6th December 2009

6th December 2009.

Dear All,

It has been an interesting week beginning with an hour in the dentists chair on Monday morning. I chipped a tooth and needed a cap so this was session one removal of old filling and drilling out to fit a plug. I was the second slot on Monday, and it would have been better if session one hadn’t been a difficult extraction, so I had to wait 30 minutes to see a grey faced lady stagger out holding her mouth! Roll on session two.
The college for this weeks U3A slot was Hughes Hall a post graduate establishment next to Fenners. As they had built on their entire garden we joined the morning “View the buildings” session. They have recently mortgaged their future by erecting a new building on Fenners boundary.


Hughes Hall Old Building


Hughes Hall Fenners Building

Deacons meeting Monday followed by work and Home Group Tuesday filled up the first part of the week.
Dave and Jen came up to Over on Wednesday to try and sort out our next trip to South America. It was slightly complicated as six plan to go to Ecuador and 3 of us want to stay on for a holiday while the rest want to return home after 3 weeks work. We agreed on an Ecuador holiday and went to the Travel Agents to book flights around the chosen timetable. Unfortunately the holiday had been cancelled the previous day and so had several alternatives that we tried (either cancelled or not guaranteed to run). Eventually we tried a new tack and picked another company and another country and booked 2 weeks in Costa Rica on the way back. On impulse I rang Kate at work and gave her 30 seconds to decide whether she would like to join us in Costa Rica (she is not going to Ecuador) and she bravely said “yes”. The departure date is 15th February and I am hoping that my deferred jury duty does not over run as that should finish on the 5th.
I led the short walk this week which was 7 miles round Willingham Fen. Kate had the day off and joined us – unfortunately it was one of the very few wet walks we have “enjoyed” and Willingham Fen on a wet December day is an acquired taste!
On Friday I had a difficult session with CEEM Board members as the other two were at loggerheads so I had to referee which I did not enjoy too much. It did not go too badly but of course there is plenty of opportunity to revisit problem areas.
Our new garden shed was delivered this week (10 x 8ft) so it has been an exciting exercise erecting shelves, inserting hooks and restocking the shed (you are easily pleased past 60!)


New Shed


Timely Matt cartoon!

Love

Mike & Kate

29th November 2009

29th November 2009.

Dear All,

We have just returned from Hutton where we have had lunch with Esther and Mary-Ann. M-A has spent the weekend with Esther shopping and preparing for Christmas so Kate and I drove down after the am service. Both journeys were blessed with torrential downpours which made driving interesting.
I returned to walking this week after missing 3 weeks with work and ankle problems. It was a bit painful to start with but improved on the home straight and has been better since. We started from The Crown at Northill beyond Biggleswade and the walk was a good one via Ickwell (huge village green) Shuttleworth and Old Warden.

Old Warden Cottage


Old Warden Church

Another Old Warden residence

I have spent most spare time this week with a chainsaw cutting up our demolished shed and branches from the bottom hedge. It is only a small 14” blade machine so quite hard work for it but it has got through a decent pile so we are set for a cold winter and lit our first log fire last night.
Otherwise I have been catching up on winter digging clearing the runner beans (a record late date), dahlias, gladioli etc.
On Tuesday Kate and I attended a U3A science lecture on “Disease, Experimentation and Physiology” There was a lot about cholera and salt absorption but not as lucid as some in the series.
We had a meal at “The Exhibition” following the cricket club AGM on Monday, Kate told her story at Groups on Tuesday and I watched Over 1 v 1 Gt Shelford on Saturday. We invested in a new “slimline” TV this week to replace the free monster we had before. We celebrated having a working DVD by watching “The Green Mile” last night.

Love

Mike & Kate

22nd November 2009

22nd November 2009.

