Aldeburgh Music Club are going from strength to strenght under their new conductor, Edmond Fivet. Following two sell out concerts at Aldeburgh Church and Orford Church, they are now mounting their most ambitious and interesting programme; a weekend of music by William Walton to include

Belshazzar's Feast on Saturday 28 November at 7.30 pm at Snape Maltings Concert Hall once again supported by Suffolk's finest orchestra The Prometheus and the Phoenix singers and Prometheus singers with Jeremy Huw Williams, baritone.

“Who will come a-sailing,

Who will come with me,

Down the sunny Deben

To the distant sea?”

Nearly sixty-five years ago, in the summer of 1943, B17F Flying Fortresses belonging to the 390th. Bomb Group USAAF, roared off from their base at Framlingham in the middle of the tranquil Suffolk countryside. On each aircraft four 1200 h.p. radial engines strained against the load they were carrying. Their mission: to fly high above the German heartland and unleash their bombs on a merciless enemy. It was their duty to return home safely, but not all made it back from their perilous journey.

Framlingham is well known for its castle and its many attractive buildings. The villages surrounding Framlingham have large village greens, a long history of brewing and witchcraft (or at least witch trials) which will all be explained in another article.

But now to smuggling and an extract from Smuggling in the British Isles: a History by Richard Platt For more detail visit his website www.smuggling.co.uk

The Mere, Framlingham
One of the finest views in inland Suffolk; stand on the castle ramparts and look down on this wetland paradise of Framlingham Mere.

Not only is this is a beautiful site but a fascinating wildlife habitat. The sedge beds - are rare in Suffolk - and stream are home to hundreds of migrating birds. Marsh marigolds, delicate ragged-robin and lady's smock litter the banks in spring, and if water levels are not too high you can see green and common sandepiper and snipe.

Mickfield Meadow, Mickfield

Earl Soham
Earl Soham owes its epithet to being anciently held by the Earls of Norfolk – the Bigod family of Framlingham Castle fame, while 'Soham' can be translated as 'farm by the lake' - all that remains of the original lake being a big reedy bog at the west end of the village, south of Soham Lodge.

SKETCHBOOKING COURSES ON THE SUFFOLK COAST FOR 2009
with artist Tessa Henderson

TESSA HENDERSON is a professional artist with an excellent reputation for portraits of buildings, sketching and painting.

Inspired by her father, architect Bill Henderson, Tessa has, from early childhood, kept sketchbook diaries of landscapes and buildings she has discovered during her travels.