Chelsworth, Suffolk

Next on our little loop through Suffolk Villages is Chelsworth - as small (if not smaller) and as colorful as Kersey, and with as little to comment upon.  It sits on the River Brett so it is blessed with such things as quaint green rowboats, footbridges & willows, and swans.

We were greeted by the typical East Anglian village sign sporting - what else - an English Robin...

 

 And a patch of English Bluebells....

And a 400 year old pub...

But the best thing about Chelsworth is that the entrance to the 14th & 15th century All Saints Church is through someone's front garden. Now that's a village I could be happy in.

I know it's the wrong part of England and I know their boat was blue, but I kept
expecting to see Ratty & Mole come tripping down to the boat, picnic basket in hand.

System Fail

Many years ago, when the cartilage in my knees started going, I developed a concentrated effort to minimize my traffic around the house. By the time my knees were all-metal and painless, I had developed hip & back problems so my efforts continued. I now have an almost unconscious system in place where I never go from room to room empty-handed and there are recognizable 'stations' where things are placed waiting to be shuttled closer to where they belong.

For the most part, this system works brilliantly, only occasionally resulting in unsightly build-ups on the end of my sofa or the ironing board in the studio.

Lately I have noticed what can only be described as an epidemic of brainfarts in my system. I would like to ascribe this to a system working so smoothly that I have stopped even thinking about it.

In reality, I am afraid it's simply a case of my ability to multi-task fading...how else can you explain my arriving at my computer desk this morning expecting to settle down with a fresh cup of coffee, a newly microwaved heating pad, and a banana...and instead finding myself with coffee, heating pad, & a can of garbanzo beans?

Kersey, Suffolk

Several years ago I picked up an old postcard of Kersey, a small village in Suffolk, England. It showed the main street with a ford across it - which appeared to be it's main claim to fame. Checking the Wiki entry, it's namesake 'Kersey Cloth' and the ford are mentioned up top, and that's about it. The parish contains the village of Kersey and the hamlets of Kersey Tye, Kersey Upland, Wicker Street Green, and William's Green - altogether about 350 people.

We really only went through Kersey because it was on our big loop of Suffolk villages. The ford was even less impressive than I expected, but the rest of the village was another delightful Suffolk surprise!

The Ford (not just a mud puddle)

St Mary's by Amethina

Like the other Suffolk villages, there was amazing color along the road which leads you up to a steep flight of steps to St Mary's Church.

Quintessential Suffolk Cottage

The top two pictures on the left are River House

My favorite building was "Ye Olde River House, 1490", or so it said on a plaque which was obviously not all that 'olde'. The original gatehouse (hence the 1490) has been attached to a more recent house. It is a Grade II listed building which basically means you can't change a towel rack in the kitchen without asking first.

The gatehouse front

The side of River House as it runs along what I believe
 is called Kersey Brook

As I continue to blog the photos from my England trip I will also be using some taken my one of my traveling companions - Amethina, like this one...

Kersey Door Step Shop by Amethina 

365 Photo Challenge - January

The stitch plate of a vintage sewing machine showing patent information...
in case you were wondering.

Being one of those people with more time than sense - my mother used to speak of people with more money than sense but that obviously isn't me - I decided I needed a photo challenge to keep me busy this year. It would also, I told myself, help me hone my lighting and macro skills. At this point, I rather doubt it will do either, but I am having a lot of fun with it anyway. The plan is to take a photo, edit it, and then upload to Flickr every day.

To keep myself interested, I decided to have a different theme each month and I'm trying to concentrate on textures and patterns. Taking into account what would be largely indoor and outdoor themes, I came up with this schedule:
   
    January - Metals...done & dusted
    February - Fabric...going well
    March - Stone...you'd be surprised how many rocks I have in my house, just in case it snows
    April - Foliage...piece of cake in the spring
    May - Flora...good excuse to visit the lovely gardens in the Pacific Northwest
    June - Sky...about the only month we have actual clouds instead of 'shades of gray'
    July - Food...well, plenty of that around here!
    August - Ceramic...china, tile, pottery
    September - Fur, Feather & Fuzz...some of my favorite things
    October - Wood...from tree trunks to table tops
    November - Liquid...this is the only one I am worried about
    December - Paper...I could do a month of paper in any one room of my house

January is now past and there was no lack of metal inspiration, it spite of the cold weather keeping me indoors much of the time. Two thirds of the way through February and the same could be said of fabric - no surprise to anyone who has been in my studio. Here is a mosaic of some of my favorites from January.

 And for good measure...one from outdoors

And one from a friend's home...

I'll keep you posted as the year goes by.