3 churches and an afternoon tea
My friend Janice and husband Terry joined me on the Three Churches Walk: Gazeley, Moulton and Dalham in Suffolk. It's a nice 8 mile circular walk taking in gorgeous undulating (almost hilly, in fact) Suffolk scenery, quaint thatched villages, and a good pub. The pub was, unfortunately, shut as it was Monday lunchtime, but a workman doing some redecorating offered us water and tea if we needed it, and gave us detailed directions in case were lost.
You'll be intrigued to hear that the ruler of Dubai now owns Dalham Hall and 33 houses in the village (see article). A passerby who stopped to gossip told us that one side of road in the village is owned by the Sheikh and the other is owned by a Saudi prince. It's near to Newmarket you see. The passerby would be happy to sell her own house to either if they'd give her £750,000 for it….
So we missed out on lunch at the Affleck Arms, so decided to reward ourselves with afternoon tea at The Swan in historic Lavenham. Dalham is reputed to be the most thatched building in Suffolk, but surely Lavenham has to give it a run for its money. We sat in the garden and were able to consume the high tea without guilt after our exertions in the heat (27'C!) We ate finger sandwiches, scones jam and cream, a cream & berry choux pastry and a delicous dark chocolate and nut brownie. Washed down with copious coffee or tea, and several glasses of tap water.
Rounded out the late afternoon by a leisurely stroll around Lavenham, admiring the pargetting and the carving on the half-timbered houses. My friends have plans to go somewhere else fun next week.
Returned, I did a little online editing gig, thanks to a past boss for the referral. So it wasn't all play, there was some work too. I like having a short discrete task that requires my skills and has a limited time wndow. It focusses the mind.
While all this is going on, Mr A is becoming something of a media go-to-guy back in Melbourne. Appearing in 2 newspapers (with photo) and on 2 breakfast radio shows. He was even interviewed for the news, but I gather some footballer misbehaved and so his segment was dropped. I have my fingers crossed that the current affairs or breakfast shows may pick the story up.
You'll be intrigued to hear that the ruler of Dubai now owns Dalham Hall and 33 houses in the village (see article). A passerby who stopped to gossip told us that one side of road in the village is owned by the Sheikh and the other is owned by a Saudi prince. It's near to Newmarket you see. The passerby would be happy to sell her own house to either if they'd give her £750,000 for it….
So we missed out on lunch at the Affleck Arms, so decided to reward ourselves with afternoon tea at The Swan in historic Lavenham. Dalham is reputed to be the most thatched building in Suffolk, but surely Lavenham has to give it a run for its money. We sat in the garden and were able to consume the high tea without guilt after our exertions in the heat (27'C!) We ate finger sandwiches, scones jam and cream, a cream & berry choux pastry and a delicous dark chocolate and nut brownie. Washed down with copious coffee or tea, and several glasses of tap water.
Rounded out the late afternoon by a leisurely stroll around Lavenham, admiring the pargetting and the carving on the half-timbered houses. My friends have plans to go somewhere else fun next week.
Returned, I did a little online editing gig, thanks to a past boss for the referral. So it wasn't all play, there was some work too. I like having a short discrete task that requires my skills and has a limited time wndow. It focusses the mind.
While all this is going on, Mr A is becoming something of a media go-to-guy back in Melbourne. Appearing in 2 newspapers (with photo) and on 2 breakfast radio shows. He was even interviewed for the news, but I gather some footballer misbehaved and so his segment was dropped. I have my fingers crossed that the current affairs or breakfast shows may pick the story up.