25th July 2010

Dear All,

It has been a quieter week with much wicket repairing and garden watering. Three matches on the Green this week following the carnival so plenty of filling and rolling.
On Monday we met at Clare College where the bursar gave us an interesting talk about the management of "the Backs". The six colleges which share the area try and manage the development collectively to maintain vistas, replanting and felling.
Question: what is the most common tree species on the Backs?
Answer: Limes 30%
Clare gardens next to the river are also fairly special with colour co-ordinated planting.

Clare College

Clare Gardens

Chapel cricket was successful again this week beating St Neots Methodists in a close finish reaching 140 in the llast over.

Our walk started at Ashdon on Thursday and unusually our esteemed leader lost the way a few times. It was a good walk via Radwinter with a few fields of barley and rape having been harvested.

Ashdon

We finished the Alpha course last week and held a celebration meal this week with several guests and possible future attendees present.

It was Rene Sanders funeral on Friday, the chief pallbearer was Wally Ambrose who was our goal keeper when I first played for Over. He is not naturally suited for his present occupation as he is immensely cheerful and tends to wave at people he knows in the congregation.

Rene


We have a holiday club starting Monday so there has been a bit of preparation this week on the theme of "Pirates finding Treasure". Kate and I are in charge of the 7 to 11s.

Yesterday we visited Fowlmere Nature Reserve which is owned by the RSPB. Highlights were spotting Water rail and trout in a clear stream.

Fowlmere Nature Reserve

love

Mike & Kate

18th July 2010

18th July

Dear All,

We have had Henry Olonga the former Zimbabwean test cricketer here for a "Tea & Talk" this evening.He was excellent and over 70 turned up. He told his life story, signed copies of his new book, sang and answered questions.

Henry & Jim

Going backwards it was Over Carnival and Produce Show yesterday, attendance was down a bit due to the blustery weather. The chapel stand with a local quiz and game went well again. We held a BBQ for helpers afterwards and we cleaned up the Green this morning as a public service.

Chapel stand

Clean up squad

I was second in the veg again with 6 x 1st, 7 x 2nd and 7 x 3rds - it saves the bother of polishing the cup.

This morning I was interviewd by BBC Radio Cambridge about last weeks award. It went OK until the interviewer signed off by saying "congratulations on your MBE"

On Friday Kate and I had a meal in the travelling field kitchen of the Riverford box scheme that I am doing some work for at Sacrewell, Peterborough. The meal was excellent and served in a yurt. The Lord Mayor of Peterborough was in attendance demonsrating his £11,000 gold chain of office.

Yurt Restaurant

For those who know her Rene Saunders from Longstanton died Friday am. She had been in Addenbrookes for a couple of weeks.

Our Thursday walk started at Ashwell near Baldock, it was rather blustery and included a field of newly shorn alpacas which resembled cuddly toys.

The college garden visit was to Pembroke the third oldest college in Cambridge with some excellent plants.

Pembroke College

love

Mike & Kate

11th July 2010

11th July 2010.

Dear All,

Highlight of this week has been Monday’s trip to Hampden Court Flower Show where I was presented the award of “Associate of Honour” from the RHS for life time services to horticulture by Sophie, Countess of Wessex. It was baking hot and I had to wear a suit but fortunately was able to ditch it soon after the lunch. Kate and I sat on a table with The Lord Lieutenant of Surrey and his wife and Vince Cable’s wife. The show was very good especially the Home Produce garden where they had transplanted a huge area of vegetables, flowers, cereals and sunflowers and kept them alive during the hot weather.

Sophie, me and the new RHS President




Hamden Court exhibits

The garden has needed some serious watering this week to keep things alive, it reached 118°F in the greenhouse.
Our walk this week started at Dalham near Newmarket and was a circuit via Barrow and Gazeley including the remains of a castle and the grounds of an estate. After we were invited to nearby Kirtling to the home of one of our number Roger Gilmour, this turned out to be a mansion with 26 acres! He was once director of Porton Down germ warfare unit - so it was Pimm’s for the second time in a week!

