31st January 2016.

Dear All,

We have just arrived back having spent the weekend in Whitby. Our walking group have a holiday based there in May and applications have exceeded the accommodation so we have been scouring the town for another 9 places. Kate originally found a hotel called “Ruswarp Hall” but some of our rugged walkers (or their partners) are a bit fussy and picked up negative vibes on the web so that’s why we popped up (200 miles and 4 hours!). It was as well that we did for although we would have been happy the place was built in the 17^th century and it’s Jacobean features were looking a bit worn!

We spent most of Saturday exploring Whitby and searching for alternatives. Fortunately we found some including a new B&B which has not yet opened. It is a long time since we had visited Whitby (Mary-Ann was a chubby baby of similar build to Albert!). We walked up and down the 199 steps to the ruined Abbey, explored backstreets, took in a Jet (black gem) exhibition and the whale bone arch and in all walked several miles. In the evening we had a Chinese meal and took in a film “In the Heart of the Sea” about Herman Melville and Nantucket whalers appropriately enough in the Pavilion which is right next to the sea with the wind howling atmospherically around. The temperature was noticeably cooler than Cambridge – about 10°C!

The 199 Steps

Familiar Ruins

Whitby Harbour

Runswick

This morning we drove up the coast as far as Runswick as this is one of the planned walks. There were several places of severe erosion and vast arrays of diggers and cranes trying to patch things up. We went to an interesting church this morning in the centre of Whitby which had evolved from a Dance Hall to a restaurant then a Builders Showroom. There were over 100 there of all ages and with typical Yorkshire friendliness!

Our Monday swim was cancelled on arrival due to a heating failure and when we did eventually go on Wednesday it was still appreciably cooler. On Monday we did a bit of reccing for Thursdays walk starting at Waresley as we were leading and needed to add a bit on. Monday was a bit soggy but by Thursday it had dried somewhat and the sun shone for most of the way.

I had another 1.5 hours in the dentist’s chair on Tuesday with the promise of a similar spell this week. The dentist stopped half way through and said “something’s not quite right here, I need to stop and think about it!” Then he found the tooth have 5 roots instead of 4 hence the need for extra appointments.

We have been donated over 1000 packets of vegetable seed for Moldova by Thompson & Morgan. Kate helped me sort and catalogue them which is a lengthy job.

Love

Mike & Kate

24th January 2016.

Dear All,

On Monday Kate and I accompanied Esther to Rochester to buy a car that had been adapted to take a wheelchair. We visited a company which specialises in these adaptations and after a couple of test runs chose a 2012 Peugeot Horizon.

We had lunch in Chatham Docks where there has been a great dockside development for shops, restaurants etc round a packed marina – not quite like Pepys day!

Peugeot Horizon

Chatham

On Tuesday we had an afternoon swim as we had missed out on Monday and later heard that John Blanchard, who took our wedding service had died.

I had to get a mugshot on Wednesday as I am due for my first pictorial driving licence when the 70^th rolls up. I also managed to book Moldova flights for the next outing departing on the 27^th April on “Moldovan Air”. The price initially doesn’t seem too bad - then you add seat booking and luggage and it mounts up. The same evening we heard that the Moldovan Parliament had been invaded by an angry mob still upset about the disappearance of an eighth of their GDP from the national banks.

Our Thursday walk started at Rushden near Baldock and headed for Sandon. Fortunately the ground was largely frozen as when it was reccied it was extremely soggy and hard going.

Rushden

I had to stand in as chairman for “Biographies” this week as our leader was having hospital treatment. The topic was “Alistair Cooke” the journalist, not the cricketer. He had a remarkable career as a theatre director, actor, magazine editor, theatre critic, film critic, film researcher, author as well as radio and TV presenter. He was a friend of royalty, presidents, film stars – Charlie Chaplin was supposed to be his best man – but failed to turn up. He wrote for the Guardian from 1949 to 1972 and presented “Letter from America” from 1946 to a month before he died in 2004 – 2,869 episodes! His private life was not so happy – a divorce and difficult relationships with father and children.

This was followed by the first session of “Visual Perception and the Brain”. Seeing is not believing, the brain does a lot of interpretation. In the lecturer’s final examination he was given: “I open my eyes and my occipital cortex is stimulated and I see a world of objects – how might these facts be reconciled?” He showed some remarkable visual tricks so it should prove to be interesting.

Friday night was the annual U3A Rambling New Year Social at Newnham College. It is always a good event as participants have to bring a dish each and a certain amount of competition ensues so that the quality of the food is always excellent. The entertainment featured a poem and a few songs and I presented the Review of the year. Philip having his legs straightened featured heavily.

Love

Mike & Kate

17th January 2016.

Dear All,

It has been an interesting week! I came home from football last Saturday with tooth ache and Tuesday afternoon saw me in the chair as the dentist explored my root canals – “there should be four roots, I will have to dig around for the last one” Cue a drill bit resembling something from my woodwork kit! Actually it wasn’t too bad but I need two more 1.5 hour appointments and he slyly introduced the price while I was anaesthetised.

Monday we had a meeting to plan the church events for a year, followed by a deacons meeting and then Tuesday a group meeting. Three meetings in two days is not what I retired for!

