Cornflower

Cornflower recommends

   

    I recently discovered the skincare brand Pai whose products are designed for sensitive skin and are free from many of the ingredients known to cause irritation.

    I've been using their Fragonia and Sea Buckthorn hand cream for around 3 weeks now and like it very much - it's hydrating, 'rich' without being heavy or greasy, and leaves my hands feeling soft and protected.

    Pai offer free first class shipping within the UK, and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee so you can return any product that's not right for you.

    I'm not affiliated to or associated with Pai in any way but just wanted to mention them in case you hadn't come across them and their ethos and products appeal.

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Going, going ...

     

     If you keep up to date with Angie Lewin's news you'll know about the annual Art Workers' Guild auction. This year's takes place on Monday, 31st. October, but there's still time to bid if any of the lots  - not least Angie's (nos. 59 & 109) - should catch your eye.

    Shown here is a bowl by Karen Bunting, lot 13.

Friday flowers - at home with Miss Jekyll

    In the garden there are still some roses in flower, so I've picked a couple for my desk posy: Gertrude Jekyll (the pink one), and Munstead Wood.

    Munstead Wood was of course Miss Gekyll's home, and this short film gives tantalising glimpses of her garden:

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Church going

    St. Michael, Framlingham

    St. Michael, Framlingham

    St. Andrew and St. Eustachius, Hoo

    St. Edmund, Southwold

    Holy Trinity, Blythburgh

    Holy Trinity, Blythburgh

    St. Andrew, Bramfield

    Betjeman's Best British Churches was too big to take to Suffolk with us, but happily it comes in app form, too, and that did the job, telling us what to look out for as we toured as many wonderful churches as we could.

    Here are a few glimpses for you, but click on the names beneath the pictures to see the churches' extensive entries on the excellent Suffolk Churches website.

    To finish, Philip Larkin reading his poem Church Going.

Lovely things

    A miscellany for you:

    - Cornflower reader Deborah Vass has a website for her paintings and prints up and running. There are some beautiful things there, so do take a look.

    - Yesterday's post mentioned Dunwich which is adjacent to the RSPB's reserve at Minsmere. I'm no birdwatcher, but if I were to be in the area on Saturday I'd go and see jewellery designer Alex Monroe talk about his RSPB collection and the background to his designs. I read Alex's fascinating memoir Two Turtle Doves a couple of years ago and there's a post on it here.

    -  Still on the creative process, composer John Rutter talks so engagingly about the genesis of his new work Visions* in this short video which is lovely on so many levels; watch, listen, and enjoy.

 

*To be released later this week.

Looking up in Suffolk

    We'd never been to East Anglia until last week when we greatly enjoyed a few days in Suffolk. Above is a taste of famous Aldeburgh and Southwold: Maggi Hambling's controversial tribute to Benjamin Britten, sundial on Aldeburgh's Moot Hall, and Southwold's lighthouse-in-the-middle-of-the-street.

    We stayed in a 15th. century house, had an excellent, very rainy walk along the heath at Dunwich, visited as many churches as we could (pictures to come), and went to Sutton Hoo - of which more here, but we only scratched the surface and very much hope to go back and explore further before long.