20^th August 2023

 

Dear All,

I guess you have to admire an 88-year-old man, with no descendants, who plants a tree? Last year Geoff Barnes an ex elder of our church who moved to Fressingfield, Norfolk a few years ago phoned me up to ask about growing figs. I said don’t buy one as I can layer down a sucker from one of our trees, which I did, and this week it was ready to be delivered. On Tuesday, Kate and I together with Bob and Carol Kitson plus Carol’s 102-year-old mother Etty, travelled up to north Norfolk to deliver the tree. Geoff is remarkable for an elderly person as he thinks young and is vaguely planning to visit Brazil with a neighbour from there as well as Australia to see a close friend!

Fressingfield is a fairly small village of about 1000 inhabitants but they have recently sold their old church building – which was shaped like a coffin to remind man of his mortality! And have spent £1.5 million building a new one which is a fantastic edifice with an attached sports hall, large kitchen and numerous small rooms for classes.

 

 

Geoff with Fig Tree

 

 

Geoff, Etty, Mike, Kate & Bob

 

 

Inside the new church

 

 

Sports Hall

 

 

Kitchen

 

I had started the week at Cambridge Crematorium for the funeral of John House who was both a member of the U3A walking group and the Biographies class. He had been suffering from Parkinsons for some time but had a heart attack on the train returning from London.

We harvested our maincrop potatoes this week (Desiree and Rooster) before they are attacked by blight and have been distributing runner beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and courgettes to deserving cases!

Our Thursday walk started at Cowlinge south of Newmarket this week and took in Attleton Green, Wickhambrooke and Farley Green. The pub in Cowlinge opened especially for us. Harvest was well advanced probably 75% completed in that area and once again the sugar beet crops were excellent. It is an area of quaint thatched cottages with little noticeable poverty!

 

 

Period Barn near Cowlinge

 

 

Attleton Green

 

 

Farley Green

 

 

Cowlinge

 

Pastor David’s sister-in-law died unexpectedly in South Africa this week from blood clots following a hip replacement. She was in her 50s so the family, including David is in a state of shock. He has been given leave to go back to South Africa for the memorial service and help his brother.

Geoff Pake and I were invited to give a talk about CEEM and Moldova at the Breakfast meeting in Willingham Baptist church yesterday. The breakfast was excellent and they seemed to listen attentively.

Over did not have a football match yesterday as 3 teams have dropped out of the Cambs Premier league already. Dave Harrower and I therefore attended the top of the table clash between West Wratting and Great Shelford who finished 1^st and 2^nd last year. It was a proverbial “Game of two halves Brian!” ending as a 1v 1 draw.

 

Love

 

Mike & Kate