30th August 2020

 

Dear All,

Highlights this week included booking a holiday, re-joining U3A the walkers and carrying out a Risk Assessment for chapel – so not as exciting as your weeks maybe?

We have booked a cottage at Hopton in Derbyshire for a week from 18^th September with David & Elly, friends from U3A walking. They were on the 2013 U3A trip to Derbyshire that was restricted by heavy snow and David is keen to complete some of the walks that were not possible that week.

As our local companions were not available this week, we joined the U3A walkers at Quy on Thursday. They are still going out in small groups to different locations although Philip interprets current regulations as allowing 30 if you are a charity! The walk took in Quy Fen, Horningsea, Lode and Anglesey Abbey. The temperature and wind were OK for walking which had not been the case for much of the week. We had walked shorter local routes during the week and been severely battered by the wind.

 

 

Quy Copralite Quarry

 

 

Maize maze

 

 

Lode Watermill

Other excursions this week included a visit to Oakington Garden centre and Kate has braved Tesco and undergone an eye appointment – which she failed due to pressure in her left eye and has been referred to Addenbrookes.

 

I watched a couple of football matches this week in the pre-season charity cup, the weather for the final on Friday was atrocious with both wind and heavy rain. The short adult cricket season finished yesterday but youth matches are still carrying on so we are still preparing pitches.

 

Kate and I together with Stephen Gregory have been charged with carrying out a risk assessment for chapel prior to the possibility of starting meeting up again. The Government guidelines are in a non-too compact 20-page document listing the things which you can (few) and cannot (many) do. I cannot see many folk rushing to fill the building but I guess it is a stage to go through.

Ben had a week off and having studied the list of countries which were open to UK tourists and did not require quarantine on return chose the Czech Republic – returning just in time to avoid the country being added to the quarantine list!

Plant of the week this week is the Pineapple Lilly as featured in this months RHS “Garden” magazine.

 

 

Pineapple Lilly

 

Did you watch the TV programme about Sophie & Edward Wessex last night – I am gradually coming to terms at not getting a mention!

 

Sophie & me!

With love

Mike & Kate

 

23rd August 2020

 

Dear All,

A week much like last week except substitute wind for rain. The wind was strong enough to snap a decent sized tree next door and possibly explain why both Over cricket teams were stuffed yesterday!

Derrek Medlock, who used to live two doors up from us has been around for several days. He moved to Nottinghamshire after his divorce but kept the bungalow. He comes from time to time to carry out maintenance – this time to repair the large rabbit shed, with which my children will be very familiar. He was on his own for a couple of days so we invited him for dinner on Monday – cue much reminiscing!

Kate had a successful repair at the dentist on Tuesday having been put off the previous week as the dentist did not have an assistant present! We checked the camp site down Cuckoo Fen on our walk and they seem to have fared quite well for a new enterprise.

 

 

Cuckoo fen Camp Site, Over

 

 

Cook’s English White cattle

 

Our longer walk this week started at Croydon (no not that one) and took in the Wimpole estate and Arrington. Conditions were good – not too hot, wet or windy. We counted eight raptors: Red Kites, Buzzards and Kestrels – no wonder small birds are scarce. Friends who volunteer at Wimpole told us that the number of visitors is limited to 1000 per day – fortunately we did not meet many of these!

 

 

Wimpole Lake

 

 

Wimpole Folly

 

 

Wimpole gatehouse

 

 

Arrington church

 

I would be lying if I said that our trip to the Bluntisham trip was the highlight of the week – but it is up there! The tip is very organised as you need a permit with a time slot and the site is divided into about 20 different waste types. Kate has been tidying the garage so we had plenty of offerings.

I was summoned to Norman and Rosemary Foster’s on Friday to photograph their 59^th Wedding Anniversary celebrations which took place in their garage with just daughter Hilary in attendance. She had been away on holiday and being very protective of ancient parents did not want to enter their house.

 

59^th celebrations

Sowing this week included Spinach, Spinach Beet and Spring cabbage. Sweet Corn and Raspberry harvests have featured heavily.

Kate and I are in charge of the Chapel ZOOM session this week as David and family have been on holiday – topic WISDOM – do you know anything about that?

We hope Jen is improving gets on OK at the Royal Free – we will be thinking about you.

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

16th August 2020

 

Dear All,

A fairly quiet week: gardening, sorting the cricket wicket, walking and getting wet! On Thursday I had an optician’s appointment in Swavesey and the advice was to avoid driving as they put drops in your eyes as part of the revised social distancing treatment. Thus, I biked and got caught in a serious thunder storm on the way back – not helped by getting my second puncture in a week to prolong the journey. Kate meantime had a dental appointment and then on to Tesco’s and she also managed to get soaked. However, we needed the rain and actually it was quite refreshing.

 

 

Damp Day

 

Beans and Tomatoes are continuing to crop each day now joined by Sweet Corn which despite four separate plantings seems to be coming in all at once.

