13th March 2011

13th March 2011.

Dear All,

We were in Derbyshire with 17 of the U3A ramblers last weekend staying at the “Izaac Walton Hotel” in Ilam. We met in Matlock on Saturday and walked to the Heights of Abraham via Starkholmes - 7 miles in a drizzle.


Matlock Bath



The Izaac Walton

However the weather improved and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were almost cloudless and sunny. On Sunday we started at Ilam and walked 15 miles via Rushley, Musden Wood, Leasow and Mappleton. On Monday another 15 miles along and across Dovedale then Milldale, Alsop en le Dale, Parwich and Tissington.

Dovedale

Lathkill Dale

The eldest member of our party, a tough 78 year old lady, fell crossing a style in Dovedale, and ended headfirst down a steep slope cutting her head in a bush and bleeding profusely.
On Tuesday we drove to Youlgrave and walked Lathkill Dale in the morning. This is Kate’s favourite dale as it is unspoilt, compared to Dovedale and retains some wildness. We finished at lunchtime after 7.5 miles and dropped into Bolehill. Mandy and Natasha both look better but the house is a complete tip which Kate finds upsetting.
I went to work on Wednesday and then another 10 miler on Thursday starting at Hempstead via Radwinter and Great Stamford.
I finished decorating the office and we ordered a new computer desk (as recommended by Jonny). This was delivered on Thursday and assembled on Friday so all the contents of the office need sorting and returning from the play room.


New Desk

I cut the grass for the first time on Friday and sowed a few seeds and planted shallots, garlic and early spuds.
On Saturday Kate and I travelled down to Ripley near Woking in Surrey for the retirement Dinner of an eminent vegetable breeder. It was a surprise for him and I was given a presentation as well. We stayed in Woking but got up early and returned to Over in time for the morning service – if only the M25 was always like this morning!

love


Mike & Kate

27th February 2011

27th February 2011.

Dear All,

Kate has been struggling with a cold this week and even came home early a couple of days – shows how poorly she must have been!
Our U3A visit this week was to Cambridge University Press which was started in 1584 and claims to be the oldest printer in the world. A new venture started in July 2009 called “Print on Demand” whereby any old book that is out of print can be scanned and reprinted. At present a committee decides which books should receive this treatment but they are susceptible to suggestions. They have access to the over 9 million books in the University Library and they choose books of “Enduring Scholarly Value” which are out of copyright (70 years after the authors death) and in good enough condition to handled. They are currently scanning 50 books a week and have a list of 2,422 titles available. For more details go to http://www.cambridge.org/clc The list contains numerous masterpieces but the leading seller so far is an 18th century book of “Cambridge Jokes” – not one of which is remotely funny!



Scanner



Reprinted books

In “Astronomy” we studied Supernovas and Nebulae as well as looking at recent photos of Aurora.

Crab Nebula

Aurora

I have been gradually adding to the fruit area and purchased a dwarf cherry tree this week and planted a new row of autumn raspberries between the showers. I have been setting up germination tests for the seed we have received from Suttons for Moldova and sorting which are worth sending.
Our walk this week started at Debden and proceeded via Saffron Walden and Audley End back to Debden for a Nepalese meal in the pub – 11 miles. It was heavy going underfoot again but would be a good summertime outing.



Near Audley End

near Debden

We had a meal at the Gregory’s on Friday night to celebrate Jane’s 60th birthday. Stephen has retired but still spends most of his time in Ireland on two part time projects in Belfast and Dublin. He thinks if they eventually sell the house in N.Ireland they will have to move to bigger accommodation as he has so many books.
We cleared the computer room yesterday with a view to redecoration and new furniture for the computer and accessories. I went to work with Kate in the pm before descending on Homebase for all the necessary materials.
Entertaining today with the Howard’s and Fosters (Snr) in lieu of a Bulgarian couple who dropped out late on.


love


Mike & Kate

20th February 2011

20th February 2011.

Dear All,

It has been slightly warmer this week so I have started a bit of gardening: digging after carrots, parsnips and celeriac, pruning autumn raspberries, planting onion sets and sowing cabbage, cauliflowers, broad beans, peas, beetroot and cut ‘n come again salads in the glasshouse.
I have been to work a couple of days as we held a leek open day in the middle of the fens on Wednesday. The site was in the middle of nowhere but over 50 visitors managed to find it, and as it happened Wednesday was the best weather of the week.


