19^th May 2013.

Dear All,

They say “There is no fool like an old fool” and I largely proved that yesterday by turning out for the cricket team as they were short. So short, that I was called on to bowl 6 overs and managed 25 runs as we failed narrowly to chase down 196 by just 9 runs. The painful part was foolishly diving to stop a ball and landing on my shoulder so that I cannot raise my left arm above waist level today!

We are leading the walk next week so Kate and I did a recce on Tuesday starting at Waresley, taking in large fields of free range chickens and bluebell woods on the way to Great and Little Gransden.

 Free Range Chickens

                             Bluebells in Waresley Woods

 The bluebells were belatedly at their peak as were the azelias and rhododendrons at Wisley on Thursday when I attended a radish assessment trial of 49 varieties. The M25 was it’s usual self so that we tool 3.5 hours to complete the 2 hour journey.

Wisley

Wisley Rhododendrons

Radish Trial

We celebrated 42 years of marital bliss on Wednesday with a lunchtime meal at the Golden Ball, Boxworth.

John Law finally collected the tomato plants we have been growing for Moggerhanger on Wednesday evening. It was a relief to wave them goodbye as the cold spring made their welfare precarious in a normally unheated greenhouse.

Moggerhanger tomatoes  

                                                    Wisteria

I spoke at a Garden Club at Needingworth on Tuesday and there were over 80 present – you never know what to expect. Some clubs are laid back and informal others are run like a Whitehall committee meeting with apologies, minutes, plans for the show and next outing etc.

Plenty of gardening this week as things are starting to move – but I expect those who garden know that and those who don’t, don’t care!

Ben is running in the Copenhagen marathon today.

Love

Mike & Kate