Dalham cottage

Roger’s place

On Friday I thought it would be a good chance to burn a small bonfire as it was very dry, I watered the ashes to make sure they were out and we changed to go to Sutton for a BBQ to celebrate Adrian Hart’s birthday. The start of the BBQ was delayed for 45 mins and Kate looked out of the window and saw the hedge and log pile alight. It took 45 minutes and 2 hoses to put it out! It was a good job we had not left at the original time.


Fire site

I was judging Little Paxton Produce Show yesterday but the entries were a bit weedy so it was not a very long job.
Kate has joined Esther at the Albert Hall today where they are practicing and singing “Gloria” by Karl Jenkins. It is the first time it has been performed and in Latin so I hope it goes well.

love

Mike & Kate

4th July 2010

4th July 2010.

Dear All,


It has been a fairly busy week. On Monday morning some of us went to Eden, Cambridge to hear an American, Wayne Gruden talk about “Christianity and Politics”. In the afternoon the college visit was to Selwyn where they spend more time planting annual borders than any previous college we encountered.

Selwyn Gardens

In the evening we joined some of the U3A walkers for a meal at the Golden Ball at Boxworth where we had recently dined with the cousins.
On Tuesday I was surprisingly in charge of the NIAB Salads open day at Shippea Hill (I thought I was just helping but my colleague opted for a training course). In the evening the chapel cricket team were performing on Parkers Piece but I did not get there in time to play.

Salads in Fen flat fields

On Wednesday I patched the wicket and tidied the garden before attending our old NIAB director John MacLeod’s funeral in Over church. There was a huge turnout as he was very personable and kept involvement with several organisations including RHS after retirement. There were 5 eulogies at the service. Afterwards I was picked up by Rob Haward to drive down to Devon via Norton (one of their bases) to help his company Riverford Organics with some consultancy on vegetable varieties. They are the largest box scheme in the country with a turnover of £35m. They operate from 5 sites including Sacrewell near Peterborough with HQ at Buckfastleigh near Newton Abbot. Growing vegetables in Devon with steep fields and narrow lanes is a challenge, so is growing 40 different vegetable crops and maintaining continuity and diversity throughout the season. Highlight was eating in their Field Kitchen where they show off the quality of their produce. They currently have a similar operation touring the country feeding people in a yurt.


Rhubarb in not so flat Devon

The journey back on Friday afternoon was painful as there seemed to be an accident or traffic jam every 50 miles.
Yesterday I was speaking at a farm walk in Willingham where a Christian farmer opens his operation for inspection every year with a guest speaker, farm tour, rare breed inspection and BBQ. I was due to speak in a barn using Powerpoint and Kate had collected the chapel laptop as we were leading the Family Service today. When I arrived I had picked up the wrong laptop! - but fortunately it was close enough to zip home and swap.

Farm walk in Willingham

Kate’s cough is much better but has not completely disappeared.
Love

Mike & Kate

27th June 2010

27th June 2010.

Dear All,


For those not present at the “Senior Cousins Reunion” photos are attached. It was an enjoyable event even though cold and damp. It was great to see everyone especially Gwen after 50 years and meet Rob for the first time.

Assorted Cousins 2010
Kate and I attended a seed companies 25th Anniversary near Evesham yesterday. Enza Zaden are an English offshoot of a Dutch salad company. They put 50 or so up in local hotels and laid on a dinner for 120 in a marquee. Our hotel was very old dating back to the 1600s and very attractive but last night was exceptionally warm. We made a day of it and visited Kenilworth Castle on the way which was very interesting.
On the way back this morning we called in at Hidcote Manor gardens which are excellent, very mature having been bequeathed to the nation by an American Gardener 80 years ago.

Kenilworth Castle

New Formal gardens

Hidcote Manor Gardens

Our Hotel

Dave Garlick was here tonight to take the evening service. He came early enough to suffer through England’s World Cup exit and we were joined by John Law for tea afterwards. John has just enjoyed a 60th birthday trip to Alaska and took over 20,000 photos!
Otherwise the college trip was to Kings this week and they included a tour of the chapel, the head gardener wears a special uniform with a brown bowler hat and a college tie.

