Visitors, Kate's new job, and two excursions
We've managed to accumulate even more stuff for our new flat including plastic storage containers and a television, so hopefully there won't be too much more we need to buy! It's definitely feeling like home now, if only we owned a few more pictures to cover up our incredibly cream walls. We've gotten to know our way around Ipswich pretty well and have become regulars at the library, the pool, and at a local bakery that does fantastic sandwiches and bread and butter pudding.
Kate started a new job on Monday last week. It's a three-month contract, which is great because it is regular money (Andrew gets paid only at the end of his contract). Initially she was pretty sceptical, as it's in a tatty, factory estate office with no air-conditioning, but the people are great and the work reasonably interesting. If only they'd get some window screens so the wasps would stop swarming in!
It's been a heatwave here in Ipswich the last couple of days, i.e. over 28 degrees (the official 'heatwave' temperature). As it's very humid, it feels quite warm and very few places have air conditioning. We're surviving pretty well though, as the temperature drops down at night, making the mornings nice and cool. And after only three days of this weather, today is mild and overcast; apparently we've just experienced an Ipswich summer!
We've had great day trips each of the last two weekends. A week ago Claire and Benno came up from London and we went to Sutton Hoo. It's basically 18 mounds of dirt in a field. They're not even the original mounds of dirt. What makes it significant is that in the 1940's the mounds were excavated and found to contain the buried remains of people, horses and in one case a 27m long ship - the area was the graveyard of the Anglo-Saxon kings. It was a really interesting site and goes to show that with good presentation even 18 mounds of dirt can be fascinating.
Then we went out to dinner to the world's worst pub/bar and had a very average meal, but it was entertaining to see all the lads and girls of Ipswich heading out for a night on the town. Many of them entered the pub over the road, which was advertising its Miss Pole Idol contest. Yes, Ipswich is a classy place of micro-minis, wobbling, bra-less, breasts and hair gel.
And this weekend we went to Bury St Edmund, about a half hour train ride away. Bury, like Ipswich, was an Anglo-Saxon town, but had one of England's most powerful and wealthy abbeys until the 16th century, when Henry VIII ransacked it during his split with the Catholic Church. Today all that is left is some 12th century ruins around which the town has build a gorgeous garden. We sat next to a 800 year-old archway and read the paper while several local lads kicked a football around, amazing how blasé you get about these things!
- 1 August 2004
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With Claire and Benno at Edwards pub/bar. Not even great company could
make the food edible! |
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