15th February 2026

 

           Dear All,

After swimming “Just Vegetating” this week was “Salads – Fruit: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers & Aubergines. Kate produced Roasted stuffed peppers, Aubergine bake and Tomato with chick peas.

I had a blood test on Tuesday – 4 syringe full checking about 12 items! The results came back as severe shortage of Vitamin D and I was prescribed 4 tablets a day for 3 months. I am not convinced that a vitamin shortage explains how I have felt but we will see.

We had an ex NIAB employees lunch at Girton Golf club Tuesday lunch time where the standard of food has improved with the advent of an Italian chef.

I have sown Celeriac, Herbs and planted Ginger this week.

A couple of the seed bulks donated by Tozer’s are too large to send to Moldova so I have offered them to Over Garden Club. Chairman Richard Cox came round to discuss how best to use them.

Ben revealed on the family Zoom that he has run on 53 consecutive days – anyone want to better that?

On Thursday it was my turn to head up the Travel Writers Book Club and my choice this month was “Eight Feet in the Andes” by Dervla Murphy describing a 3 month walk down the Inca Way with her 9 year old daughter and a mule. It was another tale when you are not sure how they survived! Dervla’s most famous trip was cycling single handed from Ireland to India

 

 

Dervla Murphy & Daughter

 

Kate made some biscuits using a Peruvian recipe based on Maize meal. Kate came into Cambridge with me shopping for a warm woolly for Moldova.

The Biography subject this week was Bert Trautman the German goalkeeper who played 60 minutes of a Cup Final with a broken neck. He has in the Hitler Youth and had a checked war eventually being captured and sent to England where he was amazed at his treatment and stayed on after the war.

 

 

Bert Trautman

 

In the evening we hosted a meal and committee meeting for Moldova Matters mainly planning details for our forthcoming visit.

 

 

Thelwell comment on the Weather

 

We were relieved when the courier picked up the parcels for Moldova on Saturday evening: 5 parcels, 46 Kg, £70. Just hope they arrive safely.

 

Best Wishes

 

Mike & Kate