There is no denying that rural life consisted of a lot of hard work in the past but there were times for relaxation and creativity. The grocer’s daughter found time to be an accomplished photographer; the farmer’s son, a naturalist and painter whilst one of the daughters was a nationally important sculptress. The working man not only drank in the local pub for his relaxation but sung and danced whilst his wife would also sing and step dance at community events.

These are some of the characters that will feature in an exhibition with this creative past as its central theme to be held in Blaxhall Village Hall, on 20th and 21st September 2008 between 11am and 5pm both days.

We also need your help – there will be a display of cottages and landscapes either drawn or painted by George Thomas Rope between 1870 and 1930 BUT we do not know where he painted them! So can you help and tell us where you think some of these cottages that George painted were - or still are today?

Photographic database

Old photographs recording past events and village life have become an important visual record of our social history. And finding and recording them has been one of the objectives of the Group. There are now over 2000 images in the database – come and search through what we already have and if you have any photographs please bring them along for us to copy.

A small selection of some of the Blaxhall photographs can be found in the History section.

Yep, it's that time of year again. Blaxhall's much loved Fete is coming up, and this year the attraction list has got even better; amongst the popular regulars there will also be such treats as a demonstration by the fire brigade and a visit from some Alpacas. All that remains is to pray for good weather!

After many a year, a pair of House Martins have returned to a house on Stone Common to nest. They arrived very late at the end of June and it was feared that they would never finish the nest, as this is what has occurred in the past. But I am happy to report that they have completed the nest and seem to be sitting - hopefully on eggs. I shall keep you posted.

Margaret G.

Some news of the upcoming festival, to be held on Sat/Sun the 28th and 29th June, is filtering through to the website:

The art exhibition will be open between 11am and 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with a preview evening on Friday the 27th at 7.30pm, and features 6 paintings by well-known local artist Maggie Hambling.

The flower festival at the church will be open on both days between 11am and 5pm. Lunches & teas will be available, and Blaxhall Archive Group will have a display.

There will be an evening of music in the church on Saturday 28th at 7.30 pm, featuring music for all tastes provided by Tony Roy's new benefice music group (their debut performance).
The British Legion training Band conducted by ex-Blaxhallite Richard Wilding will also perform.

The service on Sunday at St Peters will be a benefice service, starting at 11am, all welcome. Keep an eye out for the shepherds who will be directing visitors.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust, who manage Blaxhall Common, will also be at the church over the weekend.

Please do come along and see our festival, the culmination of many hours work for many in the village. There are several reviews of festivals past in the Archive section of the website.

(Updated below) After Private Fundraising, Major Renovations and General Building had finished, the new hall was opened as planned on a glorious May day.

Florrie Shaw and Peter Fletcher cut the commemorative cake.

The plaque will be mounted in the new entrance hall.

Update: Ebb and Flow readers may notice the photos of the event were supplied by Blaxhall.com, high resolution versions are available for download for those interested.

Frosty mornings are not yet a distant memory, but the summer ball is nearly upon us. Tickets for the event are now available from Joyce, Graham and Nigel, up until the 29th. There will be a licensed bar and Buckshee will be providing the music for the event on the 31st. The picture links to a bigger image of the flyer.

Swallows have been seen in Blaxhall over the Bank Holiday weekend, and if they did indeed arrive back so recently they certainly chose the right time to enjoy a glorious spell of weather. Long may it last.