20^th May 2018

Dear All,

We have been to Beccles this weekend to celebrate John Bailey’s 70^th birthday (Kate’s sisters husband) – hence the delay in publication! We shared a meal last night with all the Bailey family – 19 in all then this morning they had hired a beach hut at Southwold. We left at 2 pm as we wanted to hear the speaker at the chapel Tea & Talk – Neil Thompson was a cricket opponent for 38 years and is now handling PR for Romsey Mill a charity which helps alienated youth in Cambridge and recently Peterborough as well.

James, John & Kate at Graze Restaurant, Beccles

John & Pavlova

Beach hut at Southwold

Earlier in the week we travelled down to Hove to spend Wednesday and Thursday with Mary-Ann, Amélie & Albert (Andy was back in Sweden). We made the beach on Wednesday but it was rather chilly. On Thursday it was a much better day and we took a picnic up to the South Downs near Devil’s Dyke. The sun shone and we had a serious insect hunt as well as hide & seek.

Devil’s Dyke

 

Professor Brainstorm   

                                                         Serious Hiker

On Friday Kate & I led a tour of Cambridge Botanic Gardens for the chapel. We had a training tour with one of our walking group, Aubrey, on Monday. He is an experienced guide but to have an official tour it would have been £10 per head on top of the £5.50 or £6 entrance fee. It was enjoyable for us to learn the background to the gardens as well as being able to identify some of the trees.

Kate at newly dredged lake – Cambridge Botanic Gardens

Esther is currently in Bulgaria doing one of her OT training stints. On Tuesday she sent us an email which said “Congratulations – how are you going to celebrate?” It turned out it was our wedding anniversary and we had both forgotten! As it happened we celebrated with a lunch at Wolfson College as we were due to Address Probus (retired PROfessional & BUSiness men or Prostrate Removed Other Bits Under Surveillance!) on the topic of “Street Pastors”. They are an elderly bunch but listened quite well. Their last email said “by the way we all wear ties!”

Equipment in Sofia for Esther to sort!

I managed to plant the main sweet corn patch and cucurbits at the allotment on Saturday but sadly missed the wedding and the cup final!.

Love

Mike & Kate