24th April 2022

 

Dear All,

It is decorating season again – Kate is keen to paint the dining room so it was sleeves up time. She had gradually cleared the room throughout the week and painted the ceiling and I started the walls yesterday morning. The plan is three greyish walls and one dark blue.

Painting Workforce

 

We unexpectedly entertained Arthur and Grace on Tuesday as their mother had been taken to Addenbrookes in the night. We had planned to go to St Ives to collect paint and decorating materials so we took them with us. The front seat, upstairs on the Guided bus was close to paradise for Arthur! There was time for serious swan and duck feeding. In the evening we attended a public consultation meeting held by the RSPB about a proposed new circular footpath round the reserve. Aged cousin John Bell rang in the evening, his days seem to consist of getting up at 6 am, making breakfast, then falling asleep! He really wanted to attend Jen’s funeral but probably wisely considered it would be too much.

I had my fourth Covid jab in Cambridge on Wednesday morning, it was much quieter than previous visits. In the evening I was a substitute speaker at Over Garden Club as the booked speaker dropped out. I took tubs of Watercress and Minutina for them to try.

 

 

Watercress

 

 

Minutina

Thursday’s walk was fairly local starting at Stapleford, taking in the Roman Road and Wandlebury. It was sunny and dry and a good walk with reduced numbers as some were on a walking holiday in Derbyshire.

 

 

The Roman Road

 

 

Wandlebury

 

More work on the cricket square this week spraying for weeds, first match next Saturday.

Plenty of gardening sowing squash, pumpkins, marrows and courgettes indoors and salsify and French beans outdoors and transplanting more peas. In addition, I have dug the winter brassica and parsnip land at the allotment. The neighbouring allotment holder plans to introduce a couple of bee hives which should prove interesting.

Our pastor David and family returned from South Africa where they encountered the worst flooding for many years so had various adventures trying to travel on indifferent road surfaces, putting up with power failures, a flat tyre on the way to the airport and son Caleb was bitten by a spider!

The Cambridge News photo feature this week was “Trees” and I contributed a Weeping Willow.

 

 

Weeping Willow

 

love

Mike & Kate