21st December 2008

21st December 2008.

Dear All,

Long day on Saturday, gardening and sorting “Songpro” in the morning, watched the first half of the Over v Eaton Socon match before setting out for Beaumont. We attended the Stable carol service well led by Sue before going on to Colin and Ben’s birthday party at the Chester Camp in Jaywick. Mary and Graham also put in an appearance so it was good to see a good slice of the family before Christmas.

Stars of the show


Couldn’t talk too much at the party due to the decibel level but I guess that was to be expected! Highlight was meeting an interesting lady from the Foreign Office, Russian section who has been to Moldova and visits Russia twice a year.
We did not stay too long as we had to travel back afterwards eventually arriving home about midnight.
Family service this morning then we were invited out for lunch, candlelight carol service tonight and we have John and Sally Lane and Duncan and Sue Colquhoun coming for tea.
Our Thursday ramble was a 10 miler starting at Barley via Reed and Barkway, again it was up and down with interesting scenery, more trees than usual. We watched a DVD for the first time in ages “It’s a wonderful Life” – they don’t make them like that any longer.
I have sorted the Cuba photos and sent CDs to all those from the trip who requested them, we have been in email contact with several of the party since we returned.
It has been dry enough to do some digging this week and I have dug some late planted potatoes intended for Christmas – not a great yield but fresh.
Are we ready for Christmas? well obviously not but the cards have all been sent, presents purchased or ordered and some have arrived. Kate has finished work for the duration – just a bit of cooking, sprouts to be collected and distributed and a few quizzes to prepare!

Love

Mike & Kate

Letter 15th December 2008

15th December 2008.

Dear All,

No letter yesterday as we were at the christening of Kate’s sister’s first grandchild Emma Louise Digeorgio at Terling near Chelmsford. Mandy and Natasha came down to stay the weekend from Derbyshire. Esther, Mary-Ann and Ben all dutifully turned up as well so it was a sort of “Smithside” pre Christmas get together.

Natasha, Emma & Esther

The service itself was not a great advert for Christianity, conducted by a nervous Anglican vicar who read from various books from different places in the church. His normal congregation is 12 and there was food in the United Reform church opposite – normal congregation 10. We went back to Esther’s afterwards to collect presents for Derbyshire and to monitor the house training of her new feline pets.
Monday we covered gold mining in Geodyssey as our lecturer spent many years as geologist at gold mines in Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Tuesday at work we were reporting on our “Low Input and Sustainable” trials. This has replaced organics in things DEFRA is prepared to fund and is aimed at developing a trials system that would identify varieties that would do well under less intensive farming methods i.e. lower inputs of particularly nitrogen fertilizer but also less pesticide, fungicide and herbicide.
On Wednesday I wrote up a report on the visits we made in Cuba (available on request!). Our ramble on Thursday was further south than usual starting at Arkesden and progressing via Wicken Bonhunt, Rickling and Hill Green. The route was more hilly than Cambridge folk are used to and very sticky underfoot.


17th century chapel at Wicken

On Friday I attended a seminar on “Tropical Legumes” at work delivered by a visiting Indian at 2 million words per minute in an indistinct accent. This was followed by the NIAB Christmas lunch which was “in house” and prepared very well.
Saturday was cold and wet, Kate took Mandy and Natasha to “Jack and the Beanstalk” in Cambridge while I fetched the Christmas tree, delivered our allocation of the Over churches Christmas card, wrote next months Gardening Column and made a few cards for work.

Love

Mike & Kate

letter 7th December 08

7th December 2008.

Dear All,

We arrived back from Cuba at 4.30 pm yesterday having travelled through the night. The freezing temperatures were the first shock having got used to 25 to 30°C for a couple of weeks and we were straight out to the Over Day Care Centre helpers Christmas meal (our help was doing a couple of quizzes) – the imminence of Christmas was the second shock.
Everything about Cuba was very interesting: the politics, history, economy, architecture, scenery, agriculture, birds, plants, music, environmental issues etc. and we were fortunate to see it in the way we did in a small study group. We have only been on a group tour once before (to India) and you wonder beforehand what the group dynamics will be like. In fact, there were some fascinating characters which added to the holiday: age range from 20 to 75, a few members of the communist party and most very pro Cuba and interested in environmental issues.

