We would like to thank….

Our architect Greg Blee (www.bleehalligan.co.uk) asked whether we wanted to be entered into the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) East 2018 awards earlier in the year.  We thought ‘why not?’ and then didn’t give it much thought.  We were surprised and excited to find out that we had been shortlisted in March and the judges came round to visit in April.  As we had already committed to go on holiday (a rare event!) we could only guess from the snippets of feedback we received from Greg and our B&B sitting friend James, whether or not Five Acre Barn had impressed the judges…..

Bruce and I then went off – with some trepidation – to the awards ceremony on 24th May just outside Cambridge.  The long and the short of it was that we were an award winner and also received an additional gong for ‘Best small project’ (not that it felt very small to us, but it is in relation to university libraries, social housing estates etc.).

It was a very interesting event and a rare chance for people like us to hear about the incredible projects being undertaken in the area.  Each shortlisted project was featured and the judges provided insight about how the project had been conceived and executed.  Unfortunately we missed most of the feedback from the judges about our own build as we were busy gurning for the cameras with our awards – but we were really pleased that as well as celebrating the great work of Greg and Josh, our architects, they also acknowledged the excellence of our builder Paul Rolph.  We have come to realise that builders are frequently the ‘unsung heroes’ and it was great to see him get some well deserved credit!

The awards are currently in the loo in the Barn – isn’t that what you are supposed to do with them??  We will contact Adele for some advice….

Suffolk Open Studios

We have been very lucky in our three years in Suffolk to have been admitted as ‘honorary’ members of the local artist community.  We can’t offer anything particularly creative ourselves but can appreciate the amazing work that people are producing.  We particularly love the ceramics of Steven Will who makes pots from the local landscape, Annie Turner’s amazing clay baskets referencing the traps used by fisherman on the River Deben and Anna Mac’s bold bright abstract canvases, the epitome of fresh Scandi style..  

If you are interested in their work we can often signpost you to their studios (albeit with a little notice and luck) and we also display examples of some of their work.  Another alternative way of connecting with the makers is the Suffolk Open Studios – which takes place over the first four weekends in June.  You can see the artists involved on their website www.suffolkopenstudios.org. There are some great trails to follow, taking in a diverse array of talents, including oil painters, collage artists, textile artists, jewellery makers….. the list goes on.  It’s all pretty affordable too so don’t leave your wallets and purses at home!

Bluebell bonanza

We like to say to guests welcome to ‘sunny Suffolk’.  For the most part this is true, as Suffolk is one of the driest, sunniest counties in the UK.  Unfortunately I have to admit it’s been a bit of a stretch for most of Spring so far. At the risk of tempting fate it does feel like we have turned a corner and the garden is finally coming alive (though unfortunately that applies as much to weeds as it does to plants). We can also hear the boom of the bittern as they settle down to raise their brood and an extremely loud cuckoo has set up shop in our woods.  Unfortunately it doesn’t seem that there have been any takers for our many bird boxes…

Spring has arrived in the countryside too.  As we have mentioned before, we are on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Beauty – miles of heather, silver birch, broom and gorse.  Many guests walk out to Thorpeness from the public footpath that runs at the end of the garden.  In only forty five minutes, the meandering route takes them through farmland, woodland, heath and fen – before arriving at the beach.  It’s stunning at any time of year but we love the spring – not least because of the incredible coconut fragrance of gorse blossom.

The only challenge in such a flat landscape is finding your way around with so few reference points to help guide you.  We do supply detailed guidance for the walk to Thorpeness (and lots of maps and guidebooks if you are feeling adventurous).

Spring wouldn’t be spring without bluebells.  At the moment we don’t have many in ours (we will get there eventually) so we have to venture a little further afield – about a twenty minute drive to Foxburrow woods at Farnham.  In May these ancient woods are a truly breath-taking carpet of bluebells and wild garlic.  Although this wood is private, it is open to the public as long as you promise to stay on the path – which seems a pretty fair deal.

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Thanks to our friend – and photographer extraordinaire – Richard Wilson for this wonderful photograph of last year’s show.

Down on the Farm

We are very lucky to have a public footpath at the bottom of the garden that takes guests, eager to walk off their full English breakfast, to either Aldeburgh or Thorpeness through Suffolk’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (we have a very detailed set of notes to make sure that no one gets lost – though rather worryingly a few have struggled to get out of the garden!). 

We don’t always have time to walk to Thorpeness ourselves so we have a shorter route that we use to exercise Ruby – our beautiful Hungarian Wire Haired Vizla.  As we do the circuit on pretty much daily basis, rain or shine, we have got to know Ute and Mike who have a small farm along the way.  We always stop to hear how the animals are and – from time to time – feed the lambs.  Glad to see that they are doing well despite the recent cold spell.

In case you pass by the little calf is called Rosie and all the lambs are named after herbs (it’s not the most commercially run farm) – so if you shout Rosemary, Dill or Nutmeg – some little critter is sure to come bounding over…