17th January 2010

17th January 2010.

Dear All,

I am not sure that cold and damp is better than cold and snow – but that is certainly what we have now. All the snow has disappeared; yesterday was wet and gloomy, today the sun shone so that was much better.
I spent some time this week finishing off the kitchen decoration. I was very pleased with my efforts until Kate came home and said “aren’t you going to paint inside the boiler cupboard?” – collapse of stout party, but even that has been finished now.

The Kitchen – spot the difference

I have had a couple of days at work this week including a foggy drive to Spalding for an organic seed working party. Two guys from DEFRA were there doing a pretty good impression of “The Men from the Ministry” i.e. fielding all questions in a non-committal way and adding virtually nothing to the discussions despite expensive trips to Brussels once a month.
I missed the Thursday walk for the meeting, but Kate and I dressed up for a moist stroll round Over Fen yesterday. You may have seen that the Fen Skaters held their first races since 1997 last Sunday. On Friday we had a rare shopping trip to stock up for Ecuador and Costa Rica – mostly insect repellent and an odd book or two in the sales.
Kate has excelled in mycology producing a “glut” of mushrooms from a DIY kit as illustrated. The trick is to keep them coming.


DIY Mushrooms

We have had a “Tea & Talk” meeting at chapel this evening from a lady who recovered from serious injuries received when thrown from a horse and subsequently married an Iranian chap who converted from Islam. The attendance for these meetings is improving with nearly twice as many as would attend a normal Sunday evening.
Love

Mike & Kate

10th January 2010

10th January 2010.

Dear All,

I hope you are all surviving the “Bleak Midwinter” and not too restricted by the snow or health. It is great as long as you are dressed for it and haven’t got too far to travel (and have a camera!).
I had just returned from a meeting with our assistant church worker on Monday morning when there was a knock on the door and there stood Stephen and Margaret Jessup. They were planning to meet Roger and Ruth in Felixstowe but found en route that they were returning to France that day. They could not find our phone number so called on the off chance. Kate had returned to work so I made them lunch and as it was a sunny day we walked round the Fen and they stayed until 3.30 pm.



Stephen & Margaret


Overcote

Kate and I had Typhoid jabs that evening in preparation for Costa Rica.
Work was fairly quiet on Tuesday and we were greeted by the news that the Public Health had closed our canteen! So now it is a mobile sandwich van with ingenious ways of heating and displaying a decent range of food.
I struggled with a heavy cold mid-week and being a man of course it was fairly serious so I did not join the Thursday walk. Instead I started decorating the kitchen around the new cupboards that were fitted last year. This involved removing wallpaper and filling some severe cracks as well as patching a pock marked ceiling.
On Friday we went to the U3A Ramblers Christmas Party at Newnham College organised, as you would expect, with military precision by our leader. It was actually pretty good with “Bring and Share” food and a couple of slide shows.
Saturday was our Church Social so Kate was in charge of cooking for 45, which she did excellently: Butternut squash soup, roast stuffed chicken, roast potatoes and parsnips, red cabbage, a choice of seven sweets, cheese and biscuits and coffee.
I did a PowerPoint review of the year plus a skit and a couple of quizzes. Well we enjoyed it – I think others did!


Over Green with Mobile Post Office Van


Fen End



Longstanton Road Pond

Love

Mike & Kate

3rd January 2010

3rd January 2010.

Dear All,

I hope you all enjoyed the festive season, we certainly did. Esther was here from Wednesday to Monday, Mary-Ann and Andy from Wednesday to Saturday, Ben Wednesday until Sunday and Eirwen Saturday.
I sampled the cultural extremes of watching Cambridge United v Stevenage Borough on Boxing Day with Ben and then attending the Royal Opera House on Monday to see “The Nutcracker” with Kate and the Colquhouns. I will not be getting a season ticket for the ballet but it was certainly an experience. The building is impressive and there was a full house of over 2200.A little commentary would not have gone amiss as the plot line was not always obvious! We met up with the Colquhoun’s eldest son Dan and new wife Annalese for a meal at Wagamamas Japanese Restaurant, before the performance.



The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Kate, Esther and I walked round the Fen Drayton pits on Monday and then joined our new neighbours next door for a drink and mince pie before departing to London.
On Wednesday evening we attended Janet Burr’s 70th birthday party which went quite well. The highlight was “Call My Bluff” including Jim (her husband) who is a bit muddled after various ailments and made the game more entertaining by reading the wrong clues.



Call My “Fluff” Team

Fen Drayton Pits

Our Thursday walk was round Graffham Water billed at 8.5 miles but typically a couple of miles were added. I found it tiring again so we did not make it as far as seeing the New Year in.

