27^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

This has been the last week of the U3A term, which is a bit of a relief as having something every week day was a bit much this time. After not going out at all last weekend with a cold I have been much better but have continued to sniff and cough. I hadn’t had a cold for 2 years but this one seems to be making up for lost time!

I was OK for swimming on Monday and teaching the last session of “Just Vegetating” which was on “Oriental Vegetables”. The group presented us with a gift of £110 for CEEM.

On Tuesday the last session of “Cognitive Psychology” was on Decision Making. I am not quite sure what to make of the course as it mostly seemed to be stating the obvious in a round a bout way – but perhaps I missed the point? After we watched Gordon’s mothers memorial service on Zoom then planted out Cabbage, Cauliflowers and Calabrese. In the evening we had a meeting of the CEEM committee at Sandy which was rather tense as one member has not been performing very well with plenty of excuses and another had written a rather blunt paper largely about his shortcomings. Needless to say, the latter is German as they tend not to beat about the bush. I was chairing the meeting and no blood was spilt!

On Wednesday Kate and I travelled down to Hutton to help Esther & Emma preparing to move out while builders move in to extend and modify their property. What started as moving two small apple trees grew to digging up seven trees and bushes and potting them up into temporary homes. The sun was shining and they mostly came up easily so it was quite enjoyable. We also fetched home some of the contents of their freezer.

 

 

Gardener at Rest

 

We were leading the walk on Thursday starting at Waresley and taking in Great and Little Gransden. This is usually a free-range chicken and bluebell walk, but the birds are all indoors because of the flu epidemic and we were too early for bluebells. The woods were all closed due to the perceived danger of Ash Dieback causing boughs to fall on passers-by. An interesting feature was seeing the windmill which is claimed to be the oldest post mill in the country dating back to 1610. The main structure has been recently renovated but the sails have not been replaced yet.

 

Great Gransden Post Mill and walkers

 

 Mother & Lamb in solitary confinement

 

We had an Over Produce Show committee in the evening. Things do not change greatly from year to year but our very efficient secretary still manages to produce a 25-point agenda!

Friday saw the end of “Biographies” for this session. The topic was “Charles Campbell” an early Scottish footballer who played for Queens Park for 16 years in the 1870s and 80s and won numerous trophies before starting the Scottish FA then later the Irish FA. This seemed a strange subject for a rotund elderly lady who has probably never kicked a ball in her life, but it turned out that he was an ancestor of hers and in Olympic year 2012 she won a prize in an essay competition about “My Sporting Ancestor”. After we had a celebratory meal in the Maypole pub where we normally repair for coffee.

 

 

Charles Campbell

 

Kate helped me plant second early and maincrop spuds at the allotment in the afternoon and at Elsoms on Saturday morning. She has also been very busy tidying the front garden which looks colourful at this time of the year.

  

Front garden – smartened up!

 

The Cambridge news topic this week was “Pastimes” and my submission was Pumpkin Carving.

 

Pumpkin Carving

 

While writing this letter news has come in the sister-in-law Jen passed away last night. It had been expected for sometime but it still comes as a jolt when it happens. She had been battling myeloma for a long time.

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

20^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

Highlights this week include my 76^th birthday and inheriting Kate’s cold! Thanks to all for birthday cards and gifts. We celebrated by participating in the usual Thursday walk then brought all the walkers a drink in time honoured fashion afterwards. In the afternoon, Tony & Jenny Miles came for cake and tea. The main celebration was a meal on Friday evening at The Three Tuns, Fen Drayton with Kate & Gordon, Mervyn & Pat, Bob & Carol, Glynis & Richard, Jane and Adrian.

 

 

 Birthday Loot

 Kate sat out swimming on Monday due to her on going cold and “Just Vegetating” was Minor Crops (part 2) including Globe and Jerusalem Artichokes, Cardoons, Tomatillo, Tamarillo, Hamburg Parsley, Sweet Potatoes etc. Kate’s recipes included Jerusalem Artichoke dauphinoise, Sweet Potato gratin with coconut & chilli, Fennel salad with pistachios & oven dried grapes.

On Tuesday, Arthur was poorly and only lasted an hour of sleeping and weeping before returning home. I dug in the over wintered green manure (crimson clover). In the afternoon we went to the recycling centre at Waterbeach for 7 bags of green compost/soil conditioner. In the evening I was speaking at Fulbourn Garden Club, which was rather up market with sausage rolls, mince pies and wine afterwards!

Wednesday evening it was Over Garden Club with a very good talk on “Auriculas” – hardy Primulas mostly with a pale centre to the flowers.

 

Our Thursday walk started at Balsham and took in West Wratting and West Wickham. It was sunny throughout but 15mm rain the day before made for a few sticky patches underfoot.

 

 

Balsham Bandstand

 

Balsham Period House

 

 

West Wratting Hall

 

I missed “Biographies” Friday because of the cold symptoms which eventually developed into something fairly severe. I did manage to spread lawn sand on the grass and pricked out a few seedlings.

