Month: May 2022

When I did the last lot of graffiti I didn’t get as far as Stoke Bridge so I missed the new murals that have been put up, plus, I didn’t go round the corner to St. Peter’s Church. Since then, the new murals have been picked up by the Ipswich Star where they have covered the painting and displaying by over 100 children on the walls along that end of the Waterfront.

If you right click and choose “Open image in new tab” or something similar, you will see the chosen image much larger. You may have to reduce the image to see it properly! (Command + or – on a Mac, Control + or – on Windows).

I then walked along to the end and turned towards the church. Here is an interesting brick wall. I wonder how old it is?

I then walked around along towards the church to find some older, less distinct graffiti.

The whole brick wall around this end of the temporary car park next to the Paul building is not in a good state of repair but would seem to be quite old.

From here, I found that St. Peter’s Church was open but that’s another story.

I have a lot of ideas ready to go for posts to this blog but then something comes along to make me “hold the presses”. This time it is the night sky. I have previously posted sunsets but they were all a long time ago. I felt that it was time to show off our special sunsets on the waterfront.

Firstly, look how the front of the apartments in Anchor Street are shining in the glare.

Now, have a look at the view from our balcony at 10 past 9 last night. We are very lucky to have such views.

I posted a photo the other day of a nice 1960s US saloon car. When I was out and about yesterday I came across these two parked up on the Waterfront and, being a nice glowing orange and unusual, I decided that your all needed to see them! First up is a nice BMW Z3 on an S plate which makes it dated from around 1998-1999.

The other car is a very smart Porsche 718 Cayman T. This one is only a couple of years old but is a wonder to look at.

I had made a trip round to St. Peter’s street – more on that in a later blog. On the way back it started to rain, which is not good news in a wheelchair so I ducked into the Dance East Café for a little respite. (Note~: this photo was taken at the Fun Run so isn’t the café in the rain!).

I had never been any further than the café before so, after my coffee I wandered in further.

Lastly, before it rained, I was watching some seagulls. I thought that I would try my new camera’s facility to focus on birds. This was taken from across the water to the Island so was quite a stretch for my lens. I think it shows what the quality is for modern digital camera systems.

This is the original so you can see how well it has been enlarged.

That’s all for now. Lots more to come.

OK, so I have been a Canon fan for many years but long before that, in the good old days of film, I was an Olympus nut and, in fact was an early user of the Olympus digital “four thirds” system. Recently, as I have mentioned, I swapped the Canon 90D digital SLR, that I rashly bought last year, for an Olympus OM-D EM Mk.III (snappy name!). This Olympus is a 20mp camera with a 12-45mm zoom lens (24-90mm equivalent on a full frame camera) and differs from the Canon in that it is “mirrorless”. This means that it doesn’t have a mirror as in an SLR (single lens reflex) to let you see what you are shooting through the viewfinder but a digital image so no mirror is required.

It is a really neat and compact camera which makes it easy on my poor arthritic hands.

So — I am out and about on Thursday up and down the waterfront doing a bit of fabric shopping and some photography when I get stopped by a couple leaning on the barriers near the Salthouse hotel. The gentleman says to me – isn’t it great to see someone still using one of the old cameras. This made me chuckle so I carefully explained to him that it has been designed to look like an old film Olympus OM-1 but, of course, is actually a fully featured digital camera. He was quite disappointed as he was a photographer himself and thought he had seen what he said. I did point out to him that I do go out and about with a Canon EOS650 film camera and develop my own films in black and white.

He was so pleased with our conversation that he insisted on taking a photo of me so here I am, in my wheelchair – a sight not to be seen too often here.

I said that I would provide an e-mail address as that is lacking on the “business” card that I hand out so here goes – Long Haired David.

OK, that’s out of the way now let’s see what little things have been happening. Firstly, the flower displays have been put together on the podium and elsewhere. These normally become really great displays. At the moment, they are just coming into life.

Secondly, I managed to get an explanation for something that had been bothering me for years. On a fairly regular basis we get a fire engine down on the waterfront. They reverse up and dip hoses into the water. We always assumed that they were emptying their tank so they could be refreshed but that didn’t make a lot of sense. Yesterday afternoon, I was out and about when they were here so, as usual, I rolled up and simply asked one of them what they were doing. (I have found that, if you ask nicely, any workman is happy to tell you what they are doing and most are pleased to be asked.)

Well, it seems that they don’t have any open water at the station so, to practice getting water in that fashion, they come down here to practice and to make sure that the equipment is all in top notch condition. I remember, quite a few years ago when we were living in Tuddeham St. Martin, the thatched house at the top of the hill going out towards Ipswich caught fire. The Fire Brigade had to use the water in the swimming pool to compliment the water in the appliances. Thinking back, their coming to the Waterfront makes a lot of sense.

I am sorry but my knowledge of American cars of the 60s and 70s but I would guess that this is a Chevrolet Camaro of some sort. It suited the weather exactly and seems to have been very well rebuilt.

