Sunday, 30 November 2014

30th November 2014


Dear All,

Advent Carol Service at St Mary’s today – so I guess Christmas must be coming! As pensioners we have been far too busy to begin shopping, planning etc. yet but it has to be faced shortly.
On Monday I was invited to Bishops Stortford U3A to address their “Plants & Gardening” course then in the evening we had a meal out at the Old Fire Engine House at Ely with some of the Rambling Group. It is an excellent restaurant near the Cathedral – but not the cheapest.
This week’s “Just Vegetating” was on “Minor Crops” and being U3A there was discussion as to whether the term “Minor” was derogative!. The U3A film was “Gold Diggers of 33” starring Ginger Rogers.
I went to the funeral of a wife of a former NIAB colleague on Wednesday. It was conducted by a lady vicar who closely resembled Thora Hird and was a former barmaid.
Our Thursday walk began at Therfield above Royston and included the highest point in Cambridgeshire at a massive 146m. Kate has been suffering from a pulled groin muscle so sat this one out.




Therfield

On Friday we met up with Esther for a meeting with her financial advisor in Ongar then did a little gardening before travelling on to Upminster to call on John and Muriel. They seemed quite well but not venturing very far these days!

I cut the grass yesterday, hopefully for the last time this year – but there is no guarantee!
News from Moldova is that they have virtually finished their new church in Burlacu with help from Holland and Germany.




Love



Mike & Kate

Sunday, 23 November 2014

23rd November 2014


Dear All,

Well the dentist did not go according to plan. She looked at the offending tooth again and thought there might not be enough left to cap, so it is a matter of waiting to see whether the nerve dies and the temporary filling holds. It was all a bit of an anticlimax as you tend to get psyched up to visit a dentist.
Tuesday was again busy as we had “Potatoes” in “Just Vegetating” then I had to address the Women’s Meeting on “Turkey – Ancient & Modern” while Kate caught the train to Hove. In the evening we had a landmark Church Meeting altering the rules on communion.
On Wednesday I had a swim and sorted and catalogue the current batch of seed from Suttons for Moldova.
Kate stayed over in Hove so that she could return in daylight stopping off in London  visiting St Pancras church, Camley Park and the new “Institute of Sexology” exhibit at the Wellcome Collection.

On Thursday I had the final visit of the season to Wisley to judge Swedes grown in Devon, a last sowing of carrots and plan next year’s trials. RHS meetings are much more difficult these days as they are trying to reduce both the number of trials and the size of judging panels – neither of which is popular with the committee.
I travelled down with Tony Hewitt who lives near Spalding. We managed excellent time down to Wisley in 1.75 hours but took exactly twice as long coming back mostly due to an hour queue on the M11 due to an accident. Tony had a 15 hour day.




I had a new experience on Friday when the guided bus I was on tried to overtake another which was parked at Longstanton and managed to shatter it’s back window while removing our bus’s wing mirror. Neither bus was then operational and as they were both full the passengers over whelmed the next three buses.
I more or less finished winter digging yesterday and planted out winter lettuce before attending Over 2 v 0 Cottenham in a feisty local derby.
Today we are celebrating David & Rebecca’s 10th anniversary – time flies as ever!

Love



Mike & Kate

Sunday, 16 November 2014

16 November 2014


Dear All,

On Monday I started a three session repair and capping of a broken tooth which will cost more than I earn in 12 months of Garden Club talks – clearly in the wrong business.
Tuesday was a longish day as we had “Just Vegetating” in the morning, this week was “Legumes”. This was followed by a U3A viewing of “Oh What a Lovely War” then an evening Garden Club at Shelford and a drive down to Hove. This proved to be a troublesome exercise as the A23 was closed for road works and the diversion took in Horsham and Worthing. An accident lengthened this further so we arrived about 12.15am – an hour longer than normal.
On Wednesday we took the bus to Preston Park, Brighton which apart from being a pleasant open space with an allotment, sports pitches and play park also claims to have the oldest rockery in the country. (I did not take my camera so these pics are from the web)






Preston Park

We then visited “Booths Natural History Museum”. This is a huge collection of stuffed birds, animals and skeletons by a Victorian who showed his passion for wild life by slaughtering a large percentage of it before having it stuffed and mounted! Exhibits included a Dodo skeleton. Having no descendants Mr Booth gave the collection to the city and it is free admission.





