28th July 2013

28th July 2013.

Dear All,

This week has been dominated by Holiday Club. We had 30 -33 each day, which is double recent years and it seemed to go very well. The children were better behaved than usual and Rachel led the proceedings excellently. Kate and I were in charge of the older group of 17 with the theme of “Space Academy” related to the story of Daniel. We had 2 sessions of crafts and games each day with the story, drama and singing parts and refreshments sandwiched in between. The crafts included tile painting, 3-D veg, lion masks, lion cups, rubbish to robot construction, gingerbread spacemen, Das stamping, foot and hand stencilling etc. On Friday there was a meal for parents and children and there were about 75 participating.

 Holiday Club 2013

There has not been much time for other things this week besides gardening, cricket pitch maintenance and preparing U3A talks for the autumn when Kate and I are leading a course called “Just Vegetating” covering the history, background, importance, breeding aims, nutrition, commercial growing, garden growing and recipes for vegetables. It is due to run for 10 weeks so involves a certain amount of preparation. I know you will all be disappointed that you cannot attend?

We managed to swim on Monday but had to miss the Thursday walk due to the Holiday Club. Philip our esteemed walk leader came to collect some plants I had been looking after for him on Monday while they were on their latest holiday in the Lake District. This followed 7 weeks in Sicily and precedes 3 weeks in Cornwall!

Mary-Ann, Andy and Amélie seem to have settled in OK but still have boxes to unpack. Amélie has managed a paddle most days and there are 2 small girls living next door. We hope to visit this coming week.

Love

Mike & Kate

21st July 2013

21st July 2013.

Dear All,

A fairly busy week: Monday evening, Deacons meeting; Tuesday evening, Annual Church meeting; Wednesday evening Over Garden Club trip to gardens in Lode; Thursday evening, Guest at Bourn Garden Club 40^th anniversary dinner; Friday evening, attended book launch in Cambridge; Saturday evening, Sue Whitfield’s 70^th birthday party – and that’s just the evenings!

The gardens in Lode belonged to Richard Ayers and a neighbour. Richard was the former head gardener at Anglesey Abbey. The garden was attractive but not a vegetable in sight!

Lode garden

I was honoured to attend the anniversary dinner at Bourn having delivered more talks there (11) than anyone else. They unusually ended up with too much cash in the bank and needed an excuse to spend it!

The book launch was held at Wolfson College and was for Felicia Gordon, one of our walking companions and the topic was rather esoteric: “Constance Pascal (1877 – 1937) Authority, Femininity and Feminism in French Psychiatry). It may not be a best seller but the lady was the first female psychiatrist in France.

Felicia Gordon

We called in at Moggerhanger again this week to return a cool box that our raspberry delivery was made in and on the way picked up some bags to dispose of our asbestos down pipes that have been hanging around for a year or so. It is a tortuous process in that the bags and permission have to be obtained from the Council Offices in Cambourne and the disposal made at a prearranged time at Waterbeach. While at Waterbeach we were able to pick up a car load of green compost.

Our Thursday walk started at Kimbolton and it was fairly warm. Kate was on the short walk which missed the way so we were back at 12.30 pm from the long walk while the short walkers did not appear until 1.20 pm, rather hot and flustered!

Kimbolton

It was “Messy Church” again yesterday, numbers were down a bit but it still went OK.

 Messy Church

Mary-Ann, Andy and Amélie finally moved to Hove on Monday. It must be a relief to get it over with. Their new address is: 3 Haddington Street, Hove, Sussex. BN3 3YQ.

Tel: 01273 985766.

Love

Mike & Kate

14th July 2013

14th July 2013.

Dear All,

As trailed last week Kate spent 3 days helping Mary-Ann pack and I met up with them after another Wisley session. Hopefully the move goes ahead tomorrow. Meanwhile Mary-Ann, Andy and a couple of friends have spent the weekend in Nottingham taking in the Test Match yesterday and we have been looking after Amélie – which was no hardship! They all came for lunch today together with Esther and picked up Amélie leaving about 3.30 pm.

Yesterday was Over Carnival so Amélie may well be thinking that the Green will be covered with roundabouts, animal stands and loud music each time she comes to see her grandparents.

  

We had a chapel stand as usual and it was particularly successful this year. We had a quiz, ball game and Messy church craft activities and took over £40.00 in 10 pences. The weather, of course, helped it was a great contrast with the mud last year.

Wisley was again looking pretty good but showing signs of water shortage. We were judging potatoes and calabrese and checked progress of onion sets, tomatoes and runner beans.

I returned to swimming again after my burst ear drum and had another lung scan on Friday.

We led the walk on Thursday starting at Nuthampstead taking in Barkway and Reed.

The garden is looking particularly colourful at present.

  

Love

Mike & Kate

7th July 2013

7th July 2013.

Dear All,

Summer here at last, can you stand the heat? We attended our first BBQ of the year last night at Kate and Gordon’s and it was almost too hot!

Two walk this week as we had to recce for leading this week at Nuthampstead and the normal Thursday walk was at Arkesden, Wicken Bonhunt (still no blue plaque for David’s studying), Rickling and Clavering.

The Axe & Compasses, Arkesden

    

 Arkesden village

I attended a NIAB Salads Demonstration in the fens at Littleport on Tuesday where apart from the lettuce and endive plots Cranfield Soil Science Dept. had dug a large hole to show the soil profile which was strangely interesting showing layers of compaction, ancient root zones and an odd spot of peat before reaching the water table at 1.2m

A few lettuce!  

  

NIAB plots

 Funfix (Batavian) 

 A hole in the ground!

Kate and I had a rare shopping expedition to Cambridge on Wednesday looking for Holiday Club materials and maps. We also visited the venue for the U3A course we are leading in October in Castle Hill Methodist church.

The garden continues to be productive harvesting broad beans, mange tout peas, podded peas, lettuce, radish, potatoes, onions and strawberries this week.

The Moggerhanger Berry production has also been in full swing and John Law delivered the first batch of raspberries to Over for distribution on Friday. They have 3,500 plants under glass and the temperature was 45°C at 9am that morning so the pickers are wilting. 25% of the profit goes towards the “Meal Deal” for street kids in Moldova.

Moggerhanger Raspberry production

Mary-Ann and Andy hope to move to Hove on Monday week so Kate is planning to drive down tonight to help packing and cleaning. I have a lift to Wisley on Wednesday so hope to meet up with them afterwards.

Love

Mike & Kate