We had Street Pastors ZOOM AGM on Tuesday evening. We have not operated during the lockdown but some have volunteered to help with the City initiative to feed the homeless being accommodated in hostels and hotels. Pairs of SPs have been out on the last couple of weeks to assess the traffic and it seems only the Regal and Revs have any volume of customers and this finishes at midnight. However, people in the queues are ignoring social distancing completely.

Kate and I walked to St Ives on Friday following the river on the Swavesey side. We did not see any other walkers and our usual companions are either on holiday or struggling with ailments. It was a good walk – a little sticky underfoot with the rain, finishing at the marina in St Ives, after which we caught the Guided Bus back. We planned to drop in at “The Nook” a vaunted coffee shop in Swavesey square, but when we arrived there was a queue of a dozen walkers outside the door so that was aborted.

 

 

Lock gates

 

The Ouse opposite Holywell

 

 

The Ouse near St Ives

 

St Ives Marina

 

 

St Ives Bridge

Andy has a fortnight off and the latest photo is a selfie of the family having joined the National Trust.

 

 

Happy selfie

With love

Mike & Kate

 

9th August 2020

 

Dear All,

Well it has been an action-packed week with Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie and Albert arriving Sunday and staying until Thursday and Esther and Emma visiting on Monday. On Monday the children helped me pick beans and tomatoes and harvest the maincrop potatoes at the allotment. When E & E arrived, they had bird boxes to construct – which kept the adults amused albeit missing the target audience!

 

 

Bean Harvest

 

Potato Picking

 

 

Bird Box assembly

On Tuesday it was fishing at the Manderson lakes at Overcote. John Lane fitted A & A with rods and bread bait and they were very successful in catching several gigantic Rudd (nearly 4” long!). One of the lakes has become infested with American Crayfish so an added bonus was setting traps and catching a couple of these as well. This was followed by trips to the apparatus on Over green and the recent smart set up in Willingham.

 

Fishermen of England

 

First catch

 

 

Baiting the Crayfish traps

 

 

American Crayfish

 

On Wednesday the remaining birdbox was painted (Esther having taken one home). Lettuce were planted in “cut ‘n come again” pots, then it was back to Overcote for swimming and minnow catching in nets. In the afternoon we tried a Treasure Hunt round Swavesey with limited enthusiasm.

 

 

Birdbox painting

 

Finished article

 

Thursday morning was again spent at Overcote with more fishing and swimming before they departed in the afternoon. It was good to see them all after so long.

 

 

Overcote

 

 

Minnow haul!

We did a walk on Friday starting early because of the forecast temperature, parking at Knapwell and circulating via Childerley Hall and Boxworth with Dave Harrower. Despite the early start it was rather warm by the time we finished.

 

 

Childerley Mill

 

 

Mysterious heap of chaff

 

Over 1sts won again yesterday dismissing Ely 2nds for 99 and reaching 100 for 5.

With love

Mike & Kate

2^nd August 2020

Dear All,

Lockdown took on a different look this week as we met up with Beaumont folk on Monday, Ben biked up from Streatham on Friday, Mary and Graham called in on the way back from Scotland also on Friday, Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie and Albert are due to arrive tonight and Esther and Emma plan to visit tomorrow!

We travelled down to Beaumont on the occasion of Bob Cole’s funeral. Numbers were restricted to mainly family despite the service being outdoors in gazebos in the cemetery. It was good to meet with his daughters Elizabeth and Jane who I had not seen for about 50 years and had trouble recognising behind face masks! We had lunch with David who displayed his culinary skills while Jackie took Jen to Colchester hospital. I had a tour of the farms with David – the crops have really struggled in that neck of the woods and also visited Beaumont Quay to yet again wonder how we enjoyed swimming there so much. We met Colin, Amanda, Megan, Sue, Ian and saw Gavin busy on the phone. After we met up with Dave Garlick in Frinton who has been unable to return to Ecuador since visiting his mother in Kirby in early March.

A good Onion crop

The latest Tractor

Beaumont Quay

I carried out my COVID 19 in-home antibody test this week involving a massive blood sample (one drop!) and a kit resembling a pregnancy test. Fortunately, I was negative for both virus and pregnancy!

Bloody Test Kit

Our Thursday walk was along the river to Earith and back on the other bank. It was a good temperature but Lawrie fell lame half way round and we ended up fetching him in the car.

 

Earith Gun Placement

Earith Lock gates

It took Ben about 5.5 hours to bike up on Friday and he originally intended to bike back the same day but was persuaded to stay overnight.

 

Ben Departing

Mary and Graham had spent a week with Helen and family at North Berwick and we were pleased to see them and act as a depot for goods that Jackie had order and for some reason been delivered to Helen. We are currently working on the storage rates!

 

Octogenerian Couple!

League cricket returned yesterday and Over won a thrilling match chasing down 256 with an over to spare – must be a really good wicket!

 

Cricket Returns

With love

Mike & Kate