The Magnolias in the front have started to colour up

 

Magnolia

 

The Cambridge News topic this week was “Farming” and I submitted a shot of the muck spreader at Bolehill!

 

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

13^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

The news from Moldova is not improving. We have had email contact with most of the places we know. In the capital Chisinau, Igor reports that “We have packed bags – just in case, all the local shops have sold out of cases”. He has also picked up refugees from the border. In Leova, they have turned their community centre into a refuge but are surprised that some well to do refugees are a bit fussy while poorer ones are finding things more difficult. In the villages there is less impact so far.

Meanwhile here in peaceful? England the garden has dried up enough to allow planting of onion and shallot sets, peas from gutters, Broad Beans and lettuce. The grass has had its first trim and the cricket square also. Tomatoes, Peppers and Aubergines have all been pricked out and I have sown some less usual salads in the form of Minutina and Agretti.

 

 

Protected Peas

 

U3A Cognitive Psychology was about “Working Memory” the difference between short term and long-term memory and how we store and access both with terms such as “Phonological loop” and “Episodic Buffer” thrown in!

We reached the last session of UK History covering 1051 to 1066 mainly Edward the Confessor and his pro Norman bias leading up to William and the Normans proper. The course had interesting sections but was too much into lists of kings and their battles rather what everyday life was like. In the afternoon we tuned into a U3A talk on “UK Foreign Policy in Central Asia” by David Hardy who has spent most of his life working in Kazakhstan and all the other ‘stans: Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Turkmenistan and Kurdistan. He described the differences between them all, what they are strong in and their outlook on the rest of the world. Kazakhstan is especially interesting and the new capital Astana is like something out of Disneyworld.

 

 

Astana

 

In the evening we were invited round to the Howards to help Mervyn celebrate his 81^st birthday by sharing four curry’s that he had made himself.

The planned walk for Thursday was over an hour away at Shillington beyond Baldock so we decided to carry out a recce for the next walk we are leading in a couple of weeks’ time. This started at Waresley and took in Great and Little Gransden. Again, it demonstrated the value of a recce as we managed to find a way round a flooded path and also managed to take a wrong route necessitating several extra steps and a longish walk! We had lunch in Waresley Garden Centre afterwards.

 

 

Waresley

 

 

Waresley Wood

 

 

Unusual Sign

 

I was in charge of Biographies this week as our leader was indisposed with a stomach ailment. The subject was “Dame Laura Knight” a 20^th century artist who pioneered the way for female artists in a male dominated world. She was excellent at portraits and landscapes and helped raise morale in WWII by painting individuals who were exceptionally brave as well as land army girls. She was the only artist allowed to paint the Nuremberg trials.

 

 

Dame Laura Knight

 

 

Land Army

 

On a humbler level the CN photo topic this week was “Fashion” and my contribution was a shot of a Swiss Guard at the Vatican.

 

 

Swiss Army Guard

 

Kate has been suffering from a severe cold and was “coughing for England” last night!

With love

Mike & Kate

 

6^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

I have just received an email from Moldova asking for prayers for:

1. For peace in Ukraine,
2. In the context of what is happening in Ukraine, yesterday Transistria demanded that be recognized as an independent state, but this is equal to an armed conflict, it is a matter of time. Pray for peace in Moldova and may God protect us.
3. For refugees who come to Moldova and those who are involved as volunteers.

Not surprisingly everyone in Moldova is feeling anxious as they are surrounded on three sides by Ukraine and are obviously very vulnerable.

The situation there makes our lives seem a bit trivial but I guess we need to persevere.

The pool at Inpington is becoming more popular but still tolerable and thankfully a good temperature. “Just Vegetating” this week featured “Potatoes” and Kate produced Curate’s pudding, Spicy potato with Tahini and Potato gratin with coconut, chilli and lime.

“Cognitive Psychology” was all about Autobiographical memory – how and why we remember things and “History” covered King Cnut and the very complex succession after his time: Harold Harefoot, Harthacnut, Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwineson leading up to William the Conqueror.

Our Thursday walk was challenging after a week of rain starting at Ousden south of Newmarket and taking in Denham, Denham castle and Dunstall Green. Some sections resembled the Somme and we were not too frisky afterwards!

Large muddy field

Muddy Lane

Denham Hall

 

Free Range Geese

The “Biographies” presenter was Gill Mallett a spirited 86-year-old lady who graduated from Oxford before it was seemed proper for ladies to receive degrees! She featured “Agatha Christie” who sold 2 billion books in her time out sold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She was unsuccessful until the age of 30 then produced 66 novels, 14 books of short stories and several plays including the “Mouse Trap”

Agatha Christie

Albert was star pupil again this week and seems to be taking to school. Esther has been told that she is on the list for advanced treatment for her asthma at Addenbrookes in the spring.

Star Pupil

Several football matches were cancelled due to waterlogged pitches yesterday including both Over games so we watched Cambridge University Press v Foxton in rather chilly conditions.

 

With love

Mike & Kate