18^th June 2023

 

Dear All,

We enjoyed a really good week in Derbyshire followed by an excellent day (for me) at Edgbaston on Friday.

As mentioned last week we started out after a Men’s Breakfast with farmer Richard Blackhurst giving a talk. On the way up we stopped at Duffield to call on Kate’s relatives Michael & Pauline Severn to discuss gaps in Kate’s knowledge of their family tree especially the Canadian branch, as some relatives became orphans and were despatched as Barnardo children to Canada. We came away with 4 albums of sepia photos which may or may not be useful! We arrived at the cabin in Darwin Forest, near Matlock about 5pm. It is a well-designed site with plenty of trees and rhododendrons to separate the cabins.

 

 

Hut No. 85

 

 

 

Local Flora

 

One of the major benefits of the site is an indoor heated swimming pool so we started each day with a swim to wash away the cobwebs – and it saves on washing!

On Sunday we travelled to Wirksworth to the church that we were married in, except that it has moved and amalgamated with another on a different site called “The Wellspring Church” and as they sold the other building the new one is very well appointed.

We met up with Kate’s brother and family at The New Bath Hotel in Matlock Bath for lunch. Phil & Mandy are not the most positive people you could meet but daughter Natasha seems to be doing well with her job and apparently enjoying a shipboard romance with a Philipino gentleman that she met on a cruise. In the afternoon we visited the village of Bonsall which had an Open Gardens Day.

 

 

Bonsall Cross

 

 

 

A Bonsall Garden – not much flat land!

 

 

On Monday it is traditional to have coffee in the Chatsworth Farm Shop then attend Bakewell Market. This year we were able to access the Cattle Market which previously had been restricted for Covid. It was interesting to study the local characters as well as the animals and try and keep up with who is bidding for what.

 

 

Bakewell Cattle Market

 

In the evening Kate, Sue and I explored the Lumsdale Valley in Matlock. It was an important industrial site for water powered industries for more than 300 years but now only ruins remain. There are three ponds connected by a stream with a decent waterfall at the end.

 

 

Kate & Sue at the Middle Pond

 

 

 

Lumsdale Waterfall

 

 

Industrial ruins

 

On Tuesday we travelled to Tissington, a very pretty village famous for Well Dressings. We did a circuit of the village and had an excellent tour of the house.

 

 

Tissington Hall

 

After we walked round Elton, a small village that none of the Derbyshire locals had visited before but which has now issued a village circuit brochure. Unforgivably, I forgot to take my camera this day so the above photo is from John’s phone and I have none of Elton!

 

We did our own thing on Wednesday and visited Haddon Hall which had not been open in recent years. It is the home of the Dukes of Rutland and dates back to the 11^th century. There is some very old furniture and a Long Gallery 110 ft long.

 

 

Haddon Hall

 

 

Kitchen

 

 

Chapel

 

 

The Long Gallery

 

We followed this with a visit to Wirksworth Stone Museum and a sentimental climb on Black Rocks.

 

 

Black Rocks

 

 

 

On Thursday John dropped Kate, Sue and myself at Hopton near Carsington Reservoir to walk to Wirksworth. Needless to say, the route was not flat but interesting including evidence of several lead mines and we came across a group sheep shearing. In Wirksworth we visited the Heritage Museum and called in to Ash Farm for a drink and chat. We visited Lea rhododendron gardens on the way back to Derwent Forest and ended the week with a meal in the site restaurant.

 

 

Climb from Hopton

 

 

Old Lead Mines

 

 

Sheep Shearing

 

 

Ash Farm

 

Ben had given me a ticket for the first day of the Ashes Test at Edgbaston for Christmas so I drove there on Friday while John & Sue dropped Kate off at home en route to Framlingham where their granddaughter was to be confirmed. Sat Nav took me through the centre of Birmingham which was a challenge, but it was a thrilling days cricket in baking sunshine. I met Ben outside as he had the tickets and we joined four of his mates in the ground.

 

 

Edgbaston

 

 

Pete, Ben & Mike

 

 

 

love

 

Mike & Kate

 

9^th June 2023

 

Dear All,

Early dispatch this week as we are off to Derbyshire tomorrow – hopefully. I say hopefully as Kate’s sister Sue phoned this morning to tell us that she and Bill are recovering from Covid – do we still want to go? As we have an arm full of injections and they seem to getting over it we plan to risk it. We are not off at crack of dawn as there is a farmer speaking at Men’s Breakfast tomorrow and Kate is helping with the cooking. We are also planning to call on one of Kate’s relatives – 2^nd cousin? in Duffield – as both Kate and he plot their family trees and like to swap information.

After swimming Monday morning, it was back to watering and weeding and BS preparation. I led on Wednesday on the topic of “Mordecai”.

