield ... plus ça change ...

♫Choice of two choral concerts this Saturday, the Suffolk Singers at All Saints in Wickham Market and Phoenix in St Mike's Framlingham.

We knew it was happening but still a surprise to see opposite the Campsea Ashe Dog and Duck that where there used to be an Antiques Warehouse (that always seemed an odd choice ... warehouse?) and a garage (not the one where Ginettas were spawned) there's now a terrace of houses ... whilst we're on the subject a gathering of hiviz and hard hats behind the Framlingham Black Barn this afternoon ... just saying.

A fish supper for one yesterday from the chip van outside the Framlingham Station had added poignancy as the van's not coming back anymore.  They will still visit Laxfield and this perhaps highlights that Fram ... more here

Three police in Crown and Anchor Alley Framlingham yesterday afternoon ... just saying.

Despite mutterings for perhaps years we didn't think it would happen, the Framlingham Railway (not the Station) is FOR SALE which means there won't be an Adnams pub in the town ... Suffolk eh?