16th July 2023

 

Dear All,

 

Last week I felt quite young turning out for the cricket team, this week I had a hearing test and having acquired hearing aids I do not feel quite so young!

To try and reduce the amount of water we have to haul to the allotments I helped install a new 250 litre tank against the building in the cemetery. We have enjoyed several damp days this week so the tanks are fairly full now.

Our Solar Panels stopped working which we did not notice until we came to record the last quarters reading. We had a couple of guys in to check the problem which they both agreed was a faulty Inverter for which one quoted a replacement at £2,100 and the other £800! Hopefully it will be replaced on Tuesday.

Our walk on Thursday started at Hall’s Green near Stevenage which is a good journey for us made more interesting by the shortest route being resurfaced and smaller roads close to the destination being closed. It was a good temperature for walking with just a 15-minute shower. The crops in this area were not as good as we have seen in recent weeks with several fields of long grass and a few with just weeds. The route took in Luffenhall, Weston and Warren Green and Weston churchyard features the grave of a 14-foot giant called “Jack O’Legs”.

 

 

Leaving Hall’s Green

 

 

Jack O’Legs Grave between the 2 stones

 

 

Weston Park

 

 

Break

 

We have begun the build up for the Over Produce Show with a committee meeting and various jobs following that. I have the Entry Chart to get ready as we have reduced a 4ft wide chart into 3 smaller ones.

During a few wet periods I have been scanning slides into digital form and came across a series taken when we descended on Beaumont to decorate Dad’s hall and stairs.

 

 

Decorating Gang

 

 

Lunch Break

 

 

The Cambridge News theme for photos this week was “Busy Bees” and I had this one published:

 

 

Bees cooling off during a heatwave.

 

Sue Whitfield opposite us is 80 next week and there was a great gathering of the clans this weekend – they have 3 children and 11 grandchildren, 10 of whom assembled and 8 have partners so it a reasonable crowd! We were invited to a Pizza party on Saturday night then they are all attending Arbury church this morning followed by a meal at Swavesey windmill.

Two had flown in from South Africa, one is in Japan soon to be in Detroit and another is going to New Zealand shortly so they will be well spread.

Talking of which Ben is off to Georgia and Armenia with his bike next weekend!

 

Love

 

Mike & Kate

 

 

 

 

9th July 2023

 

Dear All,

 

Highlight of this week was arguably me coming out of cricket retirement for the umpteenth time to play at the age of 77 yesterday. We were playing the top of the table Fordham with 10 men and although we did not muster a great score of 80, we had then 7 for 4 at one stage. Then a Sri Lankan chap came in and smote 50. I was last in the batting order and did not trouble the scorers but fielded like a spring chicken! And have officially been recognised as the oldest player to represent Over! I was not the only oldie playing with three of us clocking up 211 years!

 

 

Les (66), Mike (77), Dave (68)

 

I delivered my 283^rd Garden Club talk at Willingham on Monday and this will be the last for a while as I have not accepted any more bookings at present – turning out on winters nights is not much fun and, in the summer, I would rather be gardening.

Tuesday morning, I spent a happy hour or two preparing a wicket for the mid-week team that hires our pitch only to find an email cancelling the fixture when I returned home.

In the garden there has been plenty of harvesting this week and I have planted out late leeks and swedes. Kate has harvested loads of currants and gooseberries. Two badgers have appeared on the nightcam but we still cannot find out where they are getting into our heavily barricaded garden.

 

 

Casablanca

 

 

Tuesday’s Harvest

 

 

Mini Cue – Lunch Box

 

I spent some time cutting back a Yew hedge which over shadows my allotment on Wednesday – it belongs to the next-door house and creates a pronounced edge effect to my crops.

Amḗlie was 12 on Wednesday and her joy was increased by her teachers being on strike! Celebrations included burger and chips with friends and a trip to the cinema to see the latest Spiderman film.

 

 

Amḗlie and friends

 

Next day back at school she was photographed at school with their local MP Peter Kyle at a dyslexia event.

 

 

MP at school

 

Our Thursday walk started at Balsham this week and took in West Wickham and West Wratting. Crops again mostly looked well especially sugar beet and a surprise was a field of Cannabis (low chemical!)

 

 

Icknield Way Trail

 

 

Sugar Beet

 

 

Cannabis

 

 

Love

 

Mike & Kate

 

 

 

 

2^nd July 2023

 

Dear All,

 

Not too much to report this week. Swim Monday then day of gardening and wicket repair. Kate accompanied Lorna to Peterborough hospital and it was as well that she did as parking was difficult as was sourcing a wheel chair so she would have struggled on her own.