Graffham Water

Emma

Friday we visited Kate’s sister Sue and brother-in-law John in Beccles. It started snowing as we left then we alternated between bright sunshine and snow showers all the way. Their son James and grandchild Emma were also there so we were pleased to see them all. On the way back there was initially snow and fog but it improved later so was not too bad.

Love

Mike & Kate

27th December 2009

Dear All,



Hope you all enjoyed Christmas - just a few photos to illustrate the week:




Esther and Mary-Ann arrive



Christmas Eve walk by the river Cam


Elderly routinely humiliated on the WII - bring back Skinny!




Esther and Ben



Mary-Ann and Andy



Kate with Picture created by Mary-Ann

love

Mike & Kate

20th December 2009

20th December 2009.

Dear All,

Well how has it been for you? – ice, snow and power cuts – a proper winter week! We had about 4” snow on Thursday night, Friday morning and another flurry last night but three power cuts so far including 17 hours from Thursday 9 pm until Friday 2 pm. Tropical fish cooling, deep freeze warming and nothing working. It shows how dependent we are on electricity. It is fortunate that we have a log fire to brighten things up.

Overcote Road, Over

Over Fen

19 Willingham Road

On Monday I had my second session at the dentists to complete the crown fitting then a review session at U3A for the college gardens course. Our leader has all the contacts but has passed his “sell by date” as far as organisation is concerned so we are never quite sure what is happening next. We had a Mold-AG planning session in the evening. It has started snowing in Moldova 3 weeks earlier than usual and we have already been sent photos of 3 feet accumulation.
My computer has been going slower and slower so my “computer man” has updated the virus guard and cleaned all the files. I also doubled the memory, result: it is going slowly!
We had a Christmas lunch at NIAB on Wednesday which was well attended.
The Thursday walk was tough going, it was billed as 10 miles starting at Radwinter but the selected pub had closed so we moved to Hempstead. Instead of shortening the walk our esteemed leader added on 2.5 miles and with mud underfoot, snow showers and a biting wind it was not for the faint hearted.


Pure Enjoyment

It was “cut your own Christmas tree” time on Friday as a friend has a copse available at £1 per foot. Could be “Strangle your own turkey” next year!
We went carol singing round the frozen village last night and have a candle light service tonight.
May we wish a happy Christmas and prosperous new year to all our readers! Esther and Mary-Ann are expected Wednesday, Ben around that time, Andy and Eirwen sometime later.
Love

Mike & Kate

13th December 2009

13th December 2009.

Dear All,
Our College garden visit this week was to Homerton, which is just going through the process of being absorbed into Cambridge University, having previously been a teachers training college. It has a huge 26 acre site near the hospital and houses 700 students more than any other college. Having a large car park it is greatly favoured for out of term conferences and these have helped improve their bank balance. Once again the gardens were not spectacular but feature several sheltered courtyards, a conservation area with 3 species of orchids, an orchard and a 60 tree lime avenue.


Homerton Cavendish Building


Secluded Courtyard

Monday evening we had a pub meal out with 10 of the rambling group at The Old Crown in Girton. It was an excellent meal and good company.
Tuesday was work, a trip to the garage to have wheels balanced, tracking adjusted and 2 new tyres followed by groups in the evening. A third group started up this week which is encouraging.
I had to write a book review on Wednesday covering “Vegetable Seed Production” for Experimental Agriculture. I am sure most of you will have read it, if not I can recommend it for the dark evenings! I visited my old director, John MacLeod, again in hospital with prostate cancer. He went from walking to not being able to move in a week but remains very positive. Leaving Brookfields in Mill Road at 4 pm took me 1 hour 45 minutes to get home as Cambridge was gridlocked.
In the evening we entered a team in the Christians in Sport area quiz at St Neots. The quiz was run by ex Cambs Utd star? Graham Daniels and there was a full house of 17 teams of 8. I told our team not to try too hard but we had a sports genius on board (Chris Kean) so we won!


Winning Squad

Our walk on Thursday started at Braughing near Buntingford. It was billed as 8 miles but our leader was back from a 6 week cruise and decided we would be back too soon and added a couple of miles. It was sticky underfoot so quite hard going.


Cottage in Braughing

On Friday Kate and I went to Cambridge Christmas shopping which went quite well ending with lunch and my first trip to Morrisons at Cambourne.
Kate is currently at choir practice ready for the Christmas services – 2 weeks today and it will be all over - as Dad was wont to remark!

Love

Mike & Kate

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