10th April 2022

 

Dear All,

We tend not to go swimming during school holidays as the timetable changes and the pool gets crowded. Instead, I had an additional walk with Lawrie a friend from Histon. We walked down to the RSPB reserve then on to the Staunch, along the raised flood bank to Overcote then back to the village along another section of the flood bank. Lawrie has had ankle trouble so did not want to walk any further. His USP is his encyclopaedic knowledge of bird songs so it is a bit like walking with Bill Oddie or David Attenborough with recognition of Cettis warblers, chiff chaffs and reed warblers, even if you do not see them! The Staunch was heavily clogged with reeds that someone must have cut upriver and we had a long conversation with one of farmer Burling’s offspring about their special Stabiliser breed beef cattle. It is all very scientific these days with ear tags which reveal the genetics of the cow and the ability to sex semen for the chosen gender!

 

The clogged Staunch

 

 

Stabiliser cattle & keeper

 

Beehive array

 

Our main walk on Thursday started at Great Barford beyond the A1 for us towards Bedford. It was a very scenic route beside the River Ivel north to Roxton then back along the Great Ouse. We digressed in Roxton to view one of only two surviving thatched chapels in the UK. The wind however was something else, the worst we have walking in since Iceland 1972!

  

Barford Bridge

 

 

Blunham

 

 

Roxton Congregational church

 

We have both been busy in the garden and allotments this week. I have rotovated in muck at the allotment and sown parsnips, carrots and beetroot and planted out celeriac. In addition, we have unclamped and planted dahlias and planted the first tomatoes in the GH.

 

We held our first Men’s breakfast at chapel since February 2020 yesterday. The speaker was Robert van der Weher who was the man in charge of St Clements church where we held “Just Vegetating” this year. He had an amazing life story being born to wealth as his father inherited a stately home and village and was related to the Earl of Leicester and Sarah Ferguson. Robert was expelled from his kindergarten aged 5, studied at Eton and decided to travel to India rather than take a place at Magdalen College, Cambridge. To fund his travel, he worked in a chicken farm, had a spell as a butler and a doorman in a brothel. In India he fell in with the Jain followers who espouse poverty and possessions only owning a loin cloth and a begging bowl. They pluck all their hairs, never stay in one place for 2 nights running and sweep the floor so as not to tread on any insects or wild life. He was offered a place to join them but eventually declined and returned to UK where he met Sarah and returned to India with her looking for the meaning of life by joining an Ashram and studying under a Guru. He was a convinced atheist but it so happened that he was directed to an Ashram that followed the teaching of Jesus without all the trappings of dogma and creeds and this changed him. Cutting a long story short he returned to the UK and qualified to teach economics, philosophy and religion in Cambridge while qualifying as an Anglican priest and running the Little Gidding Community which had a farm for handicapped folks, His wife worked as an Occupational Therapist with handicapped people in Peterborough. Hamerton Wildlife Park was in his parish so he became a Trustee of that when it was set up. He also had a regular phone in programme on local radio as well as taking part in debates on the BBC. After 25 years of lecturing, he retired and moved to Cambridge and took an interest in St Clements church which was in a state of disrepair. This has now been renovated with a small elderly congregation but they share the premises with the Cambridge Russian Orthodox church which has been an interesting exercise in recent weeks. Checking him out on-line as I had to introduce him for the talk, I found that he had written 130 books! All in all, an interesting guy. We were not sure how many would turn up due to the prevalence of Covid locally but 17 braved it, which was not too bad.

The work men at Esther & Emma’s have made a good start and plan to work all weekend. We are expecting Mary-Ann, Andy, Amḗlie & Albert later today and Ben Wednesday night to join us to travel to the funeral on Thursday.

 

 

Early Stages

With love

Mike & Kate

 

3^rd April 2022

 

Dear All,

We had a colourful start to the week by visiting the National Hyacinth collection kept by an elderly farmer at Waterbeach. He has collected from all over and now has over a hundred varieties but he himself is 85 so I am not sure how long he will continue.

 

 

Hyacinths – one of many

 

After swimming on Monday, I had a dentist appointment which Kate had booked me for a check-up. However, when I arrived, they did not have me listed so I had to wait 45 minutes listening to drills and scrapes to be fitted in. In the evening we had a 10-pin bowling session at Pidley. There were about 30 of us and the offer was a meal and 2 games for a bargain price. I did reasonably well scoring 256 in the two games but was, of course, beaten into second place by Gordon as usual!