On Wednesday I was due as Wisley for the final trial assessment of 2015 trials of Brussels sprouts and Leeks. I was travelling with a colleague from Bury St Edmunds and we were caught in a serious fatal accident on the Cambridge ring road near the start of the M11 where a car exploded and caught fire. We were trapped for 2 hours and arrived at Wisley just as the meeting ended!  We did manage to examine the plots later. The road still hadn’t opened at 7 pm when we returned.

Flower Sprouts (our newest vegetable) on the end of the Brussels sprouts

Leek trial with 29 entries

Our Thursday walk was round Potton, Sandy and Sutton. Although it was chilly and wet the soil is sandy and well drained so not as sticky as it might have been.

Sandy Pits

Sutton Packhorse Bridge

Potton Centre

U3A term started again this week and the “Biography” subject was “Sir Joseph Rotblad” a Pole who took UK citizenship and was involved in nuclear fission research. This led to the development of the Atomic Bomb initially in the UK, then jointly with the USA in Los Alamos. He was deeply opposed to developing weapons of mass destruction but persuaded that the Germans were doing so and his research would create the position which would stop them being used. When it became clear in 1944 that the Germans had stopped their programme he asked to be released from the project. The Americans immediately accused him of being a spy and banned him from the USA until the 1960s. He returned to the UK and spent his time developing nuclear applications in medicine and campaigning against nuclear weapons. He was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1995.

I watched Over lose 1 v 0 to Cottenham in “cool” conditions yesterday afternoon then we were on “Street Pastors” last night. Kate was in the cafe and I was on patrol. It initially seemed to be quiet but cold with snow flurries, but after midnight there were several fairly serious incidents not least a Portuguese chap who had been beaten up with a black eye, bloody nose and torn coat and no buttons left on his shirt. The police got involved and took him to the cafe. Kate said he got quite belligerent and kept muttering about “Jesus” which led them to believe he was some sort of fanatic. It later turned out that his name was “Jesus da Silva!”

Love

Mike & Kate

10th January 2016.

Dear All,

I hope you are all still above water level? The bottom of our garden flooded briefly mid week but it went over night. I have just pulled some leeks and each one went “slurp” as it left the ground!

Not too much to report this week as U3A classes have not restarted and no extra meetings or activities except the annual New Year Chapel Social. Kate was IC catering and with over 50 booked in it takes a good deal of planning and execution. This year’s menu: Butternut Squash soup or Chicken and Pork Terrine, Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding, Braised Red Cabbage, Leeks in Cheese sauce, Roast Potatoes, a Selection of Sweets, Cheese & Biscuits, Coffee and Chocolates. Price £5.

I presented a review of the year and a startling feature is how many locals have passed on this year. In 20 years I have never listed more than 4 or 5, this time there were 13 with some connection to the chapel.

Our Thursday walk encountered a few showers but was not too wet, but of course, a bit muddy. We started at Linton and took in Hildersham and the Roman Road that used to link Cambridge and Colchester or Duroliponte to Camulodunum by the Via Devana as we prefer to say!

Above Linton

River Granta (or Amazon?!)

Historic Clapper Style

I have set up my heated propagator in the greenhouse again this week to start some germination testing and planted out some chitted broad beans as my original Aquadulce are now over 12” tall and likely to succumb to any severe weather if and when it arrives.

Love

Mike & Kate

3^rd January 2016.

Dear All,

Happy New Year to you all. Christmas seemed to last a nice long time and we greatly enjoyed it. Esther and Ben were here from late Christmas Eve until Tuesday afternoon and Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie and Bert arrived late on Saturday and stayed until Wednesday evening. Esther arrived with a sore throat and cold symptoms, Ben has a split eardrum and a sprained wrist but both gradually improved.

I met up with several people before Christmas with the annual distribution of 50 Brussels sprout stems as well as a 30 kg net. Kate and I attended the NIAB “Wrinklies” Christmas lunch at the Bar Hill hotel. We also inspected Kate & Gordon’s new extensive extension in Haddenham and Hilary & Geoff’s new bungalow in Streatham.

Adrian joined us for Christmas lunch and enjoyed/endured an afternoon and evening of games and quizzes. I adopted the “Aunty Connie Role” of losing at nearly everything – must be old age!

Christmas lunch

We had a very breezy walk on Boxing Day round Over Fen and on Tuesday visited the local Raptor Centre at Woodhurst. They have a large selection of birds and put on a twice daily flying demonstration.

Eagle Owl

In between Ben, Andy and I watched Cambridge Utd somehow beat Barnet 2 v 1.

Amélie was very well behaved despite the excitement and attention. On Wednesday we took her to Huntingdon Garden Centre to see the pets on display. Bert has a very healthy appetite and a stout set of lungs. He has learnt to smile which of course helps in the cuteness stakes!

Mary-Ann & Albert

Amélie’s busy day

Kate’s leg has been playing up again so she was not fit to walk on Thursday. Unusually we met at a Golf Club not far away at Bourn as the village pub is a bit up market. The food at the club was far better value. We walked to Longstowe and back.

Longstowe Church

We saw the New Year in by going to bed before 11 pm!

Yesterday I watched Over come back from 3 down to win 4 v 3 in a very exciting match against West Wratting – much more entertaining than Cambridge Utd!

Love

Mike & Kate