22nd September 2024

 

Dear All,

This has been “Much Shifting Week!” Farmer Les Cook delivered one tractor bucket full to the allotment and another to our front drive on Tuesday. I started to barrow the allotment consignment while Les delivered two more loads for Peter at the allotments. I then started to clear the front drive before church groups and was pleased to receive help from Gordon after the meeting. Kate helped me finish the allotment batch on Friday after the Tesco’s run. Altogether I barrowed 58 loads – very good for the muscles!

 

 

Front Drive

 

 

Back Garden

 

I have since spread and rotovated a couple of areas ready for autumn planted crops.

We had a rare outing to Cambridge on Tuesday to equip us for our forthcoming trip to Sicily next Thursday. I brought a couple of shirts and Kate a new swim suit.

Our walk on Thursday started at Shepreth and took in Barrington, Foxton and Fowlmere. Conditions were good: dry and warm, there were several ploughed fields again and a number of interesting environmental mixes with Quinoa, fodder radish, fodder rape, sorghum, buck wheat and phacelia.

 

 

Shepreth

 

 

Shepreth

 

 

5 Furrow reversible

 

 

Environmental Mix

 

 

Rayner’s Dovecote, Foxton

 

On Tuesday evening I attended Swavesey Historical Society for a talk on “Fenland Farming in the 50’s” given by Selwyn Richardson an old NAAS man who grew up on a County Council small holding near Downham Market. The things he described seemed very familiar to things I remembered growing up. He had four brothers who all worked on a 52-acre farm.

Wednesday evening was Over Garden Club with a talk on “Spring Bulbs.” It was well illustrated but not the liveliest delivery.

Willingham Ploughing match took place on Saturday actually on Ramper Road. It was a sunny morning and there was a good turn-out of competitors but the land was still very dry and lumpy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willingham Ploughing Match

 

In the afternoon I watched Over 1 v 0 Gt Shelford (last years champions) and Esther and Emma called in on the way home from a week in the Lake District.

 

 

Regards

 

Mike & Kate

 

15th September 2024

 

Dear All,

Our Harvest Thanksgiving continued on Sunday when our morning service was led by Richard Blackhurst an Onion farmer from near Ramsey. In the evening, I led and produced a 2024 Harvest Report. The Wheat acreage was down by 9% and the yields down by 8% per acre, Oilseed Rape was down by 21% and the yields by 7%. Spring Barley and Oats increased in area but yields were still below average – are you depressed yet? The Government Sustainable Farm Incentive (SFI) has taken 500,000 acres out of cropping in favour of flower meadows with additional land being taken for housing and solar energy. The UK already imports 40% of its food costing £28bn.

 

 

Harvest Decoration

 

After swimming on Monday, we packed up the electric fence at the allotment. It has been a success as long as you do not work out how much Sweet Corn you could buy for the cost of the fence!

On Tuesday I sowed 11 sorts of Chinese vegetables for winter greens from seed given by Esther last birthday. Later we met up with some ex-NIAB colleagues at Girton Golf course for lunch and discussion of various ailments!

I joined a couple of walking colleagues for a trip to Chelmsford on Wednesday to watch Essex v Nottinghamshire. Bad light and rain shortened the day but Essex still had time to dismiss them for 93 and enforce the follow on.

 

 

Chelmsford – Threatening Clouds

 

Kate and I were leading the walk on Thursday. It was a familiar route starting at Conington then circling via Boxworth, Knapwell Woods and Elsworth. It was cool but dry so good walking conditions.

 

 

Interested Spectators

 

 

Boxworth New Barn

 

 

Boxworth Old Vicarage

 

 

Boxworth Thatched Terrace

 

Thursday was Albert’s 9^th Birthday and his request was a Trampoline for a present.

 

 

Hove Trampoline

Jn the evening we had a spectacular thunder and hail storm leaving a carpet of hail stones some of which were still present in the morning. Needless to say, there was considerable damage to tender plants.

 

 

Hail Front

 

 

Hail Back

On Friday Kate and I were invited to Wimpole Hall where three of our walking group volunteer in the Walled Garden. I have helped them with choosing vegetable varieties. On Fridays they have a “Chilli Talk” as they growing a large selection of Peppers.

 

 

Walled Garden

 

 

Pumpkins & Squash

 

 

Chilli Basket of Fire

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Mike & Kate

 

8th September 2024

 

Dear All,

This has been new shed week! Our old bike shed had seen better days and was rotting in places and the door no longer locked. Demolition was a difficult job followed by cutting it up into manageable pieces with a chain saw. The new one arrived on Wednesday and a couple of guys put it together in about an hour. When I cleared the old floor there was a remarkable stinkhorn fungus which was delicate but lived up to its name!

