25^th January 2026

 

           Dear All,

A month since Christmas already! We started the week with the usual swim/Just Vegetating sandwich, the JV subject this week was “Alliums” and Kate prepared Chestnut & Shallot Tarte Tatin, Creamy baked leeks in cheese and Tomato, Strawberry and red onion salad. So far so good they seem a lively class with plenty of questions. Kate had a busy day as after she attended the U3A Book group this month discussing “The Franchise Affair” by Josephine Tey.

Kate joined the Tuesday U3A walk at Stretham this week, I was still not up to it so did my own stroll round Over Fen spotting deer for the 3^rd week running.

 

 

Fen as in Hereward the Wake’s day

 

 

Off Middle Way

 

 

Beachwood House, Fen End (formerly Althea’s home)

 

In the evening I attended the Local History group who had an entertaining talk about Darwin when he was in Cambridge.

On Wednesday Kate helped me sort and list the Flower seed donated by Fothergill’s for Moldova and we totalled 674 packets to go with the 882 vegetables and 137 herbs. We just hope they arrive safely!

Later it was the local Garden Club which had a record attendance for a talk on “Bulbs, Corms & Tubers” by a man who knew what he was talking about but went on far too long with rather poor photos.

Kate and I went to St Ives on Thursday to buy presents for Moldova. In the afternoon we had yet another visit associated with the solar panels as the Government is changing the level of support and this is a good excuse for companies to try and get involved. I was not in a good mood as I was trying to get a “Proof of Identity” on-line via the Government web site as this is a new requirement for company directors and I am a Director of CEEM/Moldova Matters. I failed to register so had to do it via the Post Office in Cambridge on Friday.

The “Biography” topic on Friday was unusual as he was still alive. Anthony Ray Hilton was wrongly convicted of two murders in Alabama and sentenced to the death penalty. He was on Death Row for 28 years before being retried and found not guilty. The officer who arrested him told him ““You know, I don’t care whether you did or didn’t do it. In fact I believe you didn’t do it. But it doesn’t matter. If you didn’t do it, one of your brothers did. And you’re going to take the rap. I’ll give you five reasons why they are going to convict you. Number one, you’re black, Number two, a white man gonna say you shot him. Number three, you’re gonna have a white district attorney, Number four, you’re gonna have a white judge, Number 5 you’re gonna have an all-white jury.

You know what that spells? Conviction, Conviction, Conviction, Conviction, Conviction.”

 

 

Anthony Ray Hilton

In the afternoon Kate and I went to Berrycroft Stores and Oakington Garden Centre to stock up on compost.

Both Over teams won 2v1 on Saturday.

 

Mike & Kate