29th May 2016.

Dear All,

It has been a fairly busy week -  one of those when you wonder how you had time to go to work!

On Monday we had the Cousin’s Reunion organised by Mary & Graham meeting at Ruislip Lido where we had a bargain meal (carvery £4.59) and a walk round the reservoir followed by tea and chat at 13 Farm Avenue. There were just 8 of us as Guernsey folk did not travel this year and John & Muriel are reluctant go to unfamiliar destinations.

On Tuesday I prepared a cricket pitch, met up with John Law to deliver his post Moldova luggage and discuss the way ahead, met ex NIAB Wrinklies for lunch at Girton, had a discussion at Addenbrookes about arthritic feet, conducted a net practice for the chapel team then hosted the church midweek group.

On Wednesday Kate and I moved the vegetable net to the allotment and planted Brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli, kale and cabbage in it. In the evening the chapel cricket team began their season with a narrow defeat to Anglian Water.

Our Thursday walk started at Therfield above Royston. It is a great area for walks with several hills and very rural. Later I had to take the cricket mower to Gog Magog for repairs – it is very sensitive and doesn’t enjoy long trouble free periods!

The Fox & Duck, Therfield

Sandon church

Friday we were walking again as we had to recce for leading next week at Radwinter near Saffron Walden – a good walk but plagued with several areas of vigorous nettles – definitely not a walk for shorts!

Derreck Medlock, a former next door but one neighbour with the large rabbit collection, has been clearing the bungalow this week and called in with Joyce for a drink in the evening. He has been agonising about whether to sell or rent or move back. He still hasn’t made up his mind, meanwhile the estate agent have increased the notional value by £50,000 in a year of being empty!

We were on Street Pastors last night. It seemed a long night, fairly quiet at first but with quite a lot of broken glass and bottles to collect. Later there was the usual clutch of youths enjoying their night out by being violently sick and a couple of fights but nothing too serious.

Love

Mike & Kate

22nd May 2016.

Dear All,

We have been down to Hove for a couple of days this week as Andy was away in Stockholm. We travelled down on Tuesday via NIAB to drop off the Gromwell seed I had collected in Moldova. We arrived at lunch time and after lunch took Albert for a walk along the front to Brighton. He is a good natured youth and spends a good deal of time smiling or copying his sister. He is not built for walking yet but can sort of shuffle backwards!

Amélie seems to enjoy school and goes off happily most days.

Hove

Our Thursday walk started at Debden south of Saffron Walden. It is relatively hilly thereabouts but it was a good walk – everywhere is suddenly much greener. The village pub has been taken over by Yuva a Nepalese outfit and was excellent value.

Debden

Near Newport

I had a Garden Club talk in the evening at Hundon beyond Haverhill. I don’t especially like going out after walking, but it happens sometimes. I couldn’t get near the village hall where the talk was scheduled for cars. I didn’t really think they had all come to hear me – it turned out it was the local cup final next door!

Otherwise it has been catching up with the garden and allotment: digging, rotovating, planting, cutting grass and weeding.

We hope to catch up with some of you at the cousin’s reunion tomorrow.

Love

Mike & Kate

15^th May 2016.

Dear All,

Well there has been what my father would have called “a lot of shanking about” since my last letter: Moldova, 3 days catching up and a visit to Docwra Manor then six days in Yorkshire.

I think I sent you all the report of the Moldova trip so I will not repeat myself. I haven’t had time to sort all the photos yet but hope to put them on Dropbox this week.

The three days back involved a lot of sowing, planting and weeding although Kate had done a good job in preventing serious frost damage. No matter how mild it has been there always seems to be a frost while I am away. In addition, the cricket pitch needed preparing for the first match of the season and we had a chapel outing to Docwra Manor gardens at Shepreth. This is the home of Faith Raven, mother of Sarah Raven who is a renowned garden writer and runs a plant nursery. She is married to Adam Nicolson from Sissinghurst – a descendant of Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West. It is an interesting garden with several distinct areas.

Docwra Manor

The Yorkshire trip was with our U3A Walking Group organised with usual precision by Philip Shaw. We left on Sunday taking Jutta with us, she is a German lady who lost her husband just over a year ago. A few of us stopped en route at Gilling East and walked to Ampleforth School. This has the finest array of sports fields and facilities I have ever seen at a school – truly a site of privilege! Lawrence Dallaglio, the ex England Rugby captain was evidently a difficult former pupil.

Ampleforth School

Most of our group of 36 were staying at Sneaton Castle, Whitby but 6 of us were in B&B nearby. I think we did not miss out too badly as they were not too impressed with their “School Dinner” catering – give them a spell in Moldova I say!

On Monday our first Whitby walk was to Robin Hood’s Bay along the coast. The weather was extremely hot and the views excellent. 10 of us walked back on an inland route eventually clocking up 15 miles.

Near Robin Hood’s Bay

Tuesday both short and long walks involved a railway journey, the longer walk to Danby and a return across Little and Greater Fryup Dales, Glendale Rigg and the Esk Valley – 16 miles this time. This was followed by a meal in the famed “Magpie” Fish Restaurant offering a choice of about15 sorts of fish.

