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.

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 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

 

20^th November 2022

 

Dear All,

The highlight/lowlight of this week might have been getting soaked again on our Thursday walk. “It never used to rain on Thursdays” is wearing a little thin as we now have had 4 wet walks out of the last 6 weeks. This week it rained throughout the walk and “waterproof clothing” needs reviewing by the Trades Descriptions folk. Fortunately we were walking from Potton so it is mainly sandy soil so not too bad underfoot. Near Biggleswade we came across a field full of treasure hunters and we thought “they must be crazy in this weather” and I guess they were thinking “they must be crazy walking in this!” The two individuals we spoke to had found a 1932 sixpence and a button – so well worthwhile!

 

 

Gathering

 

 

The Retreat from Moscow!

 

 

 

Damp Farmyard

 

On Sunday there was a larger than usual gathering of about 200 at the War Memorial for the Armistice Day ceremony. The usual wreaths were supplemented by a net and poppy spread.

 

 

War Memorial Gathering

  

Poppy Net

 

Kate had another run to Hinchingbrooke Hospital with Lorna on Monday but fortunately it was not a long session. “Napoleon” on Tuesday continued at it’s high standard, this week it was “Master of Europe” covering the many battles he waged on all fronts prior to 1815.

After we continued the curtain hunt and Kate now has enough samples to make the curtains without buying the actual item!

On Wednesday we met up with Esther and Emma for lunch in Cambridge after Esther’s latest appointments at Addenbrookes. In the evening I was drafted in to speak at Over Garden Club as the booked speaker dropped out. While I was speaking it rained so hard I could hardly hear myself speaking. In the end we had just under an inch of rain topped up with a bit more next day so the bottom of the garden flooded for the first time this autumn.

The” Biographies” subject this week was “Alfred Waterhouse” a Victorian architect who was responsible for the Natural History Museum, Manchester Town Hall, Girton College, improvements at Pembroke College, Liverpool “Red Brick” University and many other buildings especially banks. The British forgot how to make bricks after the Romans left in 410 for about 1000 years until 1400s.

  

Alfred Waterhouse

 

 

The Natural History Museum

 

I have managed to finish digging between the showers and leeks and parsnips are cropping as well as fennel and celeriac.

Kate was in charge of an Association meal at the chapel yesterday which took a bit of planning but the numbers were less than usual. The meal was very good with folk in from Ramsey, March, Chatteris and Warboys.

We watched West Wratting 1 v 1 Hemingford in the afternoon – it was distinctly chilly the first winter watch of the year!

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

13^th November 2022

 

Dear All,

After our usual swim on Monday the U3A Quizzes session was more lively than usual as two ladies stormed out claiming that the tutor had been rude to them following a discussion about the content of the course and the clarity of his diction. He is from Yorkshire and did not take kindly to their criticism and could have dealt with them a little more tactfully. They subsequently reported him to U3A HQ and the course has been suspended pending an investigation – a pretty good example of adults acting like children! In the evening I was speaking at Abington Garden Club about “Vegetables in a Small Garden”.

“Napoleon” on Tuesday covered his relationship with the British which was not too good as between 1693 and 1815 there were 7 wars and a constant state of tension with brief periods of fragile peace. We built 515 warships between 1803 and 1815 and this was the major British industry at the time. After the class Kate and I lunched at Pizza Express in Newmarket Road and visited Dunelm at Kate is in charge of replacing curtains in the Chapel Schoolroom.

On Wednesday I finished digging in the old strawberry bed and planted out Broad Beans. Norman Ingle came for lunch; he was widowed last year but earlier this summer travelled to New Zealand and Australia with one of his granddaughters. In the evening I travelled to Sandy for a CEEM meeting. At Gordon’s 70^th a whip round raised £485 for CEEM and I received a further £500 donation following a presentation by Philip Bowes during last Sunday’s evening service, Needless to say there are always more needs in Moldova than we can cover but these donations are very encouraging.

Our Thursday walk started at West Wratting of football fame! And circled via Western Colville, Brinkley, Carlton and Western Green. Thankfully no rain this week but the wind was quite lively for the second half of the walk. The short? walk was 9.2 miles this week and the longer one over 11 miles.

 

 

The Chestnut Tree, West Wratting

 

Western Green

 

 

Western Colville

The Biography topic this week was “Archbishop Desmond Tutu” who was involved in an amazing number of conflicts round the world – not just South Africa,

 

 

 

Desmond Tutu

 

On Saturday morning I attended the Willingham Ploughing Match with David and Lawrie from walking. It is the first one that I have been to and was amazed how many were taking part – 74 entries! Richard Fenwick was the only contestant I knew and most of the equipment was fairly elderly.

 

 

Richard Fenwick

 

Saturday afternoon Over failed to make an impression on top of the table West Wratting losing 4 v 1 in a cup game.

The Cambridge News theme this week was “Blue” and I sent in a photo of Lake Moraine from our Canada trip.

 

 

Lake Moraine

 

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

6^th November 2022

 

Dear All,

The Quiz last Friday raised £534 for the Day Centre which makes the effort worthwhile, evidently another 6 teams tried to enter but were too late. On Sunday night instead of a service we had a DVD on Thomas Cook the travel maestro who did remarkably well after leaving school at a very young age and surviving two alcoholic employers.

Swimming was a little strange on Monday as there had been a power cut so the temperature was down and the pool water level lower than usual. This had the effect of making the pool very choppy as the water was not overflowing the edges as usual.

U3A Quizzes we had one on famous Jones and a Mathematical quiz.

“Napoleon” covered how he secured control in France partly by holding phoney plebiscites so he could manipulate public opinion and also dividing the country into 80 Departments with a  loyal Prefect over each. Nevertheless, he survived assassination and plots on 30 occasions! In the afternoon Kate and I spent some time returning the chapel schoolroom to normal after painting including sorting curtains and replacing shelves.

I managed a little gardening on Wednesday including digging in mustard as green manure and starting to dig in the old strawberry bed.

Thursday was wet again. For a long time, we used to say” It never rains on Thursday” but recently we have had 3 wet walks out of the last four. We met at Ousden south of Newmarket and only the hardcore turned up, We circled via Dunstall Green, Spring Wood and Genesis Green. Highlight was coming across a herd of about 100 deer in Spring Wood.

 

 

Fashionable Raingear

 

 

Damp Gathering

 

In the evening I had an Over Show committee reviewing the last show and proposing a few changes for next time.

It was my turn to present at “Biographies” this week. As the chairman was recovering from a hernia operation, I as deputy had to be acting chairman, secretary, speaker and projectionist – I have put in for a pay rise! My subject was “Robert Bakewell” a 18^th century agricultural improver who vastly improved Leicester sheep, Longhorn cattle and Leicester black horses.

 

 

Robert Bakewell

 

 

Leicester Sheep

 

 

Longhorn Cow

 

Saturday morning there was a Men’s Breakfast at chapel with about 35 present. The speaker was a vintage car enthusiast and currently has 10 cars and needless to say he is a batchelor!

At lunchtime we were invited to share a celebratory lunch for Gordon Foster’s 70^th birthday at Slepe Hall, St Ives. It was an excellent meal not completely spoilt by me having to make a speech!

The Cambridge News topic this week was “Rising” and I submitted a view of skyscrapers rising in Hove.

 

 

Hove Tower Blocks

 

Love

Mike & Kate