 

 

Pile ready for cutting up

 

 

Stinkhorn Fungus

 

 

New Temple

 

Once erected I had to paint it with waterproof liquid them add guttering – a good week’s work!

This weekend is our Harvest Thanksgiving at chapel so we have been collecting produce to decorate the building and I have been compiling a harvest report. Last night we had a Harvest Supper followed by an excellent talk by Geoff Pake about the joys of being a farmer.

We harvested the last of the Sweet Corn this week and the electric fence has been a success. I planted a new vine – hopefully a good eating variety.

Our Thursday walk started at Lettle Walden near Saffron Walden this week. The weather forecast threatened heavy rain but this proved to be pessimistic and no precipitation materialised. We were down on numbers with only 3 on the shorter walk but it was a decent walk as the topography is more undulating than many local areas and the pub is one of the best for food. We passed one of the largest bale stacks we have encountered with at least 2,400 bales and there were more fields ploughed than usual in this era of direct drilling.

 

 

Ploughing

 

 

Local Topography

 

 

 Large Bale Stack

 

 

Near Ashdon

 

In the evening, we had a Show committee meeting to review the recent show with the usual 20-point agenda!

On our outing to Tesco’s on Friday we met ex neighbour Lyn Medlock so stopped in Greggs for coffee and catch up with her.

Over were thrashed 5 v 1 in their first Saturday match of the season – a combination of a very young goal keeper, losing a key defender injured in the first 10 minutes and being hit by break away goals.

 

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Mike & Kate

 

1^st September 2024

 

Dear All,

We have returned from a very enjoyable few days in North Wales staying in the Princes Arms, Trefriw near Betws y Coed. One of our walking group was at catering college with the owners and gets competitive rates and excellent service.

Our first walk on Monday was to Conway initially climbing Conway Mountain then exploring the town. The climb was a bit of a jolt for us flat East Anglians and was a severe test of the lungs and legs however the colours of the heather and gorse were very vivid and the views out to sea made it all worthwhile. There is a wall round most of the town but part of it was being repaired so we could only walk a section of it but again the views were rewarding.

 

 

View of Conway Town from Conway Mountain

 

 

Vivid Heather

 

 

View of Conway Bay

 

 

Conway Castle from the Wall

 

The weather forecast for the area was diabolical for Tuesday as we set out for the Island of Anglesey and we arrived in a very heavy downpour and in the teeth of a severe gale. We were largely in a wooded area with pine trees to stabilise sand dunes so we had some protection, but there were areas where it was difficult to walk upright. However, we finished the walk testing the phrase “There is no such thing as bad weather just poor waterproof clothing”

In the afternoon we headed for Penrhyn Castle near Bangor. It is an austere Norman style building built in the 19^th century funded by the slate and slave trades. The internal decorations are very ornate and there is an attractive walled garden. In the evening our leaders arranged a wine tasting featuring 9 wines – hic!

 

 

Dressed for the Weather

 

 

 

 

Newborough Forest, Anglesey

 

 

 

Penrhyn Castle

 

 

Walled Garden

 

 

Guess Who?

 

On Wednesday it was The Great Orme and Bodnant Gardens, We had visited the Great Orme before but had taken the tram car to the top. This time we drove to the top and walked down then up again circling round to the bottom again. We started in rain but it soon cleared up and we finished in sunshine. The highlights were the views of Llandudno and the Little Orme, a long descent to Millionaires Row and finding Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the Botanic Gardens. We also spotted some wild goats on the way.

 

 

Llandudno from The Great Orme

 

 

Tramcar

 

 

Descent to Millionaires Row

 

 

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum

 

Bodnant Gardens is one of my favourites and never disappoints

 

 

Bodnant Hall

 

 

Terrace Gardens & Pin Mill

 

 

The Water Mill

 

Our last walk on Thursday was described as “Challenging”. It started at Nantmor and ascended steeply through Aberglaslyn Forest followed by a long descent to Beddgelert. It was completed by a path along the Glaslyn River which was very rocky and quite narrow. It was challenging but the most enjoyable walk of the week. We finished with a visit to Plas Brondanw the house and garden of Clough Williams-Ellis the architect of Portmeirion.

 

 

Ascent through Aberglaslyn Forest

 

 

Beginning of the Descent

 

 

Beddgelert

 

 

Tricky River Walk

In summary a great week with good company and excellent scenery with some exacting walks and reasonable weather – for Wales! We had actually forgotten what rain looks like and Over was completely dry on our return.

Finally, this is the view from our bedroom window in Trefriw.

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Mike & Kate