Dear All,

It was good to see most of you at David’s Septuagintual anniversary. The links between Frinton and old age will be even more strongly reinforced from now on.
I have spent half of this week at Peterborough for the biennial Onion & Carrot Conference which is held at the showground. There were 14 speakers on onions Wednesday and 9 on carrots on Thursday. You forget how much concentration it takes to sit through solid days of presentations. Wednesday was especially stretching as 6 of the speakers were foreign with varying grasps of English. NIAB had a display in the exhibition hall and I attended the conference dinner with our new lady director to help present a trophy, as an onion won the NIAB cup for the best new variety (of all crops in trial) for the first time. The guest speaker was Greg Wallace of Masterchef fame. We had the joy of sitting at the same table as he entertained everyone within shouting distance with his cockney wit and charm.

Nigel Kingston & Tina Barsby


Greg Wallace

Our college visit on Monday was to Girton which is deceptively large both the accommodation and the grounds. There is an ancient orchard with heritage varieties, a Fellows garden in which only they can tread and a large lake from which they dug the gravel to construct the original buildings.


Girton College

Girton Lake

Kate and I have been demolishing the shed at the bottom of the garden as it was decaying beyond sensible repair and have ordered a replacement. We now have quite a large heap of timber to saw up. Kate has been struggling with a cold and had Saturday afternoon disrupted by taking Toni and her two moderately behaved boys to Chesterton Hospital as she (Toni) has a severe chest infection. My ankle is much better but not yet 100%.
There are several interesting exhibits in the garden this week as we have harvested sweet potatoes, fennel, chilli peppers and peanuts.


Sweet Potatoes

Fennel

Chili Peppers

Peanuts

Love

Mike & Kate

15th November 2009

Some photos from Davids 70th attached

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8th November 2009

8th November 2009.

Dear All,

Kate and I have just returned from a couple of days in Banbury courtesy of Tesco's and their voucher scheme. It was slightly marred by the fact that I have been hobbling with a swollen ankle for over a week. It is being treated as gout but is slow to clear this time. We managed to walk/limp the historic town circuit, started some Christmas shopping and explored some local villages by car. Although it is not quite the Cotswolds it is very close with picture book stone cottages and rolling countryside.
Another downside was the fact that my camera lost a vital component – metal fatigue? So although I managed to improvise with a tooth pick I may have to fall back onto archive footage in future weeks!



Banbury Cross



A Fine Lady



Deddington Village


Kings Sutton

Our college visit this week was to Wolfson, one of the newer establishments where the gardens are run by two former NIAB men so needless to say were very good. Sir Vivian Fuchs once lived in the grounds and the weather vane bears an image of his dog sledge and team.


Wolfson College


Medlars at Wolfson

I had to miss the walk this week anyway even if I had not been lame as we had our annual onion open day on Thursday where the great and good of the onion world were gathered. I think that standing up all day did not do me too much good but needs must…


Onion OpenDay

We joined the Thursday church group at Sutton to celebrate Gordon’s birthday. They have purchased an enormous dining table which sat 15 of us on new banqueting style chairs.
We hope to see some of you next weekend at Beaumont, meanwhile have a good week.

Love

Mike & Kate

1st November 2009

1st November 2009.

Dear All,

Kate and I had a strenuous weekend walking in Staffordshire based at Leek. We drove up on Saturday when the weather did not look too promising but it cheered up in the afternoon for a circular tour of Leek led by Aubrey Bould, an ex NIAB colleague who was born there. Like most leaders he is economical with the truth re distances so 5 miles turned out to be 8. We stayed in the Peak Weavers hotel where the wife was an excellent chef, trained by Gary Rhodes.
The main walk was on Sunday starting from Alstonfield via Wetton, crossing the Manifold Valley then Grindon, Butterton, Warslow, Ecton Hill (v. steep), Dovedale and Gratton Hill (also v. steep). Again 13 miles turned into 15.5 miles and being wet underfoot it was a good workout for us old flatlanders!

Butterton


Ecton Hill


Dovedale


Climb out of Dovedale

That evening we ate at Sutton Hall, Macclesfield which is a large house formerly owned by the Lucan family and mercifully was not as expensive as it looked!
On Monday we drove to Oakmoor near Alton Towers and walked the Churnet Valley. This was very different and spectacular in the autumn colours. The distance was about 9 miles and we finished at lunchtime and called in at Bolehill to see Phil, Mandy and Natasha.

