28th March 2021

 

Dear All,

The rain gauge has continued to work well – in 10 days we have only had one shower of 3.5mm, I should have started earlier! This has meant catching up with sowing, planting, digging and gardening in general. I have sown Red beet, Salad Onions and Broad beans, planted shallots, cauliflowers, lettuce, watercress and maincrop potatoes, pricked out peppers and aubergines and dug after winter brassicas at the allotment and the rest of Ken Elsom’s garden. Meanwhile Kate has tidied the front garden and filled all the spare space in the greenhouses with flower seeds. I have also constructed another compost bin for the allotment.

There are noticeable colonies of ladybirds this year.

 

 

Front Garden

 

 

Local Wildlife

We have registered for Postal Votes for the first time this week – must be getting old?

We are due to meet other walkers in groups of 6 next week and we are due to lead so we practiced the route on Thursday through the RSPB reserve, across the river at the Staunch, along the river then round Barleycroft Lake and the Gravel works and back along the river. We started in sunshine but it clouded over but was pleasant enough. We saw a pair of Egyptian Geese and another of Oyster catchers. Wild Plum and Sloes were in full blossom as well as Pussy Willows. Some of the dykes feeding into the river had been cleared and along one there were several little ledges running just above the water line – clearly some sort of rodent but we had never seen them before. As ever the badgers had been very active with fresh digging at two sites.

 

Badger Sett

 

Wild Cherry

 

Barleycroft Lake

 

Water Rodent Run

 

U3A term has finished but the Biography group voted to continue Zoom meeting for chat and gossip. They had very generously donated £100 to CEEM as I handle the visuals so I gave them a short chat about Moldova.

Esther & Emma kindly sent Kate a delayed Mother’s Day offering of some very artistically decorated biscuits.

 

 

Artistic Biscuits

I have had photos published in the Cambridge News 2 weeks running, last week it was “Statues” and this week “Skies”. My submissions were “Elvis in the People Palace, Glasgow” and “Sunset over Over”.

 

 

Elvis

 

 

Sunset over Over

 

It has also been the week for painting the outdoor garden furniture.

 

 

George Day memorial table!

 

I have not been feeling great over the last few weeks and recorded some high Blood Pressure scores so have been put on medication. It must be my lifestyle, not enough walking or fresh vegetables and too much smoking and boozing!

With love

Mike & Kate