14th October 2012

14th October 2012.




Dear All,



Kate has had a particularly busy week: an interview, 2 training courses and a visitor. The interview was for a volunteer as a “Mental Health Act Associate Manager” which means being on a panel assessing whether committed inmates can be released back into society. No verdict yet. The courses were “Emotions in Pastoral Care” and “Training for Children’s Work”. The visitor was a lady from Devon (who we had never met) but was the wife of a former pastor of Sutton Bonington whose sister-in-law was in Addenbrookes for tests. She has been unable to eat solid food for 11 years and has to give herself IV jabs everyday.

Highlight of my week was attending 7 seed company open days in Lincolnshire on Wednesday. I took one of my walking companions, David Cook for company. Since the demise of regular NIAB trials the seed companies get together and hold demonstrations on the same 2 days in close proximity to each other near Boston.

I only took 137 photos a small selection is reproduced here - and a complete showing can be arranged!

I had to attend the funeral of an old NIAB colleague Bill Fiddian on Tuesday (David might have come across him at cereals demonstrations). In the evening I took a Garden Club at Harlton on “Oriental Vegetables”.

U3A classes restarted this week; I am on “Biographies” and Kate “The Spanish Civil War”. The subject of this week’s biography was Alex Soyer, the first celebrity chef from Victorian times, who while chief de cuisine at the Reform Club laid on soup kitchens for victims of the Irish Potato Famine and improved food preparation at the Crimean War. He also invented field stoves which were still being used by the army until the time of the Falklands War when they were on a ship that was sunk.

The Thursday walk began at Ferneaux Pelham this week and took in Patmore Heath and Farnham, 11 miles and it did not rain until we were in the pub.

It was the Cricket Club meal and presentation evening last night. They have had a good season with both Saturday teams being promoted and the winter indoor team and one of the midweek teams winning their leagues as well.

It has been the start of the autumn digging season this week but that should be ongoing for a day or two.



Love



Mike & Kate