It’s lovely being so near the coast (7 miles) and the traditional fishing village of Walberswick,  on the other side of the River Blyth to the better-known Southwold, is a perenially popular spot . Crabbing is the favoured pastime  – for children and, let’s face it, their parents . Both the excellent pubs, the Bell Inn and The Anchor, are child & dog friendly.

 A stormy sky makes for an interesting walk along the shingle –

the beach here is a bit stony, albeit with some lovely sandy streches near the harbour . However the dunes are a lovely retreat for picnics and dog-walking is much favoured – dogs not being permitted on the sandy beaches of Southwold in the summer months.

The sunny weather has been gorgeous but, being British, we now complain of  lack of rain – it may have been a cold Spring but it wasn’t a wet one, so now the ponds are really low.                                                                                                                    

Our visitors have been enjoying the al fresco life,  enticing foodie smells drifting across the gardens.

Talking of gardens here are some updates: firstly shots of the Granary garden looking toward the garden room and from the entrance gateway –

Then some views through the open garden doorways of the Upper Barn and Granary –

- these doors are shut when guests are in situ although can be left open when families or friends are occupying the 2 properties which happen to adjoin.

Upper Barn entrance through the Tack Room…

Coach House

Stable

Gate House exteriorand rear garden

Look out for more pics when I get round to it…

Early July week-end saw a visit to the seaside to catch up on the Sunday papers with a cup of tea brewed in the beach hut, overlooking the new rock groins -

and ,at sunset, a drive back along the harbour, Walberswick on the other side of the river…

- whereas last week-end included a visit to the annual Bungay Antiques Street Market, where some handy nick-knacks were acquired, followed by lunch at the intriguing Locks Inn. This is reachable by canoe from Bungay or boat from Beccles, but our own approach was by long private track over  low-lying marshes (which flood in winter meaning abandoning the car and taking to a boat to reach it). Perfect for a hot summer’s day, it’s a quintessentially English pub, not beautiful inside but catering for all ages, children free to run around the grass and adults to enjoy the exellent beer and reasonably-priced food (very often to music by one of the many live bands who perform here).

The Latitude Festival is held at Henham Park, 4 miles away but it doesn’t really impinge apart from the occasional sound of distant music borne on the breeze if in a certain direction. Quite a few BG guests like to book in here and use day tickets, returning to hot baths and comfy beds. So are Nick & I quite mad when we decide to go for the ‘full on’ camping experience? Probably, but it was great to immerse ourselves in the occasion

and we especially enjoyed Nigel Kennedy,  Sadler’s Wells performing a trio of dances including part of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake,

and Florence & the Machine

- we saw of the stage ! Still, the screens showed an impressive performance .

and, surprisingly, Tom Jones.

I’m afraid I’ve been rather remiss in posting this month. The saga with BT & Broadband has gone on and on, meaning I have had to continue using the wi fi in the cottages (there being none in the house), which is a bit tricky when theyr’e all occupied, as has been pretty well the case this last month – so all available internet time has been used in answering your emails and the usual stuff.

The Guardian article came out in their Saturday Travel section and  can be found on line  at 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/may/22/belle-grove-barns-selfcatering-suffolk?page=all

I’ve been going round snapping cameos of the gardens & grounds now that the sun has arrived, so here’s one or two -

Stable gardenGate House garden

Pleased to see that the Beach Huts on the north promenade at Southwold have at last been put back (they’re removed over the winter as they’re very vulnerable to storm damage on this side of the Pier). The huts to the south are left in situ over the winter – despite this, we like the handy location of ours as the beach infront is lovely and sandy and you can park right behind the hut. What’s more, its only a few steps to a water tap and a little way to the public conveniences.

By the way, ours is no 59, the acqua coloured one. There’s more about it on the main web site.

The restoration of the Pier has been a great addition to the town and its quirky attractions, cafes and shops make for a popular stroll. In the countryside, fields of rape make brilliant splashes of yellow against the trees that are just beginning  to unfurl their leaves in the warmth of the last few days …

Brr – why did I just say that – it’s gone all wintry again. Extra logs have just been delivered!

To update as of 6th May-  the pheasant still sits on her nest (see under April) although does fly over the wall from time to time, presumably to find food. The rest of the time she is utterly impassive and doesn’t seem to mind people coming into the garden at all.**

**Update – our most recent visitors in the Gate House were thrilled to arrive to find a dozen broken and empty shells and the day old chicks milling around the garden! Mother and chicks quickly ’flew’ the nest though. Lets  hope a predator doesn’t decimate them – and even if they reach the protection of grass,  if it’s rain-drenched, the downy pre-feathered bodies of the chicks are vulnerable to pneumonia. It’s a harsh world out there…

May sees the start of the ‘happening’ season. In its regular slot of the 2nd Sunday of May, the ever popular ‘Wings and Wheels’ took place  – 400 hundred classic & vintage vehicles descended on Henham Park  together with 70 or so light aircraft and a wonderful aerobatic display by the Swift Team. (www.wingsandwheels-online.co.uk) The season has also kicked off for antique fairs,  street markets and general revelry.  Nearby Bungay held its very popular Garden Street Market -  to the belting background of the barrel organ, impossible to resist the roast hog &  array of locally produced goodies, not to mention what we were there for – plants for the gardens!

 Some guests were attracted by the Spring gardens at Raveningham Hall near Beccles (www.raveningham.com) and went on to the nearby Raveningham Centre  (www.raveninghamcentre.co.uk) for its May Antiques Day  (to be repeated in September) and refreshments at the Ravenous cafe – there’s always something on in the neighbourhood.