The Malecon

The Capitole, Havana

We started with four days in Havana then travelled south to Trinidad (the town not the island) for four days and returned via Santa Clara (one day) to Havana for another four days.
Havana has some tremendous buildings from the Spanish occupation but most are crumbling and in need of attention. The economy is creaking following the break up of the Soviet block but after severe hardships in the 90s they are gradually recovering.
Older folk who remember what it was like before the revolution are still behind the government but younger ones are becoming more restless. Castro seems to have cunningly deified Che to shift the spotlight and most places have wall to wall Guevara posters, statues, slogans and souvenirs.
People had told us that you would not travel to Cuba for the food and that is probably true, but it was not too bad: rice and black beans are the staples usually with pork, sometimes chicken or fish. Food variety was a bit limited partly due to the recent hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Music is endemic and it was not possible to have a meal without live musical accompaniment. The biggest surprise for me was the extent of waste land most of which had formerly grown sugar cane. I expected with food in short supply they would cultivate every inch but because fuel and fertilizers are scarce this is not the case.

An Organoponica

Trinidad Beach

Our itinery included: walking tours of old Havana, Trinidad and Santa Clara
A medicinal herb production site
Two large “organoponicas” - urban vegetable production enterprises
A meeting of the CDR Committee for the Defence of the Revolution
Two vegetable markets
A community food preservation project
An old sugar mill
A mountain jungle walk
One afternoon on the beach!
A mountain eco university site
Two swims in mountain pools
The Che Guevara mausoleum
A scale model of Havana used for city planning
Havana Botanical gardens – 600 ha
A solar energy project
A highland eco research centre
A river regeneration site
The National Institute of Agricultural Science
In addition we visited the museum of the Revolution, the Cuban art museum, the Trinidad Romantic museum, a Cuban cinema, the Revolution Park, the Malecon (seafront), American Embassy, John Lennon statue and a few other things which I won’t bore you with (but could if you insist!) All in all a busy schedule but very informative.
I have pruned the photos from 700 to 500! and aim eventually post them on Flickr.



Guess who?

Love

Mike & Kate

16th November 2008

16 th November 2008.

Dear All,

A new experience this week, after my “Geodydssey” class I was asked to do a talk at the Senior Citizens club at the Community Centre in Chesterton. I was not sure what to expect but most were on the ball and asked intelligent questions. It must have gone OK as I already have another booking for another similar club in Cambridge.
Monday night was Over Cricket Club AGM, the club is going through a transition having lost several senior players mostly by moving away but there are some excellent youngsters and the club has been running 4 colts teams. We are unique in the whole county by having a lady chairman; she does an excellent job so no complaints.
I was at Wisley again on Wednesday and for once both journeys were trouble free. We were judging autumn cauliflowers and checking leeks but the main purpose was to hear about some rearrangements at the RHS. It used to be the only organisation that I attended that never worried about money but that is changing at present. As we were early we had quite a good look round before the meeting. The new glasshouse is settling down quite nicely and autumn colours were still hanging on.

Wisley trees Wisley rockery


Nerines and Christmas Cactus

Our Thursday ramble started at Longstowe and progressed via Kingston and Caldecote to Bourne (of clinic fame) returning to Longstowe, 9.7 miles according to those with hand held sat navs!
On Friday I wrote next month’s Gardening Column, patched the cricket wicket, cleaned and went to Tescos – who says life isn’t full!
Saturday I dug some more garden, planted some more broad beans, watched Over Reserves and went to a party for my friend who recently biked across the States.
We have been out for lunch today and have spoken to Ben who has just had a week in Egypt including climbing Mt Sinai.
No letter for the next two weeks as we hope to be in Cuba from next Saturday.

Love

Mike & Kate

9th November 2008

9th November 2008.

Dear All,

The Monday “Geodyssey” class was on the “Bagel Theory” for the development of the solar system – I’ll explain it when I understand it! It is all to do with another planet smashing through our system when it was forming and leaving a hole like a bagel but not in the centre so it changed the centre of gravity. On an easier to understand level the tutor lent me two CDs of Hubble telescope photos and these are very spectacular. I have copied them should anyone want to see them.

