earlier in Suffolk

The bit of Suffolk not near the coast and in 2014.

St Elizabeth Hospice Ipswich is hosting at Beccles Airfield a parachute party next month.  They are looking for jumpers but on the day there will be entertainment including face painting, hot food, popcorn and music for spectators.

Things to do tomorrow should be vote for the Suffolk police crime commissioner (this year the candidates include two women and a green) and perhaps grab your last chance to register for the St Elizabeth Hospice 10th annual Midnight Walk.

The weekend before last we saw Bury Saints beat Solent Thrashers 19-6 at home.  A scrappy match that in the spirit of Shakespeare's anniversary might be described as a Comedy of Errors.  For us the most surprising moment was when the visiting defensive coach was warned for unsportsmanlike conduct because one of his hand signals to his own players could be interpreted as threatening (NFL Rules Section 3 Article 1b).  This Sunday the Saints play the Herts Cheetahs, free admission.

Police have named the Thurston teenager who died yesterday and confirmed that he died from an injury caused by an air pellet.

Two teenagers have been arrested after a 14 year old boy died following a possible firearms incident in Thurston near Bury St Edmunds.

Suffolk Young Farmers Country Fair tomorrow (the forecast looks better than today) at Easton Farm Park, not free admission but there are family tickets.

We have a friend who grew up in Armagh.  On a trip he and his father discovered that in Belfast fish and chips is served with fruit ... a slice of lemon.  In a similar manner we have come to terms with fish and chips served with vegetables but went to pieces when in Long Stratton we were offered mint sauce with our mushy peas.  We refused but next time we'll pluck up our courage and try.

Overheard whilst waiting for a burger at Thetford rugby club He's eleven months, what would he want with a chip?

Sunday the Bury Saints beat the Oxford Saints 75 to 8 in a pre-season friendly but no shame to Oxford as they play in a division below Bury.

Visited the Fisher Theatre Bungay last night for the first time yesterday to discover it's small but perfectly formed with loads of tech and you can take your drink into the auditorium.  RoughCast Theatre were presenting the Victorian farce Charley's Aunt.  Audience members inevitably asked Are you the official photographer? (No, we don't photograph officials) and then observed They're very good aren't they? ... can't disagree with that.  Charley plays tonight in the Framlingham St Michael's Rooms.

Tomorrow male roller derby in Ipswich.  A Brit Champs double bouter with hosts Suffolk playing Nottingham and Bristol playing from Stamford Brawls of Steel.  Tickets eight quid on the door or six online from Suffolk Roller Derby.

♫ Now that's a name for a tribute band ... Wrong Stewart and The Farces.

Christies are already auctioning online properties and memorabilia from the James Bond film Spectre ... it is for charity though inexplicably none of the charities are in Suffolk or benefit cats, dogs, church roofs or trees.

The thing about chairman of the parish council James Arnold's highly illegal 460+ firearms stash in Wyverstone (the other side of Stowmarket from near the coast) was the some 200,000 rounds of ammunition and other explosives.  Kept in close proximity and a single room if there had been an accident there would have been a fireworks display the village wouldn't forget.

Arnold died of pancreatic cancer in July 2014 before he could face charges but last Friday following a related enquiry firearms dealer Anthony Buckland received six years for fraud and selling prohibited weapons.

We like a guiding principle that's been pared down to a few words (Don't get involved Michael The Godfather) so much enjoyed Philthy Delphia's shouted Git It And Quit It to a lead jammer last Saturday.  She was advising from the outfield the Norfolk Brawds B team in a scrimmage with Suffolk Roller Derby.  The bout went both ways ending in a Brawds win.  Rewardingly the scoreboard had the perception to keep moving about so everyone could see it.  Thankfully no major injuries ... good stuff!

Odd goings on between Halesworth and Bungay last month.

The Harleston Players present starting tonight six performance of Treasure Island over the next two weekends.

Suffolk Roller Derby held their first fresh meat of 2016 earlier this month at the Inspire centre Ipswich.  We reckon there were 14 newbs ranging from ready to go to never been on skates before.  New male and female faces always welcome Fridays but to ensure there's enough loan equipment it helps to contact them first.

We've added author and journalist India Knight on the Market Hill Framlingham to peeps in Suffolk.

Congratulations to the Bury St Edmunds Saints who had a comfortable 47-12 win over Bristol Apache yesterday at the American football Rose Bowl and so move up a division.

We knew the NFL had changed the rules about overtime but were very confused when they were needed Sunday near Thetford.  It took nearly an hour but as a playoff there couldn't be a draw.  In the end the Sussex Thunder couldn't get in for two points to match the Bury Saints who progressed to the final and will meet Bristol Apache near Leicester this Saturday.

PICTURES

Today is the public debut co-ed roller derby teams Mustard City Rollers and Suffolk Roller Derby in Norwich ... expect pictures.

It's not near the coast, it's not even Suffolk but we just love the name, next weekend is the Strumpshaw Steam Weekend.