Kings college Masters garden

The walk on Thursday was the second part of the “Stour Valley Way” from Great Bradley to Stoke by Clare. It was an “classic” walk with water, grass and trees but very hot.
We went to a U3A BBQ at Dry Drayton on Wednesday evening run by my old “Solar System” lecturer. He is a keen BBQer with gigantic woks to cook vegetables and steak cut from a whole joint of beef. It was held in a fantastic old vicarage setting complete with croquet lawn and wood.
Friday we had a “Walk About Supper” in the village so we have eaten quite well this week!.

Love

Mike & Kate

13th June 2010

13th June 2010.

Dear All,

Kate has been struggling all week with flu like symptoms, she stayed at home one day and came home early on several others but has also had to look after cells all week including Saturday and Sunday. I went with her yesterday to inspect the new premises at Chesterford Park, the surroundings are pleasant but her main working area is a bit cramped.

Chesterford Park



Scientist at Work

Our college visit this week was to Sydney Sussex which has mature gardens with more trees than most which means there is quite a lot of shade. Health and Safety decreed that their large Magnolia could not be pruned with ladders this year so they had to hire a “cherry picker” – 2

gardeners hurt their backs pushing it into position!

Sydney Sussex

Star plant Dictamnus


Our chapel cricket match this week was against St Neots Methodists and we were winning easily (146-6 v 14-5) when one of their players collapsed with a dislocated knee cap so the game had to be abandoned while we waited for an ambulance. Last year we played them for the first time and sent one to hospital when he tried to catch the ball and it went through his hands and knocked several teeth out! Last week one of ours dislocated his shoulder so cricket is proving a dangerous game.
Our walk on Thursday started at Balsham and took in Horseheath, West Wickham and West Wratting. It was muddy and slippery initially and quite hard going after rain the previous day but finished OK.
After collecting a puncture on my bike last week I managed one in the car on Friday on the way to Tescos, I hope there won’t be a third!
U3A World Cup joke: A Cambridge Professor was researching the correlation between penis size and happiness. He reported that he had accumulated plenty of information but was lacking data relating to the shortest length (under 2”) so he had put out an appeal that anyone in that category should identify themselves over the next 3 weeks by flying a white flag with a red cross from either their car or bedroom window.
Looking forward to seeing some of you next Friday.


Love

Mike & Kate

6th June 2010

6th June 2010.

Dear All,

It has been a hot dry week so a deal of watering to keep things growing, but most things seem to be OK and recovering from the late frosts. We started broad beans and strawberries this week which is a sign that summer is a coming.
Kate has been suffering towards the end of the week and is currently in bed with a nasty cough and temperature.
On Friday, we drove down to Hutton to help Esther with a few jobs. The biggest was demolishing an old rotten shed covered with decades of ivy. The best bits of wood were recycled into a compost bin. We also checked sources of wood for skirting board and doors, replaced a curtain rail, rehung the front gate and tried (unsuccessfully) to stop a leak in the gutter. It was a good days work and we drove home the pretty way via the Rodings, Dunmow and Thaxsted.


Before

After

Star plant in Esther’s garden

Our Thursday walk was 12 miles starting from Godmanchester, via Hemmingford Abbots, Hemmingford Grey, St Ives, Houghton and back to the Black Bull in Godmanchester on the Ouse Valley Way. It was hot but a good walk with plenty of water and flowering meadows.

Approach to Hemmingford Abbots

Ouse Valley Way

Flower Meadow near St Ives

Yesterday we tried a bike ride along the new guided bus way to St Ives which was fine until I got a puncture on the way back just outside of St Ives so I had a long walk back pushing the bike.
Gwen phoned last night to confirm the cousins reunion arrangements. They and John and Muriel have booked into a Travel Lodge the Thursday night and Gwen and Rob are staying here on Friday night.
Love

Mike & Kate