The county town of Suffolk is, of course, Ipswich, which has a proud history of manufacturing, beautiful parks, a thriving riverside and a popular transport museum. In Australia there is another Ipswich, 26 miles from Brisbane, which also has a proud history of manufacturing, beautiful parks, a popular transport museum, etc. This much I learnt from a guidebook, but I assumed that the similarities probably ended there as Ipswich, Queensland, is much bigger than Ipswich, Suffolk, with a population of around 200,000.

For many of us the closest we will get to a horse or pony will be when we admire them cantering in the Grand Ring at the Royal Norfolk or the Suffolk Show, or when we have a day out and visit somewhere like the Suffolk Punch Trust or the Newmarket Stud. 

Anyone can admire the power, beauty and grace of a horse without understanding anything about the responsibilities of owning a horse, or the pleasure of riding one. Indeed, the prevailing opinion seems to be that it is a very expensive hobby, so you must be rich to have horses!

When we listen to the beautiful sound of a violin not many of us would give a thought to where the instrument was made. In a cottage surrounded by apple trees, at Thornham Magna, near Eye in Suffolk, married couple Sylvie and James Fawcett , have been making beautiful hand-crafted violins and violas (and even the occasional cello) for over thirty years.

James was a Suffolk-born viola player, before he decided to study at the Newark School of Violin Making,

When family and friends live far away, how do you mark Christmas and what sort of Christmas gifts do you buy? If you are living in Suffolk or Norfolk but have come here from overseas, do you reflect the customs of your homeland or adopt British traditions?