27th June 2010

27th June 2010.

Dear All,


For those not present at the “Senior Cousins Reunion” photos are attached. It was an enjoyable event even though cold and damp. It was great to see everyone especially Gwen after 50 years and meet Rob for the first time.

Assorted Cousins 2010
Kate and I attended a seed companies 25th Anniversary near Evesham yesterday. Enza Zaden are an English offshoot of a Dutch salad company. They put 50 or so up in local hotels and laid on a dinner for 120 in a marquee. Our hotel was very old dating back to the 1600s and very attractive but last night was exceptionally warm. We made a day of it and visited Kenilworth Castle on the way which was very interesting.
On the way back this morning we called in at Hidcote Manor gardens which are excellent, very mature having been bequeathed to the nation by an American Gardener 80 years ago.

Kenilworth Castle

New Formal gardens

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Our Hotel

Dave Garlick was here tonight to take the evening service. He came early enough to suffer through England’s World Cup exit and we were joined by John Law for tea afterwards. John has just enjoyed a 60th birthday trip to Alaska and took over 20,000 photos!
Otherwise the college trip was to Kings this week and they included a tour of the chapel, the head gardener wears a special uniform with a brown bowler hat and a college tie.

Kings college Masters garden

The walk on Thursday was the second part of the “Stour Valley Way” from Great Bradley to Stoke by Clare. It was an “classic” walk with water, grass and trees but very hot.
We went to a U3A BBQ at Dry Drayton on Wednesday evening run by my old “Solar System” lecturer. He is a keen BBQer with gigantic woks to cook vegetables and steak cut from a whole joint of beef. It was held in a fantastic old vicarage setting complete with croquet lawn and wood.
Friday we had a “Walk About Supper” in the village so we have eaten quite well this week!.

Love

Mike & Kate

13th June 2010

13th June 2010.

Dear All,

Kate has been struggling all week with flu like symptoms, she stayed at home one day and came home early on several others but has also had to look after cells all week including Saturday and Sunday. I went with her yesterday to inspect the new premises at Chesterford Park, the surroundings are pleasant but her main working area is a bit cramped.

Chesterford Park



Scientist at Work

Our college visit this week was to Sydney Sussex which has mature gardens with more trees than most which means there is quite a lot of shade. Health and Safety decreed that their large Magnolia could not be pruned with ladders this year so they had to hire a “cherry picker” – 2

gardeners hurt their backs pushing it into position!

Sydney Sussex

Star plant Dictamnus


Our chapel cricket match this week was against St Neots Methodists and we were winning easily (146-6 v 14-5) when one of their players collapsed with a dislocated knee cap so the game had to be abandoned while we waited for an ambulance. Last year we played them for the first time and sent one to hospital when he tried to catch the ball and it went through his hands and knocked several teeth out! Last week one of ours dislocated his shoulder so cricket is proving a dangerous game.
Our walk on Thursday started at Balsham and took in Horseheath, West Wickham and West Wratting. It was muddy and slippery initially and quite hard going after rain the previous day but finished OK.
After collecting a puncture on my bike last week I managed one in the car on Friday on the way to Tescos, I hope there won’t be a third!
U3A World Cup joke: A Cambridge Professor was researching the correlation between penis size and happiness. He reported that he had accumulated plenty of information but was lacking data relating to the shortest length (under 2”) so he had put out an appeal that anyone in that category should identify themselves over the next 3 weeks by flying a white flag with a red cross from either their car or bedroom window.
Looking forward to seeing some of you next Friday.


Love

Mike & Kate

6th June 2010

6th June 2010.

Dear All,

It has been a hot dry week so a deal of watering to keep things growing, but most things seem to be OK and recovering from the late frosts. We started broad beans and strawberries this week which is a sign that summer is a coming.
Kate has been suffering towards the end of the week and is currently in bed with a nasty cough and temperature.
On Friday, we drove down to Hutton to help Esther with a few jobs. The biggest was demolishing an old rotten shed covered with decades of ivy. The best bits of wood were recycled into a compost bin. We also checked sources of wood for skirting board and doors, replaced a curtain rail, rehung the front gate and tried (unsuccessfully) to stop a leak in the gutter. It was a good days work and we drove home the pretty way via the Rodings, Dunmow and Thaxsted.


Before

After

Star plant in Esther’s garden

Our Thursday walk was 12 miles starting from Godmanchester, via Hemmingford Abbots, Hemmingford Grey, St Ives, Houghton and back to the Black Bull in Godmanchester on the Ouse Valley Way. It was hot but a good walk with plenty of water and flowering meadows.

Approach to Hemmingford Abbots

Ouse Valley Way

Flower Meadow near St Ives

Yesterday we tried a bike ride along the new guided bus way to St Ives which was fine until I got a puncture on the way back just outside of St Ives so I had a long walk back pushing the bike.
Gwen phoned last night to confirm the cousins reunion arrangements. They and John and Muriel have booked into a Travel Lodge the Thursday night and Gwen and Rob are staying here on Friday night.
Love

Mike & Kate