  
Booth Natural History Museum
Amélie said “I’ve been here before” which we dismissed rather lightly – but it turned out she had already visited with M-A and Andy and was keen to demonstrate her expertise with a projecting microscope to another child.

The walk on Thursday was local starting at Coton and taking in Madingley, Dry Drayton and Hardwick. The pub was a bit stuffy and expensive wanting pre-booking so most people opted out – we went to the nearby Garden Centre. This was a bit awkward for our leaders as the pub expected 30 or so clients and only 8 stayed.


Coton

The “Biography” topic this week was “Basil Bunting” a modernist poet with a gift for trouble ending up in gaol in three different countries.
Yesterday it was November’s “Messy Church” – not so many this month – it is very unpredictable, but went OK. We then drove down to Hornchurch to hear Esther and Havering Singers in concert performing: “The Song of Destiny” by Brahms, “The Song of the Fleet” by Stanford and “St Celia’s Mass” by Gounod. They all sang very well but it is a tad highbrow for me! We stayed the night in Hutton so have just returned.



Havering Singers


Love



Mike & Kate

Sunday, 9 November 2014



Dear All,

So winter draws on! We had our first decent frost on Bonfire night so the end of the dahlias, tomatoes etc. but much later than usual.
“Just Vegetating” topic was “Salads – Fruit” i.e. Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers and Aubergines. We had a full house this week for the first time as U3A members seem to spent a disproportionate time travelling or grand child minding. We also had a veritable tapas bar of food as members slowly take up the challenge of contributing.
The film was “Spring in a Small Town” a 1948 black and white Chinese production. It was rather slow moving but supposedly a classic.
On Wednesday as some of you will know we travelled to Essex to meet up with Dave and Jen, Mary and Graham to celebrate David’s 75th birthday. We had a meal at Weeley then on to Beaumont to view progress on the new house, chat and tea and cake.


  

The walk Thursday started at Howlett End near Thaxted. It was sticky underfoot but sunny with undulating scenery and a very good pub.



“Biography” subject was “Godfrey Hounsfield” who left school at 16 with no qualifications and ended up inventing the CAT scanner earning the Nobel Prize, 6 honary degrees and 40 other awards – but remained relatively unknown.

Friday evening we had Dave Bilbrough concert in Over Community Centre with his tour “Tales of a Troubadour” supporting “World Vision”. It was very professionally presented; 124 turned up and several signed up to support a child so it was worthwhile.





Love



Mike & Kate

Sunday, 2 November 2014

2nd November 2014


Dear All,

Dave and Jen called on Monday on their way to Jackie’s in Derby. They had time for a walk round the Swavesey Pits and lunch. It was good to catch up with them as well as Essex news from the UKIP heartland!



 Swavesey Pits



It was “Salads – Roots, Shoots and Leaves” at “Just Vegetating” this week with a decent audience despite several on half term grandparent duties. Half term doesn’t improve transport however with all the buses heaving.
The film this week was “The Innocents” described as “a sinister and scalp-prickling ghost story” based on Henry James “Turn of the Screw”. It was OK if you like that sort of thing!
My football watching mate Dave Harrower went for a check up recently and ended up with a triple by-pass operation. I went to visit him on Wednesday and he is still in a slight state of shock with some impressive scars. He is an avid Arsene Wenger hating, Arsenal supporter, so will have to be kept away from TV matches for fear of raising his blood pressure!
Half term also messes up the swimming timetable so we had to go in the evening on Wednesday with Merv and Glynis. Glynis’s husband Richard has just begun chemotherapy for colon cancer – that makes five of our friends being treated for cancer at present.
The Thursday walk began at Great Chesterford near Kate’s erstwhile place of employment. It was sunny and undulating so what more could you ask – except for quicker service at the pub which broke some kind of sluggish service record.



 Great Chesterford

The biography this week was “George Muller of Bristol” famed for starting the orphanages and never asking for money. We showed the DVD at chapel recently so the story was fairly familiar.
Plenty of digging in of recently delivered muck this week – and still plenty to do. Runner beans were finally pulled up on the 1st November which must be a record.
I went to watch Godmanchester Rovers v Yaxley in the FA Vase yesterday as Over did not have a match and Godmanchester had signed Over’s two best strikers in the close season.

Love



Mike & Kate