On Tuesday I met up with three walking colleagues at St Ives Weatherspoon’s for a catch up as one, Lawrie, has not been with us for some time with a damaged ankle. Another walker Rob called to update us on his upcoming “Cut & Connect” colon operation. Arthur and Grace came as usual after school.

Our car passed its MOT on Wednesday courtesy of “Diesel”, a local self-employed mechanic recommended by Mervyn. We had a welcome 14.5mm rain during the night and early morning. We kitted up with waterproofs for Thursday’s walk but in the end they were unnecessary as the rain stopped before we started the walk.

We were leading the walk starting from Wyton and circling via St Ives, Hemingford Grey and Hemingford Abbots. It was a familiar route but we added a few loops via the Thicket, Berman Park and The Old Priory in St Ives. One of our number had a fall dodging a bramble and bled rather freely but was able to carry on.

 

 

Houghton Water Mill

 

 

The Thicket

 

 

New Pavilion in St Ives

 

 

Oliver Cromwell keeping watch

 

 

 

Hemingford Manor

 

 

Wild Flower Bank at Houghton Mill

 

We Downloaded “Power of Attorney” forms Thursday evening but have not had the courage to study or fill them in yet! – 4 sets x 24 pages!

On Friday it was Tesco’s followed by Coton Garden Centre for fish, plants and filters then a little digging after harvested onions and peas.

Both Over cricket teams had away fixtures on Saturday so the club hired out the pitch to Hemingford which meant I was on duty to unlock set up and relock afterwards. This more demanding than it sounds as we have small number coded padlocks on the corner posts to stop juvenile interference and a storage cabin with a very burglar proof security system.

Kate attended a music concert in Swavesey in support of Ukraine, which featured some Ukrainian soloists as well as a couple of our walking friends.

 

Love

 

Mike & Kate

 

 

 

 

25th June 2023

 

Dear All,

I gratefully received Father’s Day presents in the form of the latest Barbara Kingsolver book and a complete afternoon tea of scones, clotted cream, jam, cakes and courgette slab through the post!

 

 

 

Loot!

After a swim on Monday morning, we drove down to Essex for an elderly cousin’s reunion. Wendy had driven Peter & Annemarie. Mary, Graham and David all assembled at Dovercourt Weatherspoon’s for lunch and were joined by Muriel for tea. David gave us a conducted tour of the farm at Beaumont and the winter crops looked really well. Peter & Annemarie are both rather frail now and daughter Wendy is their official carer.

 

 

Dovercourt Lighthouse

 

 

Muriel, David, Mike & Graham

 

 

Mary, Peter, Annemarie & Kate

 

 

Graham & Wendy

 

On Tuesday it was gardening including harvesting overwintered garlic and shallots and digging Broad Bean land. Arthur & Grace came after school as usual.

 

 

Garlic & Shallot harvest

 

Ex NIAB employees were invited back for a talk about the future of NIAB by the new Director Mario Caccomo who hails from Argentina. He painted a fairly rosy picture of their achievements and their turnover has risen from £8.8 in 2014 to £30 m now. They are working closely with Cambridge University and their Mission Statement is to produce more food

·         With less synthetic inputs of pesticides and fertilisers

·         On less land

·         While reducing Greenhouse gases

·         And adapting to climate change

Example projects are reduced gluten wheat for bread and stabilising legume yields. Meanwhile they have taken over East Malling Fruit Research station and Strawberries are performing very well.

My old boss Bill Chowings was down from Norfolk for a few days and after attending the meeting we entertained him for dinner.

Our Thursday walk this week started at Horseheath and took in West Wickham and Burton End. It was plenty hot enough so 8 miles was enough!. The winter cereal crops were very good here as well.

 

 

Leaving Horseheath

 

 

Winter Barley

 

 

Yen Hall Farm, Burton End

 

 

Cracks

On Friday we thought we would have an expedition to Warboys for PYO Strawberries to replace those the badger had predated. We had checked their web site and it claimed they were open all day but when we arrived at 10am there was a notice “Sorry not open until 12,30” – a wasted 34-mile round trip. We got a few over ripe ones from a farm shop for jam and topped up the fresh fruit from Tesco’s.

Kate has been busy picking Red Currants all week and water carting for the allotment has continued.

 

 

Red Currants

 

 

Water operation

I judged Stapleford Fruit & vegetable Show on Saturday morning, as usual it was not a great display and not too many difficult decisions. I watched Over 2nds beat Girton 2nds on the very dry Green then in the evening we were invited to Kate & Gordon’s at Haddenham for drinks on the lawn.

love

 

Mike & Kate