I tried removing the lamppost in Photoshop but it became too complicated. Then I didn’t move quick enough to take a photo when it drove off. So there it is!

It’s that time again! Every so often, Anglo-Norden (AN) unload Suntis from Eagle Wharf rather than down on Helena Road. As I understand it, they have to use this bit of the wharf on occasion or they will lose it. They normally have it fenced off to keep it their own but this big effort has to take place once every – well not sure but it must be about 2 years since they did it last time.

First off they close up all the roadway from Patteson Road down to the barriers by the Aurora. Then they put up barriers to keep a pedestrian walkway along. In the process, they close off the Aurora car park. Fortunately, it was on a Monday and Tuesday, both days when the Aurora is closed. As you can see, there were a few cars caught up in this having parked along the waterfront but AN do let them out as needed.

There isn’t a lot to say about it other than it is happening a different location so I will let the video and the photos speak for themselves. Note the big thumbs up from the fork-lift driver! I did speak to one of them but, as on the last occasion this happened, he was just following instructions and hadn’t been told why it was different from usual.

Strangely named for races that were predominantly during the afternoon of last Saturday but Twilight Races it is.

I was quite excited because the route was down Helena Road to Ship Launch Road and then over the Lock and round the back of the island. I was working on the basis that I would be able to, at least get on the lock even if I couldn’t get round the rest of the route. However, Jobsworth came into play. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that for “security” reasons wheelchairs were not allowed. Security? Didn’t he mean the dreaded “elf” as in Elf and Safety? No – security, so that was that. My cunning plan ruined.

I was surprised to see the Suffolk Samba group up and ready for action when I got round to the Customs House. Here is the ever usual “group hug” before they started.

Now Enjoy the music.

As a wrap up, I had a problem that shook me a bit and two events that got me liking people again.

First off, I tried to go up the curb just beyond the University and one of my front tyres came off. I had a go at fitting it back but it was to tough for me. However, what happened was I put my wheelchair on its side and tried to fix it. I had to give up as it was too tough. However, with all the people walking past, not one of them stopped and offered to help!

Secondly, I stopped at Paddy & Scotts at the Uni for a coffee and a cake. One of the staff led me in and made sure I was comfortable. I then found out that they gave me my latte for free! Very nice.

Lastly, I got back to the Apartment block when I remembered seeing a sign back at the Cult. Waterfront Bikes had a sign saying that for £25 they would do a full service on “your” bike. So, cheekily, I went back and asked if they could fix me wheel. He got out a big screwdriver and after a lot of huffing and puffing it was done. Would he take any money – No!

So my faith in human kind had been restored.

I was walking (well riding) along the Waterfront today on my regular trip to Aqua Pharmacy so I took a few photos in the sunshine.

What’s next? We have the Ipswich Twilight Races on Saturday. I am hoping to get around over the Lock bridge and round the Island – somewhere I have never been able to get to before. See you then.

Lastly, if you haven’t seen them, I have produced a pack of business cards for the blog.

I have a good supply so if any of you can think of a way to use them to promote the blog then please contact me (david@lhdavid.co.uk)

There isn’t much activity going on at the moment along the Waterfront so I thought that I would give you a run down on the long list of Waterfront Cafés. Sunday was a bit overcast but, being a bank holiday weekend, the Waterfront was a good destination for families etc.

I am fortunate in that my wheelchair has enough power to get me out to Stoke Bridge and back so this exercise will encompass every one that I can find that is on or near the Waterfront. I will do it in two parts though as there are quite a few that need to be covered.

Please note that I am not recommending any specific establishment so any comments are made as a general observation and not as a recommendation or criticism. Also, don’t forget that, by right clicking on your mouse you can open any image in a new tab and see it in its full size glory.

The Aurora Restaurant and Bar

Our apartment overlooks the Aurora. We often go down to the Aurora for a coffee or for brunch on a Sunday.

The Cult
The Cult is a very vibrant place with lots of quirky furniture and decoration. I have found the staff very helpful.

Coffee Link
This café is underneath Neptune Marina apartment block.

Paddy and Scott’s
This is a bit of a strange one as it is part of the University and, no matter when I have been passed, I have never seen it open! I like the reflection, though.

Coffee Cat
I remember having a very nice breakfast in here, way before lockdown, but I haven’t been in there for some time. It is always busy and I can never see a way in for my wheelchair. Mind you, I like the idea of specialities for dogs.

Isaacs
Isaacs is a very old building and was originally a malting. It is a very popular venue for music as well as eating and drinking. They do a great bacon and egg bap! The pods on the upper deck are a great idea.

The Bistro on the Quay
I have never been in here but it always looks like a great place to eat. It as bloomed onto the pavement since lockdown and is very popular. Like Isaacs, it is an old part of the waterfront.

Part of the Bistro is Mariners which is a boat docked permanently alongside. We ate here years ago when it was known as the “Il Punto”.

Pizza Express and WiffWaff
Two modern cafés in a new building.

That’s all for now. There will be further instalments.