Now that the sun is shining & the blossom out, we can dare feel that spring is here - I couldn’t resist these images of the Belle Grove entrance way in the glow of the late afternoon sun …

Easter sunshine proved a little elusive although that didn’t seem to dull the spirits of the families who congregated here over the holiday. At least the south-facing ‘garden rooms’ at the Upper Barn & Granary  provide a behind-glass sunny retreat from the unkind winds that  ripple the ponds.

Spring sun has brought the narcissi to life at last, as well as the primroses that line nearby ditches.

Groups of swifts have arrived to skim the pond surfaces for insects and a mallard duck is in residence. Last week, 11 ducklings were to be seen but all but one seems to have disappeared – tasty snacks for a predator probably. (Duck mothers are notoriously incompetent). Our Zimbawean sentinel looks on impassively.

Shoots of spring barley have literally appeared overnight in surrounding fields and we’ve spent time clearing the sides of the track to allow the new season’s growth to come through – which will include huge clumps of nettles I fear - good for attracting butterflies though.     The gorgeous weeping willows are the first trees to come into leaf.                                       

There was a bit of a disaster last week when we lost broadband for complicated reasons but it’s now restored. It would be just when a journalist from a national newspaper came to review the properties overnight! We shall have to await the outcome of that next month. Also, in view of a passing comment made on TripAdvisor, I have been back to quite a number of guests to enquire their feelings about the comfort of the beds at Belle Grove (pocket sprung Hypnos). My contacts unanimously agreed that, as far as they were concerned, the beds were exceptionally comfortable. Which just goes to show what a subjective thing is a mattress!

April is nearly over and it’s been a relatively quiet month, partly deliberately so, as Nick and I have been preoccupied moving into the new house on site. Things did ‘hot’ up when several people, who couldn’t get away on holiday on account of the volcanic ash thing, rang for a last minute ’staycation’ – one couple had been destined to visit Egypt and were amused to find an echo of that here in the ‘East’ of England,  the decor of the Gate House having a certain Middle Eastern exoticism, not to mention a sheesa (hubble bubble) complete with apple tobacco, and Turkish coffee…

Intending to clear up the debris of winter from the Gate House garden , we spotted a pair of eyes scutinising us from a large granite planter and realised it was a hen pheasant sitting on a nest, so we’ve left the garden undisturbed and await developments…

Hurrah! Winter is in retreat. Even so,  March walks  tend to be bracing - along the cliffs at Covehithe to see just how much of the cliff face has fallen victim to the winter storms or face into into the wind along Southwold Promenade with the reward of a pint of Adnams in front of the welcoming fire at that archetypal English pub, the ‘Nelly’ (Lord Nelson).

The beach huts north of the Pier (including ours) have yet to be put back after their removal to protect them from the worst of the North Sea tempests – which can smash the wooden huts into smithereens. They’re usually back in place by Easter.

Visitors are pleasantly surprised by the variety of activities and enetrtainment on offer hereabouts, whether concert-going, horse-riding or good eating (see Links page for the tip of the eatig iceberg). But a common theme at this time of year is the desire to simply ‘chill’ ,  glass in hand, in front of the wood burning stove and a  good film.

The combination of St Valentines and Half Term has caused a surprising demand in a month traditionally thought to be ‘dead’. The snow disappeared at the end of last month but is with us again although not so overwhelmingly. The wind is bitter though, so come with plenty of woollies for those winter walks…

Mostly, short break guests like to hunker down in front of the fire and don’t necessarily want the intrusion of emails (there is wi fi ) or mobile phones (the signal is variable – you usually have to go outside) but recent guests have  been keen to join country pursuits like horse riding and clay pigeon shooting.

The monthly Farmer’s Market (held on the 2nd Saturday) in nearby Halesworth is popular with guests, especially the wild boar sausages and venison made from locally-reared animals as is the excellent beef & pork + seasonal veggies.

By this time, a glance through the window (of the door of the Coach House) shows the snow as a mere scattering -

…the snow has disappeared entirely but the days veer wildly between those of  brilliant blue sky (and intensely cold and frosty nights) and those under  rain-sodden grey cloud. Even so, spirits are lifted by the lighter evenings and there’s just a whiff of spring in the air. The foliage by the pond and track looks sorry but it won’t be long before it breaks out.

2010 has started dramatically with a wonderful snowfall,. Belle Grove feels  still and silent. The ponds  have iced over and the poor birds slide over them looking for chinks in the surface through which to dip their beaks.

Snow usually comes and goes within 48 hours in these parts, but it’s lingering this time.

The frozen driveways make driving a tad treacherous, especially in  front wheel drive   – my little roadster is sliding all over the place. We’ve sprinkled sand at critical places but if you’re coming to see us soon, do come prepared for adverse conditions. We’re not that far from facilities though, so you won’t feel ‘cut off’ :- the village shop (a 20 minute walk) caters for basic needs & the village pub offers good honest grub and well kept beer . Then there’s a supermarket  and a wonderful array of independent shops including delis, butchers etc in the market town of Halesworth,  a bit more than 2 miles away.

The gardens may be snow covered but at least the interiors are lovely and snug what with the underfloor heating and wood burning stoves -  the log pile has have been dimishing at an alarming rate!

The Stable garden-

Granary back steps-

There’s always a tension between beauty and convenience in these conditions but,  for the moment, beauty is winning …