24^th August 2024

 

Dear All,

Early letter this week as we should be off to North Wales tomorrow with some of our walking colleagues.

On Monday we were both in Cambridge as Kate had a Book Club meeting in the library and I was shopping for new walking boots and trousers. On the way in via the Guided Bus we met our old doctor Larry Amure who has spent some of his retirement writing an autobiography entitles “Beyond the Horizon Might be Better”. He has written books before which were not great but this time he has employed editors to help and he claims it is much better. He was partly raised in Nigeria with a very difficult father. I have a copy and will let you know!

We managed a swim on Tuesday accompanied by Carol and Mervyn and it was not as crowded as the previous week. Later I emptied the bike shed as the replacement should be delivered a few days after we return. I then had to remove the guttering which was a challenge as some of the screws were past their best.

In the evening Over won their first match of the new football season beating Witchford 2 v 0. They are going to miss two of their best players as their mother is from the Faroe Islands and they are going to try and get into the Faroes International team.

We have continued to work on the quiz and this is now largely complete.

Plenty of vegetables harvested this week including Sweet Corn, Marrows, Courgettes, Beans, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Beetroot, Lettuce and Peppers.

Our Thursday walk started at Horningsea this week and looped in to Lode via Anglesey Abbey. The weather was overcast but a good temperature despite a lively wind. Harvest was finished.

 

 

Pre-Walk Gathering almost a PM?

 

 

Stow cum Quy Pits

 

 

Lode Water Mill

 

 

Quy Water by Anglesey Abbey

 

We prepared the last cricket wicket of the season on Friday but in the end the match was rained off. We managed 8mm rain which was welcome as we had only 4.5 mm the previous 23 days of August.

I started preparing the Harvest report for chapel this morning as our Harvest Thanksgiving is only a week after we get back.

Ben sent a photo from a landmark that you might recognise.

 

 

 

Guess Where?

Regards

 

 

Mike & Kate

 

18^th August 2024

 

Dear All,

Kate had an early appointment with a physio on Monday but this has so far not yielded any positive action. We then had an 11.15 am swim in a very crowded pool. In the afternoon Kate helped me saw logs from the tree we had felled behind the chapel. We managed 30 logs so it was well worthwhile.

Kate has finished all the questions for the village quiz in October and we have been putting the presentation together, one round is “People and Places” so matching dots on a map with someone’s name e.g. Eric Morecombe.

On Tuesday morning we had a trip to Scotsdale’s Garden Centre to view garden sheds as our bike shed is showing its age. We took Adrian with us as he always enjoys a good shed! In the afternoon I succumbed to a dose of diarrhoea and had to take to my bed.

I recovered enough to dig the Sweet Corn land that the badgers had ravished on Wednesday.

Mary-Ann, Andy and family departed for a week in Lanzarote and looked happy in the photos as the temperature was comfortable 26C. Ben is currently cycling in France having crossed from Newhaven to Dieppe heading for Rouen.

I was given a few tubers of a recent variety of potatoes named Carolus which I dug this week – it is blight resistant and produced a very good sample.

 

 

Carolus

 

Water has become an issue in the garden as we have only recorded 1mm rain in August so far. The Sweet Corn at the allotment has been cropping well protected by the electric fence.

Our Thursday walk started at Burrough Green near Newmarket this week and took in Widgham Green and part of the Stour Valley Path. Conditions were good as there was a cooling breeze throughout. It is horse racing territory with a few studs along the way. Harvest seemed to be nearly finished in the area.

 

 

Large Stubble Field

 

 

Great Widgham Wood

 

 

Stud

 

I sowed Spring Cabbage on Friday and finally ordered the shed.

On Saturday I set up a Tomato Taste test. I am growing eight varieties and invited Bob and Carol to join us for a serious scientific Taste Test!

 

 

Taste Test

After we moved onto the Green where the RSPB and others had a display of local wildlife and plans for preserving habitats and species.

 

 

 

Wild Life Displays

 

Regards

 

 

Mike & Kate

 

11^th August 2024

 

Dear All,

On Monday we were still clearing up after the Show which meant returning all the display boards for the photographs and the art exhibition (which runs at the same time) to Rampton.

