The Three Dragons Walk

Today, at Joyce's request, I led a favourite walk for this time of year from Bures St. Mary - the Three Dragons walk.

Kersey Mill Walk

Most of the walks on the blog recently have been longer walks, but here's a shorter one. This morning we went out to for a walk to enjoy the spring weather before lunch.

K is for Kettleburgh Walk

Today we reached K in our alphabet of walks with K for Kettleburgh.

Chasing the Green Fairy

Image from Spirits of France 

Regular readers may recall I have recently made some absinthe. With the family all together on Mothers' Day I gave them all a taste and Sarah must have remembered what I told them about Chasing the Green Fairy.

J is for Jolly Sailor Walk

Today we reached J in our alphabet of walks - J is for Jolly Sailor.

Barrow Walk

Today William came to visit early and we decide to go for a walk before lunch. Although it's a walk I've done a few times, including a couple of times before with Dawn, William hasn't so we did a walk from Barrow.

Bradfield Woods

Today we had our first trip to Bradfield Woods of the year to see some spring flowers.

Garboldisham Walk

Today we had a "training walk" for our forthcoming Eastbourne trip where some will be undertaking the 31 mile 1066 walk over two days.

Weekend Quick Cryptic 126 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Weekend Quick Cryptic 126 - by Sawbill

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn, Number 126 in the series. 

You can try and solve the crossword interactively here on MyCrossword or here on crossword.info. As usual you can download a PDF to print which you can find here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries are welcome with the solution post (which also gives tips on some of the clues).  I will react to any comments or queries there as soon as I can. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Belchamp St Paul Walk

It was the first Thursday of the month today and time for the first Bury St. Edmunds U3A Longer Walks Group walk.

A Letter from The Sunday Times

Look what came through the post yesterday.

Mothers' Day Family Gathering

We have Sarah home for a few days. She arrived yesterday morning and will stay until Monday evening. She said she had some news but wouldn't tell us until she saw us. Then she said she wouldn't tell Laura and William until she saw them either, so they both came yesterday in time for an evening meal together to hear her news instead of today as they had planned...

Samba Jazz at The Hunter Club

Last night Dawn and I, after our day-trip to Woolsthorpe Manor and Belton House went to the Hunter Club to hear some jazz.

U3A Visit to Belton House

Today we had a trip with other members of the U3A Bury St. Edmunds to two National Trust properties near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The second of these, in the afternoon, was Belton House and its Estate.

U3A Visit to Woolsthorpe Manor

Today we had a trip with other members of the U3A Bury St. Edmunds to two National Trust properties near Grantham in Lincolnshire. The first of these, in the morning, was Woolsthorpe Manor.

I is for Eye

Yes, it's the next instalment in Joyce's Weekly Walks' alphabet of walks.

Family Brunch in Bedford

On our way home from Oxford today we stopped half way in Bedford to visit Laura and Laurence and take them out for brunch.

A Visit to Oxford

We are in Oxford for a few days for me to attend a Words and Puzzles Conference, and then do a bit of sightseeing.

Words and Puzzles Conference

We are in Oxford for a few days at the moment, primarily so I could attend the Word and Puzzles Conference at Magdalen College today.

H is for Hopton and Hepworth

Today Joyce's Weekly Walks reached H for Hopton and Hepworth in the alphabet of walks.

Weekend Quick Cryptic 125 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Weekend Quick Cryptic 125 - by Phil Jordan

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn, Number 125 in the series. 

You can try and solve the crossword interactively here on MyCrossword or here on crossword.info. As usual you can download a PDF to print which you can find here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries are welcome with the solution post (which also gives tips on some of the clues).  I will react to any comments or queries there as soon as I can. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Stowe Gardens

On our way to Oxford today we took a slight detour to visit Stowe Gardens  just outside the the town of Buckingham. Read all about the history here and  here.

U3A Bury St Edmunds Monthly Talk - Magna Carta: the making and the revival

It was the first one I'd manage to get to for a while, but today I went to the APEX for the U3A Bury St Edmunds monthly lecture given by guest speaker Professor Nigel Saul - Magna Carta: the making and the revival.

Thamesmead and Crossness Engine Trust Museum

Today we had a day out in a part of South-East London neither Dawn nor I had visited before.

John's Walks 2025 Published

I've added a new page to the site, which you can access via the menu bar at the top of the page or the  "John's Walks" section in the sidebar - John's Walks 2025 provides an index to all the walk blog posts so far this year. As usual, I'll update it periodically during the year - every couple of months on average.

G is for Gromford Walk

Today we did the next letter of our alphabet of walks - G is for Gromford.

Shaun the Sheep at Anglesey Abbey

Today we visited Anglesey Abbey to walk the Shaun the Sheep Trail.

Dunwich Heath Walk

It was another lovely sunny day today so we took a trip to the coast to do a favourite walk from Dunwich Heath.

