24^th December 2022

 

Dear All,

Happy Christmas to all our readers! The Carol Service last Sunday Evening was well supported with items from a music group who had been practicing for a month and a men’s group who rehearsed for 10 minutes before the service! Could you tell the difference????

 

 

Professionals

 

 

Amateurs

 

We participated in “Cut -Your- Own” Christmas Tree harvesting down Fenwick’s plot on Monday – still a bargain at £2 a foot.

 

 

Christmas Tree 2022

 

On Wednesday it was the seasonal “Good King Wenceslas Trip” to Bedfordshire to collect Brussels Sprouts: 50 stems and 2 small nets plus a net of Swedes. I distributed the out of Over recipients Wednesday pm calling at Yelling, Boxworth, Foxton, Cambridge, Histon, Girton, Cottenham and Willingham. In the evening it was the Garden Club Christmas session with a quiz, photo competition and Secret Santa.

I managed most of the Over sprout distribution on Thursday before we attended May Elsom’s funeral at the Crem then refreshments at Over Community Centre. We met someone who had been in the Covenanter Group 40 years ago.

 

We got up early to shop at Tesco’s on Friday to beat the crowds but it was still heaving. Ben arrived midday on the train as he was suffering from bruised ribs and a cold – a good decision as it rained most of the day.

The last 5 stalks

We visited Kate and Gordon at Haddenham this morning and just have Kitson’s left on the sprout list at No. 58!

Best wishes to everyone.

 

 

 

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

18^th December 2022

 

Dear All,

Waking to snow on Monday was not a complete surprise due to the recent temperatures – but it always creates a ripple of excitement even in us old folks! We decided that the conditions were not really conducive to swimming, especially as the pool was cool the previous week. I made it to Cambridge for the last session of “Next Question”, this week’s quizzes were on Buildings, Chocolate and Music.

Q. What is the name of the Queen Mother’s home in Scotland? Which county is it in?

Q. What choc bar is named after a small dog?

We were sorry to finish “Napoleon” this week but organised a card and gift for the tutor. This week covered his Legacy and ultimate demise on St Helena aged 52.

The sunshine and frost combined to create some remarkable cobweb shots this week but I guess everyone noticed them?

 

Cobwebs

 

On Wednesday I met up with Peter Rickard who used to be Director of Arthur Rickwood EHF and we carried out joint carrot trials in the early days of polythene covering for earliness. He was widowed 8 years ago and said that he had not visited a doctor for 12 years – until this year when he has broken a leg, broken a shoulder and discovered to have an irregular heart beat!

The walk on Thursday was fantastic as the sun shone from a cloudless sky and the frosted scenery was spectacular. We met at Horningsea and walked along the River Cam to Clayhithe then back inland from the river. Kate and I were leading and the countryside was so attractive that we added an extra mile (actually we missed a turning!)

 

 

Towards Bate’s Bite Lock

 

River Cam

  

River Cam near Clayhithe

 

River nr Waterbeach

  

Winter Berries

 

In the evening the chapel joined with the C of E for carol singing round the village. It was rather chilly but 12 people braved the temperatures and we were fairly well received calling on most of the houses in the High Street and James Wadsworth Way including the haidressers, the shop, the pub and finishing in the Community Centre collecting money for the Day Care Centre.

  

Carol Singers

 

The last session of Biographies followed the tradition of everyone bringing a reading or poem followed by a quiz (I recycled some of  the Day Centre Quiz) then everyone brought in food and drink to share.

Kate then volunteered to pick up Grace and Arthur from school and we fed and entertained them as Rachel is not 100% at present. Adrian called while they were here and Arthur asked “What are you doing here?” A. “Keeping warm just like you!”

On Saturday I had a scout round Bedfordshire to order Christmas Brussels sprouts. Good news there is enough for everyone – even Esther!

Kate has a cold and is coughing impressively and Ben phoned after a bad night with possibly cracked ribs after a football collision. Hopefully he will come up on Friday when the trains should be running should he find cycling painful. Mary-Ann annd family plan to arrive Boxing Day and Esther and Emma the day after.

 

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

11^th December 2022

 

Dear All,

The Christmas season seems to be underway as we attended the village Pantomime on Friday night and the walkers had Christmas lunch after the walk on Thursday. The Pantomime was “The Little Mermaid” written by one of the Over Players members. The main characters were very good, the chorus a bit iffy but the production was a tad long which would be a trial for children.

 

 

Programme

 

The walk concentrated on Cambridge so we were close to the booked Restaurant “La Mimosa” a good Italian close to the River Cam. The food was very good but not cheap. The walk started at the Trumpington P & R and headed towards Grantchester and Byron’s Pool then via Grantchester Meadows back into Cambridge for Mulled Wine and Mince Pies at a member’s house, then back to the P & R and the restaurant – 35 of us in total including a few WAGs and some currently injured!

 

 Byron’s Pool

  

River Cam

  

Class of 2022

 

The Pool was a little chilly on Monday, probably due to financial reasons. “Next Question”  had rounds on Cars and Doctors: Q. Which doctor sold his soul to the Devil? Q. How many manifestations of Dr Who have there been? Q. Which doctor performed the first heart transplant operation? Edwin finished installing the side gate that day and we are pleased with it and hope it is badger proof.

 

 

Badger proof barrier

 

Tuesday Napoleon was being duffed up at Waterloo then we drove to Horningsea to recce a walk for next week then to Waterbeach to collect a boot full of soil improver from Amey Cespa.

Wednesday saw the beginning of the freeze up which reached -7°C last night. We both had trips to the dentist and I donated some blood for a PSA test.

