On 9th July Ivor and Jean Murrell led a group of eleven on the Savour the Sandlings walk.
We took a circular route of 11 kilometres from Westleton village across Westleton Common and Heath then through footpaths around Dunwich forest stopping at the Potton Hall café for refreshments.
Along the route Ivor stopped at various points to show sites of special interest.
On Westleton Common the cobble stones worn to a smooth round by the movement of ice age glaciers.
Besides this site were Silver studded blue butterflies, bee orchids and beautiful clumps of heather in full flower.
Everyone was interested to hear about the massive military activity in 1943 on Westleton Heath when the British army were given training in the then modern-day trench warfare. The scene of thousands of soldiers, flame-throwing tanks and explosions were recorded by the well known East Anglian war artist, Edward Bawden.
Stopping periodically, Ivor recited his published poems about the landscape, its special characteristics and the unique birds that live here like the Nightjar and Dartford warbler, also the more common Crow.
Corvus corone corone
I see you Crow.
I watch your studied nonchalance.
Your oil drip eye gives nothing back
green gleam on midnight feathers
steals surrounding light.
I know you Crow.
The trickster who can count
gifted master of the false feint
when paired and stealing food
from the unsuspecting.
I hear you Crow.
Not for you the Rook’s ‘Caw’
but a raucous shout for meat
with your ‘Pawk Pawk’
and your butcher’s beak.
I fear you Crow.
I feel your dark slow strut
feather ancient memory of the hunt,
the unknown made gravid
by the eater of the dead.
Ivor Murrell
After a long working life, with experience as a maintenance engineer, a sugar industry trouble shooter, a maltster, some involvement in ladies fashion and finally as Director General of the Maltsters Association of Great Britain, Since retiring Ivor Murrell has found more time for his writing, has achieved a BA Hons Humanities degree with the Open University and has been Chairman of The Arts Society East Suffolk.
“What a very successful walk! Ivor was so knowledgeable and his interest and delight in his local landscape made it even more enjoyable. “