9th January 2022

 

Dear All,

A fairly quiet week after the excitement of Christmas – it always seems a little solemn when the decorations come down. These are the tree decorations we painted under E & E’s directions:

 

 

Christmas tree decorations

 

I have assembled the home-made propagator this week checking seed germinations and pricking out some that might survive at this time of the year.

 

Heath Robinson Propagator

 

We have pruned apple and pear trees when the sun was shining in the early part of the week.

 

We missed our Thursday walk this week as Kate had an appointment at Addenbrooke’s for a bone density scan but we had done shorter local walks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We spotted a group of deer in Over Fen and as usual plenty of evidence of badger activity. While Kate was at Addenbrooke’s Adrian called for an hour and Lorna called for an hour so I did not get much done. In addition, we called on Janet and Jim who had his “National Service in Aden” album out and full of reminiscences.

 

Over Middle Way

 

 

Deer in Over Fen

 

Active Badger sett in Middle Way

 

 

 

Muddy Avenue to the Gravel

I have been updating my presentations for “Just Vegetating” which should start in a couple of weeks.

The weather has been rather depressing towards the end of the week but we decided to brave it and watched Hemingford 2 v 3 Cherry Hinton in challenging conditions.

Our Jig Saw count this period has risen to 7

 

 

7^th Puzzle

Star plant this week is a new Amaryllis which we collected at a talk at Over Garden Club last year. It produces multiple flowers from a single bulb.

 

 

Amaryllis

 

 

Ben has succumbed to Covid and was distinctly croaky on the family Zoom Friday night. It cannot be much fun when you live on your own.

With love

Mike & Kate

 

2^nd January 2022

 

Dear All,

Happy New Year to you all. Christmas was enjoyable and fairly vintage: 9 people for 4 or 5 days, Santa filled stockings for the young and impressionable, a plethora of games, 4 jigsaws, a quiz, a walk, service Zoom or live, and of course excellent food.

Ben arrived on his bike on Wednesday but his panniers were so heavy that he completed his journey from Hitchin on the train. Going back something disintegrated on the bike and he had to catch a train again, this time from Baldock. Mary-Ann, Andy, Amḗlie and Albert arrived 6ish on Thursday as expected and Esther and Emma unexpectedly later that night.

Every gathering needs an Esther to not only occupy the children but arrive laden with games. This year we were introduced to Whoonu, Confident, Dog Bingo, Colour Brain and Qwirkle. We already owned CodeNames and Ipswich Monopoly and of course there was the more familiar Skinny, Rummikub, Upwords, Oh Hell and for the children Ring on a string, Hunt the thimble, Hide & Seek, Kim’s Game and Dead Lions (very popular with the adults!).

Esther & Emma also brought Christmas decorations to paint, paper chains, a Lego music box and transfers – I ended up with a gingerbread man on my bald patch which caused a certain amount of comment in the service!

Mary-Ann knowing her father’s weakness for Tunis cake had jibbed at the smaller size and increased price in Tesco’s and made her own which was well received. Kate has cooked the ham to perfection as usual – such a pity there were so many vegetarians! Andy made a nutloaf in a squash for their Christmas lunch. Andy walked to St Ives and back each day (once accompanied by M-A) and Ben ran each day.

.

 Decoration Painting

 

Homemade Tunis Cake

  

Concentration

 

Puzzle Meister

 

 

Decorating Grandpa

 

 

Dead Lions

 

 

Hopeful children - & some adults!

 

 

Christmas Lunch

 

Two car loads left Monday and Ben on Tuesday – initially in drizzle.

 

 

Easy Rider

 

I had a physio appointment in Ely on Wednesday for a painful wrist. Ironically, I had been suffering with lower back pain since Monday but as I had not been referred for that it could not be addressed. Our cooker door started to disintegrate this week so we ordered a replacement cooker in Ely on Thursday, then it was Bar hill Tesco’s Friday – don’t say we don’t get around!

