29th December 2024

 

Dear All,

We are just back from an enjoyable 3 days at Hove with all the family. Kate and I drove down on Boxing Day, Ben attempted to bike from Over to Hove and almost got there but we collected him about 30 miles short. Esther has had a really rough time with her eyes so she and Emma did not arrive until Friday. We were quiet on Christmas Day with just Ben here but still managed a few mandatory games of Skinny, Jacks, Upwords and Dates.

We walked to the sea front on Friday before Esther & Emma arrived about 5.30pm. Andy had a dart board for Christmas and it was given a fairly thorough airing.

Andy was IC cooking and performed splendidly as usual. They have a very large TV screen which made watching Ipswich lose to Arsenal more painful than necessary!

 

 

Abbey Road Enactment I Hove

 

 

Hove beach with distant view of Brighton Pier

 

 

Seaside Art

 

 

Post-Christmas Dinner

 

 

Spot the Vegetarians!

 

 

Present Time

 

On Saturday some of us took a walk along Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs. It was rather misty and slippery but still some decent views.

 

 

Devil’s Dyke

 

 

Kate, Ben, Mary-Ann & Albert

 

 

Early Faller

 

 

Ben left on his bike about 9.30am and we followed around 10.20. The M25 is a bit painful at present but could have been worse, Esther and Emma plan to leave Monday.

It was great to see everyone again – just a pity that they are not closer.

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

 22nd December 2024

 

Dear All,

Not too much to report this week as U3A classes were finished for the term and the garden was too wet for much activity. After swimming Monday I prepared a Merry “Deaths in 2024 Quiz!” On Tuesday I helped Kate with a chapel kitchen inventory for Insurance purposes then we installed and filled another water butt at the allotments. What gardening that has been possible consisted of digging up a currant bush and two roots of rhubarb and potting them up – the rhubarb for daughter’s gardens.

After serious discussion I was allowed to purchase a massive Christmas tree which stands about 2 feet tall but is potted up with its roots in tact – you could say that our Christmas decorations are not over the top this year!

We had our Christmas walk and lunch on Thursday. Kate and I walked from Madingley Park & Ride car park to the mid-point where we joined others for mulled wine and mince pies. The route took us past some unfamiliar buildings in a part of Cambridge which we do not often walk. After refreshments there was the traditional group photo. We then walked through the centre of Cambridge to La Mimosa, an Italian restaurant by the river Cam where about 40 of us enjoyed an excellent meal.

 

 

Slumberger HQ

 

 

 

Robinson College

 

 

The Class of 2024

 

 

River Cam

 

 

Kings College chapel

 

 

St Johns College

 

We called in on Carol Kitson on the way home as it was her birthday.

After Tesco’s on Friday I patched up the fruit cage at the allotment which had been damaged in the recent gales.

Saturday was Brussels Sprout day collecting 50 stems and a net from Wilden in Bedfordshire and breaking the back of the distribution with 41 visits!

We are likely to have a quiet Christmas as both daughters are with their in-laws but Ben is planning to bike up later today. We hope to all join up in Hove on Boxing Day.

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

PS Sister Mary has just phoned with the news that Cousin Peter Nunn passed away yesterday.

 

15th December 2024

 

Dear All,

We did manage a swim this week with the temperature back to normal. I then had the last sessions of the two U3A Zooms. In “Balkans” we finished North Macedonia mainly Ohrid and Skopje.

 

 

Skopje

 

“Eat Well..” covered Skin, Glycation and Ageing. The lecturer then left to catch a plane to Australia.

On Tuesday we attended the funeral of Les Gawn at Boxworth, he was only 68 and he had severe chest problems probably due to early exposure to asbestos. There was a large turnout and it was very emotional.

 

 

In the evening it was the AGM of the Swavesey & District History Society. They had asked for 10 minute contributions and I had prepared one on “Beaumont” but in the end they concentrated on the storey of John Shepperson an eminent local farmer and historian who died earlier this year and did not have time for other contributions.

Ben joined our family Zoom from Tunisia where he has been spending a few days.

On Wednesday we had a trip to the dump to off load a few things then collected a sheet of glass from Cottenham to repair storm damage to one of the green houses.

The church group meeting concentrated on Christmas memories especially a discussion about the changes we have seen in our lifetimes.

Our Thursday walk started at Burrough Green and took in Brinkley, Willingham Green, Weston Green and Carlton. It was very misty to start with and it did not really clear all morning.

 

 

Leaving Burrough Green in the Mist

 

 

Sheep (not Gorillas) in the Mist

 

 

The Old School House, Burrough Green

 

The final session of “Biographies” featured a Quiz which I presented based on the one we did earlier in Over, then we shared an Italian meal in a local pub.

 

In the evening Kate and I attended the Over Pantomime which was “Sleeping Beauty” The standard was quite high for a village effort.

 

 

As the sun shone on Saturday I managed a little gardening then watched Shelford 5 v 0 West Wratting as Over did not have a match.

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

 

8th December 2024

 

Dear All,

Swimming continues to be hit or miss as we arrived at Impington to find the pool closed due to a boiler failure.

Balkans this week was Albania part 2 and North Macedonia which like many countries in the area has a huge mix of nationalities.

 

 

Samuel Fort, Ohrid, North Macedonia

 

“Eat Well” included Kidney problems, Mental Illness, Coffee and Lycopene. Evidently 2 cups of coffee a day are good for you but more becomes problematic.

We walked on Tuesday this week starting at Nuthampstead which was a US airbase in World War II and took in Barkway which was on the stage coach route to London and Reed. It did not rain but there were areas of mud.

 

 

The Woodman, Nuthampstead

 

 

War Memorial

 

 

Memorial Plaque

 

I had a RSV jab on Wednesday which made me feel a bit achy for a couple of days. Later I met up with Kate & Gordon and Paul and Annette Davies in an Italian Restaurant in Ely. Paul works for the Albanian Evangelical Mission and I am trying to arrange a meeting for him with our “Balkans” lecturer.

On Thursday, Lawrie Gray came to help me sort the seed donated by Fothergill’s for Moldova. We managed to catalogue 650 vegetable packets – just the flower seed to go! I managed a little gardening in the afternoon swapping a gooseberry bush with rhubarb and removing the peppers from the top Greenhouse and mucking and digging the area.

Biographies topic this week was Shirley Williams and being a Cambridge audience about half the class had met her in person!

 

 

Dame Shirley Williams of Crosby

Kate went to visit Marjorie Johnson who had a fall and ended up badly bruised with a sore back and is now in a recovery home in Cambridge.

All local football was cancelled on Saturday so it was serious Christmas card writing and Compilation dispatching. We managed a bracing walk round Over Fen.

 

 

Fen End

 

 

Cook’s cattle

 

 

Burling’s Bulls

Regards

Mike & Kate