daytime

Sunday, 24 July 2022

24th July 2022

Dear All,

I started the week with a solo swim as everyone else was either suffering or isolating from Covid. There were only seven of us in the pool so almost a private party! The temperature rose to 55°C in our greenhouse on Tuesday and some of the tomatoes were semi cooked! Watering the garden is OK with a hose pipe but we have to cart water to the allotment and this has become a daily task just to keep plants alive. On Tuesday there was an unusual spectacle in that all the bees on our neighbour’s allotment had come out and lined the outside of the hive in an attempt to keep cool

Cooling Bees

Proof

Over actually got a mention on local news as the hottest spot in East Anglia on Tuesday

Anglia News

We went shopping in St Ives on Wednesday when it was cooler then I decided to dig two rows of 2^nd early potatoes a little early but the tops had completely died back. Despite the drought the quality was good and the yield not too bad,

Charlotte

Kestrel

Kate got a -ve test result on Wednesday so we both decided to walk on Thursday, it was a familiar local route starting at Conington and taking in Elsworth, Knapwell and Boxworth. Fortunately, it was a fairly cool day but Covid does seem to divert energy levels elsewhere. Strangely half of the cereal crops had been cleared and most of the rest seemed fit to cut but we did not see a single combine working. We managed the walk which was 8.4 miles this week but due to poor planning I had a Garden Club talk at Letchworth in the evening which was a bit of a struggle. Kate came with me to make sure I did not doze off! The talk was at Letchworth Golf Club in rather smart surroundings including a new display system which unfortunately did not link up with my laptop. After some time, another laptop was rustled up and fortunately I had the talk on an USB. You are never quite sure what to expect and no one had thought to mention the new system.

Screen in Elsworth church

Elsworth church interior

Experimental Flower strips in RSPB Hope Farm

On Saturday we drove down to Hyde Hall near Chelmsford to meet up with Esther, Emma, Mary-Ann, Amḗlie and Albert – the Hove folk staying in Hutton for the weekend. Emma’s mother, and sister’s family were also there so a fairly large gathering. We then went back to Hutton to inspect the alterations. These have made a tremendous difference so there is much more space available and it looks very smart – but not quite finished.