A coachful of Capel Ladies Club members and friends left Capel at 9.30am on a Wednesday in mid-November for a spot of Shopping – whether it be Window or Christmas – and a look round for bargains. Our destination was Bury St Edmunds, where it was market day, and the town was bustling but not too overcrowded.

Some of us had a list but most were just browsing or looking to pick up a bargain from one of the many sales that seemed to be on. I think we all started with a coffee somewhere, and there were lots of options for lunch or afternoon tea as well!

One of the smaller models of the Cathedral available to buy as a Lego Kit from the Cathedral gift shop.

One group ventured as far as the Cathedral, where after a look round they took part in a charity fund-raising scheme, first launched in May 2016, by buying a Lego brick for £1.00. The brick will be added to a scale model of the Cathedral which is being built to raise funds for a youth outreach project to provide a lasting legacy which can be used by all the community. Their target is to raise £200,000 (200,000 pieces of Lego) to create the model, and it’s reckoned this could take several years! To date 32,000 bricks have been installed! Only four Cathedrals in the UK have been interpreted in this way, and Bury’s is the only build in the East of England. If you visit Bury over the next few months, why not add a brick or two yourself?

At 4.30pm we all returned to the coach, some carrying bags of goodies and others with heads full of good ideas for gifts. Everyone agreed it had been a successful trip, and it was a nice change to go somewhere different.

A small group of Capel Ladies went to the Assembly Rooms in Dedham to see a production of “One Man, Two Guvnors” performed by the Dedham Players.

This is a quirky, crazy farce, set in 1960’s Brighton, and involves Francis Henshall, an out-of-work musician, who ends up working for two different bosses – one, a supposed gangster and the other, an upper class fool – whilst trying to stop them from meeting each other and discovering his ploy. Further complications occur involving a heavy trunk, mixed-up letters, an elderly waiter and several unlucky audience volunteers! By the end of the play Francis has managed to hold down both jobs, whilst getting paid and fed, and finally finds love. It’s a happy ending, too, for the other characters, who have also gone through an equally confusing time! A real romp with some energetic performances! A very entertaining evening!

On a beautiful early autumn afternoon a small group of Capel Ladies went to visit the Alfred Munnings Museum at Dedham. If you have never visited here it is well worth the short trip.

We all enjoyed looking at his paintings, many of horses, which were his first love, but also landscapes – a number of which were local scenes of Dedham Vale and the River Stour. There was also a special exhibition entitled “Munnings and the River” which included a lovely series of pictures showing ladies boating on the Stour at Flatford. Everything is well explained with clear information to read, and very helpful Guides in each room.

The house – which was Munnings’ well-loved home, is also very interesting, with much of his original furniture, books, sculptures and china still there, exactly as it was in his lifetime. After a pleasant time in the house we moved on to his studio to see where he painted, with more exhibits in here too.

The afternoon finished with our group enjoying delicious, very generous pieces of cake sitting outside in the Garden Café, watching the horses in the adjoining field – rather apt considering Munnings’ love of horses. You can find out more about the museum by visiting its website: www.munningsmuseum.org.uk

(Report by Di Barker)

After all those lovely summer evenings in June and July the night of the Capel Ladies Barbecue turned out to be unsettled, cool and very blustery! However, we were safely tucked away inside a marquee, courtesy of Liz and Tony Gulliver, our hosts, enjoying a delicious spread of barbecued meats and salads, followed by a selection of creamy gateaux, so the weather didn’t affect us in the slightest. We had a tricky quiz from Pat Bradford where we had to match the correct event to the year it happened, and a Lucky Raffle Prize Draw. At the end of the evening Di Barker thanked our hosts and presented them with wine and flowers. The end of another Barbecue, but let’s hope it’s not the end of another summer!

Coming up we have a touch of Turkish sunshine from our September speaker Jenny Gibbs, a trip to the Munnings Museum with afternoon tea, and a craft evening.

James Finbow and Charlea Burwood
star in “Time After Time”

Our first July meeting was a visit to the Orchard Players’ Show, “Time After Time” at Capel Village Hall. The show featured songs from the 70’s and 80’s, accompanied by an excellent live band, and featured a good mix of favourite numbers. The dancing in particular was excellent, and there were some terrific performances from the younger members of the cast. A feel-good fun night out!

The evening of June 15^th was warm and balmy – a perfect summer’s evening, in fact, when around 20 adventure-seeking ladies boarded the coach for our Mystery Tour. At least the name of the coach company inspired confidence – “Boomerang Tours” – so we knew we would eventually arrive back where we started!

Anyway, both David, our driver and Alex, our guide seemed to know exactly where we were going so that was OK! We were on a wildlife and history coach tour and Alex called out questions along the way to see if we could guess the names of villages, plants, birds or animals that we might encounter en-route.

We were on a tour of the Deben villages and the countryside seen from the coach was a picture in greens and golds, splashed here and there with scarlet from wayside poppies!

Our first stop was picturesque Ramsholt Church with its round tower overlooking a peaceful bend on the River Deben. The churchyard was full of wild flowers and the church was cool and quiet inside. After looking round and drinking in the beautiful views under a bright blue summer sky we reluctantly moved on a short distance in the coach and came to The Ramsholt Arms. This pub has an idyllic location below the church on the sandy shores of the river, and on summer evenings there’s nowhere better to sit with a glass of something gazing at the sparkles on the water, or peering up and down the river to catch glimpses of herons or cormorants, or perhaps a barn owl swooping over fields on the opposite bank.

