8th July 2018

Dear All,

How are you coping with the heat? – just as well that there are World Cup matches to watch in the cool! Gardening has become a long round of watering – but only essentials now all the rain water butts are empty. Kate has continued currant picking duties as there has been a tremendous crop while raspberries are a little shrivelled.

We had a tour of the local allotment with Glynis on Monday after swimming. As there is no water on either allotment site things are definitely struggling.

Mustill’s Lane Allotments

Tapping the Ditch for Water

It is Over Carnival next Saturday so we have been preparing the usual quiz, game and children’s activities. The theme this year is “Over the Hills and Far Away!”

We completed the 4^th section of the “Stour Valley path” on Thursday from Henny, south of Sudbury to Long Melford. It was obviously warm but tolerable with very few signs of poverty in that area!

Long Melford Church

Limousin Cattle in the River Stour near Sudbury

A Bevy of Swans

It has been the Swavesey Festival all last week and on Friday evening we biked down to see an open air performance of “The Importance of Being Ernest”. It was given by a professional group called “The Pantaloons” and was excellent.

Esther came for lunch yesterday to introduce us to her new friend Emma who seemed very nice; she works with adoptions for Social services.

It was Amélie’s 7^th birthday on Thursday and the photos suggest that chocolate for breakfast was no problem – especially if you have a small brother to help!

We had a speaker who used to work for Monks Wood Nature reserve at Men’s Breakfast and then we had to fill the baptismal pool for the baptism of a man who is helping start a new church at Northstowe – the new town being built at Longstanton.

Well my tip for the World Cup was Belgium before the start of the competition, and I have no reason to change that yet! Watching England is never relaxing but memories of 1966 keep coming back especially reinacting the goals in Nathan’s Road to the detriment of the neighbour’s garden!

Love

Mike & Kate