July
Welcome to July at Emmaus Suffolk – full of bright, summery outfits to cheer you up after all the rain! Sun-worshipper Moley is ready for every summer celebration that 'Costa del Ipswich' has to offer, are you? E.g. he's seen beautiful Pride bunting decorating the Dales and browsed a book there about Suffolk churches, for Suffolk Day. He's admired the pretty “Volunteer” cards and Emmaus-themed badges too, which were kindly made for volunteers. Moley also likes the sound of all the turbans and saris at the Ipswich Gurdwara Sikh parade – he'd have liked a ride on their motorbikes!
Moley's been checking the Emmaus Suffolk Facebook Page again so he can share more updates with you. He can reveal that the Royal Oak team are now selling iced coffees! (He's drooling at the photo and snuffling to himself about what a shame it is that treats like that are just for humans...) It also says that “BBQ Saturdays are coming soon” - Moley's so excited, he can practically smell the burgers already! He also likes the photo of the sunflowers they're growing there, which he hopes will encourage the warmer weather to continue. Another charity have also put a pear tree and some plants in the Royal Oak garden for flowers, fruit and veg. Moley can't wait to see more photos of how that all progresses! Apparently, Emmaus Suffolk took part in “Charity Super.Mkt” at the free First Light Festival in Lowestoft as well, selling “pre-loved fashion and accessories” alongside other charities. Moley's been nosing his wet nose through other local Facebook pages too and has found out that Chantry Park has had a “Dinosaur Invasion Day” and that Ipswich also had Windrush Day events. Additionally, that Christchurch Park hosted Ipswich Music Day, while Holywells Park now currently has a splash pad. (Since Moley knows he can't slurp your iced coffee, he's considering cooling himself down on the splash pad instead, especially as Holywells Park's not too far from the Royal Oak. The thought of smelling all the park cafe's ice creams is appealing to him as well...)
Speaking of the Royal Oak, the annual summer BBQ took place there in late June as a kind thank-you to companions and volunteers, joined by my lovely friend's lovely dog Luna! Some staff and trustees also attended and fortunately the weather was glorious. My Mum and I enjoyed the scrummy burgers and hot-dogs, plus watching Luna, who impressed everyone with all the clever tricks she can do! She also promoted Pride with her smart rainbow bandana! Many thanks to the team who organised the BBQ, along with the fun quiz! (Which included matching staff members with their adorable baby photos. Also, tricky questions such as guessing the cost of the world's most expensive pizza!)
In honour of Wimbledon, tennis fan Moley has a strawberry fact for you. I've been told before that legend has it that Ipswich's own Cardinal Thomas Wolsey gave a banquet for Henry VIII which introduced “strawberries and cream”. (Moley hopes this really is where the tennis tradition came from. He's now daydreaming about lounging next to Henry VIII and offering to be the royal taste-tester at the banquet – at least for the meat courses!) Moley reckons he'd make a good Wimbledon ball-boy, so long as the Murray brothers wouldn't mind waiting for him to collect each tennis ball in his own time... As for the Olympics, Moley would love Dina Asher-Smith to give him a piggy-back as she sprints for glory, then join her on the podium and try on her medal. A dog can dream...
In June, some of the allotment veg continued growing nicely. One Wednesday, I pulled up last year's spring onions, some of which were alright to take home. The following week, gardening expert David picked the largest radishes, which were also delicious, and very peppery. Unfortunately, most of the herbs had been eaten – David said it was probably the snails. (Thankfully the tasty parsley survived.) The pea stems and runner bean stems and David's sunflowers are all getting taller, however, while the beetroot plants have also now got little shoots. I helped to clear some overgrown weeds to put on the compost heap, plus David taught me how to water round certain plants, e.g tomatoes. Near the end of June, David picked all the yummy broad beans – enough to fill the wheelbarrow! Most went on sale in bagfuls at the Dales shop, each for a donation.