Leek Open Day at Stretham

On Tuesday we lifted the leeks in the morning when it was rather chilly then I had a group of organic growers from Devon to entertain. In the evening I was at Houghton and Wyton Gardening club. I was a bit late due to the Devon group being fairly garrulous and the gardeners were all sitting relaxed with glasses of wine- no two clubs are the same.
On Monday our U3A group had a visit to Donarbon the waste recycling centre for Cambridgeshire. Since I was there about 2 years ago they have invested £42m on an automatic sorting system for black bins. This removes magnetic metals, other metals and plastics automatically and then grinds up and composts the remainder in a 200m enclosed bay that is continuously moved for 7 weeks to remove methane before being put into landfill. They also compost green waste outdoors in the same way as David and food waste in enclosed high temperature units, both of which produce useable green compost. In addition, they have wood and building site recycling areas and an experimental anaerobic digester. It is all quite impressive but is about to be sold to a Spanish company.

Donarbon sorting unit

Turning green waste

Sculpure from cans & bottles

Recycled products

Our walk on Thursday started at Baldock and circled via Ashwell, 10.5 miles, hilly and sticky underfoot so quite hard work.
We went to see “The King Speech” on Saturday night and it lived up to its billing despite criticism from Simon Hoggart!
Thanks for communications from Harrow and Beaumont this week. Mary asked about Kate Foster, she is home after the operation and making some progress but has a long way to go. We visited on Friday night and she fell asleep while I was showing her the Dolomites photos – shows how ill she must be!!
Thanks for my birthday card Dave and Jen – it was the only one I had, perhaps because it was a month early!

love


Mike & Kate

13th February 2011

13th February 2011.

Dear All,

For those who didn’t know Kate and I are to become grandparents. Mary-Ann and Andy are expecting a baby in early July and there is photographic evidence to back that up! I understand it predicted to be a girl so Andy Gray and Richard Keys are unlikely to be required as god parents. All advice on parenting and naming to Mary-Ann and Andy, any tips on grand parenting to us.


20 week scan

We had a great week winter walking in the Dolomites with Graham and Mary. As I hope you will have seen from the post cards it is a beautiful area. We enjoyed a week of perfect clear blue skies and the hotel and food were excellent. The area is brilliant for skiing but does not cater so well for winter walking, so it exercised our local tour guide (Graham) to find interesting accessible walks – which he did of course, even though they often involved 6 or 7 buses. There were lowland valley walks but higher up is more interesting and these tracks they do not clear or sign very well. We used rubber boot grippers with metal studs which were a huge help especially when the path was icy.


Dolomites


Scott and Shakleton

Relaxed explorers

Snow paradise




Pelargrino



Ice road Truckers!


We stayed at Campitello which is 2 hours 15 minutes up the Fassa valley from Verona. The last day we had time in Verona to explore the Coliseum and stand under Juliet’s balcony.

Juliet’s balcony

Verona Coleseum

Having spent Saturday night in Harrow we travelled to Terling on Sunday morning for the christening of Kate’s sisters second grandchild Alfie, followed by lunch at Hutton with Esther, Mary-Ann, Mandy and Natasha.
Otherwise it has been back to normal, work, Astronomy, Cambridge Present we had and audience with the City’s new MP Julian Hubbert, which was quite interesting and walking. Thanks to a week of high altitude training walking seemed a bit easier this week even though it was 10 miles in constant drizzle starting at Gt. Abington just south of Cambridge.
Kate and I erected the frame of our new fruit cage yesterday and this morning our church group lead a Family service which seemed to go quite well.
I had another surprise at work this week as I had been awarded the “Bentley Nelstrop Medal” for contribution to NIAB. I thought it was for up and coming young scientists so it was not expected (and as I was away I still haven’t received it any way.)

love


Mike & Kate

23rd January 2011

23rd January 2011.

Dear All,

Kate announced her intention to retire at work and they were surprised and asked her to stay until she had trained a replacement. An advert was drafted straight away so the process is underway.
I had a very interesting visit to the Cambridge CCTV Unit with our U3A “Cambridge Present” course on Monday. They have 138 cameras in the city centre and refer 5000 to 6000 incidents to the police each year leading to 1500 prosecutions and 600 fines. In addition, they trace 600 missing persons a year. The picture quality was impressive but there are only two people watching 30 screens at a time.

Guildhall CCTV Unit

Too many meetings this week: Youth planning Monday, Church business meeting Tuesday, CEEM Board meeting Wednesday.
On Wednesday I planned to zip into Cambridge on my way to Newmarket to buy a waterproof coat for the Dolomites. Unfortunately there was a power cut in the centre and all the shops I wanted to check were closed. The car park was free however so not all gloom!
I was going to Newmarket to address their U3A Gardening Club, 45 aged attendees, 90% ladies – the men must all be doping race horses.
Our Thursday walk involved catching a train from Whittlesford to Stanstead Mountfitchet and then walking back to Newport with a pub stop at Ugley halfway. Walking on an empty stomach was easier than with a full one so it was a “walk of two halves”. We caught the train with 30 seconds to spare such is the quality of military planning!