Norman Ingle thinned a hedge so I was invited to collect the wood and that has now been sawn into logs.

Neither of us made midnight to see the New Year in, although there were enough fireworks to make sure we didn’t sleep through it!

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

19^th December 2021

 

Dear All,

The Christmas tree is now in place – a 6-footer from Fenwick’s finest still retailing at £2 per foot! Next year could be problematic at the plantation now seems to consist of 2’ or 20’ specimens!

 

 

After swimming on Monday, we restocked the new fish tank with mainly Neon and Glowlight Tetras. On Tuesday Arthur’s session was followed by a visit from a man offering a free service of our solar panels, of course he found something lacking claiming we need a voltage regulator – something his firm happens to specialise in!

 

Glowlight Tetra’s

 

Midweek we cut down and logged the Apricot tree in the front garden. It had performed well until a couple of years ago when it started to lose boughs with disease and increasingly shaded the front garden and threw out more and more suckers.

 

 

Apricot Tree

 

 

Cleared site

 

 

First Log Barrow

 

Our walking group had a Christmas gathering on Thursday walking along the River Cam from Magdalene Bridge to Baits Bite Lock at Horningsea then back along the other side of the river. This was followed by a meal in “La Mimosa” an Italian restaurant with a slightly different menu. I had creamed mushrooms, Brisket and Panettoni in chocolate.

 

 

River Cam

 

 

Class of 2021

 

The Cam at Fen Ditton

 

The final session of Biographies included seasonal readings, a quiz and nibbles which went quite well.

Adrian turned up in the afternoon with a large basket full of edible goodies.

Mary-Ann had posted videos of Amḗlie and Albert’s Christmas plays on WhatsApp which were filmed as audiences were not allowed. I am not sure that either of them enjoyed their performances but their grandparents were very pleased to see them!

Esther & Emma’s Garden room has taken shape during the week and is almost completed.

 

19 Alpha Road Air B&B?

Amḗlie continues to show her artistic capabilities having completed a model of a WW2 bunker for a school project.

 

 

Model Bunker

Over’s match was called off as the pitch was deemed unfit – or was it because they were due to play a team that scored 12 the week before and they had a few injured players? We watched Swavesey 4 v 0 Sawston instead.

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

12^th December 2021

 

Dear All,

Christmas preparations gently accelerating with Kate cooking a cake, assembling other cakes, we have sent a few dozen cards, wrapped presents and an had outing to choose a tree. Arthur came with us on Tuesday to choose a tree from Richard Fenwick’s fast diminishing plantation. The system is that you tie a label on the tree of your choice and he delivers it later. It was a rather chilly morning and Arthur seemed to change colour from pink to blue as we walked down Mustills Lane but he is a placid child and doesn’t complain and especially enjoyed checking the depth of each puddle.

Our old lodger South African Cathy was in church Sunday and came for lunch. She now works at Addenbrooke’s so we had a full catch up on the strains of working for the NHS.

Another swimming session with the pool nearly to ourselves on Monday – just 7 in total.

The new fish tank has been filled, planted and the fish transferred. It looks good but the small fish did not take kindly to the change in water so the numbers are reduced.

 

 

My CEEM colleague Terry has managed to send more money to Moldova this week after considerable difficulties. He had his card blocked three time for “suspicious activities”.

On Wednesday I managed another loaf of bread then our History session featured Aethelwulf, Aethelbald, Aethelberht, Aethelred & Alfred (who probably had his name shortened from Aethelfred!). Need I say more?

 

 Our scheduled walk leader on Thursday had to drop out with a leg problem so Kate and I were drafted in. The walk started at Orwell and took in Harlton, Little and Great Eversden. The weather was fine and the route included Harlton Clunch Pit which is an attractive wooded depression. Wildlife featured several Red Kites and some fieldfares which have been scarce round here this year.

 

 

Harlton Clunch Pit

 

Little Eversden

 

 

Grreat Eversden church

 

After the walk we were pleased to see Adrian for the second time in the week and Glynis and Mossy who was looking commendably clean for a white dog on a mucky day.

