25th February 2024

 

Dear All,

Can anyone lay their hands on the plans for an Ark? They could be useful! So far, we have had 14 wet days in February and a total of 115 mm rain – about 3x the average.

We missed swimming Monday as it was half term timetable. Just Vegetating was Legumes this week and Kate produced: Mixed bean Masala, Pea Pesto & Stir-fried runner beans.

French History covered the Revolution which was brought about by a poor harvest in 1788 with bread price rising to 88% of a peasant’s wage, Inequality and poor representation for the 3^rd estate (they looked to UK with it’s parliament) and an unpopular Royal family. Altogether 15,000 to 17,000 were guillotined – happy days!

The Guillotine

I managed some digging at the allotment this week but water was appearing in the trench as I dug, In the greenhouse I have sown more Broad beans and filled two gutters with peas.

Kate has helped me sort, catalogue and reduce the seed packets donated by Mr Fothergill last week. The final tally was 1097 vegetable packets, 230 herbs and 630 flowers, total 1966. This is too many to take so I have reduced the total number to 736 – now all we need to do is get them there safely!

It was Over Garden Club on Wednesday evening and the topic was “Fuchsia’s”. The speaker described all the different types and varieties and how to look after and propagate them. It made me think of my father as they were one of his favourite flowers.

A few Fuchsia’s

We missed the prescribed Thursday walk as I have a blood letting appointment so we decided to do a recce for a walk we are due to lead in a couple of weeks. Yes, we had studied the weather forecast but having got wet 3 out of the previous 4 weeks what’s the problem with 4 out of 5? The walk started at Barton and took in Grantchester and Coton. It began quite well but after an hour the heavens opened rather violently when we were nowhere near shelter. It rained with such force that it felt like hail! After there was persistent drizzle for most of the rest of the way. We missed a turn so added a few steps then coming back to Barton the path crosses the University Rifle range and unfortunately, they were shooting in the rain so we had to divert via the soggiest, squishiest meadow in Cambridgeshire adding even more steps! As we had to cross the M11 a couple of times it was not the most rural peaceful walk.

Barton Old School house

M11

One of the Damp Places

And another one!

The Biographies subject this week was Hannah Arendt, she was a German-American historian and philosopher and one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. As a Jew she lost relatives in the concentration camps and wrote and account of Adolf Eichman’s trial. As a result, she coined the phrase “Banality of Evil”

Hannah Arendt

Despite the weather I managed a decent harvest yesterday:

Winter Harvest

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Over’s 1^st team game was off due to a waterlogged pitch but the 2^nd team played and won 2 v 0 against Abington. One of Ben’s contemporaries, Daniel Ivett came on as a substitute aged 44.

Albert had a day at hospital with a chest infection/asthma but happily seems to have recovered with oxygen and antibiotics.

 

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

 

18th February 2024

 

Dear All,

The Pool was virtually bath temperature this week – you never know quite what to expect. Just Vegetating was “Salads- Fruit” and Kate prepared: Courgette pistachio and lemon cake, Roasted stuffed peppers and Tomato, strawberry and basil salad.

French History covered 1715-1789 mostly the reign of Louis XV who became king and was married at 15 and fathered 10 children in the first 10 years of his reign while keeping a harem of mistresses the most famous being Madame de Pompadour and the Countess du Barry. France claimed to be “The Greatest Nation” and in 1700 had a population of 21.5m while UK was only 5m. It had a high Literacy rate They were leading in culture and architecture and produced philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau.

 

                                    Louis XV

                                                    

   Madame de Pompadour

On the way back from Cambridge we called in at Clear Glass in Cottenham to buy a replacement pane for one of the greenhouses, it was a large sheet at 72cm x 142 cm but the cost was a shock at £53!

The football club are preparing an exhibition of old photos for the end of season and I was able to submit this vintage shot from the 1971-72 season.

Over FC 1971-72

I sowed a few more seeds on Wednesday and pruned the autumn raspberries but working the land is still out of the question.

Thursday was sunny fortunately so walking was not such a slog as the previous week, there was still some mud but we were in a chalky area so it was not too sticky. We began at Ashwell in Hertfordshire and took in Hinxworth and Caldecote.

Snowdrops in Hinxworth

Source of the River Rhee, Ashwell

Ashwell church

Ashwell Museum

The Biographies subject this week was “Barbara Castle” – Baroness Castle of Blackburn. She had a remarkable career as an MP from 1945 until 1979 holding four cabinet positions: Ministry of Overseas Development, Ministry of Transport where she introduced breathalysers, seat belts and 70mph speed limits in response to her claim that road deaths since the war had exceeded Hitlers civilian casualties (150,000). Then Secretary of State for Employment where she had trouble with the Unions and finally Secretary of Health and Social Security. When she left parliament, she had 10 years as a MEP then finished in the Lords until her death in 2002.

Barbara Castle

 

In the afternoon I drove to Kentford to collect 1000 packets of seed donated by Mr Fothergill’s for Moldova. All we need to do now is sort and list them and find a way of getting them into the country!

On Saturday there was a Men’s breakfast at chapel and the speaker was very good an ex-Army Chaplin who had a spell in Afghanistan and is now pastor in Swavesey. This was followed by a Lego afternoon which I helped set up and Kate had a busy day helping cook the breakfast then was in charge of bacon rolls at the Lego. I managed to cut the grass, at least the areas above water level.

Dave and I went to Witchford to watch Witchford 1 v 1 Over in a game Over should have won.

