2^nd December 2012.

Dear All,

This week has revolved around the talks I had to deliver. It started on Sunday with the children’s talk on “Sheep”. If you want an entertaining few moments Google “Sheep, Stuck, photos” – there are pages of sheep with their heads stuck in objects, on roofs and stranded on rocky ledges.

On Monday I drove down to Stow-on-the-Wold to address the Vegetable Consultants Association (VCA) at their annual conference. I was booked to do their after dinner talk on “The History of NIAB” but charged with remembering that some would be “tired and emotional” so keep it light. Actually I enjoyed preparing for this as there was quite a lot I did not know about the agriculture at the time it was set up in 1919 when seed was poor quality and new varieties were not being introduced or looked after – everyone just nicked other peoples varieties and reselected or renamed them resulting in vast arrays of synonyms.

Stow-in-the-Wold

Meanwhile they rang me on the previous Friday evening to say that their speaker on “Organics” had dropped out – could I stand in. It solved what to do on a wet cold Saturday morning!

Then Friday it was my turn to present a Biography. I chose “Henry J Heinz and his 57 varieties” He was growing vegetables aged 6, selling round the village aged 8, had his own horse and cart aged 12 and rising at 3 am to travel to Pittsburg to sell to shops and offices aged 14. His first processed product was horseradish and there were more than 57 varieties when the slogan was introduced and 1350 by the time it was back pedalled. He was a strong supporter of the Sunday School movement all his life and Heinz currently sell 650m bottles of Tomato Ketchup pa and last year turned over $11.6 billion with 35,000 employees.

 

                   Henry  Heinz     

                             

The Pittsburg Factory

The walk on Thursday was another sticky one starting at Balsham taking in West Wickham and West Wratting. There was a high percentage of fields to cross with a particularly adhesive brand of clay underfoot.

The U3A film this week was “Charlie Wilson’s War” based on a true story of a US Senators involvement with Afghanistan when the Russians were the invaders.

Advent Service tonight at the Anglican Church – time marches on!

Love

Mike & Kate

25th November 2012

25th November 2012.

Dear All,

Our Thursday walk was memorable this week. We started in Godmanchester and proceeded via Hemingford, St Ives and Houghton. After heavy rain during the week we were soon in ankle deep water and had to re route a couple of times before eventually having to wade through knee deep water. We split into two groups and our section ended up damp and weary after 12 miles.

 Near St Ives

I had a Garden Club talk on Tuesday evening so had to miss a 50^th wedding anniversary of one of our walking colleagues at The Fire Engine House at Ely. Kate went and as usual the meal was excellent.

I was at Wisley again on Wednesday planning next years’ trials. RHS income is down due to the weather and maybe the recession? so budgets are under scrutiny.

The biography subject this week was Sir Joseph Lister father of antiseptic surgery. He studied what Louis Pasteur was finding about spoilage in wine and applied it to medicine. He was brought up in the “quiet Essex village of Upton” which is now the site of Upton Park, West Ham’s football ground!

Esther came up on Friday night and Kate accompanied her to a Craft Fair in Cambridge Guildhall. I watched half of Over v Chatteris in chilly drizzle before attending the third session of “Messy Church” There was a good attendance again which is very encouraging.

Messy Church

 I have somehow ended up with four talks to do this week so have had to spend some time preparing!

Love

Mike & Kate

18th November 2012.

Dear All,

It was our week for Amélie minding and it coincided with a Workshop at Wisley on Tuesday so Kate came with me and had two days in Godalming. The Workshop covered items on "Sustainable Growing Media" and "Biosecurity and Quarantine for Pests & Diseases" the latter was quite depressing with the number of problems that have entered or are queuing up to enter the country. It also covered the recent outbreaks of “Ash Dieback” and “Sudden Oak Death” which are rather alarming.

On Wednesday the sun shone and we took Amélie to Winkworth Arboretum. The trees were at their most colourful and we were all impressed. Amélie is walking strongly now and covered most of the area on foot.

Winkworth Arboretum

I went with Kate to “The Dickens Society” meeting on Monday. They were discussing “Pickwick Papers”. There was an interesting talk on the various illustrators but the remaining discussions were rather rarified from folk, who albeit experts, were a tad precious.

On Thursday it began foggy and only lifted briefly at lunchtime, so our walk round Ely was a bit gloomy. We could supposedly see the cathedral from every point on the walk but in practice we did not see it at all. However the lunch in “The Cutter” was very good.

The biography this week was “Richard Trevithick” a Cornish mining engineer who initially designed stem driven pumps to drain the mines and later invented steam driven carriages. He was a fiery character and ran out of money a few times and spent several years in South America helping drain silver mines.

