Polstead church of St Mary

A distant view of Polstead church of St Mary as we approached. Beautiful surroundings in the pretty village of Polstead with its lovely pond.

St Marys is a delightful church dating originally from 1160 but with major alterations in the 1400’s and 1500’s. Still retaining some Norman clerestory windows, its stone spire is the only remaining one of its kind in Suffolk.

 

North view

South view

St Mary has an unusual nave roof. Back in the 1980s, essentail repairs had to be carried out economically. Aluminium was chosen, and is a striking sight from a distance on a sunny day.

The stone spire 

The entrance

Not difficult to see in the stonework where previous alterations have been made.

One of the little clerestory windows

An extraordinary brick octagonal font, which might be any age, but is set on a 13th century base.

The most striking aspect of the interior is the colour, the combination between white walls and the red brick of the arcade arches. These bricks bear close examination. They date from the original construction of the arcades, about the year 1200, and yet they are clearly not reused Roman bricks. So, we have here what may be the oldest surviving English bricks still in use for their original purpose - bricks of a similar age can be found at the Hall at nearby Little Wenham,

At the west end of the nave there is a large opening above the tower arch. This might be dismissed as a sanctus bell window, but some think it might be an entrance to the tower itself, that a ladder could be drawn up.

The Brands lived at Polstead Hall which you can still see to the west of the church. It is said that the little boy Benjamin was killed in a fall from one of the upper storey windows.

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A frosty morning at Flatford

It was a cold and frost morning when we visited Flatford Mill, and we were pleased to see that everywhere was covered in, what my dad called, `a hoar frost` Not the usual warm day that you visit Flatford , but nevertheless, very pretty! 

This image was taken on a cold and frost morning with the sun creeping round from the other side, and the water frozen.

Originally part of Gibbeon’s Gate Farm, Willy Lott's House is a Grade 1, listed building. Willy Lott (1761-1849) was a tenant farmer who worked the 39 acres around Flatford that made up Gibbeon's Gate Farm. He lived in a house attached to the farmland, which long after his death, became known as Willy Lott's House. Willy Lott's parents lived in this house, Willy and his sisters and brothers were born there.

A image facing in the opposite direction, depicting the Field Study Center, leased by the National Trust to the Field Studies Council, FSC, which is an environmental education charity `providing informative and enjoyable opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to discover, explore, and understand the environment`.

As you can see, this is the `Mill` of Flatford Mill.

Some interesting iron work against one of the Mill walls.

Sometimes misty, but still a lovely spot.

And of course, sometimes very cold and frosty. Taken on the pathway beside the river.

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The seals at Horsey

A record number of grey seal births at a Norfolk beach shows a "major change" in behaviour as the animals become used to humans, marine experts have said. The 1.5 mile (2.4km) stretch of dunes at Horsey has hosted 1,018 births so far this winter compared to the previous winter when there were 804. (BBC report)

We had been here on a previous visit but decided we would like to see them again. It is a worthwhile trip if you have never seen them.

Mother rushing to protect her pup (and herself probably) from approaching bull.

Keep away from my pup please! Mothers defending their space by putting herself between the bull and her calf.

Mothers and pups, a joy to watch

The big males just kept pestering the females, in or out of the water

Grey seals have grey and brown fur, sometimes with a pattern of blotches; no ears visible; long muzzle; nostrils parallel; larger and darker than common seal, with flat or convex profile to its head (the common seal has a concave profile).

Size: 

Average for males 207cm; females 180cm; flippers about 25cm.

Weight: 

Males 233kg; Females 155kg.

Origin and Distribution

Grey seals around Great Britain are found mainly along exposed rocky northern coasts. They also occur in the south west and off the east coast, around the Isle of May and the Farne Islands off Northumberland, and along the west coast of Ireland.

Diet

Sand eels and cod are their most important foods, but grey seals are opportunistic feeders and probably take whatever fish are most abundant.

General Ecology

Between the tides they haul themselves out on to rocks, usually on uninhabited offshore islands; though some haul-outs are on secluded mainland beaches. Grey seals are gregarious at these haul-outs, sometimes forming large groups of several hundred, and at Horsey we have seen 2,000 plus animals, especially when they are moulting their fur in the spring. They are not, however, very sociable and keep a distance between one another. About two-thirds of greys seals' time is spent at sea where they hunt and feed. In the autumn grey seals congregate at Horsey beach to breed. The timing of births varies around the coast, beginning in September in West Wales, in October in western Scotland, and as late as November in Horsey.

