24th November 2024

 

Dear All,

We did not manage our usual swim on Monday as one road from Willingham was closed and another had a huge queue for traffic lights so we turned round and abandoned watery exercise. I used the time to transplant autumn raspberries. I then had the usual two U3A Zoom sessions, “Balkans” finished Bosnia then covered Montenegro which only has a population of 636,000 and is very mountainous with one road from Mt Lovcen descending to Kotor via 58 hairpin bends!

 

 

Montenegro

 

“Eat Well & Live Longer” was a bit depressing covering Pancreatic, Oesophical, & Prostate cancers.

On Tuesday I helped Geoff Pake clear the tomatoes out of his greenhouse then we did a short recce at Papworth St Agnes for a walk we have led previously but never found the correct path. In the evening, I went to Swavesey History Society for a talk on Agricultural Workers in the 19^th Century – how people survived on 11s per week for a 60-hour working week.

I managed some digging on Wednesday clearing up where we had a bonfire while Kate lifted Dahlias for the winter.

We were leading the walk on Thursday starting at Graveley and taking in Papworth St Agnes and Yelling. We started in rather chilly frosty conditions but the sun came out to make very pleasant walking.

 

 

Graveley

 

 

Early Frost

 

 

Approaching Papworth St Agnes

 

 

Graveley Wind Farm

 

 

Graveley Shelter

 

The Biographies subject this week was Elizabeth Garrett Anderson who was an English physician and suffragist. She is known for being the first woman to qualify in Britain as a physician and surgeon and as a co-founder and dean of the London School of Medicine for Women, which was the first medical school in Britain to train women as doctors. She had a real battle to get accepted for training and was the only woman doctor for 19 years. She was also the first lady mayor in England in Aldeburgh.

 

 

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

 

We had a Men’s Breakfast on Saturday with a man called Jonathan Gibson who had initially worked for Lloyds of London then changed to be a cabinet maker, worked in Chuna, trained as a junior school teacher, joined a building firm before setting up on his own offering electrical work, plastering, tiling and plumbing while studying for an MSc!

Kate was part of the catering team for the breakfast and is currently preparing for the Chapel Bring & Share meal. Over beat Ely Res 6 v 1 yesterday in rather wintery conditions to maintain their position at the top of the table. In the evening, we joined Merv and Pat and three others for “Call My Bluff” in the Church Hall. It was preceded by a meal and although very well organised went on rather too long.

 

Finally, a photo from last week as every National event of importance is marked by woolly additions to the village post box!

 

Regards

Mike & Kate