31st March 2024

 

Dear All,

The undoubted highlight of this week was meeting up with my brother, sister and brother-in-law at Beaumont and Dovercourt on Tuesday. We had lunch at Dovercourt Weatherspoon’s then took a stroll along Dovercourt seafront.  After we visited elderly cousin Muriel in her old folks’ home at Kirby-le-Soken On the way back to Glebe Farm we called in at Beaumont Quay where all the Day children learnt to swim amid black mud, crabs and sewage! We had a quick tour of the farm catching up with Ian who had been spraying and spotting Gavin who was ploughing. At Glebe for tea, we met up with Colin and Amanda.

 

 

Mary, David, Graham & Kate overlooked by Queen Victoria

 

 

The Old Dovercourt Lighthouse

 

 

Beaumont Cut

 

 

Beaumont Cut with Rotting Barge

 

On Monday we began with a swim as usual followed by coffee at Merv’s. Later I met up with three walking colleagues for lunch – guess where? Yes, at Cambridge Weatherspoon’s!

On Wednesday John and I cut and rolled the cricket square a couple of times then it was church group at the Kitson’s. Adrian called at lunchtime and later I helped him in his garden sowing swedes, parsnips, beetroot, carrots and salsify, planting potatoes and assembling a new mini plastic house.

 

 

Adrian’s garden

We didn’t join up with the U3A walk on Wednesday as it was nearly 40 miles away at Helions Bumpstead and the weather forecast was not promising. Instead, it was Tesco’s followed by some greenhouse gardening. We later booked two days away in Woodbridge for 3 weeks hence.

Friday’s weather was better so we did a local walk through Over Fen and circling Barleycroft Lake at Bluntisham. On the way we saw new calves at Cook’s and Andrew Fenwick’s new Pygmy Goats. The river was flowing very swiftly and there were more birds on Barleycroft Lake than last year. On the way back we stopped at Adrian’s for coffee and I took updated photos of his cats in case they wander,

 

 

Cook’s Calves

 

 

Andrew’s Pygmy Goats

 

Barleycroft Lake

 

 Billy & Binkie

 

At 3pm it was the usual Good Friday service at chapel.

We has a morning at the allotment on Saturday with Kate weeding flowers while I planted seeded onion modules and removed the cage over the winter brassicas. Over did not have a match this week so we watched West Wratting 4 v 1 Witchford.

Amḗlie has gone on a school skiing trip to Andorra so we
all hope that goes well. The snow reports seem promising.

  

Andorra Skiing

 

This morning it was an early start as there was an Easter Sunrise Service in the orchard at 6.30am. As this coincided with the clocks going forward it was actually out of bed at 5am!

Surprisingly there was a record attendance – but as usual no sun! This was followed by bacon and sausage rolls at the chapel.

 

 

Sunrise Service

Regards

 

Mike & Kate