  

-7°C

 Biographies subject was “Lord Lyndhurst” who was a British lawyer and politician. He was three times Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain in the early 1800s.

 

Lord Lyndhurst

 

The Over football manager resigned this week but two of his younger assistants have taken over and were rewarded with a 3 v 1 victory against Linton yesterday from the only match in the Premier league to escape a frozen pitch.

 

Have you all caught up with my biography? Ben gave it to me for my birthday when the author took his eye!

  

Biography?

I cleaned out the second greenhouse and mucked and dug it yesterday harvesting the last batch of chillies which have been very productive this year. This is the final pick from 4 plants.

  

Chillie harvest

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

4^th December 2022

 

Dear All,

Highlight this week has been replacing our old outdoor metal 1000 litre water tank with a new shiny plastic one. The tank was installed when the house was built 70 years ago and has been leaking for a few months and been patched to no avail. It was however very heavy and I could not move it on my own. Fortunately Edwin our local handyman arrived to erect a gate on our side passage to thwart badgers from across the road. Edwin is a character who loves to talk but if a project catches his imagination, he is very resourceful. I mentioned the tank and he said “We had better get it out before we install the gate”. I got inside and scooped out a few inches of sediment and the remaining water to lighten the load and we just managed to move the tank and trundle it to his truck on a sack barrow. Installing the replacement was lighter work but needed a lot of preparation levelling the platform with slabs and cement and creating an inlet for the down pipe. I have never used so many tools in one day but it was worth it.

 

 

Removed

 

 

Loaded

 

 

Installed

 

U3A “Next Question” was back this week after two weeks interruption with a slight change of cast. We had 3 quizzes: Animals, Dates and Bridges.

Q. Which animal born in 1996 and died in 2022 is now stuffed in a museum in Scotland?

A. Dolly the Sheep.

Q. Which couple had a pet called Dino?

A. The Flintstones.

U3A “Napoleon” this week covered 1812 and the disastrous Russian campaign. 450,000 set out and only 120.000 returned.

 

Later “Stan the Computerman” accompanied me to Swavesey to purchase a refurbished second hand laptop as my old one lacked ports which are needed these days.

Wednesday was the “Tank Day” and baby Nathan Burrell made an appearance, brother to Grace and Arthur who we looked after while the fun was happening!

The Thursday walk started at Great Chesterford in murky gloom with prevailing mist which despite the forecast barely lifted all morning. Despite the gloom it was a decent walk with little mud underfoot.

 

 

Grumble Hall in the Mist

 

 

Resting Drill

 

 

Well head

 

“Biographies” on Friday featured “Thomas Meagher” a 19^th century Irish rebel who was transported to Tasmania but escaped and fled to the US and led an Irish regiment in the civil war. He became Governor of Montana and died in mysterious circumstances – probably assassinated aged 44.

 

 

Thomas Francis Meagher

Ben is currently in Israel and Jordan and sent some photos through on WhatsApp.

 

 

Ben in Petra.

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

27^th November 2022

 

Dear All,

Christmas has come early to Over as Santa appeared on The Green last night for the switching on of the lights and carol singing. A large crowd turned out and the chapel were heavily involved with the choir.

 

 

Santa

 

 

Carol Singers

 

 

Amazing Grace

 

The Swimming Pool was back to normal on Monday but my “Next Question” class was suspended for the second week. On Tuesday we called in at Coton Garden Centre for aquarium plants and slight Christmas shopping before our “Napoleon” class. This week was his family – “No one is more unfortunate in his family than I am” so he made most of the kings of countries he had conquered! And “The Spanish Ulcer” - how his campaign in Spain and Portugal went badly wrong due to harassment from civilians giving rise to the term “Guerrilla War” literally “little wars”

As we had to call in at Barnwell on the way home to collect industrial strength dishwasher powder for the chapel we stopped off at Horningsea Garden centre for lunch.

In the afternoon Kate decided to make Red Currant jelly to create space in the freezer, unfortunately when she tested the temperature the bottom of the thermometer broke off so resulting in an interesting new recipe for “Red Currant and Mercury jelly!”

I have recorded 11 days running with rain this month and the bottom of the garden duly flooded, however the annual total is still only 440mm (17.3”). Norman Ingle came for lunch again on Wednesday before church group discussion.

 

 

First Flood of Winter

 

Happily Thursday was a better day and we completed our walk in the dry starting at great Chishall and taking in Chrishall, Duddenhoe Grange and Building End. The crops all look well and we spotted a few deer on the horizon.

 

 

 

Near Chrishall Common

 

Building End

 

 

Deer Silhouettes!

 

“Biographies” subject this week was “Sir James Jeans” 1877- 1946, once the most famous scientist of his day now largely forgotten mainly because his discoveries have been overtaken. He was an English physicist, astronomer and mathematician and founder of Cosmology – the study of the origins of the universe and despite being shy was acknowledged as the best lecturer of his day.

.

 Sir James Jeans

 

I removed the last of the Tomatoes yesterday and mucked and dug the greenhouse before watching Over lose 3 v 2 to Foxton thanks to a hotly disputed penalty – where is VAR when you need it?! Yes, I have watched a few of the World Cup games – not more than 2 a day!

The Cambridge News feature this week was “Green” and I submitted a green lizard photographed in Moldova.

 

 

European Green Lizard

 

I harvested the remaining two Sweet Potato plants while clearing the greenhouse and the weather certainly seems to have suited them!

 

 

Sweet Potatoes 2022

 

Love

Mike & Kate