27th February 2011

27th February 2011.

Dear All,

Kate has been struggling with a cold this week and even came home early a couple of days – shows how poorly she must have been!
Our U3A visit this week was to Cambridge University Press which was started in 1584 and claims to be the oldest printer in the world. A new venture started in July 2009 called “Print on Demand” whereby any old book that is out of print can be scanned and reprinted. At present a committee decides which books should receive this treatment but they are susceptible to suggestions. They have access to the over 9 million books in the University Library and they choose books of “Enduring Scholarly Value” which are out of copyright (70 years after the authors death) and in good enough condition to handled. They are currently scanning 50 books a week and have a list of 2,422 titles available. For more details go to http://www.cambridge.org/clc The list contains numerous masterpieces but the leading seller so far is an 18th century book of “Cambridge Jokes” – not one of which is remotely funny!



Scanner



Reprinted books

In “Astronomy” we studied Supernovas and Nebulae as well as looking at recent photos of Aurora.

Crab Nebula

Aurora

I have been gradually adding to the fruit area and purchased a dwarf cherry tree this week and planted a new row of autumn raspberries between the showers. I have been setting up germination tests for the seed we have received from Suttons for Moldova and sorting which are worth sending.
Our walk this week started at Debden and proceeded via Saffron Walden and Audley End back to Debden for a Nepalese meal in the pub – 11 miles. It was heavy going underfoot again but would be a good summertime outing.



Near Audley End

near Debden

We had a meal at the Gregory’s on Friday night to celebrate Jane’s 60th birthday. Stephen has retired but still spends most of his time in Ireland on two part time projects in Belfast and Dublin. He thinks if they eventually sell the house in N.Ireland they will have to move to bigger accommodation as he has so many books.
We cleared the computer room yesterday with a view to redecoration and new furniture for the computer and accessories. I went to work with Kate in the pm before descending on Homebase for all the necessary materials.
Entertaining today with the Howard’s and Fosters (Snr) in lieu of a Bulgarian couple who dropped out late on.


love


Mike & Kate

20th February 2011

20th February 2011.

Dear All,

It has been slightly warmer this week so I have started a bit of gardening: digging after carrots, parsnips and celeriac, pruning autumn raspberries, planting onion sets and sowing cabbage, cauliflowers, broad beans, peas, beetroot and cut ‘n come again salads in the glasshouse.
I have been to work a couple of days as we held a leek open day in the middle of the fens on Wednesday. The site was in the middle of nowhere but over 50 visitors managed to find it, and as it happened Wednesday was the best weather of the week.


Leek Open Day at Stretham

On Tuesday we lifted the leeks in the morning when it was rather chilly then I had a group of organic growers from Devon to entertain. In the evening I was at Houghton and Wyton Gardening club. I was a bit late due to the Devon group being fairly garrulous and the gardeners were all sitting relaxed with glasses of wine- no two clubs are the same.
On Monday our U3A group had a visit to Donarbon the waste recycling centre for Cambridgeshire. Since I was there about 2 years ago they have invested £42m on an automatic sorting system for black bins. This removes magnetic metals, other metals and plastics automatically and then grinds up and composts the remainder in a 200m enclosed bay that is continuously moved for 7 weeks to remove methane before being put into landfill. They also compost green waste outdoors in the same way as David and food waste in enclosed high temperature units, both of which produce useable green compost. In addition, they have wood and building site recycling areas and an experimental anaerobic digester. It is all quite impressive but is about to be sold to a Spanish company.

Donarbon sorting unit

Turning green waste

Sculpure from cans & bottles

Recycled products

Our walk on Thursday started at Baldock and circled via Ashwell, 10.5 miles, hilly and sticky underfoot so quite hard work.
We went to see “The King Speech” on Saturday night and it lived up to its billing despite criticism from Simon Hoggart!
Thanks for communications from Harrow and Beaumont this week. Mary asked about Kate Foster, she is home after the operation and making some progress but has a long way to go. We visited on Friday night and she fell asleep while I was showing her the Dolomites photos – shows how ill she must be!!
Thanks for my birthday card Dave and Jen – it was the only one I had, perhaps because it was a month early!

love


Mike & Kate

13th February 2011

13th February 2011.

Dear All,

For those who didn’t know Kate and I are to become grandparents. Mary-Ann and Andy are expecting a baby in early July and there is photographic evidence to back that up! I understand it predicted to be a girl so Andy Gray and Richard Keys are unlikely to be required as god parents. All advice on parenting and naming to Mary-Ann and Andy, any tips on grand parenting to us.


20 week scan

We had a great week winter walking in the Dolomites with Graham and Mary. As I hope you will have seen from the post cards it is a beautiful area. We enjoyed a week of perfect clear blue skies and the hotel and food were excellent. The area is brilliant for skiing but does not cater so well for winter walking, so it exercised our local tour guide (Graham) to find interesting accessible walks – which he did of course, even though they often involved 6 or 7 buses. There were lowland valley walks but higher up is more interesting and these tracks they do not clear or sign very well. We used rubber boot grippers with metal studs which were a huge help especially when the path was icy.


Dolomites


Scott and Shakleton

Relaxed explorers

Snow paradise




Pelargrino



Ice road Truckers!


We stayed at Campitello which is 2 hours 15 minutes up the Fassa valley from Verona. The last day we had time in Verona to explore the Coliseum and stand under Juliet’s balcony.

Juliet’s balcony

Verona Coleseum

Having spent Saturday night in Harrow we travelled to Terling on Sunday morning for the christening of Kate’s sisters second grandchild Alfie, followed by lunch at Hutton with Esther, Mary-Ann, Mandy and Natasha.
Otherwise it has been back to normal, work, Astronomy, Cambridge Present we had and audience with the City’s new MP Julian Hubbert, which was quite interesting and walking. Thanks to a week of high altitude training walking seemed a bit easier this week even though it was 10 miles in constant drizzle starting at Gt. Abington just south of Cambridge.
Kate and I erected the frame of our new fruit cage yesterday and this morning our church group lead a Family service which seemed to go quite well.
I had another surprise at work this week as I had been awarded the “Bentley Nelstrop Medal” for contribution to NIAB. I thought it was for up and coming young scientists so it was not expected (and as I was away I still haven’t received it any way.)

love


Mike & Kate