Whirlpool Galaxy & Crab Nebula

I have been to work two days this week as it was our big open day for onions where we have samples of all the current years’ trials on show – something like 150 different varieties. I had to miss the ramble this week because the open day but have had some exercise digging. I have now finished all the heavy land and now have the “boys” land to do. I planted out broad beans this week so hope the resident squirrel and mouse population are not too hungry!
I have been asked to help with the revision of the “Oxford Book of Food Plants” so spent much of Friday checking scripts. It was first published in 1969 with hand painted illustrations which look a little dated.
I watched Histon knock Swindon out of the FA Cup yesterday with Brian Tyrell. They played well but have a rather direct “kick and chase” style of play – not what Ipswich purists are used to!
Kate has been suffering with cystitis this weekend and is currently in bed recovering.
We received our itineries for the Cuba “Environmental study tour” this week; we should leave on the 22nd. It looks interesting but with one or two political items.


NIAB Onion Display

Love

Mike & Kate

2nd November 2008

2nd November 2008.

Dear All,

Our “Geodyssey” lecture this week was held in the Geology Dept of Cambridge University and was on “Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Continental Drift” with a guest lecturer Dr Alan Smith. It was very interesting and after we had time in the Sedgwick Museum which specialises in fossils and rocks. As it was half term it was heaving with kids as they put on special events in the holidays.



Sedgwick fossils
Passing the Guildhall J noticed there was a photographic exhibition by the Cambridge Photographic Society so I took that in as well and that was excellent (and free!).
I moved some delicate subjects into the greenhouse on Monday which was just as well as we have had a series of “white over” going down to -6C.
On Tuesday I went to London on the train for the Annual Mission Meeting in the friends Meeting Place at Euston. There were about 1700 there and various new and established missionaries reported either on what they hoped to or had achieved. Sarah Clay from Colchester had been in Peru for 2 years and seemed to have been doing very similar work to the Garlic’s in Ecuador who we helped with Dave and Jen last year. At lunchtime three of us went to the British Museum so it has been an “exhibition overload” week.



British museum exhibits
On the way back the train was delayed at Hitchin and someone said “it’s snowing” we all said “pull the other one” but it was and had settled over an inch.
I went to work on Wednesday getting onions and data sorted for a steering group and open day next week.
My ankle keeps swelling up on and off and it was not too good Thursday but I decided to try and walk it off on the ramble. This one started at Waresley and skirted Waresley, Gransden and Hayley woods and Great and Little Gransden villages. 9 miles and I made it OK without too much pain but the ankle is still swollen.



Little Gransden
On Saturday the church had an “Awayday” at Perry on the banks of Graffham Water. This was lead by those eminent theologians Graham and Mary Brown together with John Law! It went very well and the attendees seemed very pleased with it. M & G came back to Over for dinner and insisted on seeing our holiday photos! John has just returned from China where he has been judging their national photographic competition. He has also been made a “Grandmaster” for winning a UK competition. He took 9000 digital photos in China before his camera gave up with metal fatigue – but luckily he had a spare film camera!
We had a baptism at chapel this morning – Toni Morley followed by a bring and share lunch co-ordinated by Kate. It all seemed to go very well,

Love

Mike & Kate

26th October 2008

26th October 2008.

Dear All,

Historic week as I used my bus pass for the first time; how does it feel to have a younger brother with a bus pass? As it happened I could hardly walk with gout so took the “Park & Ride” into Cambridge for my “Geodyssey” class. This week it was the moon and meteorites – do you know that the largest meteorite to hit earth was over 50 tons, 3m x 3m x 1m flattened cube of solid iron and landed in Namibia?
On Monday evening I did another Garden Club this time at West Wickham inland from Horseheath. It was unusual in that it was in the middle of nowhere and there were no street lights so the venue took a bit of finding, in addition there were about 30 there but only 2 men.
On Wednesday I was at Wisley planning RHS vegetable trials for next year. It was a beautiful day with spectacular autumn colours on view which made up for the M25 which was constipated in both directions (can you be constipated in both directions?)


Quercus rubra at Wisley


My ankle was fit enough for the Thursday ramble; this one started in Furneux Pelham and was 9 miles via Hare Street and back again. There was a record turn out of 35 and we managed to lose one chap who turned up after everyone else had finished lunch.
On Friday I was just brushing my teeth at 9.30 am prior to a trip to the dentist when I had a phone call from NIAB. The next lorry for Moldova had arrived 24 hours early with 2 Rumanian, non English speaking drivers – would I go and sort it out! It was sorted as they needed to sleep for a statutory period before the return trip. Loading was not too bad on Saturday but we had to be very careful not to exceed the Shipping List by weight or articles, as we did last time under threat of fines or blacklisting. This load is mainly school items – desks, chairs, projectors, tables plus clothes.
Over beat Histon A 3 v 2 in the pm but were a tad fortunate.
Kate has been working very hard as usual having to go in on Saturday and Sunday to attend to her cells. We have been entertaining this lunchtime: Margery Johnson, David and Rebecca Smith plus children.


