31st January 2010

31st January 2010.

Dear All,

It has been an interesting week in Lake Wobegone! – mainly because it was the first week of my jury duty at Cambridge Crown Court. It was certainly an eye opener and although it was not riveting all through – it had its moments.

Cambridge Crown Court

The first day was worst as you have to arrive early and then sit and wait. One jury was selected at 12 noon but we were not called until 3.00 pm having arrived at 9.30 am. Our case took all week so did not finish until Friday afternoon. A Geordie gentleman had beaten another guy up, trashed his car followed him home, beaten him with a baseball bat, broken his arm, stolen goods, marched him to the ATM and made him withdraw cash. When the ambulance came they brought police with them and made the victim tell them who had done it. The attackers brother later phoned the victim from Newcastle to threaten him to change his evidence “because I am a hundred times worse than my brother”. The victim seemed far from upright and honest himself with suggestions of handling stolen goods and it was largely a case of who was lying the least. There were 7 charges in total, 6 against the attacker and 1 against the brother. The attacker admitted the first two as there were witnesses so it was a matter of deliberating the others. In the jury room only two of us initially wanted guilty on all counts – but just like “12 Angry Men” we eventually persuaded the rest.
I think we were right as it turned out the attacker had a dozen previous convictions for burglary and assault while his brother had 52 previous convictions!
Otherwise we held a cemetery trustees meeting on Wednesday and put up the cost of a plot once again – I don’t think we can afford to die now! No connection but I had a MRI scan on my ankle at the Lea hospital yesterday.
Today Malcolm McKinnon is back in town taking the morning service and this evening we have a Recommisioning Service for the work of CEEM in Moldova. Kate is not only feeding Malcolm and 4 others but providing a tea for the CEEM group. They have been having their coldest winter for ages in Moldova with temperatures down to -24°C. Fuel and wood prices have soared and at least one old man in Burlacu has frozen to death.

Snow in Moldova

Love

Mike & Kate

24th January 2010

24th January 2010.

Dear All,

In years to come the quiz question will be “Which book begins with the words “’I was flossing my teeth on Sunday night when the floss stuck and I yanked it hard – I will hear the sound of the large tooth fragment pinging off the mirror for many days to come”’ Yes another trip to the dentist this week – it is becoming a habit that I am keen to kick!
Our course on College Gardens has been suspended for a month due to the inclement weather which seems a bit of an over reaction so more time available this week. I managed to dig some garden on Monday and it was not as wet as I expected. Bird life has been very active in the garden and this green woodpecker came within a couple of metres of the back door.

Green Woodpecker

We had an Events Planning meeting on Monday night so I have been following up various leads since and have booked a tour of Wolfson College Gardens and the RSPB tour of Fen Drayton Pits so far together with Stuart Wood the chaplain to Cambridge Utd.
While it has been too wet to garden or tour college gardens I have been straightening the garage workshop – not too exciting but needed doing otherwise how would I know that I have more than 50 different sizes of nails and screws?
Our walk this week began at Saxon Street near Newmarket and proceeded via Wooditton and Borough Green including a section of Devil’s Dyke.


Devil’s Dyke

One of our former neighbours Lynne Medlock came for dinner on Friday and my computer man came to try a sort my machine. It had been infected by a fiendish piece of “spyware” which copies the Windows security shield. The pop-up is identical except for having “Windows” on the strap line. It tells you there are various problems which you need to deal with and if you do you downloads things which gradually bind your machine up. It took Keith over an hour to find the problem and even now it is not perfect.
Yesterday Kate and I took a trip to Oundle, which is a stone built town similar to the Cotswolds, but in Northamptonshire. Although it is dominated by the school there are numerous interesting buildings. We followed the town trail and stayed for lunch.


Oundle School Bookshop

Oundle War Memorial

In the evening we were guests at the Over Day Centre Volunteers Christmas lunch by dint of having done a fund raising quiz last autumn. The meal was very good and two ladies sitting at out table who did not know each other found out that their brothers had been best men at each others weddings.
Ben has moved into his new flat address: 39 Gleneldon Road, Streatham, London, SW16 ?? (don’t know the rest of the post code yet).

Love

Mike & Kate

17th January 2010

17th January 2010.

Dear All,

I am not sure that cold and damp is better than cold and snow – but that is certainly what we have now. All the snow has disappeared; yesterday was wet and gloomy, today the sun shone so that was much better.
I spent some time this week finishing off the kitchen decoration. I was very pleased with my efforts until Kate came home and said “aren’t you going to paint inside the boiler cupboard?” – collapse of stout party, but even that has been finished now.

