17^th  December 2017

Dear All,

The week began with a funeral for John Ramsbottom an ex NIAB colleague and Over resident. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years. He was a hard drinker and big into shooting and the eulogies captured him quite well! The wake afterwards was a bit like a NIAB reunion. Another ex NIAB man, Brian Tyrell rang in the evening and as usual asked after all my children.

Esther had a difficult journey back from Stockholm with three planes being cancelled due to snow in London – which of course was ridiculed in Sweden!

This was the last week of the U3A term and we finished “Just Vegetating” with “Oriental Vegetables”. The recipes were: Hot & Sour soup, Spring Vegetable pie and Pumpkin & Cinnamon bread. The group were again very generous and presented us with £100 John Lewis voucher.

I had to go to St Neots on Wednesday to try and sort out the CEEM account at HSBC bank in John’s continued absence. There is little doubt that once a bank is involved your money is no longer your own! I have booked flights for Moldova this week for myself and Terry Rugg another director who has visited a couple of times before. John may or may not join us from Turkey – it remains to be seen.

Thursday’s walk began at Heydon at the junction of Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire and took in Great and Little Chrishall. It was cold, clear and sunny so ideal walking conditions, if you were dressed correctly. We saw two herds of deer and just a little lingering snow.

Snow Lingering near Heydon

Chrishall church

Chrishall church

Chrishall

In the afternoon I hewed a Christmas tree form Richard Fenwick’s plantation in Mustill’s Lane. The trees are now overgrown and about 20 feet tall, so it is a matter of felling then taking the top out – but they are still only £2 per foot as they have been for 20 years!

The “Biographies” term ended with a quiz, winter readings and a buffet. John & Sally Lane left for 5 weeks in Australia and Thailand this week and we have charge of their large hen flock (3). Recent weather has left their pen like a muddy paddling pool so I tried to access some sawdust from our local woodwork businesses. One had just sold all their stock to a rabbit lady and the other has to turn all sawdust into solid pellets for the sake of the environment. These are sausages about 4 inches long and 3 inches diameter and very solid. I have 5 bags to see how they break down.

Kate and I are leading the Christmas short walk next Thursday at Barrington so we did a quick recce yesterday when it was again cold, sunny and clear. Football matches were scarce yesterday due to the weather so we ended up at Sawston v Lakenheath and it was very cold.

Love

Mike & Kate