      The Zimmertones                                              

   Lucy & Barry

We had a Music Night at chapel last night as part of the 275^th celebrations. It featured a quartet “The Footlight” led by Hilary Allen and a harpist, Lucy Bunce accompanied by her father. The quartet finished the evening as aged “The Zimmertones” with grey wigs and walking sticks, zimmerframes etc.

I have struggled a bit with a sore back this week and following my kidney scan was summoned to the surgery as although the kidneys were clear they spotted a small nodule on my lung. I and the doctors don’t seem to know what the implications are but I have to go for another scan sometime.

Love

Mike & Kate

11th November 2012.

Dear All,

We were in London yesterday for the annual Conference of CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) an organisation which supports people who have been persecuted for their faith. It was held in the “Emanuel Centre” at Westminster. We arrived late as the Premier Travel coach we travelled on broke down at Wanstead so we completed the journey by tube. There were harrowing tales of people who are in prison or house arrest but the stories which made the biggest impression were from those who were actually there: a Sri Lankan lady whose husband had been killed in front of her eyes, an Iranian girl who had been imprisoned and an Iranian pastor who was imprisoned and sentenced to death. 54,000 people wrote to embassies to protest, a 24 hour prayer vigil was held and he was released the same day.

Emanuel Centre

It was Gordon Foster’s 60^th birthday this week and he held a party at an Indian restaurant in Peterborough on Tuesday evening. His boss Denis part owns the restaurant so he gets a good deal.

The Tuesday film was “The Burmese Harp” a Japanese story about a regiment being trapped in Burma at the end of the war. Their Captain was a trained musician and trained them to sing, a sanitised version of events but well done anyway.

Kate and I led the so called “Short Walk” on Thursday. It was actually measured at 9.66 miles but as the long walk was 12 miles we had a following of 21 compared to 11 on the long walk. The sun shone and the leaves and berries were very vivid.

  

            Near Anglesey Abbey  

                                  

Little Wilbraham River

Our biography topic was “Eleanor of Aquitaine” a tough old bird who lived until 82, mothered 10 children, married 2 kings and produced 2 more.

Kate and I went to an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum entitled “The Search for Immortailty” featuring Chinese burial relics from 200 BC which were not unearthed until the 1990s.

   

 Exhibits from China

We took Ben to Luton Airport on Monday and he should return today, as should Esther – perhaps they will meet? Erratum from last week for “Glasgow” read “Derby” – we haven’t had a report from the cousin’s weekend as yet.

Love

Mike & Kate

4th November 2012.

Dear All,

We enjoyed two long walks this week – but on reflection “enjoyed” is probably overstating the case. We are down to lead a “short” walk next week so we carried out the “reccy” on Wednesday. This is fairly local starting at Stow-cum-Quy, following Quy Water to Anglesey Abbey and Lode then across to Bottisham and Little Wilbraham before returning by the Little Wilbraham River to Stow. It was actually nearly 9 miles which I think contravenes the Trade Descriptions Act – and difficult to shorten. The beginning and end are by water and attractive, the middle crosses the A14 followed by some exposed fields so is more of a slog.

On Thursday we began at Great Crishall and took in Little Crishall and Langley. There had been heavy rainfall during the night so ditches were gurgling and even the grass paths were saturated. We finished by crossing a recently ploughed large field of especially glutinous clay. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you are doing this for pleasure!

Chrishall church

  

Heavy Going

After the walk I popped into the NIAB Onion Open Day which was well attended. Alasdair Findlay, a farmer/breeder from Bedfordshire has been breeding his own varieties of Brussels Sprouts and red onions for many years. This year his new red onion came top for yield and he was very chuffed. He phoned me next day to say that he had been on the point of giving up a few years ago but I had encouraged him to keep trying – sometimes it all seems worthwhile........

NIAB Onion Demonstration

In the evening Nick Bolton from Nickersons Seeds came for dinner to meet John Law and myself as he wants to start something in Latvia similar to what we are doing in Moldova. He attends a New Frontiers church in Bury St Edmunds and the best man from his wedding is working as a missionary in Latvia. Charismatics should be good at broadcasting seed!

Our U3A film on Tuesday was “Albert Nobbs” about a couple of women disguising themselves as men to get on in 1920s Dublin. The acting was brilliant but it was a bit sad.