Tough Going near Stanstead

On Friday and Saturday I repaired the garden table which I made with Dad about 15 years ago. It is a bit like Triggers broom, it is completely original but every piece has been replaced over the years.

Table under Repair

On Friday evening we were invited to dinner with another couple of walkers: she is Dublin Irish and he was a professional trumpet player and currently a producer with the BBC.
Last night Kate and I were guests at the Day Care Centre helpers meal because of the fund raising quiz we present. It was a decent meal and we met folk we had not encountered before.
We should be in Italy with Mary and Graham this time next week so no bulletin.

love


Mike & Kate

16th January 2011

16th January 2011.

Dear All,

Back to normal this week with the U3A classes resuming and plenty of other meetings as well, culminating with the annual church social on Saturday night. Kate again masterminded the 4 course meal for 45 with military precision: plan, experiment, forage, assemble, cook, present. I did a Power point “Review of the Year” covering chapel, national and international events. This has become easier with the quality of photos available on the net, but the tendency is to produce a longer presentation – still nobody left or died during the event!
“Cambridge Past, Present and Future” resumed with a talk from local historian Mike Petty on Elizabethan (2nd) Cambridge. He has immense knowledge but dislikes modern technology so does not always put it over as well as possible.
In “Astronomy” we studied “Eclipses”; this was sandwiched between work and an evening planning church events for the year. I checked out our leek trial in the middle of the fens in the afternoon. This site is 2.3 miles from the road and as the farmer was harvesting the next field resembled the Somme with churned up black mud on a freezing cold day.
On Wednesday we had a Veg Panel meeting at Wisley checking Spring cabbage and tasting stored Winter Squash. Sampling 20 varieties of squash starts off OK but becomes a test of stamina.

RHS Vegetable Trials Panel

Squash Judging

I managed to watch Ipswich 1 v 0 Arsenal (shades of 1978 Cup Final?) but am not holding my breath for the 2nd leg!
Our Thursday walk started at Croydon near Wimpole Hall and visited Shingay and East Hatley. It was very sticky under foot and consequently hard work. I wrote the Garden Column in the evening.

Outside Croydon
The garden is wetter than it has been all winter so activity has been restricted to moving fruit to an area where the new cage is planned to cover everything and sawing up some logs.

love


Mike & Kate

10th January 2011

10th January 2011.

Dear All,

Happy New Year to you all, it was good to see nearly all of you over the holiday – and only just miss Dave & Jen by 30 minutes!
The weather and a few nasty germs had their effect on things but it is good to have a mid winter break and see so many family and friends.
Over probably had less snow than anywhere else – even Willingham but my annual expedition to Biggleswade was fraught as the road was like an ice rink. I did the usual missionary outreach with sprouts, 50 stems and 2 nets distributed round work, U3A and the village. About 50% of the recipients seemed to be coughing or sneezing or generally feeling under the weather.

Esther was here for 7 days, Ben 6 days, Mary-Ann and Andy 4 days and Eirwen 1 day. We managed a few quizzes, games of Skinny and walks as is traditional and the thin layer of snow added to the ambience.


Christmas Tea

Gingerbread House

We visited North Harrow on Wednesday and stayed overnight having seen Mary, Graham, Ali, Sylvie, Helen, Scott, Ewan, Robert, Rosie, Jonny, Charlie and Danny. We inspected the Copes impressive new extension and spotted parakeets by the stream in Pinner.

Rosie’s “baby Jesus” cakes

On Thursday we travelled up to Aston Clinton to visit the Revies our former neighbours, the parents had not changed much but both I would have passed both daughters in the street if I had met them! We had a walk in the Chilterns and saw some Firecrests.

Craig, Audrey, Kate



Hannah

We were invited to the Twiss’s opposite for drinks on New Years eve but due to not feeling 100% we were both in bed long before midnight.
Our raid on the sales was not initially very successful as we went to St Ives on Saturday and nearly everything was closed! We did a bit better in Cambridge on Monday but did not get carried away.
The Ramblers held their Christmas Party at Newnham College on Friday and this went well with about 60 attending. Everyone contributed to the food and was part of the entertainment with a rambling quiz..
On Thursday we walked from Kimbolton towards Graffham Water, a bit overcast but it stayed dry.

love


Mike & Kate