earlier in Stradbroke

Not only was the Saturday morning cafe in the Stradbroke Court House open yesterday but it was also the launch of the Geoffrey Smith archive.  Geoffrey Smith (not the gardener) was Stradbroke's John Self making photos of local life and people in the 1950s to 1980s and a good part of his massive archive is now online.

Stradbroke has a new parish clerk and half the village can now get fast fibre broadband.

YES Yes yes, roller derby in Ipswich this Saturday ... we might faint ... and Friday and Saturday the second and very organised Stradisphere music festival though from the band list time runs backwards in Stradbroke ...

The Stradbroke parish clerk has resigned, if this happened in Framlingham only the chairman would be left with permission to provide oral or written statements to the press .. mind you the remaining councillors would still be free to communicate by the medium of dance or mime ... can't wait to see their walking against the wind

Difference of opinion between Dr Dan Poulter (MP for much of near the coast  and a Stradbroke councillor and a prospective Stradbroke councillor.

Saturday morning there will be a drive through scrap metal collection at Stradbroke High School, a girl guides' coffee morning and sale in the St Mike's Rooms Framlingham and in the evening comedy The Affair is at The Centre Bury St Edmunds.

 JOBS  The A board outside the Stradbroke Ivy House is still advertising for staff.

There are 122 parishes in Mid Suffolk and only nine will bother with an election this May.  Stradbroke looks particularly lively with 18 candidates for the 13 seats.  It's unclear what Stackton Tressel will do as they don't seem to come under either Central or Coastal Suffolk.  Stackton community leader Hamish McEdbanguh commented Sorry, I'm in a hurry.

12:00am:  Just firing up now and until 3pm the Radio Stradbroke with past live sessions and judging by the webcams its Huggy and Marty. ♫

JOBS  There's an A board outside the Stradbroke Ivy House advertising for full and part time staff  01379 384634

Before High Ongar in Essex was bypassed we used to pass the newsagents and sub-post office at seven in the morning.  Though they were open to get to the papers delivered they'd sell you papers, sweets and cigarettes but they couldn't conduct post office business until nine because it would be unfair competition for the main post office in Chipping Ongar.  So we were very impressed to find that not only is the Stradbroke library open on a Sunday but so is their post office counter.  But big organisations like the Royal Mail have a genetic need to cock it up and in Yoxford are insisting that the shop can only have a post office counter if it does open on a Sunday.

The East of England co-op has withdrawn it's planning application for what was the garage in Stradbroke.

Now that's interesting, the Wikipedia Stradbroke page is currently semi-protected.

Nearer Stradbroke than Dennington

Stradbroke launched it's village archive today with multiple computers in the Courthouse, cake, sausage rolls, a very decent cup of tea and much interest.  So far there are some 800 items of the 6,000 already digitised on www.stradbrokearchive.org.uk  and browsing we discovered there was a workhouse in Hoxne?!

The Spar shop in Stradbroke re-opened today after closing in September last year.  It was open at lunch time, had a good handful of well turned out staff and inside has been majorly made over but we can't show you because a man in a suit decided it was Spar policy not to allow photography.  We can't show you the post office in the library either because that's closed all day Wednesday ... but the water splash near Dennington was fun.

Suffolk ladies at last month's Stradisphere festival in Stradbroke, they're doing it again next year ... nice.

Despite the somewhat vague possibility that an East of England coop could open in Stradbroke the SPAR shop will be re-opening after closing September last year, not surprisingly they are looking for staff.  JOBS

♫ Realised at Stradisphere what old rockers we are when from Stowmarket the Regency Gentlemen blew a straight ahead set of Chuck Berry/Rolling Stones/Free giving us a warm glow of pleasure.  Despite this like many we were pulled to the James Grigg stage by Born In The USA but we returned to the bar stage for the cheerful punk mayhem of Red Mecca to end the night.  Stradisphere continues today in Stradbroke with free entry for under 16s and all the traditional festival stuff including dodgy toilets.