The Kitchen – spot the difference

I have had a couple of days at work this week including a foggy drive to Spalding for an organic seed working party. Two guys from DEFRA were there doing a pretty good impression of “The Men from the Ministry” i.e. fielding all questions in a non-committal way and adding virtually nothing to the discussions despite expensive trips to Brussels once a month.
I missed the Thursday walk for the meeting, but Kate and I dressed up for a moist stroll round Over Fen yesterday. You may have seen that the Fen Skaters held their first races since 1997 last Sunday. On Friday we had a rare shopping trip to stock up for Ecuador and Costa Rica – mostly insect repellent and an odd book or two in the sales.
Kate has excelled in mycology producing a “glut” of mushrooms from a DIY kit as illustrated. The trick is to keep them coming.


DIY Mushrooms

We have had a “Tea & Talk” meeting at chapel this evening from a lady who recovered from serious injuries received when thrown from a horse and subsequently married an Iranian chap who converted from Islam. The attendance for these meetings is improving with nearly twice as many as would attend a normal Sunday evening.
Love

Mike & Kate

10th January 2010

10th January 2010.

Dear All,

I hope you are all surviving the “Bleak Midwinter” and not too restricted by the snow or health. It is great as long as you are dressed for it and haven’t got too far to travel (and have a camera!).
I had just returned from a meeting with our assistant church worker on Monday morning when there was a knock on the door and there stood Stephen and Margaret Jessup. They were planning to meet Roger and Ruth in Felixstowe but found en route that they were returning to France that day. They could not find our phone number so called on the off chance. Kate had returned to work so I made them lunch and as it was a sunny day we walked round the Fen and they stayed until 3.30 pm.



Stephen & Margaret


Overcote

Kate and I had Typhoid jabs that evening in preparation for Costa Rica.
Work was fairly quiet on Tuesday and we were greeted by the news that the Public Health had closed our canteen! So now it is a mobile sandwich van with ingenious ways of heating and displaying a decent range of food.
I struggled with a heavy cold mid-week and being a man of course it was fairly serious so I did not join the Thursday walk. Instead I started decorating the kitchen around the new cupboards that were fitted last year. This involved removing wallpaper and filling some severe cracks as well as patching a pock marked ceiling.
On Friday we went to the U3A Ramblers Christmas Party at Newnham College organised, as you would expect, with military precision by our leader. It was actually pretty good with “Bring and Share” food and a couple of slide shows.
Saturday was our Church Social so Kate was in charge of cooking for 45, which she did excellently: Butternut squash soup, roast stuffed chicken, roast potatoes and parsnips, red cabbage, a choice of seven sweets, cheese and biscuits and coffee.
I did a PowerPoint review of the year plus a skit and a couple of quizzes. Well we enjoyed it – I think others did!


Over Green with Mobile Post Office Van


Fen End



Longstanton Road Pond

Love

Mike & Kate

3rd January 2010

3rd January 2010.

Dear All,

I hope you all enjoyed the festive season, we certainly did. Esther was here from Wednesday to Monday, Mary-Ann and Andy from Wednesday to Saturday, Ben Wednesday until Sunday and Eirwen Saturday.
I sampled the cultural extremes of watching Cambridge United v Stevenage Borough on Boxing Day with Ben and then attending the Royal Opera House on Monday to see “The Nutcracker” with Kate and the Colquhouns. I will not be getting a season ticket for the ballet but it was certainly an experience. The building is impressive and there was a full house of over 2200.A little commentary would not have gone amiss as the plot line was not always obvious! We met up with the Colquhoun’s eldest son Dan and new wife Annalese for a meal at Wagamamas Japanese Restaurant, before the performance.



The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Kate, Esther and I walked round the Fen Drayton pits on Monday and then joined our new neighbours next door for a drink and mince pie before departing to London.
On Wednesday evening we attended Janet Burr’s 70th birthday party which went quite well. The highlight was “Call My Bluff” including Jim (her husband) who is a bit muddled after various ailments and made the game more entertaining by reading the wrong clues.



Call My “Fluff” Team

Fen Drayton Pits

Our Thursday walk was round Graffham Water billed at 8.5 miles but typically a couple of miles were added. I found it tiring again so we did not make it as far as seeing the New Year in.

Graffham Water

Emma

Friday we visited Kate’s sister Sue and brother-in-law John in Beccles. It started snowing as we left then we alternated between bright sunshine and snow showers all the way. Their son James and grandchild Emma were also there so we were pleased to see them all. On the way back there was initially snow and fog but it improved later so was not too bad.

Love

Mike & Kate