Biographies this week featured Lady Elizabeth Butler, she was a British painter, who specialised in painting scenes from British military campaigns and battles, including the Crimean War and the Napoleonic Wars. She also painted the famous picture of the lone survivor of the massacre in the Khyber Pass. Even though she was the best painter around she was refused membership to the Royal Academy as she was a woman!

 

 

Lady Elizabeth Butler

 

 

The Remnants of an Army

 

Scotland Forever

 

Jan Few, a local character from Willingham called Friday afternoon, he had just returned from Tenerife and nearly missed his plane as the coach was delayed and as he rushed through check in, they failed to give him a Boarding Pass so he was sent back to check in and had to go through security again and in his haste left his mobile phone in the tray. He is not keen to go abroad again!

The garden is still productive and yesterday I harvested sprouts, leeks, celeriac, parsnips and beetroot.

I watched Linton 3 v 3 Over yesterday a reasonable result but disappointing as Over were 3 v 0 up and conceded the equaliser in the last minute

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 5^th December 2021

 

Dear All,

Early signs that Christmas is on the way locally with the lights eventually being turned on at the Green and the Garden Club Christmas party. The lights were a low-key event after the Saturday weather caused a postponement but there was carol singing, mince pies and a cove with red coat and flowing white whiskers.

 

 

Lights & Carols

 

The Garden Club do involved a quiz, photo competition, Secret Santa and raffle. The quiz had 6 rounds on trees, fruit and vegetables (in which we did well), national gardens and Over history (moderate) and ladies in gardening (in which we performed badly). Did you know that the patron saint of gardeners is St Dorothy? We won the quiz (a team of 6), I got a 1^st and 2^nd in the photos, some plant labels in the Secret Santa and chocolate Matchsticks in the raffle – so a good night all round.

 

Winning photo

 

Mini crisis this week with the fish tank leaking and causing considerable dampness in the cupboard below. As it is only the second tank we have had in 50 years we decided to replace it rather than patch it up. This is quite serious business trying to move the old one, keeping the fish and plants alive and swapping in the new one. The old one was half drained for moving and letting the area dry out, the new one is taller and this meant having the electric socket moved involving filling and painting – so we have not achieved completion yet. When we have there will be a 3’ vivarium available to the highest bidder!

 

The Old Tank in emergency mode

We did a walk recce on Tuesday at Orwell as we received a leading request at short notice as someone dropped out for next week. Our Thursday walk started at Chrishall and took in Duddenhoe End, Littlebury Green and Elmdon. It was a bit sticky underfoot but mainly sunny after a cold start.

 

 

Near Chrishall

 

 

Jerseys Lunching

 

 

Half a mile of Sugar Beet clamp!

 

We were so involved with fish tanks on Wednesday that we both forgot to tune in for our History session. Fortunately, the tutor puts his presentation on-line straight away so we could catch up. This week it was about conflicts between Mercia and Wessex with Wessex becoming top nation, the Book of Kell’s, Vikings attacking Iona and Wessex and the arrival of Alfred who was sent on a pilgrimage to Rome at the age of 3!

Kate and I met up with ex NIAB colleagues for lunch at Girton Golf Club on Tuesday. It was good to catch up with them even though the discussions tend concentrate on ailments and medications!

The Biography subject this week was Charles James Fox a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-rival of the Tory politician William Pitt the Younger. He was very bright, very spoilt by his father and an immoral womaniser. In his youth he wanted to watch the demolition of a wall on his father’s estate but the workmen completed the job before he arrived so his father made them re-erect the wall so Charles could watch the demolition!

 

Charles James Fox

 

Esther and Emma went to Hyde Hall on Friday night to see the illuminations which look quite impressive.

 

 

Hyde Hall

And Over beat Fulbourn 5 v 1 yesterday in rather more pleasant weather that the previous week!

With love

Mike & Kate