30th September 2012

30th September 2012.




Dear All,



Godalming, Everton, Harvest celebrations and a couple of talks this week.



It was raining in Surrey as usual. We initially took Amélie to Loseley Park near Guilford (built for Elizabeth l) but it was raining too hard to get out of the car. When it did ease up we fed the ducks at Secretts Farm and visited the local RSPCA Donkey Sanctuary. As this housed 33 fairly vocal inmates this met with her approval.

I took some sweet corn cobs and Amélie had no trouble mastering the essential technique!

By contrast our Thursday walk was largely in sunshine starting at Everton (village near Potton not Goodiston Park).

Tetworth Hall, nr Everton

 Everton church

It is our Harvest Thanksgiving weekend starting with a supper last night with a farmer from near Graffham Water as speaker. The decoration of the building was good as always, the meal excellent, the speaker entertaining and the attendance fairly poor.

Harvest Decorations

I expect you have all planted your spring cabbage, overwintered onion sets and garlic and sown overwintered lettuce so won’t need any reminders from me?



I had to update the Women’s Meeting on Moldova on Tuesday and talk to Cottenham Garden Club on Friday.



I have some work in Devon next week so Kate is planning to come with me and stay a couple of extra days.



Love



Mike & Kate

23rd September 2012

23rd September 2012.




Dear All,

We have just returned from a weeks walking in The Forest of Dean with the U3A. We were a group of 19 and we stayed right in the centre of the Forest at a historic hotel called “Speech House”. It was built in the 17th century as a hunting lodge then became the administrative centre for the forest including the court for the verdereres (who looked after the trees) and the free miners. The court room is now the dining room and still has original and very valuable chairs in place.

Speech House

Group on Sculpture trail

We arrived Sunday pm and did a short walk on the “Sculpture Trail”. On Monday there were “Forest Walks” starting from the hotel and we met wild boar within half an hour of leaving. Estimates of numbers vary from 200 to 600 but evidence of their rooting is everywhere and there are plans to start culling. The walk was meant to be about 12 miles but as happened most days was a tad longer!.

Tuesday we headed west to Orcop and more open country and steepish climbs to Garway Hill and Kentchurch with lunch at Kilpeck. Again the estimated distance to the pub of 9.4 miles was rather optimistic and we arrived an hour late. Kilpeck has a rare Norman church with about 80 corbells (small gargoyles). We explored that then walked back another fictional 4 miles.

Wild Boar

Forest of Dean

Wednesday was a free day but a highlight as we visited one of the local coal mines operated single handedly by a 77 year old man with a wealth of tall stories. We were all kitted out with helmets and lamps and went underground to see the seam he was working. He had the real gift of the gab heightened by working on his own all day!

After that 4 of us visited Tintern Abbey and Chepstow.

View from Garway Hill

Tintern Abbey

Wednesday night was memorable as I woke in some pain with what turned out to be a kidney stone. It is not an experience I am recommending and eventually had to go to the local hospital for diagnosis and a pain killing injection. Kate manfully (womanfully?) stayed with me so we both missed walking the “Three Castles Walk” on Thursday. We did manage to visit Monmouth between spasms and took in the castle and museum, which was dominated by Nelson (who preserved the oak trees in the forest) and Charles Rolls of Rolls Royce fame.

Tough Miners

Symonds Yat

I recovered enough to join the walk from Staunton to Symonds Yat on Friday which included a boat trip up the River Wye in the afternoon.

On the way back on Saturday some of us stopped in the Cotswolds for a final walk beginning at Guiting Power and taking in the Cotswolds Country Park home of Adam from “Countryfile”.

So an enjoyable week (mostly), the weather was kind with sunshine until Wednesday and mostly dry and cloudy thereafter. I am not sure what happens next with kidney stones: has it passed? will there be more? but so far so good!



Love



Mike & Kate



9th September 2012

9th September 2012.

Dear All,

We had a trip to see “The Lion King” at the Lyceum Theatre on Wednesday. Someone in Over had organised a coach so the journey was very easy and the show excellent (even if I did nod off at a crucial stage!)