Weekend Quick Cryptic 124 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's my turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Weekend Quick Cryptic 124 - Where There's Muck

This time it is my turn to provide the fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic crossword, Number 124 in the series. The title "Where There's Muck" is a clue to the theme. Can you find the thematic answers in the completed grid?

You can try and solve the crossword interactively here on MyCrossword or here on crossword.info. As usual you can download a PDF to print which you can find here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries are welcome with the solution post (which also gives tips on some of the clues).  I will react to any comments or queries there as soon as I can. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.  

Coddenham Walk

It was the first Thursday of the month today and time for the Bury St. Edmunds U3A Longer Walks Group March walk, this month led by Chris from Coddenham.

West Stow Walk

Today we had a sylvan (and riparian) walk from West Stow along familiar paths.

Absinthe Stage Four - Filtering and Bottling

It was the last stage of my Absinthe experiment today - filtering, bottling and labelling.

Charles Paterson Memorial Concert

I had a day-trip to Leicester today to sing in a memorial concert for my singing friend and musician Charles, who's funeral I went to in December (see here).

Ixworth Walk

Joyce hadn't scheduled a walk for the group for this week, so on Alicia's Lynford Stag walk last Friday (see here), I said I would lead a walk today if people were interested... and they were!

Ickworth House Walk

This afternoon, having finished my absinthe distilling, I went with Dawn to Ickworth House for a walk in the afternoon sunshine.

Absinthe Stage Three - Distillation

Today it was time to distil my absinthe.

Absinthe Stage Two - Dilution

Today my absinthe-to-be maceration reached 10 days, so time for the next stage.

Mark Flanagan at the Hunter Club

Last night Dawn and I were at the Hunter Club for our second concert this week after our Jazz afternoon at the Bridge of Allan Brewhouse on Sunday (see here).

Lynford Stag Walk

Today it was Alicia's turn to lead Joyce's Walking Group. We did a circular walk from Lynford Stag.

Weekend Quick Cryptic 123 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Weekend Quick Cryptic 123 - by Sawbill

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's turn, Number 123 in the series. 

You can try and solve the crossword interactively here on MyCrossword or here on crossword.info. As usual you can download a PDF to print which you can find here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries are welcome with the solution post (which also gives tips on some of the clues).  I will react to any comments or queries there as soon as I can. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

The Jazz Pack at Allanwater Brewhouse

We are back home from Bridge of Allan now, so I now finally have a chance to add a blog post about our Sunday afternoon entertainment.

An Ochil Hills Walk

We are visiting Kirsty and David in Bridge of Allan for a few days and this morning they took us for a walk in the western end of the Ochil Hills, north of Dumyat.

A New Distilling Project

I've decided to have a try at something different...

Hen Reed Beds Walk

Today it was my turn to lead Joyce's Weekly Walks group.

Hockwold-cum-Wilton Walk

Despite the drizzly conditions, today we went out to Hockwold-cum-Wilton for a morning walk

Culford Snowdrop Walk

Today we went for a favourite walk from Culford Village Hall to see some snowdrops.

Weekend Quick Cryptic 122 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below.  Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on  TfTT .  You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

Weekend Quick Cryptic 122 - by Phil Jordan

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn, Number 122 in the series. 

You can try and solve the crossword interactively here on MyCrossword or here on crossword.info. As usual you can download a PDF to print which you can find here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries are welcome with the solution post (which also gives tips on some of the clues).  I will react to any comments or queries there as soon as I can. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

U3A Rede Walk

Today is the first Thursday of the month so time for the U3A Bury St Edmunds Longer Walks Group to meet. This month it was Wendie's turn to lead the group walk.

F is for Felixstowe Sunrise Walk

Today we reached F in our alphabet of walks with a sunrise walk at Felixstowe.

New Camera

My old Fuji Finepix camera has been a bit dodgy for some time and has finally given up the ghost, being unable to load an SD storage card and permanently displaying "Memory Card Error" preventing me taking any photos.

Hen Reed Beds Walk Recce

Next week I am leading a walk from the Hen Reed Beds Nature Reserve near Southwold and yesterday I did an early morning recce.

Knettishall Heath Winter Walk

This morning was lovely and sunny again and a bit frosty, so Dawn and I took a trip to Knettishall Heath.

Colchester Winter Beer Festival

Today I finished Dry January a day early to visit the Colchester Winter Ale Festival, as I had done last year (see here).

E is for Euston Walk

Today we reached E in our alphabet of walks with a linear walk from Euston back to the church at Ingham where we had parked our cars.

Snowdrop Time

After seeing a few snowdrops at Great Barton Church the other day and more by the River Linnet at Ickworth House yesterday, today we did our annual pilgrimage to see the snowdrops at Anglesey Abbey.