Views of the Dunwich heather

Dunwich heathland is famous for its heather at this time of year, as well as its iconic coastguard cottages. This is an area we never tire of exploring as it changes from season to season. If you have never visited - it's a must!

During this time of uncertainty, the National Trust, who run the site, have introduced a booking system for parking in an effort to control numbers of people. Our slot to arrive was 12:30 to 13:00 pm. So we had some lunch, once parked, and then walked around the site to admire the glorious colours. 

The light was very bright, not the best for photography as the colours look washed out, but the following ones are the best I managed, with a few clouds thrown in.

An image looking toward the coastguard cottages, but taken in 2017. 

From stories of smugglers and shipping routes to a pivotal role in the success of the D-Day landings, the little-known history of one of Suffolk’s coastal beauty spots is set to be revealed. After extensive research, the history of Dunwich Heath and Beach will be told for the first time thanks to a new National Trust project - so says the National Trust. For further details visit the NT site here. 

I look forward with interest to this project!

Back to a couple more images from today. Then back to the tea room (limited opening) for scone and drink, and finished with a visit to the beach. A great afternoon was had by all. 

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A morning in Walberswick with Gill Moon

Walberswick is a Suffolk Coastal town which I had not visited many times, so a morning with my camera wandering the banks of the River Blyth was appealing. Gill Moon pointed us in likely directions, and was on hand for advice and useful tips. A pleasant morning indeed!
Walberswick is on the opposite side of the river Blyth to Southwold and you can be ferried between the two. There are grass covered sand dunes to negotiate before reaching the beach or you can stroll along the riverside past the many boats and shacks that make up many riverside towns. To quote the guide to the town:

"This delightful coastal village is a popular holiday destination for those who wish to experience Walberswick's unspoilt dunes, its beach and its charm.

A wide variety of flora and fauna makes Walberswick popular with ramblers and visitors alike. A major attraction for children in summer is crabbing by the harbour, where bridges and river banks become crammed with buckets, lines – and foul smelling bait! From 1980 to 2010 Walberswick annually hosted the British Open Crabbing Championship. Over the years this annual family event has raised useful funds for various charities and good causes, both local and national, while participants enjoyed the delights of this simple outdoor pleasure.

The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert or Walhbert – probably a landowner - and "wyc", meaning shelter or harbour. From medieval times through to the Twentieth Century the village was a thriving port trading in cheese, bacon, corn, timber and, of course, fish."

The village and surrounding beach and marshland have long attracted residents drawn from the arts, film and media. In the 1890s and 1900s the village became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists. His painting of the beach is exhibited at the Tate.

Dunes and sky

Glimpse of the sea

Holding back the grass.

Remains of the old pier

Symmetry and waves under the Pier

Holiday let? one of many such structures dotted about.

The box! - just sitting on the riverside.

Nature takes over when man abandons things.

One of many rust covered posts and chains seen on the river side.

Water filled inlet

This is a beautiful area at all times of the year. Over a thousand acres of heath and marshland around Walberswick are protected as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB). Well worth a visit.

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VJ Day or Victory in Japan

Victory over Japan Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The following is from Wikipedia and give s a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding this momentous event:

The surrender of Imperial Japan was announced by Japanese Emperor Hirohito on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close. 

By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Together with the British Empire and China, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945—the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction". While publicly stating their intent to fight on to the bitter end, Japan's leaders (the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, also known as the "Big Six") were privately making entreaties to the publicly neutral Soviet Union to mediate peace on terms more favorable to the Japanese. While maintaining a sufficient level of diplomatic engagement with the Japanese to give them the impression they might be willing to mediate, the Soviets were covertly preparing to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea (in addition to South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands) in fulfillment of promises they had secretly made to the United States and the United Kingdom at the Tehran and Yalta Conferences.

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM local time, the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Sixteen hours later, American President Harry S. Truman called again for Japan's surrender, warning them to "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth." Late in the evening of August 8, 1945, in accordance with the Yalta agreements, but in violation of the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and soon after midnight on August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union invaded the Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. Hours later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb, this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. 

Following these events, Emperor Hirohito intervened and ordered the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War to accept the terms the Allies had set down in the Potsdam Declaration for ending the war. After several more days of behind-the-scenes negotiations and a failed coup d'état, Emperor Hirohito gave a recorded radio address across the Empire on August 15. 