Stradbroke tomorrow am a charity football match in memory of Mike Readman.

Interesting times in Stradbroke, the post office will re-open in October but in the library and the Spar re-opening has gained a question mark prompted by the East of England Co-op expressing an interest in the now long defunct garage (so a bit like Wickham Market then).

Tonight 8-11pm is Radio Stradbroke's monthly music night with Kim and Wally.  We visited RadStrad live behind the Ivy House Sunday before last where we heard a seated blues trio, ate a burger and re-discovered how much Bunty Trevanion dislikes having her photo taken. ♫

Today we went to the Stradbroke Ivy House for Radio Stradbroke's live show in the garden, bit of a bad move as it's next week.  There was a five side tournament on the playing field but it was raining and we hadn't brought a jacket ... Useless?  Nous?

Actress Eloise Secker on stage in Stradbroke has gained two favourites on Flickr.

The Keeper's Daughter theatre company has always made high production values out of virtually nothing and Beauty's Legacy Saturday night in Stradbroke was in that tradition.  We loved the dancing, the tongue firmly inserted in the facial pouch and the committed energy of Mark Finbow's new playmates Simon Anthony and Eloise Secker.  The show may be going out on the road again this autumn, take the opportunity to see it.

The Keeper's Daughter's show Beauty's Legacy (what a bunch of possessive apostrophes) travels way out of East Anglia this spring but is in Ipswich tomorrow and Stradbroke Saturday.

Parish councils eh?  Recognise this in Stradbroke.

Stradbroke will soon be getting its post office back.

10am-1pm today Seven Inches of Vinyl on Radio Stradbroke.

Stradbroke will be getting its Spar shop back after a makeover, hopefully in March or April.

Public meeting in the Stradbroke community centre 6:30-7:30pm tonight about the village's closed Spar shop.

Stradbroke which doesn't have a shop or a post office at the moment is proposing to re-open the post office in the library.

WANTED by the Stradbroke Ivy House over 18s part and full time staff 01379 384634

If memory serves what was Rafe's Orchard Eggs near Stradbroke became just Eggs a while back and now the house by it is FOR SALE ... don't know if they're connected.

At the back of the Ivy House a couple of Sundays back Radio Stradbroke was having an all day fund raiser for the air ambulance.  We were particularly impressed by the raffle prizes and the witty repertoire and fine musicianship of five young men who might have been called Teen Brass ... or perhaps Brass Teens? ... no, Teen Brass. ♫

Thursday's third annual T20 between Stradbroke cricket club and a Headmaster's XI from the high school was an enjoyable and fine tribute to the memory of James Grigg.  A shaky start from the club who were soon 5 for 4 but they went on to a comfortable win.  The two ladies, one on each team, were given equal treatment including being sledged and nice to see the school being involved in the village.

Tomorrow from 11am it's family day at Stradbroke cricket club and in the evening it's open mike in the Framlingham Castle hosted by Benhall ukulele goddess Lucy Sampson.  Lucy along with John Sessions, Madam Galina, Kasaï Masaï, The Dirty Gentleman and local celebrity Neil Innes will be playing the other festival in the Aldeburgh Pumphouse next month.

♫Police Dog Hogan are a seriously creative, original and witty Americana seven piece that will overcome your prejudices about 'Country' (are you listening Radio Stradbroke?).  They are playing the Aldeburgh Pump House at the end of the month and though the Pump House is perfectly formed it is tiny, better book early.

Royal Mail is of the opinion that the Stradbroke post office closure since July last year is only temporary but that doesn't seem to be the opinion of this notice in the window.

There wasn't any prize bingo Saturday morning at the Stradbroke Court House but there was cake and an impressive turnout to help decide what the bits of the building that aren't library should be.  Radio Stradbroke was regarding an upstairs room with lasciviousness but the main courtroom looks like it's going to be a cafe ... with cake.