Bushfires and The Fourth of the Fourth

I'm watching the bushfires in Australia. I can hardly think of an adjective to describe this horror and find that I am fearful for friends who live close by to the areas concerned, and also fearful for friends in and around Sydney - even though there are no fires burning there at present. My dear friend Liz, who lives in Sydney, emailed me earlier this week to say that Sydney is expecting a heatwave this weekend. The whole country is tinder dry and it's just too easy for a fire to start - or be started.

My heart goes out to all those who have lost family, friends, loved ones in this disaster.

This link to the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney tells it all; succinctly. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/nickbryant/

Earlier today, I was catching up with the lastest post on Pondside's lovely blog. She had been tagged to show the fourth picture in her fourth folder. The result, as always, was charming and interesting. I thought I'd take a peek at my fourth photo in my fourth folder and see what was there. Not too bad, it's an image of my dining table/room, with the table laid for breakfast.



Meggie at Life'sFreeTreats emailed me this week and asked what it is like to live in this old, thatched cottage - do I feel a sense of history?

Here's my reply to her...

I have always wanted to live in a thatched and timber framed cottage/house – it is a delightful time living here. And yes, I do feel a sense of history although sadly there are few facts to glean from the local records at the council offices. It is only about 50 or so years ago that land titles were in place for every sale/purchase of properties in Suffolk – prior to that it was all done the old way; on the shake of hands and on the word of each party. We do know that at one time the house was a pub - but that was common too – many old properties used to have one room of the house where ale was sold to passers-by. The well at the front of the house and the proximity to Bury St Edmunds is a possible clue to the house being on a Pilgrims’ path to the old Abbey (before Henry destroyed it!!)

Just down the hill are the remains of a ‘stone cross’ which is the ancient version of the soap boxes in Hyde Park where people can stand and ‘harangue/lecture/save’ passers by. Very likely local priests or monks would exhort the poor pilgrims to repent etc. Sadly the cross has also been destroyed but the big block of stone is still there so I’ll try to get some photos of it when the daffodils are out a bit later on.

From about 1901 till up to WWII, the house was the local ‘working man’s club’ and the sitting room (the one that has the French doors to it) was the dance floor. It is difficult to find any information about those times – the only elderly man who had been here as a boy would not tell me anything about it as he implied that his information was ‘unseemly’ for a woman to hear. Absolutely infuriating! I was desperate to learn as much as I could about the house but dear old Mr B was too much of a gentleman to offend my delicate sensibilities... if only he had known!!

The house has some history or local lore, of ‘looking after’ people and of being a shelter in times of need. There is no doubt that old houses ‘wrap their arms around you’ and this one has the most peaceful atmosphere. We are very lucky to live here.