Churnet Valley

An interesting feature of our walks was watching our normal Cambridge U3A leader Philip trying , and failing to be lead by others – there is an art to leading and an art to being lead – and he only has one of them!
Tuesday I had to go to the Suffolk coast to harvest carrots that had been experimentally treated with zeolite, this involved three sites at Snape, Sutton and Ramsholt so was quite a long day.
I was entrusted with leading the short walk this Thursday (for those who have dropped out of the long walks due to operations or infirmities) It was round the Fen Drayton and Swavesey Pits so reasonably familiar but as it was not our normal route I did a reccie on Wednesday, the sun was out, the lakes stacked with birds and it was fantastic for late October. Thursday was dry but not so sunny but nevertheless it went OK.
We had another CEEM Moldova planning meeting at St Neots on Saturday, Kate came with me and it was quite encouraging. The lorry paperwork has been passed at last so it has been ordered, meanwhile the load has grown and we are likely to get half a 38 tonner. CEEM are planning a youth camp in Burlacu next year as well as visits by the agricultural, medicine, education and faith teams.
During the previous week our college garden visit was to Corpus Christi, Leckhampton Hall. This is a graduate residence with 8 acres of grass and woodland plus an interesting “prairie garden” another hidden gem.

Corpus Christi PrairieGarden

Love

Mike & Kate

18th October 2009

18th October 2009.

Dear All,

We have had a hectic social whirl this week! Following the 50th party last Saturday we had a meal out with some of the Ramblers on Monday, a church group meal on Friday and a 50th wedding celebration this Saturday. The Monday meal was best at the “Duke of Wellington” in Willingham, they specialise in home made pies – everything from steak and mushroom to haggis pie via frankfurter and kidney. It was the best pub meal we have had for sometime. The 50th anniversary was for Lily and Michael Firth who were in Over for 30 years but retired to March 3 years ago, all 3 of their sons passed through Covenanters and one is currently a missionary in Latvia. Lily hails from Singapore and is a forceful lady who taught all 3 of our children to play the piano. Her cooking skills were somewhat unimaginative and the menu was the same each week “Monday – cheese and potato pie, Tuesday sausages” etc The party was in a roadside café between Thorney and Guyerne and much livelier than expected.
On Monday I began my new U3A course on “Cambridge College Gardens” The idea is to be shown round by the head gardener who explains the history and thinking behind the layouts. This week was Magdalene and although the gardens were not spectacular it is a good chance to see what lies behind some of the secretive Cambridge walls.

Magdalene College, Riverside courtyard


Magdalene, Pepys Library

Magdalene, Fellows garden

The new term of Rambling started with 50 people turning up on the first week which stretched the pub catering to the limits and evidently the group was well strung out (I was in Northumberland). This week it was down to 34 and one of those had to be picked up in a car as out military leader shows no mercy to the weak and halt! Actually they have started shorter walks called “Convalescing Walks” for those who are struggling. This week was billed as 10.5 miles but turned into 12 starting from Horseheath and rounding Castle Camps.
Ben has been up this weekend, he has put in an offer for another flat and hopes to hear whether he has been successful tomorrow. We took him to the Darwin Exhibition at the Fitzwilliam – only to find that it had finished last week! still fortunately there are a few other pictures worth examining there as well. He is planning a cycling holiday in Spain in November so we went map shopping and also examined the Corpus Clock which was installed at Corpus Christi last year. This is well worth a look next time you are in Cambridge.


Corpus Clock

It was autumn “spring cleaning” at chapel yesterday and winter digging is underway in the garden even though it is so hard and dry penetration is a problem. Star plant this week is a Swan Necked gourd which came too late for harvest festival but is beautiful anyway.



Swan Necked Gourd
Love


Mike & Kate