25^th August 2023

 

Dear All,

Early bulletin this week as we are off to Southwold and Beccles this weekend to celebrate Kate’s sister Sue and John’s 50th wedding anniversary.

Highlight this week has been seeing Ben, Esther, Emma, Amḗlie and Albert for a couple of days. Ben came up Sunday for a Cambridge funeral of a work colleague and stayed until Tuesday morning. Esther & Co. arrived Monday lunchtime and stayed until Tuesday evening.

Amḗlie and Albert were staying with Esther and Emma for a week – the first time Albert has been separated from his mother but it did not seem to faze him. Esther is very good with them leading Kate to say “Everyone should have an Aunty Esther (or Emma of course!)”. On Monday afternoon we had a vegetable themed Treasure Hunt then walked to Willingham playground via Furtherway. Ben caught us up running then on the way back had a dip in the river at Overcote.

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Assorted Smiles

 

 

Ben entertaining? at the playground

 

On Tuesday we were up at 5.45am to take Ben to the Guided Bus. We then had a blackberrying expedition down Over Fen evenly divided between collecting trays and tummies! Followed by lunch at Hartford Mill, a marina near Huntingdon.

 

 

Pickers and Eaters

 

 

Part of the Harvest

 

 

Happy Eaters

 

After lunch we called in at Dobbie’s Garden Centre at Wytom. It is a huge affair with plants almost as an afterthought. The children were keen to part with spending money and both purchased cacti and confectionary which hopefully will end up as presents for their parents.

Wednesday included a visit to Oakington Garden Centre to buy a Wedding Anniversary plant, digging the potato land and sowing green cover crimson clover and Phacelia and watching Over Res win their first game of the season against local rivals Swavesey.

We were leading the walk on Thursday starting locally at Dry Drayton and circling via Childerley Hall, Knapwell woods, Boxworth, Lolworth and Bar Hall. We added a loop to avoid road walking and ended up completing 9.2 miles on the so-called short walk! It was warm but not too hot and we only saw one uncut cereal field.

 

 

Childerley Hall Barn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boxworth Cottages

 

Today I have finished marking out the cricket pitch – only one more game after this week then loaded the laptop for Sunday as David is still away followed by veg harvest

 

 

Today’s Harvest

Love

 

Mike & Kate