We attended an ex NIAB employees’ lunch at Girton Golf Course on Tuesday then it was entertaining Arthur and Grace after school.

Kate has continued her war on badgers this week and has tacked wooden slats along the hedge boundary and we have placed pallets and wire along the bottom – however the Night Cam revealed two intruders last night so defences do not seem to be perfect yet!

 

 

 

Badger Proofing

 

 

 

Intruder

 

Norman Ingle was here for lunch on Wednesday and former neighbour Derek Medlock and Joyce came for tea. Derek is still heavily involved in the rabbit world and gets to judge shows all over Europe. They recently were in Germany for a show that in the past attracted 25,000 entries (once reaching 31,000!) however this year it had shrunk to a mere 9,500! A friend had asked them to buy a variety of giant rabbit at the show for which they paid 250 euros. They went for a cup of tea and when they went to collect the rabbit someone had stolen it!

 

Our Thursday walk was reasonably local starting at Hardwick and taking in Toft and Comberton. The sun shone throughout but it was not too hot and the crops we passed looked very well.

 

 

The Blue Lion, Hardwick

 

 

Oil Seed Rape

 

 

Wheat & barley crops

 

 

Comberton church

 

 

Comberton Rectory

 

 

Comberton Pond

 

I have planted out winter Brassicas at the allotment today which is now full and desperately needing a good rain.

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

4^th June 2023

 

Dear All,

Geoff and I had a decent crowd for our report on the recent Moldova trip, I compiled a 52 slide PowerPoint – should anyone wish to see it!.

It has been a fairly quiet week with only a massif 0.5 mm rain so we have begun watering anything vulnerable even earlier than last year. Kate has continued badger proofing the back garden but the night cam still picked up 2 badgers one night as well as a rather skinny fox every night. I have planted early leeks and two more batches of sweet corn trying to clear all seedlings out of the green houses before we are away again from next Saturday for a week in Derbyshire with Sue and Bill. Apart from planting and hoeing I have trimmed hedges here and at the allotment and painted an outdoor table and the bike shed and we have spring cleaned the garage.

Our Thursday walk started north of us at Broughton and took in Kings Ripton, Little Raveley, Wistow and the site of the Secret Garden festival. The conditions were good starting chilly but warming up but some of the paths qualified for the heading of “The Road Less Travelled!”. It was an extremely rural walk and you would find it hard to believe that the world is over populated from this outing!

 

 

The Crown, Broughton

 

 

Pink May

 

 

 

The Road Less Travelled

 

Friday evening Kate and I attended Over Players presentation of “Pride & Prejudice”. The standard was not quite up to BBC levels as several actors struggled to remember their lines and the prompter was fairly busy, but it was enjoyable nevertheless.

Dave, Adrian and myself joined Mervyn to watch the Cup Final on his wide screen TV – it was never a penalty, but I guess that made the game more exciting!

I had two photos in the Cambridge News under the heading of “Twists & Turns”. One was a mountain road in the Andes and the other was a mass of parasitic Dodder also in Ecuador.

 

 

Andean Mountain Road

 

 

Parasitic Dodder

 

 

 

 

Love

Mike & Kate

 

28th May 2023

 

Dear All,

Both Ben and Andy took part in the London to Brighton Challenge yesterday, Ben running and Andy walking. Both finished the 100 kilometres in excellent times considering the heat of between 14 and 15 hours if I can interpret the race print outs accurately – so well done.

 

 

 

Race Heros!

 

 Meanwhile in the more geriatric world it was back to swimming on Monday followed by Brussel sprout planting then the annual chapel 10 Pin Bowling evening at Pidley. There were about 35 for the pretournament meal and 24 bowling. I didn’t star but it was an enjoyable evening.

 

 

Pidley Bowling

 

I had my latest Covid booster in Cambridge on Tuesday- arms like pin cushions now! Then my new mower arrived in pieces so had to be assembled.

Our Thursday walk started at Potton and took in Sandy Heath, the Gravel pits and RSPB HQ at Sandy. It was a good walk with varied scenery and loads of Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia).

 

 

Claytonia

 

 

Sandy Pits

 

 

RSPB

 

 

Sandy Lodge, RSPB HQ

 

We have been on badger alert again this week as they managed to savage my carrots grown in pots and placed in the fruit cage for safety. We have barricaded the bottom of the garden with pallets but the night cam last night revealed two frolicking near the pond.

 

I have planted melons, squash, marrows and pumpkins this week but with the warm dry conditions we seem to be back to regular watering again.

 Albert has passed a Karate assessment - so watch out everyone!

Karate King

Geoff and I have to give a presentation on our recent Moldova trip in the service tonight.

 

Love

Mike & Kate