9th February 2020

Dear All,

We had a serious malfunction in our tropical fish tank, while we were in Hove the thermostat packed up and overheated the water and cooked the fish. Consequently, we have started again with some new electrics and a spring clean of the tank. Fortunately, a friend – Adam Swain had an over population of Swordtails and was keen to restock our tank.

  

We attended the U3A film club this week to see “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” starring Humphrey Bogarde  made in 1947 but it was still very good.

Our cemetery has been left some money and is spending some trimming the hedges where there was some hefty trees growing up. I have been the main beneficiary of the timber and spent much of Wednesday sawing up logs so that we sat in front of a roaring log fire for the first time this winter on Thursday.

Sowing is well under way with peas in gutters, tomatoes, celeriac, lettuce, beetroot, salsify, cabbage, cauliflowers and broccoli all started and a severe gash on my head as I forget how low the greenhouse doorway is!

I spoke at Great Chesterford Garden Club on Wednesday night and had to judge their spring flower competition – I try and leave before the results are announced!

Thursday saw us at another distant location this time at Shillingford beyond the A1 in Bedfordshire. The journey was worthwhile with wall to wall sunshine and rolling countryside.

  

Shillington church on the hill top

  

Near Lower Gravenhurst

Wrest House

“Biographies” this week features a relatively unknown polymath called “John Cranch” presented by one of his descendants who had written a book about him. He was born in 1751 in Devon and did not go to school due to poverty. He was apprenticed to a lawyer aged 10 then to an Attorney in Axminster before escaping to London where he had a lively interest in all things artistic teaching himself Latin and French and developing great skill as a painter becoming a mentor of John Constable. He moved to Bath and started collecting Roman pottery and coins and his collection started the Bath museum collection. He must have been a remarkable man in his day and yet none of had heard of him illustrating the transience of fame!

John Cranch

The Plasterer by John Cranch

Over won a cup semi final on penalties yesterday after drawing 1 v 1 with Bassingbourn.

Amḗlie has spent 4 days away with her school at an outdoor activities centre which she has greatly enjoyed.

Ben was uncomfortably close to the site of the stabbing and shooting in Stretham last weekend but thankfully not too close.

With love

Mike & Kate