The biography this week was “Rudyard Kipling”. Born 1865 in Bombay, boarding school in England from aged 5, Returned to India as a journalist aged 17 for 7 years and did not go back again. Back to England to start writing. Travelled extensively, married and settled in Vermont, returned to Devon then “Batemans” in Sussex. Friend of Cecil Rhodes, Helped Baden Powell start Scouts. First Englishman to win Nobel Prize for Literature. Wangled son into WW1 but devastated when shot aged 18. Daughter brought Wimpole Hall. Collected Poems book 3” thick. Died 1936, buried in Poets Corner.

Plenty of gardening this week, planted broad beans, harvested last of runner beans and tomatoes, topped asparagus, dug dahlias and carried on digging.

Esther left for Bulgaria on Friday, Mary-Ann is in Glasgow for the cousins get together, Ben and 2 mates arrived last night before running in the Lode Half Marathon. We wish them well as it is currently pouring with rain. Ben flies to Turkey on Monday.

Love

Mike & Kate

28th October 2012

28th October 2012.

Dear All,

Two trips to London this week – that’s pretty sophisticated for simple country folk! On Wednesday we travelled to Harrow to discuss a possible visit to the Northern Lights next March. Dave and Jen came up so it was good to catch up all round. As usual, Graham had drafted meticulous plans; it is like having your own private travel agent.  David had brought a chain saw with him and dissected a large holly tree (on request, not impulse). Mary and Graham are taking in a homeless Iranian from Monday, which is a big undertaking.

Yesterday it was the Annual Mission meeting in the Friends Meeting House at Euston. The main speaker was Malcolm Firth who grew up through our Covenanter group and is now working in Latvia. His parents were also there (now living in March) Lily taught all our children to play the piano, which is an experience I guess they will never forget – “shoes off” and a dinner menu run by the weekly calendar “Monday cheese pie...”

            Friends Meeting House     

  Evening Rally

We took in the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road as well. It was very interesting especially the medical and photographic image sections.

            Caffeine crystals       

       Surface of Human brain

       “Bud” a GM exhibit     

     Obesity Scupture

The U3A film was “Zelig” directed by and starring Woody Allen. He becomes a sort of chameleon imitating the people he meets in personality and looks.

The walk started at Little Staunton near St Neots. Kate came on the longer walk – 10.5 miles.

“Biographies” subject was Sir Anthony Eden. It was interesting to know more of his earlier life as you tend to think “Suez” and not much else, but he won a MC at the age of 19 in WW1 and was highly thought of as Foreign Minister and as an international statesman.

Amélie sent us a postcard from Majorca which indicated that she enjoyed her holiday especially swimming and destroying sand castles.

Love

Mike & Kate

21st October 2012

21st October 2012.

Dear All,

Serious winter maintenance of the cricket pitch this week. We were later than usual and the square was wetter than normal which made it hard work as all the machinery: scarifier, aerator, soil distributor, picked up mud and eventually all the loam had to be applied by hand (50 bags). In addition there were only two of us available so it took a couple of days.

We have attended several lectures this week. On Monday I went back to NIAB as a Leeds University student is using the history of NIAB for an MSc and gave a talk to the retired staff. It was interesting but several of the wrinklies were muttering “I don’t think he has got that quite right!”

On Tuesday I returned the heavy roller to its winter quarters and had to prepare a last minute study on “Mendelssohn” for our home group as the designated presenter was laid low. We also attended a U3A lecture on “Cambridgeshire Wildlife, Past, Present & Future”, by the head of the local Wildlife Trust. He described the effects of Climate Change, Agriculture, Urbanisation, Pollution and Foreign Introductions in a fairly balanced way.

Wednesday was an expensive day. My car was in for a service and MOT and although it passed there is always the opportunity of extracting extra cash by suggesting that something needs fixing before it lets you down. This time it was a brake pipe and the ABS system. In addition I had some work dome on the computer installing Microsoft 2007 and cleaning the fans in the computer box.

This week’s walk started at Brockley Green between Haverhill and Bury St Edmunds and was the first really muddy walk of the year – the sort where you collect great balls of mud from any bare earth.

Brockley Green

Our pastor and a couple of others have been in Moldova this week running training sessions for local men. I haven’t heard all the details yet but they seem to be encouraged.

On Friday the “Biography” class featured William Hamilton, husband of Lady Emma and friend of Nelson. Ironically he seems to have turned a “blind eye” to Emma and Horatio but he was a serious art collector and respected diplomat.

On Friday evening we ran a quiz at the Day Centre to raise funds. Kate had prepared all the questions and I was Question master. It raised £312 and seemed to go pretty well. Questions available for a fee!

Kate catered at the second instalment of Messy Church yesterday and 55 turned up so that is very encouraging – and a lot of hot dogs, sweet corn and cakes on sticks.

Love

Mike & Kate