We stopped here for a drink and to sample the two home-made cakes baked the previous night by our guide Alex, and I can vouch for the fact that they were both delicious!

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Back in the coach and down a few more narrow lanes to Bawdsey, at the mouth of the river, opposite Felixstowe Ferry, where the ferryman in his rowing boat plies his trade. We were too late to see it in operation, of course, but just in time to see the beginnings of a glorious sunset! After a short wander we boarded the coach again for a leisurely ride home.

En route we listened to more interesting facts from Alex about what we were passing – from details of the wildlife, trees and plants to historical facts and information about people and places connected with the area, from Saxon Ship Burials to Alien Encounters! We rolled into Capel just as it was getting dark – about 10.15 pm. after a delightful evening!

It was a bit of a “Mystery Tour” finding the way to DJ Wines at Monk Soham, but the Capel Ladies Club party were an intrepid group and didn’t give up until they found the exact location in a one-time piggery in the heart of Suffolk. This is where Derek Jones produces hand-made fruit wines, fruit liqueurs and mead, using mainly locally sourced fruit such as raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, gooseberries, elderflowers and honey.

Derek has been running his wine business for over five years. He used to be a cheesemaker and has also worked at Otley College. His change of career obviously paid off, as his business now sells his wine to the Co-op and also exhibits at fairs and shows.

He uses slow, natural methods to make his wines, adding only minimum amounts of sugar, plus yeast, so they taste “full of fruit and deliciously natural” according to him. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say – and so Capel Ladies were given the chance to try several different wines along with artisan breads from Framlingham, cheeses from “Suffolk Cheeses” plus salamis and rapeseed oil dip.

The three drivers in the party were given elderflower cordial but the rest of the party enjoyed sampling the wines and also mead made from Suffolk heather honey. A nice way to spend a sunny afternoon in May!

For more information see the website:   www.dj-wines.com

Brandon and Lorraine answer our gardening questions

For our April outing we made a return trip to Tattingstone Garden Centre, where Brandon and Lorraine, and son Dean, were on hand to answer any problem gardening questions which we had, and to advise on choices and combinations of plants for our pots or hanging baskets which some of us planted up. Dean’s services were required when it came to ordering custom-made hanging baskets – his speciality! As usual we were made very welcome and Lorraine served us teas and coffees during the evening. Everyone went away very pleased with their purchases, and with at least some of their queries solved! We promised to return next year for another session!

A change is as good as a rest, they say, and for our March meal out the committee decided to book The Queen’s Head, Little Wenham. As it turned out it was a great decision! Mark and Patsy gave us a very warm welcome and had laid on a hot, serve-yourself buffet in their spacious dining room, with choices of tasty dishes such as a chicken tagine, chicken tikka masala and a lamb casserole. There was rice, jacket potatoes, chunky chips and extra seasonal vegetables too.  Desserts followed, including apple crumble and custard, chocolate fudge cake and fresh fruit salad with cream. The two dozen Capel Ladies Club members who attended were all very happy with their meals, and there was a jolly atmosphere in cosy surroundings. We will definitely be returning to The Queen’s Head for second helpings at some point!

Fifteen Capel Ladies had an arresting evening at the Suffolk Police Museum for our February outing! The museum is situated at the Suffolk Constabulary HQ at Martlesham Heath, and is open after 6.00 p.m. on Mondays – Fridays by appointment only. We were met on arrival by a team of friendly volunteers – all ex-police personnel – who made us feel very welcome and who escorted us through the exhibits, telling us about life in the police service, showing us things of particular interest, and answering our many questions.

At one point we were allowed to try on some police uniforms and hold truncheons or handcuffs. Police hats have changed a lot during the years since the 1830’s, At first they wore top hats, then these changed to custodian helmets lined with cork and serge or strong felt, however now they have a lining of reinforced plastic, still light to wear but more protective. Most officers today wear flat peaked caps for practical reasons but there are still occasions when more protection is needed and helmets are used. Policewomen have bowler hats  with similar lining and covered in the regulation navy blue serge.

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There was a huge range of items on display for us to see. One cabinet contained a large collection of fearsome weapons – knuckle dusters, flick knives and daggers which made us shudder! There were riot shields of different sizes which you could hardly lift, and it was incredible to think that, using these, the policeman had to be totally mobile and able to run whilst holding one up! The police issue stab vests were very heavy too, with the added panels of protective padding!  We tried different styles of truncheons for size, some wooden, some plastic – and a new lightweight metal one which was telescopic and could be produced at the flick of an arm.

There were press cuttings and displays of past crimes and investigations, amongst many ancient pieces of equipment such as early typewriters and computers, and a fingerprint kit with ink and roller – no longer in use of course in this digital age!

At the end of our tour we were shown to a comfortable coffee lounge where we had some refreshments before thanking our hosts and leaving the building, past a collection box for donations towards the upkeep of the museum and its exhibits. I’m sure we each put in a contribution after a thoroughly worthwhile, informative and enjoyable visit.