A free day out today at the Suffolk Food Hall Wherstead with 50+ modern and vintage tractors and a have a go JCB.

Reckon when we saw the Ipswich Cardinals play the Wembley Stallions last month Ipswich were outnumbered two to one.  Yesterday when Ipswich played Bury Saints reckon it was three to one.

Well there's a novelty, instead of the usual Suffolk fatuous justification Jokers Comedy Club in Ipswich apologises for this month's show not being up to their usual standard and explained why.

The Suffolk Community Foundation has grants from £500 to £20,000 available for local charities, community groups and social enterprises that are delivering work within the town council boundary of Leiston and Sizewell.  Applications to be in by the 28th.

As we've said before you don't have to be young to be bad, a 77 year old Ipswich man has been arrested with three others at a Stonham Aspal cannabis farm.

Despite a good handful of skaters bailing out of yesterday's Norfolk Brawds/East Anglo Smacksons open roller derby scrimmage in the end there were more than enough and what must have been most satisfying for everyone involved the Ipswich Cardinals had their first win of the season.

After decades of watching American football on tv saw our first live match Sunday.  Not surprisingly being outnumbered at least two to one the Ipswich Cardinals lost to the Wembley Stallions 19-44 but an honourable loss.  We were surprised how difficult it is to follow the ball at ground level and in this soccer obsessed country how hit and miss the kicking was.  We're looking forward to last match of the season against Bury (St Edmunds) Saints who reputedly are mostly US military.

Tomorrow the first stage of the Women's Tour starts in Bury St Edmunds, takes in Bradfield St George, arrives in Aldeburgh around 2:00-2:30pm and if it's anything like Felixstowe last year there'll be a free Costa Coffee van.

Police are appealing for a possible witness to Monday's gun incident in Beccles and that Tuesday's incident may be unconnected.

Yesterday a man in Beccles was threatened with a gun and police advised ring 101 quoting ref ..., today reports of a man with a gun near Beccles and it's become ring 999 immediately.

Two Framlingham brides added to Suffolk ladies.

At yesterday's British Championship bouts in Norwich the Norfolk Brawds came from behind against the KillaHurtz (they're from Chelmsford) for a very emotional last couple of jams 144-138 win.

At last night's fencing club in Bury St Edmunds attendance was a little slim perhaps because it's the exam season but still four teenage starters and a good handful of the more experienced.  Fencing looks brilliant if a little anonymous because of the masks and even when attached to scoring cables moves about a lot more than we expected.  Judging by the red faces when masks removed also more physical than you might think ...

The first Sunday in May is International Dawn Chorus Day, no events in Suffolk but one in the rather pleasant Sussex village Steyning, pronounced Stenning by blow ins and Staining by non-blow ins.

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.

We attended our first election hustings yesterday, it was in the Wingfield Barns and organised by the Country Landowners Association.  There was pretty much one of each flavour candidate but only Labour's Jack Abbot and the Green's Rhodri Griffiths (he lives in Parham) standing in Central Suffolk.  To be honest we didn't stay long and during that time the audience neither booed or cheered but it was nice to see some election activity.

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.

101 is the police phone number for non-urgent calls.  We used it a little while back and the operator immediately connected us to the control room ... took the control room a while to answer though:)

From Tuesday the 101 service will have a press one now for type front end.

The Vatican City has announced the excommunication vitandus of Hopkins Homes for engaging in joint commercial activities with Satan.  An excommunication vitandus barrs Catholics from dealing with the excommunicated which should slow the spread of Satanism within Suffolk.

Looks like the expected parties and all new faces (except for sitting MPs) in the constituencies Coastal and Central Suffolk this general election.  The only real bandit is Tony Holyoak standing as an English Democrat for Central Suffolk.  The English Democrats despite the name stand for Britishness apparently.

So far no SNP candidate but near the coast you never know ...

It was generally agreed that Michael Lord MP for Central Suffolk was an excellent constituency MP but it would seem his subsequent ennoblement to Lord Framlingham has rather gone to his head.

It's that season again, 500ltrs of heating oil stolen in Theberton yesterday.

Suffolk police have seized 400 Superman ecstasy tablets hidden in a public place near Norwich Road Ipswich, Norwich Road is a long road.  In the same press release the police report arresting a 19 year old for supplying class B drugs, ecstasy is a class A drug.

Suffolk police have released a pic of the 'Superman' ecstasy tablets suspected of killing at least two in Ipswich and possibly others in the UK including Telford Shropshire.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  No doubt in 2015 Andrea Hill will return as County chief executive and sponsorship renames Suffolk as Hopkinshomeshire, it'll be cheapest to park in Essex and use helicopters to travel around ntc, finally roller derby in Ipswich and perhaps we get a record 20,000 visitors in a month, we abandon VeganB46 but still drop a dress size and despite the continual house building and bureaucratic BS near the coast remains a pleasant place to live ...