The Lion King

I replaced all the broken and cracked panes in our greenhouses this week ready for the winter. It is always a challenge handling large sheets of glass so I was glad to get it over with. I also replanted our strawberry bed which is planted through Mypex (woven plastic sheet) in the fruit cage. It was planted in wet weather and the ground set like concrete so the plants did not thrive. I had rooted some runners and been give some more so it was a matter of getting rid of the old plants, digging out and removing the Mypex, digging, mucking, rotovating and levelling the soil, relaying and burying the edges of the Mypex, adding mycorrhiza to the holes and replanting – doesn’t sound too bad listed like that!.



Strawberry Bed

Our Thursday walk started at Elmdon and went through Duddenhoe End, Littlebury Green and Strethall. It was sunny and an interesting walk with plenty of undulations and leafy lanes and only one cultivated field. Also the crops were more interesting than some weeks with several field beans, maize and canary grass for seed.

Near Elmdon

Rockells Farm, Duddenhoe End

It was our last cricket event of the season as we held a double wicket contest to mark 120 years of cricket in Over. The British Legion ladies turned out in force to provide tea and cakes and the weather was fine.
Esther has been up for the weekend. Kate accompanied her to town on a sowing machine hunt yesterday and she did a presentation in church this am about another proposed OT trip to Bulgaria in November. She needs to find £400 for the fare so all donations gratefully received.

Love

Mike & Kate

2nd September 2012

2nd September 2012.

Dear All,

It was our turn at Godalming this week for the arduous task of Amélie minding. On Wednesday we visited West Dean Gardens, near Chichester, as it had been their “Chilli Weekend” over the bank holiday and the produce was still on display – 273 different varieties. Mary-Ann and Andy had visited over the weekend so Amélie had two doses but didn’t seem to mind. I know the lady in charge, Sarah Wain, as she is on the RHS Veg Committee with me, and hosted a celeriac trial on the site last year.

Chilli Display

Chilli plants

West Dean Veg Garden

Ornamental Garden

Guess who?

Shades from Aunty Esther



Cool look?

Nursery fancy dress

Our Thursday walk started at Shillington which is on the edge of the Chilterns in Bedfordshire. We climbed Deacon Hill which rises to the giddy height (for hereabouts) of 750 feet and affords splendid views. It was just under 11 miles and the last two were in rather chilly rain, but of course it could have been worse.


Ascent of Deacon Hill

Summit Party

We were at Moggerhanger yesterday for the first event at the farm since it was acquired last year by a Trust for charitable purposes. About 60 turned up for a concert, BBQ and farm walk raising funds for Moldova and the Farm Trust.
Over 1st team won their last match to clinch promotion, so both teams achieved promotion in the same year – which I can’t remember happening before.



Moggerhanger BBQ

Love

Mike & Kate

26th August 2012

6th August 2012.

Dear All,

Back to work this week! I have been covering for a former NIAB colleague Andy Haward who set up his own trials business. He is a bit of a workaholic so it was useful to be able to keep things going while he took his children to Cornwall for a few days. I thought it was just going to be cutting a couple of Gardening Which courgette trials on Monday and Wednesday but at the last minute a 40 variety lettuce trial the other side of Norwich which was a more serious undertaking.
We have been trying to help a housebound man called Dick Lawson to get out of doors. He has both a push and electric wheelchair but the step to their house is so steep and he is so heavy that his wife cannot manage to get him out. We managed to get him up to the chapel on Wednesday afternoon with some difficulty for “Tea & Light Cakes” (TLC) that has been started to occupy those at a loose end. Coming back the heavens opened for the only time that day so we got drenched – still it was the first time he had been out in rain in living memory so he claimed to enjoy it.
Our Thursday walk started at Sturmer near Haverhill this week and took in Baythorne End and Ridgewell. Esther may well remember Baythorne End as that is where she fell out of the car as a baby. The route took in part of the “Stour Valley Way” and the scenery was good. Underfoot several ex Rape fields had been cultivated and set into hard lumps so were not easy walking and headlands and parts of the path overgrown with nettles and thistles – definitely not a shorts walk – and I was wearing shorts! It was also 11.5 miles so we were not too frisky Thursday evening.

