Sunday, 5 March 2017

5th March 2017

Dear All,

“Well Brian – it was a trip of two halves”, this refers to our Friday and Saturday day visit to Lincoln to celebrate the end of Kate’s radiotherapy sessions. Friday it rained non-stop both during the journey and the first days sightseeing. On Saturday the sun came out and it was a different world. We had accommodation at “Bishop Grosseteste University” which is the former Teachers Training College. This was a little strange as the campus seemed largely deserted for most of the time we were there even though it was normal term time.
On Friday we had a conducted tour of the Cathedral which was excellent and the building magnificent. We then walked down “Steep Hill” (which really is) via the ancient “Jews House” to Brayford Pool (the old harbour) before returning to the campus then later returning to the centre for a meal at “Browns Pies”.



Castle Hill, Information Centre



Carved wall in the Cathedral

On Saturday we walked the length of the Castle Ramparts with splendid views of the city and surrounding countryside, before joining a conducted tour of the rest of the Castle and Prison. We also inspected one of the four remaining copies of the “Magna Carta”.
After this we visited the “Usher Art Gallery” and the “Museum of Lincolnshire Life”. The Museum was again brought to life by a local guide. It is housed in an old barracks and besides recreating old shops and trades has a large collection of old farm machinery especially wagons and carts and the first military tank that was made in Lincoln. The guide owned a modern “Penny farthing bike” and demonstrated mounting, riding and dismounting at the end of the tour.



View of Cathedral from Castle Ramparts


Kate and George III



Wagon Wheel exhibit


Horace on Penny Farthing

It has been a museum week as after swimming on Monday I had arranged a conducted tour in Cambridge of “The Whipple Museum of the History of Science” for the chapel. This contains a collection of apparatus used in pioneering experiments e.g. Darwin’s microscope, teaching aids, large collections of globes and historic items such as Sinclair’s ZX 81 computer.



Orrery

In the evening it was the Cricket Club AGM and I was granted permission to buy a new mower!
“Just Vegetating” this week started “Minor Vegetables” such as Salsify and Scozonera and Kate’s recipes were: Sweet Potato gratin with coconut and chilli, Squashsage and chestnut roll and Swede with honey.
In the evening we went to Warboys for a talk on “500 years since the Reformation” by an Australian called Stephen Tong.
We were treated to live music for the first time in “60s Music” by “Kim & Lee”. Kim was Kimberley Rew was guitarist with “Katrina and the Waves” and wrote both their 1985 No. 1 hit “Walking on Sunshine” and their 1997 Eurovision winner: “Love Shine a Light”. He played brilliantly and I have never heard a guitar played better.
Our Thursday walk started fairly locally at Graveley and took in Offord D’Arcy and Offord Cluny. It was not the most exciting walk but it stayed dry and the pub was good.
Love

Mike & Kate

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