Wisley apple display

Love

Mike & Kate

19th October 2008.

Dear All,

This week I started my U3A courses designed to stretch mind and body! Monday was “Geoddysey” which covers how the solar system developed and the characteristics of the stars and planets. It was a bit high powered and made my brain hurt in places, but nonetheless very interesting, especially as it was liberally illustrated by pictures from the Hubble space telescope.
Thursday I joined the ramblers at Sutton near Biggleswade for an 8.25 mile walk from Sutton via Biggleswade, Sandy and Potton. The best part of the walk was through the RSPB headquarters at Sandy Warren, where numerous trees are rapidly adopting autumn colours. The group were very friendly but again high powered as in: “I lectured in Physiology” or “I research in stem cells” or “My daughter-in-law writes for the Guardian (Jess Cartner-Morley)” but very friendly. The distance was no problem but the pace was reminiscent of Graham Brown on a bad day so no slouching!


Sutton

I did another Garden Club talk this week at Coton: “Salads AYR” they were very friendly but it never ceases to amaze me how different various clubs are. Some are so formal you would think it was a City board meeting (minutes, apologies, outings, competitions), others so laid back that they could be in the Caribbean (this is Mr Day – he will introduce himself!)
My friend John Lane who was biking across USA finished Friday in 48 days – he had allowed 64 so obviously made excellent progress. He kept a daily blog which makes entertaining reading. His average was 70 miles per day and the whole journey was 2,820 miles. You can check it out on: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/cyclelane
Getting stuck into the winter digging and pruning in the garden and have planted winter lettuce, more onion sets and sown broad beans. We had home grown potatoes, leeks, sprouts, parsnips, squash, blackberries and raspberries today for lunch. The muntjac will be added as soon as I get a good recipe as he stripped a whole row of lettuce this week!


Onion Squash

Watched Over lose away at Hardwick yesterday but it was a pleasant afternoon – and football has never been just about wining – ask Ipswich, Southampton, Derby, Spurs, Colchester, Norwich (need I go on?)

Love

Mike & Kate

Letter 12th October 2008

12th October 2008.

Dear All,

We enjoyed a good week in Cornwall and as reported in the postcards the weather was much better than forecast. We stayed in a very smart house at Gorran Haven for which Gordon managed to get a 25% late booking discount. It had a magnificent view of the harbour of which it would take some time to tire.

View from House


Every route into Gorran Haven involves 5 or 6 miles of narrow lanes and often through Mevagissey which was a constant bottleneck – but all part of the holiday. We arrived in rain having reached Dartmoor in record time then taken “the pretty way”. On Sunday we went to Gorran Haven Baptist Church for their harvest thanksgiving (2 squash and 5 packets of cheese!). We met a couple from Suffolk whose niece comes to our church – small world, at least amongst closet Baptists!
Sunday pm was sunny and bright so we did a 6 mile coast walk towards Mevagissey with excellent views. Bob and Carol’s windscreen wipers broke on the way down so Monday we sought out the nearest Vauxhall agency which proved to be in Truro. As it was a dull day we went to Falmouth taking in Pendennis Castle and the Maritime Museum via Mylor. The museum was good value with collections of boats and all things nautical through the ages and an under sea level basement with glass panels so that you could view seas life like a real time aquarium.
Tuesday was the Eden Project and I was mightily impressed, so many people had said “you will enjoy Heligan more than Eden” that I did not have high expectations. In fact I thought it was excellent with so many hidden twists and extras.



You might have seen this before!