 

 

Bowlers preparing

 

 

Bob poised

 

 

Prizewinners

 

Kate was at the dentist on Tuesday so we had Arthur later for lunch then took him to Oakington Garden Centre where Kate converted some of her Mother’s Day Gift tokens into Wellington Boots and gloves. It was a good day for visitors as we entertained Adrian, Lorna, Rachel and Grace for varying lengths of time.

I dug trenches for Runner beans on Wednesday and had compost buying trip to Berrycroft Stores.

On Thursday it was a surprise to wake up to a dusting of snow and as we drove to Horseheath for the walk there were several more snow showers but once we started walking the sun came out and although the wind was chilly it was good walking conditions as long as you kept moving.

 

 

                                                                    Snow dusting

  

West Wickham church

  

 Yen Hall Farm, West Wickham

 

Pastor David and family flew to South Africa for a 3 week break on Thursday so it is all hands to the pump covering services while he is away.

With love

Mike & Kate

 

27^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

This has been the last week of the U3A term, which is a bit of a relief as having something every week day was a bit much this time. After not going out at all last weekend with a cold I have been much better but have continued to sniff and cough. I hadn’t had a cold for 2 years but this one seems to be making up for lost time!

I was OK for swimming on Monday and teaching the last session of “Just Vegetating” which was on “Oriental Vegetables”. The group presented us with a gift of £110 for CEEM.

On Tuesday the last session of “Cognitive Psychology” was on Decision Making. I am not quite sure what to make of the course as it mostly seemed to be stating the obvious in a round a bout way – but perhaps I missed the point? After we watched Gordon’s mothers memorial service on Zoom then planted out Cabbage, Cauliflowers and Calabrese. In the evening we had a meeting of the CEEM committee at Sandy which was rather tense as one member has not been performing very well with plenty of excuses and another had written a rather blunt paper largely about his shortcomings. Needless to say, the latter is German as they tend not to beat about the bush. I was chairing the meeting and no blood was spilt!

On Wednesday Kate and I travelled down to Hutton to help Esther & Emma preparing to move out while builders move in to extend and modify their property. What started as moving two small apple trees grew to digging up seven trees and bushes and potting them up into temporary homes. The sun was shining and they mostly came up easily so it was quite enjoyable. We also fetched home some of the contents of their freezer.

 

 

Gardener at Rest

 

We were leading the walk on Thursday starting at Waresley and taking in Great and Little Gransden. This is usually a free-range chicken and bluebell walk, but the birds are all indoors because of the flu epidemic and we were too early for bluebells. The woods were all closed due to the perceived danger of Ash Dieback causing boughs to fall on passers-by. An interesting feature was seeing the windmill which is claimed to be the oldest post mill in the country dating back to 1610. The main structure has been recently renovated but the sails have not been replaced yet.

 

Great Gransden Post Mill and walkers

 

 Mother & Lamb in solitary confinement

 

We had an Over Produce Show committee in the evening. Things do not change greatly from year to year but our very efficient secretary still manages to produce a 25-point agenda!

Friday saw the end of “Biographies” for this session. The topic was “Charles Campbell” an early Scottish footballer who played for Queens Park for 16 years in the 1870s and 80s and won numerous trophies before starting the Scottish FA then later the Irish FA. This seemed a strange subject for a rotund elderly lady who has probably never kicked a ball in her life, but it turned out that he was an ancestor of hers and in Olympic year 2012 she won a prize in an essay competition about “My Sporting Ancestor”. After we had a celebratory meal in the Maypole pub where we normally repair for coffee.

 

 

Charles Campbell

 

Kate helped me plant second early and maincrop spuds at the allotment in the afternoon and at Elsoms on Saturday morning. She has also been very busy tidying the front garden which looks colourful at this time of the year.

  

Front garden – smartened up!

 

The Cambridge news topic this week was “Pastimes” and my submission was Pumpkin Carving.

 

Pumpkin Carving

 

While writing this letter news has come in the sister-in-law Jen passed away last night. It had been expected for sometime but it still comes as a jolt when it happens. She had been battling myeloma for a long time.

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

20^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

Highlights this week include my 76^th birthday and inheriting Kate’s cold! Thanks to all for birthday cards and gifts. We celebrated by participating in the usual Thursday walk then brought all the walkers a drink in time honoured fashion afterwards. In the afternoon, Tony & Jenny Miles came for cake and tea. The main celebration was a meal on Friday evening at The Three Tuns, Fen Drayton with Kate & Gordon, Mervyn & Pat, Bob & Carol, Glynis & Richard, Jane and Adrian.