On August 28, the occupation of Japan led by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers began. The surrender ceremony was held on September 2, aboard the United States Navy battleship USS Missouri, at which officials from the Japanese government signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, thereby ending the hostilities. Allied civilians and military personnel alike celebrated V-J Day, the end of the war; however, isolated soldiers and personnel from Japan's far-flung forces throughout Asia and the Pacific refused to surrender for months and years afterwards, some even refusing into the 1970s. The role of the atomic bombings in Japan's unconditional surrender, and the ethics of the two attacks, is still debated. The state of war formally ended when the Treaty of San Francisco came into force on April 28, 1952.

The news of the Japanese offer began early celebrations around the world. Allied soldiers in London danced in a conga line on Regent Street. Americans and Frenchmen in Paris paraded on the Champs-Élysées singing "Don't Fence Me In".

Many photographs were taken around the world of the celebration events, but the iconic one which was published by LIFE and subsequently around the world, was taken in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt. a German-born American photographer and photojournalist.
In Hadleigh, my nearest town, the above painting appeared on the wall around the time of this year's 75 year commemoration, and it mirrors that photograph.

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Scarecrow time in Bildeston.

This current Covid-19 pandemic has severely curtailed many village and town activities, so I was pleased to hear that Bildeston was having a Scarecrow Festival, with many people in the vicinity adorning their gardens with their creations. Having spotted just a couple in the main street, we decided to tour the whole village armed with our cameras, and this blog records just a few of the amazing creations. I believe there were about 78 in total but I have about 14 of them posted here, including the three judged top. 

Drunk as a Lord - this creation was in a neighbouring village, but I thought  it deserved a mention!

Obviously a pirate!

Blind as a bat Pat - Specsavers. Very clever.

Tractor Girl - obviously a keen Ipswich Town football fan

Ivor Bean and family

I really thought this was real when I spotted it from the rear!

Not really a scarecrow but clever nevertheless. MInions

This traffic policemen was stationed on the edge of the village.

Not sure what this depicted!!

This, believe it or not, is Sammy.

The `If I only had a brain` from Wizard of Oz came in third place

In second place was this clever take of  the Dominic Cummings story.

And first place went to Ma`m herself.

A huge amount of effort had gone into this event and although we visited a few days after the event, there was still plenty to see. I think a socially distanced event was held in the village square on the Saturday when judging was done.

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Shingle Street with Gill Moon

As its name suggests, Shingle Street consists of a large swathe of shingle - no sand here! Where the tide has ebbed and flowed over the years, there are mounds of shingle and inlets and pools that fill and empty with the tide. It is a photographer's paradise.

It is here that local Professional Photographer, Gill Moon, held a morning coaching session, and to which we attended. I came away with several images (hopefully better than they would have been!) and I will share some in this blog. The morning started cloudless, but soon clouds started to bubble up, which was much to my delight as I love big skies and bubbling clouds. So first, some images at the area near the cottages with piles of shingle and some inlets. I was using, as an experiment, a 10-20mm Sigma lens, and this gave me huge skies.

Curves and mounds 

More Curves and clouds ....

... which are starting to build

Low down view of the Coastguard cottages

Clouds gathering over the Coastguard Cottages and The German Ocean Mansion

Some searching on the internet gave a few clues as to the history of this building - but not a lot! Here is what I have:

German Ocean Mansion is the long and low building on the left, and was built in 1874 as a lodging house. This name was changed during WWI, when anything German was unfashionable. In 1881 it was listed as being four dwellings. Three were unoccupied. 

Living in the fourth were Benjamin and Hannah Curtis and their children Annie aged 10, Amy 8, Kate 6, Alfred 3 and Samuel 10 months. Benjamin Curtis worked for the Fonnereau family, of Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich. He was Master of their ocean-going yacht, while Hannah was listed in the 1871 Census as having been gatekeeper at Christchurch Mansion, where the family lived in the Lodge. 'German Ocean Mansion' was in the latter part of the 19th century the summer residence of the Fonnereau, and it is possible that Benjamin Curtis's presence was connected with converting the building to a single dwelling. Benjamin Curtis is listed in the 1891 Census as 'Caretaker of a house' at Shingle Street, Presumably this was German Ocean Mansion and he had retired from the sea.

After the conversion, if that is what happened, the understanding is that the north end of the house was for the Fonnereau live-in servants. Next came the living/dining area, with the family bedrooms on the south side of the central entrance.
By the late 1890s 'German Ocean Mansion' was owned by the Wellesley Colley family one of whom, Lucy, compiled a book of reminiscences by a variety of people who had lived in or visited it during the time that it was owned by her family.
Richard Clarke, Station Officer at HM Coastguard Station, Shingle Street, has kindly obtained the following information from local residents.
• The building has been known as 'The Long Summer Residence'.
• Coast Guard Officers were stationed there during both world wars.
• The building has been used as a base for exercising racehorses.
• It was known as 'The Battery' at some time, possibly in connection with the large gun which was situated at the rear of the building during WWI
In Ordnance Survey maps dated 1881 and 1889 it is marked 'Coastguard Station', although by that time it belonged to the Fonnereau, so this may have been brought forward.