Wednesday was wall to wall sunshine and we headed to St Ives as some of the group wanted to visit the Tate Modern. Kate and I explored the town and it was looking its very best as befits a town that attracts artists because of the quality of the light. The reports on the Tate were not very complimentary but it did open the discussion on art that it was meant to provoke. On the way back we explored the Roseland Peninsula as this is where Kate’s paternal grandfather was born. We found the house, which is at Froe and very grand on the bend of a river. It was being renovated and the builders let us walk round and photograph from all angles.
Thursday we went to Heligan and found the lost gardens. It is splendid and on a Thursday in October far from crowded. It was so good to see a decent vegetable garden at a posh garden! We only spent the morning there as Bob and carol had visited recently and did not accompany us. In the afternoon we did another coastal walk near Veryan to Nare Head – again in sunshine.
Friday was “chill out” morning then to explore Mevagissey and Fowey followed by a meal at the local pub called the “Llawnroc Inn” (think about it)
We left about 9 am Saturday and made a couple of stops. The first was at St Neot near Liskeard on the edge of Bodmin Moor. A new lawn game is sweeping the nation called “Smite”, it is a form of skittles which are struck with a log and then they are stood where they fall. You can score either by counting the number of skittles felled or the score on a single one. I am told it is better after a drink or two. Anyway it is distributed from a farm at St Neot and we called in to this idyllic spot to collect a few that had been ordered from work. We also called in on Jonny Whitfield who grew up opposite in Over and now lives near Sidmouth. We arrived home at 6ish in time for the second half of the England match.


St Ives at it’s best

Love


Mike & Kate

letter 28th September 08

19 Willingham Road
Over
Cambridge
CB24 5PD

28th September 2008.

Dear All,

Fairly busy week including 2 days at work, 2 on the cricket square, preparing a quiz, packing for Moldova and a bit of gardening.
Work consisted of grading, recording and assessing onions from sets for an open day on the 2nd October. NIAB have another new director (my 7th!) this time a lady who was the site manager and very sensible. Her predecessor was probably a good scientist but poor manager of people and spent most of his time globe trotting so won’t be greatly missed although he did take an interest in the Moldova project.
The cricket square winter maintenance went well. We hired a trailer of equipment from the County CC donated by Channel 4 when they had the Test Match coverage. It is based at March so was a 45 minute journey to collect and return. We scarified the wicket twice, aerated with spikes, fertilized, reseeded and loamed from a spreader barrow. The one serious error we made was to let the parish council obtain the loam from their budget as when spread it proved to be full of small stones so I spent the best part of a day raking them off.

a) Trailer

b)Scarifier and aerator



Friday I took Janet Burr to the doctors as she has just had heart surgery and the wound was seeping, picked up windfall apples for Kate to juice, pricked out winter lettuce, planted more onions and planted out spring cabbage. In the evening we hosted a quiz for the Day care Centre at the chapel. Kate had composed most of the questions and I printed answer sheets, composed a PowerPoint file and acted as question master. The room was packed and we raised £255.
Saturday morning was spent packing the contents of the next lorry for Moldova at NIAB. This one is meant to be mainly for Educational purposes but we have accumulated an enormous quantity of clothes as well. The authorities in Moldova are becoming very fussy as to what they will accept even though they are short of everything so we have to be very careful that the lorry contents match the paperwork. The draft list has already been turned down twice in an attempt to protect their own non-existent industries.
The early mists we have had a couple of mornings this week showed up a prodigious quantity of spiders webs which looked very attractive.


Dewey spider’s webs


We have booked a week in Cornwall starting next Saturday so no letter next week. We have a late booking (-20%) with the Fosters and Kitsons at Gorran Haven near Mevagissey.

Love


Mike & Kate

Ben in Cameroon June 08

Ben went to Cameroon to visit a friend that he met on the trans Africa truck a few years ago. She is working at a Chimpanzee rescue centre looking after orphaned babies and hoping to release them into the wild. As you can see the chimps are human friendly.

a) acceptance as a close relative

b) looking to see if he had caught any fleas?

c) useful bonding technique

d) waitung for the ferry

e) downtown

Letter 21st September 08

19 Willingham Road
Over
Cambridge
CB24 5PD

21st September 2008.

Dear All,

Nice to see the sun at last and crack on with the garden. This week I have planted a new strawberry bed, dug a small extension pond (a fish free zone for tadpoles), harvested the last of the potatoes, planted over-wintered onion sets, garlic and shallots, sown winter lettuce and started digging for winter.
Serious work to be done on the cricket square so we have hired the county “winter maintenance trailer” for this Wednesday. As we haven’t done this before I went to Downham Market last Wednesday to see what is involved. There is a scarifier, two aerators, a loam barrow and mounted rake – it is like another world and will require a steep learning curve.
On Thursday I went on the RSPB conducted walk round the Fen Drayton Pits. These were created by gravel extraction and have been turned into a nature reserve. As it was a sunny day it was an enjoyable walk and although we did not see anything very rare it was good to have all the birds, butterflies, plants and dragon flies all accurately identified. They have a single bittern in residence and are hoping his booming will eventually attract a mate or two.

