30th June 2024
Dear All,
The
Swimming Pool on Monday was unusually empty which was great and I followed by
helping Kate with a couple of rounds of the Village quiz which is not until
October but it nags a little if left too late. Richard Cox reported the results
of the Garden Club “Grow a tuber of Maris Bard – Potato Contest “which was held
while we were away. I left my entry with him and got a 1st for most
tubers (50) and 2nd for yield (1.58 kg).
On
Tuesday Rob, Lawrie, John and I had a trip to Chelmsford to watch the cricket:
Essex v Durham. It is always an event and this time we saw 315 runs and 15
wickets but it was the hottest day of the year so far so we gently roasted!
Chelmsford Cricket
John, Rob &
Lawrie
Gardening
this week included removing old Pea and Broad beans and harvesting Shallots,
Elephant Garlic, Cucumbers and a few Tomatoes. Kate has picked a good crop of
Strawberries and Raspberries but currants are poor this year, Cherries are
beginning and look promising. Winter Brassicas and Sweet Corn are coming on
well in the allotment
Shallots and
Elephant Garlic
Winter Brassicas
Sweet Corn
Our
Thursday Walk started at Cowlinge south of Newmarket and took in Wickhambrooke,
fortunately it was not as hot as the previous two days. The most noticeable
feature was the number of Oat crops – enough to keep the whole country in
porridge for a few weeks! Also, several large swaths of wheat had been sprayed
out to control black grass.
Sprayed out Wheat
Meeting Green
Oats
On
Friday I gave our pond a spring clean removing a large amount of weed meanwhile
Kate has been painting a garden bench a fetching shade of green!
Rejuvenated Pond
Furniture Makeover
On
Friday afternoon we received the sad news that our good friend Glynis Fenwick
had passed away. She was diagnosed with intestinal cancer about 3 years ago and
was initially given 6 months to live but she was determined to be as positive
as possible and enjoyed a decent period of remission. However, it returned
aggressively 6 weeks ago and the end came rather quickly. I worked with Glynis
at NIAB for a few years and Kate actually tipped them off when a house in Over
came available when she and husband Richard were looking to move from Cambridge.
On
Saturday I was judging Stapleford Fruit and Vegetable Show – as usual the
standard was not that high and judging was over very quickly.
Stapleford Show
In
the afternoon we removed the electric fence from around the fruit cage. It has
been a success in protecting the strawberries and the plan is to re-erect it at
the allotment to protect the Sweet Corn. In the evening, we were invited to Lyn
and Roger Hetherington’s joint 70th birthday celebration at the
Community Centre. There was a large crowd and we were entertained by live music
presented by a Cambridge folk/rock band “Fred’s House” who were very good.
Fred’s House
Regards
Mike
& Kate
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