27th 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
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
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