23rd March 2025

 

Dear All,

 

“Just Vegetating” this week was “Oriental Vegetables” and Kate produced: Fennel salad with pistachios and oven-dried grapes, Jerusalem artichoke and mushroom dauphinoise and Vegetable Stir fry. Not particularly Oriental but well received nonetheless. It was the last session and the class were very kind in that one brought in a Birthday Cake and together they donated £315 to CEEM.

Birthdaywise I received a humbling amount of gifts and some very fine cards for which I am very grateful.

 

 

Birthday Loot

 

We walked on Tuesday this week as it was relatively local starting at Bourn where there is a Farm shop and café. The walk took in Longstowe and it was dry, warm and sunny which was a pleasant change from recent weeks.

 

 

Manor Farm, Bourn

 

 

Bourn

 

 

Leaving Bourn

 

 

Route of old Cambridge to Oxford Railway Line

In the evening it was a Church Business meeting where one of the major topics was a difficult neighbour who has fallen out with the Playschool and is making access to the lane very awkward.

On Wednesday I had a seasonal haircut, followed by church group and Garden Club which was taken by a lady garden designer who although knowledgeable, did not put her message over very well.

The last session of “Biographies” topic was the Emperor Justinian  482 – 565 AD who had one of the longest reigns at 38 years. He came from humble origins in North Macedonia, became a soldier and then a “tax and spend” Emperor.

 

 

Emperor Justinian

Most of the class celebrated the end of term with an Italian meal in The Maypole. In the afternoon Kate helped me plant main crop potatoes and I have also planted cabbage and lettuce and sown carrots and salsify.

The front garden is looking colourful and the magnolia is about to burst forth.

 

 

Front Garden

Kate has been busy constructing sweet pouches for Mother’s Day.

 

 

Colourful Kate!

 

Over won again beating Milton 2 v 0 but they were a few players short as someone was thoughtless enough to get married in the football season!

A mystery was solved thus week as when we were in Malaysia in 1996 we went to a wonderful market in Kota Bharu with a vast array of fruit and vegetables. I managed to work most of them out eventually but one eluded me – the pale green one in the centre.

 

 

I ran it past Chinese Veg expert Joy Larkcom this week and she did not know either, but she had a friend in Hong Kong who identified it as Turmeric flowers which are edible but have a short shelf life so have not travelled to Europe.

 

 

Turmeric Flower

Best wishes

Mike & Kate

 

16th March 2025

 

Dear All,

 

“Just Vegetating” this week was “Minor Vegetables –part 2” and Kate produced: Fennel and Red Pepper Bake, Sweet Potato au gratin with coconut and chilli and Skirret. The Skirret actually tasted quite nice but was very tedious to prepare!

In the afternoon an Air Rescue helicopter landed in The Village Green which was of interest because the last time it happened Kate was the passenger!

 

 

On Tuesday it was dry enough to dig in overwintered clover and in the greenhouse prick our Basil, Thyme and more Tomatoes.

The last session of U3A Earth was on Recycling, Incineration and Pyrolysis.

In the Evening I had to chair a meeting of the reformed chapel events committee and since then I have been trying to arrange visits to the Zoology Museum, Jesus College gardens and Ouse Fen RSPB.

I was back at Specsavers on Wednesday to have my hearing aids modified as they move in my ears. Later I rotovated an area ready for our new strawberry plants.

Our walk this week started at Potton and took in Eyeworth and Sutton. The combination of a dry week and sandy soil meant there was very little mud compared to recent weeks although many of the fields had flooded headlands which were being by-passed by cultivations. Threatened rain did not arrive but there was a brief hail shower.

 

 

Pegnut Wood, Potton

 

 

Damp Farm Yard

 

 

 

Damp Headland

 

 

Cultivations

 

In the evening we were summoned to The Admiral Vernon to join Lorna to help celebrate her 49^th birthday. It is the first time that we had been in since it reopened and I think Albert would only score it 5 out of 10!

“Biographies” subject was “Alexei Navalny” the Russian dissident and his courage in opposing the Putin regime. The big question is why he went back to Russia after treatment in Germany for suspected poisoning. Virtually everyone who supported him are either in jail, dead or emigrated.

 

Alexei Navalny

 

In the evening Over were playing arch rivals Shelford in the Premier League Cup Final at Newmarket. Over started badly and were 2 v 0 down by half time but came back strongly to equalise at full time and were well on top but there was no extra time and unfortunately they missed one penalty in the shoot-out so lost in the end.

 

Saturday evening I celebrated my 79^th birthday (2 days early) with 11 others at La Pergola Italian restaurant at Harlton. The food was excellent and with good company Albert might have been tempted to award 10 out of 10!

 

 

La Pergola

 

Best wishes

Mike & Kate

 

9th March 2025

 

Dear All,

 

“Just Vegetating” this week was “Minor Vegetables –part 1” and Kate produced: Roast Butternut Squash with Lime and Dill Dressing, Roast Asparagus with garlic, capers, thyme, hazelnuts & parsley & fried Salsify. In the afternoon I was back at Kwik fit to have the car tyre fitted. “It should be about an hour” claimed the boss man which turned into 2 hours 10 minutes as they always seem chronically short of staff.

