25^th February 2018

Dear All,

Quite a lot of family action this week with Albert’s op., Esther’s accident, meeting up with Mary, Graham, Jen and David and the cousin’s weekend.

Most of you will know that Albert came through his operation on Monday OK but subsequently had a blockage on Wednesday and Mary-Ann had to take him back to A&E on the bus as they are currently without a car. She was feeling under the weather herself so had a trying week. He seems to be recovering now and they have a check tomorrow. On the same day Esther rand to say that “a youth” had driven into the back of her while she was stationary – she was unhurt but the bumper was damaged but hopefully not the ramp and pulley she has fitted to accommodate wheelchairs.

Kate and I met with Mary, Graham, Jen and David at Saffron Walden on Wednesday for a Weatherspoon’s meal and stroll round town. We had arranged to meet at 12 noon and were surprised to discover Graham already tucking in. Being down to his last few coppers he has worked out that their breakfasts represent the best value for money and they stop swerving them at 12! Saffron Walden is an interesting place to explore and we followed one of the town trails. David was bothered by his chest and had to drop out.

Saffron Walden Town Hall

The Arsenal Defence

I am due to go to Moldova again on 10^th April, this time with Terry Rugg an IT expert from Buckden. We met up on Monday to discuss and plan. John will not be joining us from Turkey but plans to go later in the year.

I went back to NIAB on Tuesday to meet old colleagues but also to deliver some Gromwell seed that was collected for us in Moldova – it has taken some time for the commercial company involved in a joint venture with NIAB to come up with the agreed payment but this has now happened. I went on the “Silk Road” course and this week it was the journeys of the Polo family which really started the trade routes. Marco’s father and uncle Niccolo and Maffio made a six year journey from Constantinople to Dadu (Beijing) starting in 1259 but it does not get much recognition because it was not written up. Unlike Marco’s journey with his father and uncle again leaving in 1271 when Marco was only 17. When they got to China Kubla Khan would not give them permission to leave so they spent 17 years there and the whole journey took 25 years.

I had another Garden Club talk in the evening this time at Orwell. On Wednesday evening I attended Over Garden Club expecting to hear the head gardener of Wolfson College who is a former NIAB colleague, instead there had been a last minute swap and the RSPB warden of the Ouse Washes updated us on the Reed Bed developments in Over Fen as recently featured on “Countryfile” When it is finished it should be 700 ha and the largest of its kind in Europe.

Walking on Thursday did not get off to a good start as roadworks in Cottenham meant that it took 42 minutes to drive from Willingham to Cottenham. We were leading one of the walks and managed to arrive only a few minutes after the scheduled start at Stow cum Quy. The walk started very cold but the sun came out again (as on the previous two Thursdays) and it was a decent walk as we managed to avoid the muddiest places by the river. Highlight was finding a pen of cranes in the middle of the fen as well as several banks of snowdrops. John Lane came for dinner having recently returned from two months in Australia, Thailand and Dubai.

Quy pond

Snowdrops

Quy Avenue

“Biographies” subject this week was “Elon Musk” a very colourful South African born Canadian American business magnate, investor, engineer and inventor currently the 53^rd richest man in the world. He is obsessed with settling on Mars to save mankind and invested huge sums in rockets to get there.

We had a men’s breakfast yesterday with the speaker David Mann who had spent his life as a medical missionary in Africa most recent in Madagascar for 20 years setting up a hospital which served and area half the size of Wales. This was followed in the pm with a Lego session for which Kate was chief cook. I watched a tense top of the table clash between Gt Shelford and West Wrating which ended 1 v 1.

Kate is going to help Mary-Ann tomorrow as Andy has to return to Stockholm so the plan is that I take her to Hutton lunchtime so that she can travel back to Hove with them in their hired car – the train journey on a Sunday would involve 5 changes!

Love

Mike & Kate