22nd July 2018

Dear All,

We still haven’t received any rain for seven weeks now and it is beginning to look like it! Our Thursday stroll started at Leighton Bromswold which is north of the A14 near Graffham Water. The soil is heavy in that area, but I have not seen cracking like it: 2” wide and 2’ deep – which made for very careful walking. The village pub “The Green Man” is one of the oldest in the country and the landlord copes with an influx of walkers by preparing a huge vat of stew – not ideal for a hot day but a useful tradition.

Mega cracks

The Green Man, Leighton Bromswold

Looking towards the A14 & Spaldwick

My computer screen packed up on Monday – not something that I have experienced before so we had a rare shopping outing on Tuesday to replace it in Milton as well as buying replacement hoe blades in Fulbourn and a new sprayer at Horningsea.

Cricket pitch preparation is currently a challenge, I spent 2 hours cutting rolling and marking out on Wednesday only to find the opposition had called off the minute I got home. My pitch preparing colleague John Lane is away on another of his marathon bike rides, this time to Santiago de Compestella following the “Camino” pilgrim’s route across northern Spain. He writes a blog each day under www.crazyguyonabike.com should you wish to check his progress.

On Wednesday night Kate and I went to see Milton Jones in the Cambridge Comedy Festival at The Junction. Milton was excellent “I come from a family of failed magicians – I have got two half-sisters!” without one swear word. Also on the bill were Ian Stone an experienced Jewish comedian and Stephano Paolini an Anglo Italian impressionist with an Irish compere Michael Legge. They were all good but language from a couple of these was more colourful which was a bit off putting.

Milton Jones

We had another meeting of the Over Show committee on Thursday evening. It is planned with meticulous care these days now that the old boys from the British Legion have handed responsibility to the Garden club. Whether the weather will allow many entries this year remains to be seen.

Otherwise in the garden we have harvested quite a lot and watered quite a lot – most things are surviving – just but not sure for how much longer!

Love

Mike & Kate