Suffolk in 2013+

Any East Anglian interested in roller derby would have been heartened by a massive turnout for coaching by Croydon's Rolling Thunder at Suffolk ... more roller derby

A14 this morning near the Seven Hills roundabout  

The Stonham Aspal Ten Bells is still boarded up and has those concrete blocks in the entry to the car park that make anywhere look so attractively like a war zone.

Apart from giving the world Stephen Fry past presidents of the Cambridge Footlights have included WS Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan, Peter Cook, Eric Idle and (why does this not surprise us) David Mitchell.  In 2000 we saw the Footlights in the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.  We saw the 2013 show ... more on Framlingham

An anvil has been stolen from outside a Thorington house, Wile E. Coyote visiting coastal Suffolk for Benji's centenary?  meep meep

Presumably it's the national co-op who produce their own brand washing up liquid but it is a little bit Suffolk to think something can be original and new at the same time.

The Brewer has given us the bad news that the hop farm just outside Sibton has given up and it might be the last one in Suffolk ... although there could be another at Monewden at least.  Either way we hope the splendidly industrial machinery at Sibton has found a home and the Brewer is modestly confident he can keep the character of his beers with other hops ... and the barley still comes from Brandeston.

Unlike last time we managed to turn up on the right day for Blue Thunder's weekly practice in Bury St Edmunds.  There were a good handful of freshies both male and female looking already halfway there and impressively a first visit from Malicious Wishes of banked track league the Arizona Roller Dames.  At the after pub visit we found ... more roller derby

9:30am-1:00pm on the second Saturday of the month go past the Hoxne Swan on your right, turn left then over the little bridge and on the right in the village hall it'll be the Artisan Market ... a regular stream of visitors and such a delicious smell of freshly cooked bacon from the cafe if they attached it to the market's posters it'd be the busiest market in Suffolk.

Friday we went to Bury St Edmunds to snap a mixed league roller derby scrimmage hosted by Blue Thunder Rollers ... unfortunately we were confused about the meaning of the word 'tomorrow' and it had been the day before.  Coming back through Stonham Aspal we noticed the Ten Bells was boarded up and at the far end of the village on a corner was a chip van.  This chip van you climb into to order; sausage in batter, chips and some scraps £2.40, did the trick.

Arriving back near the coast yesterday we did our shopping in the Wickham Market co-op ... it was so calm and unhurried compared with the Hackney Tescos near Chelmsford ... ahhhh (we thought) nice to be back ... on the back road to Easton we dodged two hatchbacked mums with hectic lifestyles and a flying post van ... Suffolk eh? (we thought).

LibDem Daisy Cooper gave Suffolk Coastal's mp Therese Coffey a run for both their finances at the last general election ... related in a blood relation way Daisy's mum Christine will be leading the first of five weekly print making sessions at the Eye Bank this coming Tuesday.

Danegeld Morris will be dancing at the Shottisham Sorrel Horse 2pm this afternoon.

The large police presence today at the Wyevale Garden Centre Woodbridge was newly hatched PCSOs about to be set free in the wild and an opportunity for us to meet new Suffolk Chief Constable Douglas Paxton, had no idea he's a Scot until he spoke.  The PCSOs were clearly pleased and flattered by the Chief Constable attending their event and he arrived on time ... looking good.

PS:  We completely failed to recognise Sergeant Andy Buck without his comedy moustache and red nose.

Doesn't seem like just over five years since 21 Market Hill Framlingham stopped selling children's clothes (it seemed to be Lu B Lu's for a long time) and became collectables initially run by Carol and David Cohen ... saw Carol in the audience for the mummers in Cratfield early last year.

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.

♫We haven't figured out yet whether Johanna Juhola Reaktori is a person or a band but we do know they are Finnish, quirky and playing The Apex in Bury St Edmunds tomorrow night.

More heating oil thefts including one in Worlingworth and an helicopter found in a Trimley St Martin back garden.

Maybe somebody's seen The Apostle or maybe just plain weirdness but food abandoned in Friston and Aldeburgh plus maybe somebody didn't mean to donate earphones and memory sticks to the Woodbridge Red Cross shop.

Last night at Curvemotion in Bury St Edmunds Blue Thunder hosted multi league training with more than a splattering of blokes and they weren't all off duty refs ... more roller derby

Looks like the killer piggy bandits have been at it again, this time in Westleton.

The Keeper's Daughter starting tonight in Kelsale are out on the road around near the coast with this year's Christmas show Twas The Night Before Christmas until the 29th.  We saw the dress rehearsal Monday in Needham Norfolk and it looks another stunner with a central magnificently awful pun ... people like magnificently awful puns, that's why they buy red tops.

Started to register for the Suffolk Constabulary's SAFEKey service but after writing several essays of forms discovered it's £12 per year, thought it was a one off payment so not today thank you.

Americans being American in Bury St Edmunds last week.

"Dot the eyes and cross the ohs."  "Cross the ohs?"  "Yes, I'm Norwegian."  Saw the Cambridge Footlights in Bury St Edmunds maybe ten years ago and was impressed by their improv based on that day's East African.  Of course it'll be different young bloods but no doubt equally up for it when Slice of Life present the Footlights in Framlingham this Saturday.

Last night in Diss a black and white themed charity dance prompted imaginative dressing and complemented Framlingham's favourites The Outlaws who rocked of course (even if it is Norfolk, if only just).  Over £650 was raised for the St Nicholas Hospice Bury St Edmunds and as we left we passed a dancer walking home with her high heels in her hands, thought that only happened in films ... maybe we should get out more.

This LNER (London and North Eastern Railway) price list shows that surprisingly (to us) in 1937 Wickham Market had markets on Mondays and Saturdays (return third class ticket from Darsham 1/6d, that's 7.5p).  Rather less surprisingly a return ticket Wilby-Ipswich (markets Tuesdays and Saturdays then in Ipswich) was just over four shillings but still a little surprising that somewhere as small as Wilby ever had a station.

The pix of The Outlaws at Needham Market last Saturday probably justify ASBOs ... just too much fun.

The Friston Chequers continues to be shut and has grass growing up through the car park's gravel but the Theberton Lion is open and has a shop.

Another dog walker's car broken into, this time in Grundisburgh and a weirdo in Aldeburgh ... arson?

Police Direct reporting flooded roads around Bredfield, Debenham, Helmingham, Melton, Otley, Stowmarket and Woodbridge ... bad enough that Victoria from the Framlingham Bookshop gave up try to get from Stowupland to Fram this morning.

As it was Rumburgh Morris mumming at the Cratfield Poacher last night we assumed it would be outside but no, it was in the pub which had a good houseful and a good handful of beers of which we only recognised Adnams.  Mumming is clearly grandparent to pantomime and last night's mum included a full contact handbag fight which must have left one of the ladies bruised, afterwards there was music making.