On sale recently at the Dales: a doll's chair, a hip flask, a stopwatch, a sparkly clutch bag, elephant ornaments, an outdoor darts set, a set of 3 little tables, a dachshund mobile and an assortment of plastic plants. Also, a Thermos flask with “Vogue” on it. (I don't know if it did have anything to do with Vogue magazine, but Moley will have been “voguing” past it all the same...) In last month's blog, I mentioned Moley had noticed a telescope event in Christchurch Park and how much he wished he had a telescope for checking the weather. Spookily, the day after I emailed that blog off, there happened to be a large telescope on a stand at the Dales - I expect Moley was thrilled! (My Dales read last month included an old Scottish saying: “Whit's fur ye'll no go past ye” - basically meaning “If it's meant to be, then it will happen for you.” Moley will now be thoroughly convinced this is true – the eyepiece was positioned at exactly the right height for him - provided he was lifted up to the table first... To add to Moley's luck, one shelf displayed a small barometer!)
A recent donation at the Dales was a “Paddington Spot The Difference” game. (Moley wishes he could join its next little owner when they play with it – he loves to show people what a clever boy he is.) Also, a yoghurt-maker, a pasta-maker and Harrods toiletries. Customer purchases have included salt + pepper shakers, pictures and a mini arcade game. In the book section, Moley's beady eyes have noticed “Casino Royale” and books about Chris Packham, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Sir Matthew Pinsent and Michael Schumacher. Also, books about music chart hits, guitar playing, knitting, memory book making, Florida photography and New Zealand photography. Malorie Blackman's powerful Young Adult novel “Noughts & Crosses” featured too. History-wise, there's been “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”, “Call The Midwife”, and “Where Poppies Blow: The British Soldier, Nature, The Great War”.
This month's Dales shop read is one which was once recommended to me. It will introduce you to a refugee couple who've fled Syria. (The book is fictional but inspired by the testimonies of real-life refugees.) Artistic Afra has been struck blind by a terrible experience and her husband Nuri has become her carer. They're living in a refugee centre at the beginning, and at this stage you don't know much else yet except that they once had a beautiful home in Syria and that Nuri used to be a beekeeper. (Which gives Christy Lefteri's heartbreaking novel its title: “The Beekeeper of Aleppo”.) Lefteri takes you back to their home in Nuri's memories – full of gorgeous colours and smells, e.g. red, gold and blue and the scent of jasmine, cinnamon and the honey from Nuri's beehives. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past, as certain everyday things remind Nuri of either happier times in Aleppo, how the city got destroyed by the Syrian civil war, or their dangerous journey to the country where they're now seeking asylum. Therefore, you gradually find out more details about their experiences as it goes along, which kept me guessing. Given the subject matter, it does detail the physical and emotional trauma that the couple and other refugees have been through, including abuse. Additionally, the severe impacts this naturally has on their mental health. This was all really upsetting to read about, though important to learn about too. There's also lighter moments, however and I really liked Lefteri's writing style because I could picture the people and places vividly. She particularly writes about nature and about Aleppo before the war in a very magical way. Her own parents were apparently refugees from Cyprus and she used to volunteer at a refugee centre in Athens, so the storyline is very close to her heart. (To learn more about Lefteri and her inspirations for this book, there's an interesting interview with her on the Suffolk Libraries website, in the “Meet the Author” section. At the back of the book, there's also an extract from one of Lefteri's other books - “Songbirds”. The extract combines the beauty of Cyprian sheep with servitude and cruelty to animals.) If you like equally moving, beautifully-written books such as Khaled Hosseini's Afghanistan-set “The Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, try this one too. Like those novels, it's very thought-provoking and gives an insight into other cultures.
Until August, enjoy your iced coffee at the Royal Oak and if you're off to play tennis yourself, you might just find Moley's turned up to watch you, with his bowl of dog snacks at the ready... Have fun, Heather.