The most recent pit at Fen Drayton

Tuesday we had a Church meeting and Toni, an unmarried mother of two gave her testimony and applied for baptism and membership. She has had a tough time having been given away by her mother at 15, assaulted when young and raped to produce the first child.
It has been our Harvest Supper and Thanksgiving this weekend. The display in the chapel was very good and the speaker at the meal was a farmer from Perry who had the right blend of information and humour for the occasion. The meal went well despite several folk going down with S & D beforehand (not after!)

Part of the Harvest Display

Today the ex pastor of Needingworth, John-Mark Teeuwen has taken both services. He now works for UFM in Swindon. Our ex pastor Malcolm and wife Donna have also been in town today so there have been more pastors around than you could shake a stick at! Kate and I were invited to lunch with them at Kate and Gordon’s at Sutton.
Yesterday was also the CEEM BBQ at Moggerhanger. The weather was kind, the attendance quite good and a conducted tour of the house was thrown in.

Love


Mike & Kate

A picture of Five Arch bridge on the Cray River in South East London, where Mary and I completed another section of the London Loop on Saturday. The bridge's function is almost purely decorative as it spans a dam at the end of an ornamental lake which formed part of the estate through which the river flows.  Very nice walk - a lot of people about but few London Loop walkers. Are there any still doing it? We've only 19 miles to complete the task. I suppose the next challenge will be to walk around London in a circle of 25 mile radius i.e. outside the M25 and far enough away from it not to hear it.

Letter 14th September 08

19 Willingham Road
Over
Cambridge
CB24 5PD

14th September 2008.

Dear All,

On Monday I biked to Willingham to get a passport renewal form and fresh mug shots – these look more like Prisoner 452387 than usual! I also filled out an application for “U3A” or “The University of the Third Age” which is very active in Cambridge. I applied for 3 courses but unfortunately 2 are full so I have to think again. I have been accepted for “Antarctica in a Nutshell” at the British Antarctic Survey but it does not start until after Christmas.
I experimented with the “Daytime” blog site championed by Graham and posted last week’s letter and some photos. I will put this one on as well as emailing so see if you can pick it up. I will forward the address separately.
Tuesday we had a Sweet Corn open day at Cambridge. The crop looks very good despite the lack of sunshine but all the visitors reported poor sales because uptake is supposedly linked to BBQs. As we have eaten Sweet Corn nearly every night for 5 weeks without a BBQ I find it a bit hard to fathom.
Wednesday a couple of us drove down to Bosham near Chichester for a Salads open day on Thursday. The field was very wet and the host farmer had laid planks down every other plot to keep folk out of the mud. The weather was better than the forecast and the attendance was quite good. We stayed at the Travel Lodge near Fontwell Race course and when we dutifully ventured next door for the usual Little Chef breakfast we were met by a disgruntled gathering because the manageress had failed to turn up – so a petrol station drink it was, we know how to live high!
Friday I took Ken a local 80 year old to Addenbrookes for an eye and hearing aide test. He had especially arranged to go in because his electronic hearing aide was playing up and he wanted it mended and reset on the computer – but they did not have the part so it will be set by guess work and sent through the post – or he has to go in again. I marked out the cricket pitch for the last time for 2 colt’s matches on Saturday; they actually managed to play in sunshine.
Friday evening we attended the “Over Players” latest production “Something for Everyone” which was very funny.
Saturday I drafted next months Gardening column (I will send a copy to Jacky as requested – she knows how to get in an uncle’s will!), cut the grass and then we cycled to the Swavesey back road to pick blackberries. They were hanging like grapes but slightly past their best.


Cambridgeshire Blackberries

Today we have had our second “Tea and Talk” this time by Lynsey Gawn the offspring of 2 church members who in February became the youngest female to reach the South Pole. It was well attended with over 40 there. As this starts earlier than our normal evening service we have just come back from a walk round the Fen.
Star plants in the garden this week are the Morning Glory which have grown about 10 feet tall and had over 40 flowers on today and an Aubergine picked yesterday weighing 950g.




Morning Glory Aubergine
Love


Mike & Kate

Beaumont Cut September 08

Beaumont September 08