28th October 2018

Dear All,

A quieter week once Monday was over as on that day we had the usual “Just Vegetating” followed by a dash to Bishops Stortford U3A to address one of their garden groups. It was bad planning caused by “JV” changing from Tuesday to Mondays. The “JV” topic this week was “Brassicas” and Kate introduced Kale crisps, Cauliflower rice, Cabbage with carrots and Cumin, mustard seed and lentil pie with mashed cauliflower.

On Tuesday we recced the Thursday walk which we were due to lead starting at Nuthampstead and taking in Barkway and Reed. There was a large turnout on Thursday with 19 on our walk which was 8 miles and 23 on the longer one. Nuthampstead was on the short list for the third London airport when Stanstead was selected and hosted a substantial American airbase in WWII. Barkway was on the old stage coach route from Cambridge to London and has some very attractive old houses and two large estates: Cokenach which stages celebrity cricket matches and Newsells which houses a stud farm.

 Barkway

Barkway

Inquisitive Charolais

Our “Biography” subject this week was Lady Rhondda, born Margaret Haig Thomas, a Welsh suffragette and leading female business woman in Victorian and Edwardian times. She was the only child of  David Alfred Thomas who was a successful industrialist in coal, steel and shipping and as Margaret was an only child her father treated her like a son and trained her up to take over the businesses. When David died she inherited the entire business which employed 60,000 men and was worth £80m. She married a Baron but was not allowed to sit in the House of Lords so became a keen supported of women’s rights. She was returning from the USA having visited one of the company’s American steel works on the “Lusitania” in 1915 when it was torpedoed and sank in 18 minutes. She was in the sea for 3 hours but survived. She was a great supporter of writers and founded the “Time and Tide” magazine which published just about every known writer of that age. Quite a CV – so how come no one in the group had heard of her?

Lady Rhondda

There was time for some gardening this week finally finishing the runner beans and beginning digging in earnest.  Watching football yesterday necessitated an extra layer or two as the temperature was on the chilly side!

Love

Mike & Kate

21st October 2018

Dear All,

It has been another fairly busy week as it included two days in Hove and so far four Powerpoint outings with three to come in the next two days.

On Monday we managed fit in a swim before teaching “Just Vegetating” this week it was “Aliums” and Kate’s recipes were: Chestnut & Shallot Tarte tatin, Stuffed onions, Leek, Saffron & Haricot Beans and Caramalised onion marmalade. Recipes can be negotiated for a fee!

On Tuesday I did a report for Riverford on the previous week’s Brassica open days then we drove down to Hove, happily an uneventful journey. Mary-Ann had a parent/teacher meet up on Wednesday so we were minding Amélie and Albert. Amélie has settled back into school very well and the teachers seem pleased with her, but she has a lot of catching up to do. On Wednesday we walked into Brighton or rather Kate, Mary-Ann and I walked, Albert has a “motor bike” that he is keen to ride everywhere. The streets were decorated with 50 brightly coloured snails to raise money for a hospice so this made the journey more interesting.

Simon Says

Easy Rider

Snail Trail

Our Thursday walk started at Arkesden and took in Wicken Bonhunt, Rickling and Clavering. We started in quite thick mist which did not clear until nearly midday but it is an attractive area. In the evening I had to nearly retrace my steps to speak at Ashdon garden club which was quite lively with over 40 present.

Arkesden

Familiar to David?

Atmospheric Mist

“Biographies” on Friday featured “Eamon De Valera” of Irish presidential fame. He had a tough upbringing and spent his life being in the right place at the right time and was the 2^nd longest European ruler in the 20^th century (after Franco). In the evening we ran a fund raising quiz at the Day Centre. Kate thinks up most of the questions and seemed to go well.

The Quiz

Saturday I was speaking at Willingham Men’s breakfast mainly on Moldova then the Parish Council had ordered 10 tons of soil to fill in the drainage cracks on the Green. Fortunately several volunteers turned up so we managed to finish in 3 hours or so.

Fun on the Green

Then Mary, Graham and Rosie arrived and we were pleased to see them and share lunch. Jonny, Charlie and Danny were attending a “Living History Fair” at Wood Green. I managed the first half of Bar Hill v Cambridge City Res. Then it was a surprise party for Richard Fenwick for his 70^th birthday.

Love

Mike & Kate

15th October 2018

Dear All,

Belated letter as my computer was playing up – Windows 10 updated automatically and failed to speak to any Microsoft applications.

U3A kicked in again this week so we were teaching “Just Vegetating” – Carrots & Parsnips on Monday, Kate was at “Polar Studies” on Tuesday and I was back at “Biographies” on Friday. “Rambling” on Thursday rolls on uninterrupted!

We are in a bigger room next to the kitchen in the Friends Meeting House for “JV” which is a big advantage.

On Wednesday it was the annual pilgrimage to Lincolnshire visiting the Seed Trade Brassica trials with David & Lawrie from walking. We managed to visit seven sites, some were very good, others were showing the effects of the drought. In the evening we had Street Pastor training at Impington so it was a long day.

Ornamental Cabbage

Pak Choi

Beetroot & Turnips

Parsnips

Kale trial

Our Thursday outing was fairly local starting at Godmanchester and taking in Hinchingbrook Park and Brampton. The weather was kind with sun throughout.

Godmanchester

Hinchingbrook Park

The Biography subject was Caroline Herschel a lady astronomer who discovered 8 comets and has a crater on the moon named after her. In the afternoon it was time to plant garlic, shallots, onions and Elephant garlic.

We were on the streets again on Friday – it was fairly busy as students were back in numbers and still have money to spend. Our first customer was a student from Jesus College who spread eagled at our feet and lay there saying “I must be drunker than I thought!” It turned out in conversation that he had been to “Soul Survivor” in the past and was quite chatty. We marched him back to college as it was not far away.

On Saturday I went to watch Over at Milton then there was an area meeting at chapel followed by an interesting session at the Community Centre entitled “Over Voices” by Caroline Redmayne tracing the history of Over through families, houses and land enclosures.

Love

Mike & Kate

7th October 2018

Dear All,

We have had two trips to Hutton this week – on Tuesday we were reclaiming Esther’s garden from nature and yesterday there was a gathering of the clans in the build up to her birthday. Apart from us, Ben, Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie, Albert, Emma, Emma’s mother, sister, brother-in-law and three children – so fairly cosy in her front room! On Tuesday you could certainly see where we had been!

 

                        Before                                                             After

 

                     

   Before                                                             After

I started digging on Monday but it was very dry, hopefully there was enough rain yesterday to soften things up. In the evening Kate and I addressed Needingworth WI on the topic of “Street Pastors” – we didn’t get any volunteers but did receive a donation!

On Wednesday I went back to NIAB to hear their plans for the future. They are trying very hard to reinvent themselves and the old variety and seed testing is now only 10% of their income compared to 90% at one time and still 50% when I left. Brexit is causing a few headaches as they have already lost some European contracts. They have taken over TAG, East Malling and Cambridge University Potato work. The old building has been sold and leased back and the staff are to be housed in new buildings on two sites.

We finished the Stour Valley Way on Thursday from Little Thurlow to West Wickham. We started in thick mist but finished in sunshine. The whole route is about 74 miles from Shottley.

Stour near it’s Source at West Wickham

Finishers

Love

Mike & Kate