12^th November 2023

 

Dear All,

Back to a normality week this week: Monday a swim then a Zoom session during which I had two interruptions: Adrian called then 2 guys turned up to change our TV aerial. Garden wise I planted Broad Beans and collected 6 bags of peat-based compost before it goes off limits. On Tuesday afternoon I started a new U3A course on the “Balkans”. I had missed the first two classes on the Definition, history and geography of the Balkans but the tutor had put a PowerPoint with 66 slides onto the U3A website. This week it was the first of two sessions on Albania where he had taught for two years. We learnt about Gjergi Kastrioti, King Zog, Enver Hoxha and Norman Wisdom.

Our Thursday walk started at Chrishall and took in Duddenhoe Grange and Duddenhoe End. It was fine overhead but a bit sticky underfoot. We caught a distant view of a herd of deer but not as many as we have seen before.

 

 

Leaving Chrishall

 

 

Basidiomycete Fungi

 

 

Roman Road

 

On Friday it was my turn to present in “Biographies” and my topic was going to be “Thomas Cook” the travel agent but the more I looked into it I felt I needed to include his son “John Mason Cook” as well as he was so vital in growing the company.

Thomas left school aged 10 and after having two bosses who were drunkards became a keen promoter of the temperance movement. He started his tours as an alternative for people rather than relying on drink for entertainment. His philosophy was helping the working classes to see the world and he had great vision in developing destinations all round the world. His son John was a hard headed businessman and thought business and religion should be separate and targeted the upper classes. The two had serious arguments and Thomas was retired on a pension. For more details I am available to elaborate at serious length!

 

 

In the afternoon I cleared the last of the Tomatoes and fertilised and dug the top glasshouse. On Saturday I finished digging the allotment then watched Over lose 2 v 1 to Whitchford.

Later I sorted through my vegetable seeds and reordered the gaps – the bill was over £100!

 

 

 

 

Regards

Mike & Kate