On Tuesday Kate and I met up with Lawrie and Maureen for a meal to say goodbye Rob and Penny who are immigrating to Australia. They started the process 8 years ago and have been waiting for a Visa which cost them £40 K each. Both their children and their grandchildren have settled there. Rob had a traumatic childhood as he came home from school aged 5 to find his mother had committed suicide and killed his baby sister.

We were leading our Thursday walk which was fairly local starting at Conington and circling via Elsworth, Knapwell and Boxworth. It was a beautiful sunny day and after a few dry days there was very little mud. There were many signs of Spring with lambs, daffodils, violets and snowdrops. On the downside one of our party lost her glasses so I accompanied her back in an unsuccessful attempted search for them which added a mile or more to the journey so I did not move far in the evening!

 

 

Conington

 

 

Conington Park Sheep

 

 

Rev Awdry’s (of Thomas the Tank engine fame) house in Elsworth

 

 

Interested Spectators in Boxworth

 

The “Biographies” subject on Friday was King John who was the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, a powerful and ambitious royal couple who ruled over a vast empire in the 12th century. He was reasoned to be a bad king because:

·         He lost the empire

·         He fell out with the English barons

·         He murdered his nephew Arthur

·         He signed the Magna Carta then promptly chose not to keep it

·         He lost the crown jewels

·         He antagonised the church

·         He tried to usurp his brother Richard while he was on the Crusades

·         He had 17 illegitimate children

Apart from these he was quite good!

 

 

 

King John (no photos available!)

 

In the evening we joined Merv and 10 others to celebrate his 84^th birthday.

The sunshine persuaded me to plant early potatoes (Lady Christl) and spring garlic, shallots and onions on Saturday.

Over were away at Wisbech om Saturday winning 4 v 0 but this was further than we wished to travel so I took Dave to West Wratting who beat Cambridge University Press 6 v 0.

Things have started to move in the greenhouse.

 

 

Greenhouse Bench

 

Esther and Emma have had a week in Gran Canaria – no pictures available from them so I have consulted Google!

 

 

Best wishes Mike & Kate

 

2^nd March 2025

 

Dear All,

 

“Just Vegetating” this week was “Potatoes” and Kate produced: Celeriac, potato and mushroom gratin, Curate’s Pudding & Spicy potatoes with tahini and soy.

As it was a sunny on Tuesday Kate helped me trim the trees at the bottom of the garden. I then dug Salsify, Globe Artichokes and Skirret for Kate to practice cooking for the next two weeks of Just Vegetating” on “Minor Crops”

 

 Salsify, Skirret, Parsnips & Globe Artichokes

 

Adrian came for lunch then we did a local shopping trip via Highgate, Berrycroft and Oakington Garden Centre for bird seed, plant labels and compost.

The U3A Earth session this week was on Soils – so not altogether new!

On Wednesday Derek Medlock and Joyce came for coffee. Derek has had bad session with a suspected stroke. He was taken to Nottingham hospital (near where they live) in an ambulance then left in a corridor without being seen for 8 hours! He is hobbling badly while waiting for a hip operation.

Norman Ingle was here for lunch then I led the Group meeting on books that have aroused discussion points. I presented “the Salt Path”, Kate “The Outsider”, Norman “One of our Own”, Carol “The Screwtape Letters”, Bob mentioned all the books he had read! And Liz the German book she was translating in a U3A class. David was on a course, Kate & Gordon away and Norman & Rosemary poorly.

Our Thursday walk this week started at Spaldwick and circled round to Grafham Water. There had been serious over-night rain and I cannot recall a walk with more surface water, which of course meant a little mud as well! Fortunately it was bright and sunny for most of the way. The pub was old and quaint but service was very slow.

 

I think you get the idea!

 

 

Grafham Water

 

 

Fire in The George, Spaldwick

 

The Biographies subject this week was “Arthur Koestler” He was born in Hungary and wrote several major novels, two volumes of autobiographical works, two volumes of reportage, a major work on the history of science, several volumes of essays, and a considerable body of other writing and articles on subjects as varied as genetics, euthanasia, Eastern mysticism, neurology, chess, evolution, psychology, the paranormal and more. He was serial womaniser, married three times and died in a suicide pact with the third wife.

 

 

Arthur Koestler

 

In the afternoon I planted some new strawberry plants of the recent variety Malling Century and sowed Water Cress in the hot frame. After we decided to do a short recce in Knapwell Wood to see how muddy it would be for a walk we are leading next week. The recce was OK but on the way back we had a puncture in a fairly new tyre. When I tried to change the wheel after we got home the locking wheel bolt came apart leaving a stump that I could not move. Kate called the AA and after a considerable struggle a helpful operative managed to extract it and replace the emergency wheel with 4 bolts. I drove to Kwick Fit at Bar Hill on Saturday morning where they did not have the correct tyre in stock and was told if they had they would not be allowed to fit it if a bolt was missing! I managed to obtain some bolts from Marshalls in Cambridge and have booked a refit for Monday afternoon.

Over continued winning ways with a 2 v 0 victory against Hemingford and are now joint top with Shelford but behind on goal difference.

  

Best Wishes

Mike & Kate