28th January 2024

 

Dear All,

We skipped swimming on Monday partly because Kate was suffering with a heavy cold and partly because the pool had been closed on Friday and Saturday as they could not maintain the pool temperature in the cold weather. So, it was straight to Just Vegetating, this week featuring “Alliums”. Kate produced: leek, potato and sauerkraut gratin, red onion and cucumber salad and shallot and chestnut tart tartine.

French History on Tuesday covered 1547 to 1610 – Wars of Religion between Catholics and Huguenots, initially Henry II v Charles V – England & Spain v France & Scotland. Result: 2m to 4 million deaths!

We followed this by an ex NIAB lunch at Girton Golf Course for 14 including my old boss Bill Chowings who had travelled down from Norfolk with his daughter.

In the afternoon I tuned into a U3A Zoom on Tree Diseases which featured the present serious problems: Chestnut leaf miner, Dutch Elm disease, Ash die back and Oak Processional Moth then went on to describe another dozen disorders which are waiting to invade, it was interesting and alarming! This was followed by the family Zoom so quite a full day.

On Wednesday Kate had been pruning apple trees and I was invited to finish off the Spartan tree. Unfortunately, the folding step ladder collapsed so I descended the tree at speed and a little shocked!

Thursdays walk was back to gloomy skies and muddy underfoot starting at Great Chishill and taking in Building End, Duddenhoe and Crishall. It was really hard work and we did not move far in the afternoon and evening!

Leaving Great Chishill

 

 

Building End

 

High Wood

In the evening we were entertained by strange power cuts with low voltage switching off main lights by allowing TV and standard lights to stay on. A result of this was that the kitchen LED strip light failed and evidently the tubes cannot be replaced so the whole fitting has to be renewed. To add domestic excitement the tropical fish tank developed a leak so a week of household disasters!

Biographies featured “Herbert Morrison” the labour politician who started as mayor of Hackney and rose to head London County Council then an MP. He became Home Secretary, an important member of the War Time cabinet, heavily involved in Nationalising coal, steel and transport, leader of the House and deputy leader of the Labour party.

Herbert Morrison

I am still recovering from watching Ipswich lose to Maidstone but was helped by Over beating West Wratting 2 v 1 in a table top clash!

 

 

Regards

Mike & Kate