 

 

Show Secretaries at work

 

After I gapped up the asparagus bed at the allotment and helped Kate mend a puncture in her bike. How come in the Olympics and Tour de France it takes 2 minutes whereas we took about 2 hours? Geoff Pake rang and I helped him load some wood from the chapel and he brought a replacement hinge for our folding table tennis table. The original was made of Bakelite and manufacturers no longer stock the part but Geoff had cleverly made one from metal.

We had a swim on Tuesday joined by Carol and Mervyn then Esther, Emma, Amḗlie and Albert arrived in time for lunch. The afternoon was drizzly so we played a few indoor games with the favourite being “Exploding Chicken!”. They were able to try out the new equipment on the Village Green when the weather cleared up.

 

 

Zip Line

 

 

Whatever?

 

On Wednesday we took them to the Trampolining centre in St Neots. This was new to us but is a large shed with all sorts of bouncing activities.

 

 

 

 

Trampoline Barn

 

In the afternoon we took Albert blackberrying as he was keen to make a crumble. As Kate and I were down to lead the Thursday walk they decided to leave Wednesday evening so quite a brief visit but we were pleased to see them all.

 

 

Blackberry Hunter Gatherers!

The walk was the one we had recced a couple of weeks ago on the hottest day of the year 3 days after our night in Hinchingbrooke hospital and that had been hard work. It started at Hail Weston just over the A1 from St Neots and although quite long at 8.6 miles was not as bad as the recce. Unfortunately, Kate tripped over a lump of concrete and cut her chin and has a swollen lip but fortunately did not dislodge any teeth.

 

 

Barn with Pigeon loft

 

 

Dangerous Shark infested Wheat field

 

 

River Kym

 

There was a work party at the chapel on Friday to clear out the vestry which as become a dumping ground and to fell the large elder tree out the back. I chopped down most of the tree but my chain saw was playing up so the job was not completed. The clear out generated a considerable amount of material to be disposed of so on Saturday Kate and I took some to Emmaus but they are quite choosey as what they will take so the rest, we took on to Milton dump.

Regards

 

 

Mike & Kate

 

4^th August 2024

 

Dear All,

It has been quite a busy week. On Monday John and I tried to repair the wicket after the bonfire the previous Friday. I then met up with three walking mates for lunch at the Over Community Centre. Later I prepared a PowerPoint for Geoff Pake about his 60 years as a fenland farmer.

We managed a swim on Tuesday and I dug the maincrop Desiree Potatoes at the allotment. Kate had brought a high chair home from the chapel as someone was saying it was filthy and needed replacing. Kate cleaned it and it was fine but the safety straps were difficult to replace and I had to drill fresh holes so it is now as good as new!

Apart from the above the week has largely been about preparing for the Village Produce Show. I missed the Thursday walk helping to fetch display boards from Rampton. Kate walked from Barley anticipating rain. “I may come back looking like a drowned rat” she said, in fact there was no rain and it was rather warm so she was actually drowned in sweat!

I have mentioned before that the Sweet Corn at the allotment is now protected by and electric fence but the planting here is surrounded by a formidable barricading fence. The first cobs were just ripening for the show when the badgers managed to trash it on Wednesday night.

 

 

Sweet Corn Wednesday

 

 

Sweet Corn Thursday

 

Thursday evening, we were at the Centre for 3 hours receiving and logging the Show entries. Norman Ingle helped me following the loss of Glynis and as we had also lost the main competitor who used to enter everything, we were worried that entries would be down, but in fact we just about had the same number as last year.

On Friday I had another funeral – the fourth in a month this time for Gary Warrington: Over born and bred so a large turn out at the Crem. Gary had been a builder and a local Fenland skating champion.

 

 

Gary Warrington

Friday evening the Show committee were back at the Centre to lay out the room for the show which is always an interesting study in human behaviour!

The show was the 50^th so we had extra exhibits about Over 50 years ago, a display of old gardening tools and I prepared an exhibit about old vegetable varieties that are still available today. There were also extra classes for a 50^th anniversary cake and flower arrangement.

I managed 14 x 1sts, 8 x 2nds and 6 x 3rds so won the Vegetable cup, the Photography cup and the overall cup – but it won’t change me!

 

 

Kate Preparing Flowers

 

 

White Potatoes

 

 

Collection

 

 

50^th Anniversary Cakes

 

 

Old Varieties Exhibit

 

 

Farm Animal Photos

 

 

Visiting Throng

 

 

Unknown Competitor!

 

Regards

 

 

Mike & Kate