 

 

 Birthday Loot

 Kate sat out swimming on Monday due to her on going cold and “Just Vegetating” was Minor Crops (part 2) including Globe and Jerusalem Artichokes, Cardoons, Tomatillo, Tamarillo, Hamburg Parsley, Sweet Potatoes etc. Kate’s recipes included Jerusalem Artichoke dauphinoise, Sweet Potato gratin with coconut & chilli, Fennel salad with pistachios & oven dried grapes.

On Tuesday, Arthur was poorly and only lasted an hour of sleeping and weeping before returning home. I dug in the over wintered green manure (crimson clover). In the afternoon we went to the recycling centre at Waterbeach for 7 bags of green compost/soil conditioner. In the evening I was speaking at Fulbourn Garden Club, which was rather up market with sausage rolls, mince pies and wine afterwards!

Wednesday evening it was Over Garden Club with a very good talk on “Auriculas” – hardy Primulas mostly with a pale centre to the flowers.

 

Our Thursday walk started at Balsham and took in West Wratting and West Wickham. It was sunny throughout but 15mm rain the day before made for a few sticky patches underfoot.

 

 

Balsham Bandstand

 

Balsham Period House

 

 

West Wratting Hall

 

I missed “Biographies” Friday because of the cold symptoms which eventually developed into something fairly severe. I did manage to spread lawn sand on the grass and pricked out a few seedlings.

The Magnolias in the front have started to colour up

 

Magnolia

 

The Cambridge News topic this week was “Farming” and I submitted a shot of the muck spreader at Bolehill!

 

 

With love

Mike & Kate

 

13^th March 2022

 

Dear All,

The news from Moldova is not improving. We have had email contact with most of the places we know. In the capital Chisinau, Igor reports that “We have packed bags – just in case, all the local shops have sold out of cases”. He has also picked up refugees from the border. In Leova, they have turned their community centre into a refuge but are surprised that some well to do refugees are a bit fussy while poorer ones are finding things more difficult. In the villages there is less impact so far.

Meanwhile here in peaceful? England the garden has dried up enough to allow planting of onion and shallot sets, peas from gutters, Broad Beans and lettuce. The grass has had its first trim and the cricket square also. Tomatoes, Peppers and Aubergines have all been pricked out and I have sown some less usual salads in the form of Minutina and Agretti.

 

 

Protected Peas

 

U3A Cognitive Psychology was about “Working Memory” the difference between short term and long-term memory and how we store and access both with terms such as “Phonological loop” and “Episodic Buffer” thrown in!

We reached the last session of UK History covering 1051 to 1066 mainly Edward the Confessor and his pro Norman bias leading up to William and the Normans proper. The course had interesting sections but was too much into lists of kings and their battles rather what everyday life was like. In the afternoon we tuned into a U3A talk on “UK Foreign Policy in Central Asia” by David Hardy who has spent most of his life working in Kazakhstan and all the other ‘stans: Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Turkmenistan and Kurdistan. He described the differences between them all, what they are strong in and their outlook on the rest of the world. Kazakhstan is especially interesting and the new capital Astana is like something out of Disneyworld.

 

 

Astana

 

In the evening we were invited round to the Howards to help Mervyn celebrate his 81^st birthday by sharing four curry’s that he had made himself.

The planned walk for Thursday was over an hour away at Shillington beyond Baldock so we decided to carry out a recce for the next walk we are leading in a couple of weeks’ time. This started at Waresley and took in Great and Little Gransden. Again, it demonstrated the value of a recce as we managed to find a way round a flooded path and also managed to take a wrong route necessitating several extra steps and a longish walk! We had lunch in Waresley Garden Centre afterwards.

 

 

Waresley

 

 

Waresley Wood

 

 

Unusual Sign

 

I was in charge of Biographies this week as our leader was indisposed with a stomach ailment. The subject was “Dame Laura Knight” a 20^th century artist who pioneered the way for female artists in a male dominated world. She was excellent at portraits and landscapes and helped raise morale in WWII by painting individuals who were exceptionally brave as well as land army girls. She was the only artist allowed to paint the Nuremberg trials.

 

 

Dame Laura Knight

 

 

Land Army

 

On a humbler level the CN photo topic this week was “Fashion” and my contribution was a shot of a Swiss Guard at the Vatican.

 

 

Swiss Army Guard

 

Kate has been suffering from a severe cold and was “coughing for England” last night!

With love

Mike & Kate