22nd July 2012

22nd July 2012.

Dear All,

Family duties this week. Mary-Ann started back at work for 3 days a week and as she only has nursery places for 2 days there is a rota for the third day. We travelled down Tuesday via Esther’s as her garden needed some attention: cutting grass, weeding the front, emptying the large compost bin etc. Esther was at work but joined us for lunch. We managed to finish in dry weather but it was raining by the time we reached Godalming. Mary-Ann and Amélie both had colds but the baby minding went OK and Mary-Ann survived her return to work. We pushed Amélie down to Godalming and only got slightly wet. It was excellent exercise as the route back to Ockford Ridge is quite steep.






Team GB

Watching the Olympic Flame

Both gardens have an excellent stock of giant slugs. I have heard that the supply of “Nemaslug” the biological control pellet has run out and is unlikely to be back on the market this year as it takes 12 weeks to brew up more.
Tuesday we got the message that Ben suffered an accident near Braemar on his John O’Groats to Lands End bike ride. He hit gravel coming down a hill very fast and fortunately landed in heather. He is badly bruised and sore and the bike broke front forks and buckled a wheel. Passers by with a van looked after him well taking him to a doctor and finding accommodation. He had bought a special Boardman bike for the occasion and could not get the correct replacement parts in Aberdeen or Edinburgh. He eventually caught a train to Peterborough and we picked him up on Friday. We stopped off at Hinchingbrooke Hospital for a check over. They do not think he has broken anything and if it is a rib nothing can be done anyway. R&R should do the trick but he is obviously disappointed not to complete the trip.

Bike

& Body
Our Thursday walk started nearby at Elsworth and circled via Cambourne and Knapwell. We did not get wet until the last 10 minutes.
We were planning to go down to Beaumont on Friday but cancelled to collect Ben.
It is Holiday Club next week so we spent much of Saturday am setting up then catching up in a soggy garden. There is plenty to do but at least it has been productive with peas, mange tout, French beans, broad beans, potatoes, calabrese, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, cucumbers, raspberries and boysenberries all harvested this week.

Love

Mike & Kate

15th July 2012

15th July 2012.

Dear All,

So the wet weather continues and despite several emergency meetings so did our village Carnival yesterday. As one of the groundsmen I feel it was a mistake as this is what the Green looks like this morning,


The Green this morning

and yesterday



Chapel stand - ball game

Olympic Quiz


The chapel had our usual stand and we attracted plenty of customers with a ball game and Olympic Quiz. The Veg Show entries were down. I managed 10 x 1sts, 6 x 2nds and 4 x 3rds out of 21 entries but was pipped for the cup by one point (largely due to appalling judging as usual!!!). I have offered to judge next year so this might be my last year of competition for a while.
The litter picking this morning was not too arduous as it had all disappeared in the mud.
It was a similar scene on Friday when I went to look at a NIAB salads trial in a commercial crop at Shippea Hill. Most of the field had been cleared using their giant harvesting rigs leaving some evidence of their passing!



Shippea Hill lettuce field

Salads trial

Kate and Esther had a successful sing in the Albert Hall last Sunday performing “The Armed Man” and “The Gods of Olympus” by Karl Jenkins. Esther has been having trouble with her eyes so Kate stayed over on Monday to help with a hospital appointment.
Our Thursday walk started at Guilden Morden beyond Royston and took in Litlington and Steeple Morden. It was predictably sticky underfoot and rather humid but dry overhead.

Near Steeple Morden

in Steeple Morden

Cricket was cancelled as usual, the chapel have managed 2 midweek games out of 6, the Saturday 1sts have cancelled 5 games so far.

Love

Mike & Kate

8th July 2012

8th July 2012.

Dear All,

A fairly busy week, on Tuesday we attended a NIAB “Wrinklies” tour of Cambridge Botanic gardens led by ex NIAB employee Aubrey Bould who seemed to know every tree and the story behind it.

Black Walnut

Giant Redwood

Cambridge Botanic Gardens

On Wednesday Kate and I joined a Blue Badge tour of the Olympic site together with Ian Gordon one of our walking group. Although we were not allowed onto the site it was an interesting visit seeing the regeneration of the area and hearing about the plans for afterwards. The icing on the cake was the view from the 3rd floor of John Lewis, Westfield, where they had thoughtfully supplied binoculars and scopes.


Olympic Stadium

Swimming Pool

Thursday was the wedding of the year, as Kate and Gordon’s daughter Anna married Lee at Hengrave Hall, near Bury St Edmunds with no expense spared. The hall is a 16th century building which was in the Kytson family for many generations before becoming a hospital in the 1st World War, then a nunnery for 36 years. A property developer brought it with the aim of turning it into apartments but was refused planning permission so switched to providing a venue for events – mainly weddings.
The weather was kind as it was a rare sunny day so we spent much of the time in the gardens. Gordon is now a happier but much poorer man.

Anna & Lee

Hengrave Hall

As a contrast Friday was a funeral for Edna Johnson a formidable lady who was the wife of Frank who used to spend all his time looking after the Green to keep out of the way.

On Saturday I was asked to take part in an outreach farm walk in Willingham by the farmer Geoff Pake. I did a talk in the barn while it was fine, then they mounted trailers to visit a new Community Farm and the plan was to then go round Geoff’s farm but by that time it was tipping down so that part was abandoned. They laid on a BBQ and they were able to do that in a Dutch barn .

Amélie was 1 year old on Thursday and celebrated by having her first day at nursery. Kate is joining Esther’s choir singing in the Albert Hall today. Esther has been having trouble with her eyes with night time pain and blurred vision. She has started treatment so hopefully it will do the trick.

Love

Mike & Kate

1st July 2012

1st July 2012.

Dear All,

Yesterday we held a fund raising Strawberry tea and Auction of Pledges at Buckden for CEEM work in Moldova. The weather was reasonable in that it did not rain despite looking threatening a few times. There was a band which lacked a bit of fizz as they were missing their usual 3 West Indians, a book bring and buy stall, plant and bric and brac stalls as well as the auction. The items ranged from a £1 jar of sweets to £200 for use of a holiday cottage in France. A lift to a local airport raised £70 as did a trip down the river. 2 driving lessons yielded £60 and a canoe trip around St Neots £45. One of the more imaginative offerings was a song written about the highest bidder supplied on CD or U tube.
Over were well represented, amongst others Margery Johnson sent 5 cakes which raised a total of £37 and Kate 2 original recipe Bakewell tarts which raised £16. I submitted an authentic Over Veg. box which raised £20 and a couple of Cut ‘n Come again salad pots £6.
Altogether the auction raised £903 and together with donations and other sales the total exceeded £1000.

CEEM Strawberry Tea

Our Thursday walks started at Woodditton near Newmarket circling round Stetchworth, Dullingham and Burrough Green. The long walk was 9.2 miles while the shorter one of 8 miles took 45 minutes longer. It was very humid and took in several stud farms.

The Three Blackbirds, Woodditton


Near Dullingham

I am happy to report that the cricket roller has been repaired so that helps pitch preparation no end.
There was a BBQ at Fosters on Friday to discuss the nuts and bolts of setting up a new Pastoral care team. They are preoccupied with their daughters wedding coming up next week – it is a “no expense spared” effort at Hengrave Hall.
The garden is now in full swing with new potatoes, broad beans, peas, mange touts, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, radish, strawberries and raspberries all being harvested this week.
We reached the end of “The Killing” box set of 20 episodes this week and can recommend it to anyone who missed it live.



Pin up from Cheddar

Love

Mike & Kate