Short paddle from Bungay to Earsham Sluice

The drop at Roaring Arch Bridge:

The edge of the drop has quite a decent water cushion on the sill so the slide over is easy and, although the landing is on to flat concrete, that concrete is very smooth. An easy and fun shoot in a playboat.

Today's complete paddle was from Bungay above the Loop to the sluice at Earsham/Stow Fen. This will need a check of the depth for landing below the drop and some work to see how easy getting past the safety barrier above is going to be. And I guess a safety buddy/camera person would be a good idea too...

All in all a lovely morning, taking in the cut to Roaring Arch on the way back then really struggling on the upstream section through the Bungay gardens to the launch point. Lots of uphill pushing in shallow gravel runs. Still fun.

On the doorstep

Just love the colour of this random Nasturtium in the flowerbed by the doorstep while waiting for the children to be delivered by the school bus.

And may as well put the poppy seed head up here as well, complete with spider

View of some pines in woodland on Sisland Carr. Lying on my back of course!

Thorn Apples on Hales Green

Had a wander round Hales Green again, mostly looking to see where there might be an environment for Bee Orchids next Summer. Found a group of Thorn Apples in a rabbit disturbed nettle patch...

None of the flowers was in terribly good condition but this gives a general idea:

Walberswick surfing

Small waves but well formed and a good reintroduction for the kayak which has been down the garden for 4 years.

Pushbike to Bungay

The Teasel in the front garden is finally going to flower. Better late than never!

Then took the pushbike to Bungay, nice view of a backwater of the Waveney, Chainbridge Beck, from the bridge where it passes under Ditchingham Dam. Probably big enough to paddle...

Possibly Enchanters Nightshade?

Hike to Stanley Hills nr Beccles

Moth Mullein

Woundwort

Parasol Mushroom

Just setting out

Front lawn after rain

After a long dry summer we've had some rain. Front lawn exploded in to toadstools, as it tends to do...

Poppy (3)

The poppy opened fully overnight:

Passiflora

The first bud opened on the passiflora. Nice.

Poppy on the drive (2)

Some were more colourful than others

Poppy on the drive

We scattered some seeds last year. They came up.

Common Spotted Orchid on Hales Green

I went looking for Bee Orchids on Hales Green one drizzly Summer Sunday afternoon. None in flower yet but the occasional Common Spotted is in out, around the ponds at the edge of the Green.

 

Lunch time walk around parts of the Angles Way

Bluebells in the same wood as the last post, first one or two just coming in to flower. One stop under exposed seems to give the nicest blue

These flowers were under dense canopy, not sen any like them before

Peacock on the Angles Way, a little tired looking, possibly overwintered as an adult

A rather nice patch of Lesser Celandines by a small stream, tending to be rather prettier than in well-cut roadside grass

Neither the Kingfisher, Heron nor Buzzard would sit still to be photographed but they still made for a lovely day.

Primrose wood on the Somerleyton road

Very hard to get to, just by the B1047 but quite a way from anywhere that you can stop the car

Redwings

About 30 Redwings passed through the garden a couple of days ago. Drove away the Blackbirds, worked over the lawn and left.

Garden Violets

Sun is out, so are the violets in the garden

In the garden

Flowering Currants think it's Spring

The Ladybird is not so sure yet

More Spring Celandines

Another sunny day for the Celandines

Wortwell Mill

We walked the Angles Way from just upstream of Homersfield to Wortwell mill. It's Spring and very mild. In the woods on the edge of the floodplain:

Looking across the water meadows to the mill

Which has a rather nice footbridge

The all of the sluices are in the garden of the people who live in the mill, so they'e not too easy to see. There's an overshot vertical drop on to a steep slope from the look of them. Not exactly paddle friendly.

Plus the people who live in the mill are (understandably perhaps) not too keen on folks play boating in their garden...

The portage is well set out on the north side if the river, before the mill and sluices.

Still the first of March

I think Celandines class as Spring flowers. On the Somerleyton Rd in Lowestoft

Garden Daffodils

First of March and the dwarf daffs in the rough grass are just about to flower

Snowdrops, still Winter but getting towards Spring

A lovely drift in a bend of the River Chet just upstream of the A146 bridge

Morrison's car park last weekend

Hard blue sky, bright sun, windblown clouds. Cold.

The chickens think it's Spring!

The chickens are laying more eggs than even I can eat. Go, girls!

Hoxne Weir

After Billingford we walked down to the weir at Hoxne. It's a simple water slide with 0.44m on the height gauge in this picture.

Probably about 4-5 foot, probably quite fast by the time you reach the bottom if there is a decent amount of water on the face.

The flow control weir looks to be marked as a sluice just upstream of the mill across the water meadows.