Stour Valley

ex Rape field

Baythorne End

Path near Ridgewell

The garden has been fairly prolific this week with beans and tomatoes coming on full stream.

Nature is bountiful!

For those that know Margery Johnson she has been having severe back problems and been diagnosed with arteriosclerosis. Kate has been cooking for her until something else can be sorted.
Over 2nds managed to finish their last game in the rain yesterday and finished top of the league and we had another BBQ at Sutton last night for those who attended the Pastoral Care course.

Love

Mike & Kate

19th Auguast 2012

19th August 2012.

Dear All,

It was the annual chapel seaside trip yesterday and we actually managed to visit Hunstanton on a hot day – something that I can only recall happening once before! There were about 30 of us this year. We usually hire a church hall but that was not possible this year as the Beach Mission was using it, instead we managed to hire the basement kitchen area of the Town Hall and this proved excellent, as it was close to the front and about the right size.

Hunstanton Town Hall

Work Party



Shouldn’t the sea be blue?

Traditional lunch

The sea was its usual brown Windsor soup colour and a good hike from the shore but good enough for paddling even though to swim you would need the triathelon discipline i.e. a long run or bike ride beforehand.
I was 4th (i.e. last) in the annual Pitch and Putt contest. We had the course virtually to ourselves as it was too hot for most non-dedicated players. On the way back we stopped at Sutton for a BBQ and again the weather was just about the right temperature.

BBQ at Sutton

Our last midweek chapel cricket match against St Neots Methodists resulted in another victory so preserving our 100% record (covering 4 matches! – 5 rained off). On Thursday I spent nearly 2 hours preparing the wicket for Saturday when the opposition rang up and cancelled. Over 2nds also have a 100% record with one match to play.
We travelled to Godalming on Tuesday afternoon to look after Amélie on Wednesday. She is now walking very well and has turned her back on crawling! We visited Wisley as I had missed the last assessment meeting looking at Basil, Parsley and tomatoes.

Piece of cake this walking



Basil trial

Phlox trial

Ben finally had an X-Ray and has broken his shoulder as well as ribs. As it has been 3-4 weeks not being held in position it has not healed well and may need pinning. Kate has written to Hinchingbrooke Hospital complaining that they did not diagnose the break when he was examined.
Our walk on Thursday started at Cottered near Buntingford and was enjoyable but the pub had 3 walking groups booked in so was heaving.

Love

Mike & Kate

12th August 2012

12th August 2012.

Dear All,

Highlight of this week was a trip to the Olympics on Monday. Kate and I were fortunate enough to get tickets in the first allocation for the athletics stadium. We arrived 5 or 6 hours early to look round the Park on Esther’s recommendation, as she had been the week before and said that it was well worth it. Apart from the giant screen in the “Park Live” area there were film shows from the sponsors, fantastic flower borders and various other entertainments.

Stadium by Day

Stadium by Night

Flower borders

Coke Pavillion

Park Live

The Velodrome

BP Pavillion



Inside the Arena

Unknown Jamaican Athlete

In the arena we saw the men’s 400m and 400m hurdles finals and the women’s pole vault, shot and steeple chase finals and heats of the 200m and 400m hurdles. In addition there were 5 presentations including Usain Bolt’s 100m.
It has been widely recorded that the atmosphere was fantastic and the volunteers very helpful and ubiquitous.
In terms of our own “athletic” performances this week we swam on Wednesday, walked Thursday and I made my first Saturday appearance for the cricket team as holidays were biting. Modesty nearly prevents me from saying that I ran somebody out with a diving stop and scored the winning runs going in at no.11.
The walk started at Northill and circled the Old Warden Park. It was hot, humid and sticky underfoot and 11 miles long – so not the proverbial “stroll in the park”
I attended a U3A BBQ at Dry Drayton after the walk. As usual the setting was remarkable on the site of a former rectory which occupied about 40 acres and now contains a cricket pitch, camp site, cattery and a decent sized wood.

Love

Mike & Kate