Pups and Breeding

Grey seal pups weigh about 14 kg at birth and have soft white fur. They remain on land where they suck from their mother for 18-21 days. A female's milk contains up to 60% fat, so pups grow very quickly, gaining about 2kg in weight each day. This weight gain consists mainly of a layer of blubber below their skin, which is vital insulation when they go to sea. During the pupping season, male grey seals also come ashore to mate. The largest males, usually more than 10 years old, compete for a position within groups of breeding females. Occasionally males fight, and may sustain deep scars on their necks as a result.

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Evolution of our garden

Our rear garden was a source of frustration from the time we moved in to our bungalow. Although we made the most of the space as it was and had a small lawn with a few plants, it was not as we would have wished. As well as the garden needing some reconstruction, the conservatory  was small and the worse for wear, so the two things came together in 2016 with a grand project, captured here on a few images. The results - well see below!

Starting point - the small conservatory and the steps and slabs which dominated the area.

Facing the other direction, we have the area that Rosey turned into a small flower/lawn area.

This is how it finished, thanks to a lot of hard work by Rosey. Then, time to move on.....

Demolition time! Where has the conservatory gone? plus all the furniture? What a lovely fence!

Someone is preparing for action by the looks of the building plant beginning to appear.

Re-construction has started as our new conservatory takes shape.

`Lo and behold` a new fence with a new gate - and in a different position.

The old shed has gone, the soil has begun to shift, and more slabs have appeared in a pile.

Trench dug for the retaining wall dug and more soil heaped up. Also the blocks for the wall are ready in a pile by the fence.

Danny`s tools and markers in place ready to start building the retaining wall.

The conservatory is finished  and the retaining wall takes shape. All that soil to remove!

Slabs re-appear, properly laid. The shape of the three tiered beds become apparent.

The path to the newly positioned gate appears.

How much cleaner and neater the whole garden appears!

New shed! Some initial planting and the end is in sight.

The finished article. We are really pleased how it has turned out, thanks in large part to the vision of Danny and his landscaping skills.

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Sparrowhawk with kill

Just looked out of the window and sitting on the lawn was this Sparrowhawk having just brought down his prey which was still struggling to get away. Brutal as it might seem, this is nature and repeated millions of times all over the planet by numerous creature, every day.

Images taken with Nikon D5500 and Nikon 18-200 mm lens.

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Sandymouth and Welcombe Mouth

Today we decided to walk along the coastal path and just soak up the glorious day. This looked like a lovely long beach with the prospect of a walk along a short part of the Coastal path.

We were not disappointed as, on a glorious day, we arrived at Sandymouth.

As you can see, there were very few people about, apart from the odd couple walking along the Coastal path like us, toward Northcott Mouth. 

A walk back along the beach was planned but was abandoned when, on composing this picture, we were surprised by a fast incoming tide and ended up with very wet feet. It was funny though! 

The reason we were taking picture of this particular rock formation was the apparent presence of `coral` formations on it? Anyway, back up onto the cliffs and trying to dry out the feet on the way back. 

This little creature posed for a few moments. 

A cup of coffee and a sandwich of crab (a bit disappointing), and we made our way toward Welcombe Mouth - a place we had visited before. On the way out, we stopped for a photograph of the dishes which make up GCHQ Bude, formerly called the Composite Signals Organisation (CSO). Station Morwenstow, is a satellite ground station and eavesdropping centre located between the small villages of Morwenstow and Coombe, operated by the British signals intelligence service (GCHQ), on the site of the former World War II airfield, RAF Cleave. 

A farmer carrying out the age old process of bringing in the harvest while the latest technology sits on the hills in the distance. This is a GCHQ listening post. 

On a previous holiday we stayed near Welcombe Mouth, so we looked forward to a re-visit, and were not disappointed. 

The small stream that cascades onto the beach, and like so much of the Cornish coast, in a secluded spot with rarely another person to be seen. 

It's just a rather pleasant, quiet spot. So ends our week in North Cornwall. Not the best of weather but nothing to stop us getting about. And now to face the long journey home! 

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