Aldeburgh in 2011-10

The free Westleton wild flower festival in the village hall started yesterday and ends tomorrow, and it's the divine Buster Keaton in the feature length comedy The General at the Aldeburgh cinema tomorrow evening.

At the Family Fun Day in Aldeburgh it was great fun to watch the local law enforcement community re-enact that jolly royal wedding copper ... but also poignant as so many of the public services present are under threat.  We were particularly impressed by two dudes beavering under the Suffolk Roadsafe awning fixing bikes, they also teach bike maintenance and road safety ... not just cones in the playground safety but culminating in four hours on the public roads safety.  They are paid for by the county council, have had to reapply for their jobs and don't know if they'll be around next year.

Yesterday in Aldeburgh for the 10th literary festival Virago founder Carmen Callil was in conversation with Mary Chamberlain author of Fenwomen, Virago's first publication.  There was little sound as late we approached the auditorium doors, audience must be pretty thin we thought ... the Jubilee Hall was packed!  Afterwards a very impressive if slightly secret bookstall at the back of the stage and then across the road to the cinema gallery for Justin Partyka's shot on real film photos for the new Full Circle edition of Fenwomen.

Braving the cold, and it was cold outside Leiston Library this morning, Steve Smedley was leafleting borrowers to remind them about next Saturday's demo outside the library and that unless something gets sorted the library along with another 28 including Aldeburgh, Debenham, Framlingham, Saxmundham, Stradbroke and Wickham Market will close.