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

 

11th February 2024

 

Dear All,

Monday went: Swim, Just Vegetating, lunch at Weatherspoon’s, gardening.

Just Vegetating this week was Salads – Roots, Shoots & Leaves. Kate produced: Braised Celery, Fennel salad & Squash and quinoa salad. Afterwards I met up with a couple of walking colleagues for lunch and catch up with one who is no longer walking with the group. In the afternoon I sowed Broad beans in modules in the green house and pricked out a few early Brassicas.

Tuesdays French History was the story of Louis XIV – the Sun King.1661-1715. He was short at 5’ 4” so wore high heels but was charming, conceited, un thinking but an absolute monarch with control over the whole of France, had serial mistresses and famously commissioned Versailles as his HQ,

Louis XIV

We called at Oakington Garden Centre again this week and were successful in procuring onion and shallot sets – as well as lunch!

The Cricket Club have again been commanded by the Parish Council to vacate the Mower Store in the Green Pavilion ostensibly for redecoration but have been told to transfer to an adjacent portacabin as they want the space to store Christmas lights and parish records. Needless to say, we are not overjoyed by this but fear we are fighting a losing battle. The Portacabin has a burglar proof lock which you need to be a career lock picking criminal to enter!

The Portacabin is shared with the Football Club and quite full already so we had to spring clean and tidy it, which was not a quick job.

Portacabin

Tidying

Kate led the Church group this week back at the Kitsons on the subject of Isaiah.

Thursday’s walk was definitely not for the faint hearted as apart from the rain, the cold, the wind and the mud – it was almost perfect! Still there were 8 hard souls on one walk and 9 on the other. Thankfully the pub at Balsham had a log fire to aid recovery!”

The walk started at Balsham and took in West Wratting.

Gathering

Underway

 

Three Soggy Musketeers

 

Aconite bank

 

Friday was a bit hectic as I had to rush from Biographies to a funeral the other side of Cambridge, The Biographies subject was Jeremiah Horroocks a 16^th century Astronomer who should have been famous for predicting the transit of Venus across the sun, accurately estimating the size of the sun and other planets and the distance to the sun. All before an early death at 22 years old. In fact, he has almost been forgotten as his death coincided with the beginning of the Civil War and records were largely lost.

  

Jeremiah Horrocks -artists impression as there are no actual portraits

 

The funeral was for Aubrey Bould an ex NIAB colleague as well as a Thursday walker. When I started back at NIAB after graduating I took a job that he had recently vacated.

He rose to be Head of the Official Seed Testing Station and DEFRA/NIAB Liaison officer and retired with an OBE. There were over 30 walkers present as well as a handful from NIAB/DEFRA.

I had an early start on Saturday as due to David’s sabbatical I was drafted in as assistant cook for the Ladies Breakfast at chapel. This involved a 7am start and cooking mushrooms, bacon and fried eggs to go with the hash browns, baked beans and sausages for 30 ladies. This was followed by croissants and toast so they were well fed. After I pruned the autumn raspberries and planted onion and shallot sets in modules in the greenhouse. Due to Over being blessed with 46mm rain in four days our garden is flooded again and Over’s Football pitch was waterlogged and their game postponed. Dave and I went to watch Cherry Hinton v Ely Res. But it was rather one sided as Ely won 8 v 0 and we left after the 5th goal.

 

Regards

Mike & Kate

 

4th February 2024

 

Dear All,

It was back to swimming on Monday and the pool temperature had risen to 29 C. Just Vegetating this week was “Brassicas” and Kate produced: Swede baked with thyme and honey, cauliflower curry, and carrot and cabbage stir fry. In the evening, we had a CEEM committee meeting to discuss Phil and Laura’s recent visit (during which they got engaged!) and progress with collecting second hand fireman’s uniforms.

French History covered the Age of the Cardinals: Richelieu and Marazin 1610-61. Not quite so many deaths this week but still plenty of unrest and conflict.

Cardinal Richelieu

On the way back from Cambridge we called in at Oakington Garden Centre for lunch hoping to buy onion and shallot sets but they were not in yet.

Ben was back for the family Zoom in the evening. He managed to see two days of the Test Match and survived a few adventures especially the experience of riding an Indian train. Meanwhile Mary-Ann had assembled her new small greenhouse.

New Greenhouse

On Wednesday I was leading the church group as David is starting a month’s sabbatical. I reviewed the book “Streets of Gold” which is the story of the London City Mission which started in 1835 when London was gripped by Cholera, unemployment and poverty following the Industrial Revolution.

The garden has dried enough to allow a bit of digging following beetroot and leeks. Last week’s set backs have been remedied so the fish tank leak has been fixed and the LED light replaced.

The Thursday walk started at Burrough Green south of Newmarket and took in Great Bradley and Stetchworth. It was sunny all morning which made considerable difference. Again, we saw a substantial herd of deer.

Mangold heap

Damp spot

 

Fallen tree barrier

Ravens Hall

 

Deer Grazing

The subject of Biographies this week was “Catherine de Medici” She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II and the mother of three French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III and survived 69 years at a hazardous time of history.

Catherine de Medici

 

In between times I have been updating the Vegetable variety list that I produce for Just Vegetating, revising the talk for next week and loading the laptop for Sunday’s services.

I tried shredding the fruit tree pruning’s Saturday morning but it was not a great success. Over beat Ely Reserves 1 v 0 in an exciting game to go top of the table briefly.

 

 

Regards

Mike & Kate