Why I write these entries

The past two days have been an object lesson in why I find it important to record the wonderful sights and experiences of a holiday like this. We had few plans for the last few days of our holiday here which is a luxury we can rarely afford. We set off from Cambridge with vague plans for staying at Bury St Edmunds and chose a hotel Tess liked the look of on the Net but we could just as easily have ended up in London. Despite our lack of itinerary, we have had no problem filling the long, almost summer length days with new delights. I know I would forget so much of the small detail of these experiences if I did not write them down. I need Tess's memory.

So our two free days started on Tuesday with our departure from Cambridge and included our fascinating tour of Ely Cathedral, as you read in a previous post. Tess needed some down time so we didn't even venture into town that night but instead enjoyed dinner in the hotel restaurant (two rosettes). In the lounge we met a lovely older couple, Peter and Daphne. Peter was an 18 yr old navigator in Bomber Command and later Transport Command, not one of the 55,000 who "bought it" during the war. He is frustrated by his slow recovery from a second hip replacement and by his inability to find all the pubs he used to visit around here in the 40s.

At breakfast on Wednesday we ran into them again and they suggested we visit their retirement neck of the woods at Southwold on the Suffolk coast. Our waitress also suggested a few places like Felixstowe (which we didn't get to as the wind was strong yesterday) so we had a rough outline of our morning at least. However, it was the way our day unfolded that was special and if I didn't record some details I know I would forget.

First discovery along the way was Framlingham Castle. You might know of it but it was a wonderful surprise to us. Then we saw a sign for Shawcross Wines. Tess was keen to try English wine and the first riesling I tasted was very pleasant, aromatic nose like a German wine. The tourist drive proved rather longer than I expected but it did take us through the Suffolk fenns and past more lovely churches. Already my memory is fading. I remember one vital road was closed but the phone led us down some garden paths back to the route and we were soon depositing 75p into the parking machine at Southwold Pier.

The lighthouse is situated, rather peculiarly to me, in a street in the town. I'd hate to be a neighbour. The Adnams brewery tour was on a Wednesday but didn't start till 2pm so we did not dally. Chose a more direct route back to Bury and arrived about 2pm. The medieval heart of the town starts at the gate to the ruined Abbey and leads to some beautiful and popular gardens. After snapping the new and ruined cathedrals, tinkling the ivories of a public piano (they've moved on from Sydney) and an encounter with tame squirrels (see video), I dragged Tess as quickly as I could towards the cathedral and some organ music I heard.

As luck would have it, a famous Italian organist was rehearsing for that night's concert so I captured plenty of video while I chatted to the senior man (rector?) - and saved money on recital tickets! From Church it was back into town in search of Britain's smallest pub, the Nutshell. Took us a while but we found it and tasted its wares. No loo though so we made our way back to the hotel.

Arranged breakfast with Peter and Daphne over dinner and then, just as we were retirning, got into a conversation about golf and tennis with two businessmen in the lounge. Finally to our room.

No wonder we haven't watched much tele.