It was pointed out to me last year that I seemed to have found a new home when I landed in Suffolk Yacht Harbour, something that only got re-enforced when I returned here later in the summer and failed to leave.
It is true that I have made some wonderful friends while I've been here, I've even been offered work if I stayed. I will be sad to leave them, but I will leave with fond memories of both the places and the people. There comes a time to end every chapter and move on, my time has come.
Out and about
Ipswich is a really nice town, with a lot of character mixed in with the usual modern shopping areas. It seems to be under appreciated by the locals, and some of the shops do seem to be struggling. When will councils realise that people are not going into the town and city centre's because of the cost of parking? Why pay extra money when you can park at a retail park for nothing and wander around all day if you want? When you travel from place to place and see all the different monstrosities that some councils have allowed their towns to become you learn to appreciate what is good, or maybe as a visitor you see things with different, fresh eyes.
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| Felixstowe has some charms ... |
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| ... although the beach looked quite empty on a cold February day |
Felixstowe is quite an industrial type of town, being dominated by the huge container port. When I say the port is huge I mean it. It handles 2,000 to 3,000 ships per year and up to 4,000,000 containers. It's no wonder the harbour masters wanted me out of the way last year when I was having issues entering the river! Despite it's industrial nature Felixstowe also has it's charms, and on a sunny summers day I'm sure the beach is a hive of activity.
Suffolk Yacht Harbour itself is a charming place to stay, the staff are friendly and the facilities are very good. The one drawback of the place is probably the reason it remains so charming. It is isolated if you have no transport. The nearest village shop is an hours walk away in Trimley, there's also a pub a half hour or so in the opposite direction in Levington. I haven't done this walk often, or at night, but I know there is quite a large herd of deer that wander the countryside around here. They have been known to cross the narrow unlit country lanes on mass, and probably at speed. I don't rate my chances against them on my own on a dark night! I did make some great friends in the Haven Ports Yacht Club bar, located on the lightship in the middle of the marina, but during the winter there are not enough members on their boats in order to keep the bar open during the week. This is a lovely spot to visit during the summer, but for a winter layover you should perhaps look elsewhere.
Spring is in the air
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| The Blackthorn bushes are coming to life, the first signs of spring |
Staying in a tiny home in stormy winter weather can be quite a sedentary life, so I've been taking regular walks along the river bank and then up through the fields to Trimley. The rumbles and clangs of the containerships being unloaded at the port make for a near constant backdrop to life here. When I'm out on a walk however I can concentrate on the sights and sounds of nature that surrounds us, the Brent geese above getting ready for their summer migration back to Siberia and the rustling of unseen creatures in the undergrowth. Along the walk I begin to see signs of a change in nature, a slow awakening. When the Blackthorne trees and bushes are starting to blossom at the turn of February & March it's a sure sign that spring is heading our way. I have been doing some jobs on the boat as time has passed, some tweaks, some neatening up the finish on old jobs. I had planned one major project over the winter, but that has had to be put off until next winter ... more on that in the next blog. As it is I have a couple of part projects to finish, switching to fully electric cooking and a VHF radio issue that needs sorting. Then it will be a quick run through the annual maintenance to (hopefully) ensure a relatively trouble free season ahead.
I have a deadline of the end of March to be ready to leave the marina .... then once again it will be down to the weather to dictate my wanderings.