Another view of the German Ocean Mansion

Now for a `Heartwarming` story:

A long line of white shells on a beach started by two childhood friends while reflecting on their cancer treatment is still going strong after 13 years.

Lida Kindersley and Els Bottema, both 64, began the shell line at Shingle Street in 2005.

It now stretches for more than 275m (300yds) and is made up of 20,000 individual whelk shells. Mrs Kindersley said it was a "symbol of friendship". 

The women, who grew up together in Delft in the Netherlands, were diagnosed with breast cancer within two months of each other.

During a phone call discussing their treatment, Mrs Kindersley - a letter cutter in Cambridge - suggested to Ms Bottema - a ceramicist in Zutphen - that they meet in England, and so they travelled together to the Suffolk coast.

They said the creation of the line, which started after a long walk and chat on the beach, became part of their own, personal, therapy.

Mother-of-three Mrs Kindersley said they made a vow to return to the beach every six months to mend the line - and found others had added to it.

She said: "When we received our cancer diagnoses and the prognosis was not good, I said to Els, 'If we survive this, we will go together to Shingle Street as it is a healing place'.

"It is a symbol of friendship and togetherness, a collaboration we wanted to record before it eventually disperses."

Both women are now cancer-free.

Shingle Street resident Tim Miller said the line had become an important local feature that enhanced the wild landscape.

"Despite fierce weather conditions with strong winds, the line remains clear and powerful and visible throughout the year," he said. "The line for me is a signal of courage and survival."

Looking for odd items on the beach, I came across these three items, which I thought fitted the bill!

For hauling boats up that long shingle beach perhaps?, though not much used recently.

Possible, just rubbish!

Nearby was this table with a multitude of shaped stones and other objects on it.

Finally, some wonderful colour on the shingle

A great place to wander and enjoy the solitude. Lots of things to photograph but a real peaceful haven to enjoy.

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Bridges and butterflies in Pipers Vale, Ipswich

Ipswich is blessed with a number of park areas, including the great Christchurch Park. The Park we visited today is called Piper`s Vale, and is one we had not explored before. To quote Wikipedia - "Pipers Vale is a 19.7 hectare Local Nature Reserve on the southern outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk It is owned and managed by Ipswich Borough Council. This site on the bank of the River Orwell is part of Orwell Country Park. Its diverse habitats include heath, reedbeds, scrub and alder carr. Over 100 bird species have been recorded, including Redwings, Whimbrels and Bullfinches"

We went with the hope of photographing butterflies, and we were not disappointed.

However, the major object that catches the eye is the magnificent Orwell Bridge, spanning the Orwell River. The Orwell Bridge was opened to road traffic in 1982 and carries the A14 (then A45) over the River Orwell just south of Ipswich in Suffolk, England.

The main span is 190 metres which, at the time of its construction, was the longest prestressed concrete span in use. The total length is 1,287 metres from Wherstead to the site of the former Ipswich Airport. The width is 24 metres with an air draft of 43 metres. Pilings were sunk 40 metres into the river bottom. The main contractor was Stevin Construction B.V. – a Dutch company.

Construction of the bridge commenced in October 1979 and was completed in December 1982. The main span was constructed by using a balanced cantilever technique, casting sections on alternating sides of the pier in a weekly cycle.

It's worth going into the Park just to see the bridge close up. We have travelled over probable hundreds of times, but it was worth getting this view of it. I can see now where people get their Orwell Bridge sunset pictures from!

A view from the river level.

A clump of Vipers Bugloss

The Marbled White is a distinctive and attractive black and white butterfly, unlikely to be mistaken for any other species. In July it flies in areas of unimproved grassland and can occur in large numbers on southern downland. It shows a marked preference for purple flowers such as Wild Marjoram, Field Scabious, thistles, and knapweeds. Adults may be found roosting halfway down tall grass stems. We have seen a lot of butterflies this year that are normally seen in July. Piper`s Vale has a lot of the right sort of habitat for this species, and we saw numerous ones.

This is the Common Blue, wings together and then apart. This particular butterfly was also seen all over certain areas of the park. No sooner had you seen one, than another one caught your eye! A lot of patience was required waiting for one to settle though!

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