Overlooking Little Fryup Dale

On Wednesday the organised walk was on the coast again but north this time. We had reccied this in February so took the day off taking the train again from Grosmont to Goathland exploring around Goathland then walking back to Grosmont. (8 miles)

Near Malyan Spout

Thursday was the Ruswarp loop walking from the castle up onto the moors and dales above Whitby, meeting up with the short walkers for lunch at Falling Foss only 12 miles making 60 miles for the week.

The Hermitage

The return journey on Friday was direct with no planned stops so we were home by 3.30 pm with more gardening and cricket pitch preparation to catch up. Amazingly we did not have any rain in Whitby while most of the rest of the country – including Over seemed to have been soaked.

Love

Mike & Kate

24th April 2016.

Dear All,

In January I rashly reported that “we treat decoration like the Forth Bridge – gently but non-stop one room per winter”. My wife evidently did not entirely agree and this week we have been tackling the Playroom! It is a big room but fortunately fairly straightforward so it is nearly finished in a fashionable shade of grey.

On Tuesday we were in Hutton helping Esther catch up with her garden: cutting the grass, moving the hen run, reseeding the bare patch, weeding the front beds, planting the raised beds, training the raspberries, moving the tayberry, planting the white currant, painting the shed, planting the greenhouse, repotting the blueberries – it is amazing how time flies when you are enjoying yourselves!

On Wednesday I met up with Riverford again north of Peterborough as they wanted advice on updating their varieties. I came away with a reasonable list of topics which will be difficult to fit in as we are off to Moldova this Wednesday. The update on the seed parcel is that it has been intercepted by the customs and will be returned. “Seed can only be sent by seed companies or large organisations”. This is a nuisance as it was not only seed but other things destined for the village.

Our Thursday walk started at Rede south of Bury St Edmunds and took in Hawkedon, Somerton and Brockley. Unusually the pub would not take preorders for lunch so a delay before food arrived for 30 plus walkers seemed likely. As one of our passengers needed to catch a plane we did not stay – nor did several others so the pub lost out. It was a decent walk with cowslip, oil seed rape and a few bluebells in bloom.

The Plough, Rede

Hawkedon House

Hawkedon Green

We marked out the cricket pitch that night, as usual one mower and the roller were playing up despite winter maintenance.

Love

Mike & Kate

18th April 2016.

Dear All,

We have just returned from a 4 day jaunt to Holland and Belgium with Over Gardening Club. The main purpose was to visit Keukenhof Bulb gardens in Holland organised by Newmarket Travel. They are infamous for arranging accommodation somewhat at a distance from the target destination and it seemed they were on form again as our hotel was in Rotterdam rather than the nearer Amsterdam. However all was forgiven as the hotel was very good – with possibly the best shower we have encountered!

The coach journey there on Thursday via Dover and Calais was a bit tedious but uneventful and the courier was very competent and experienced.

The plan was Keukenhof on Friday, Amsterdam Saturday and Brugge on the way back Sunday. Unfortunately it was fairly damp on Friday but with waterproofs and umbrellas it was not too bad. The bulbs were stunning: 32 hectares, 7 million tulips, daffodils and hyacinths and a great display of Muscari (Grape hyacinths) as well as indoor Pavillions with flower displays.

Muscari

There were optional trips on Saturday to clog making, cheese production and a canal tour in Amsterdam but Kate and I opted to explore Rotterdam, partly because we had visited Amsterdam before and partly because one of our fellow walkers is Dutch and had lived in Rotterdam while his father was engaged in helping rebuild the docks after the war. It was a good choice as the city is an architectural wonder with some fantastic buildings and bridges. We got a “Day Tourist ticket” which allowed use of underground trains, buses and trolley buses and we made at least 12 journeys and saw a great deal of the city.

The Cube Houses

Erasmus Bridge

The Paperclip

The Red Apple

View from the Euromast

We had visited Brugge twice before, but it was a fleeting visit of an hour and a half to break up the homeward journey. Calais was very quiet but the camps are only partially cleared.

Bruges

Love

Mike & Kate

10th April 2016.

Dear All,

I have been packing a consignment for Moldova this week. This is far from an easy process, sorting and ordering a company on line is a tad more complicated than you would expect – the web sites never seem to flow very smoothly and sending seed is not straightforward as strictly each lot should be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate. However we had 1000 packets covering about 200 varieties and the seed has been donated so you cannot expect the donors to provide paperwork and it is not practical anyway. I have tried talking to DEFRA and the Plant Health Seeds Inspectorate but they have not come up with a solution.  I have been advised to label it as “Aid – no cash value”, this worked last time but this time I received a reprimand from TNT saying “you must always list the true value or you could be liable to a fine and returned parcel”. So far it has got as far as Liege – keep hoping for a safe passage!

I have spent a few hours rolling the cricket square and outfield this week, it is still very soft but matches do not start until 7^th May.

Our Thursday walk began at Ugley near Quendon (of Ugley Women’s Institute fame!). We dressed in waterproofs but were only subjected to occasional light drizzle. Philip led the short walk and was frustrated a couple of times by footpaths being closed by the railway and local council. A counsellor responsible for footpaths stopped to enquire whether we needed advice explaining that two girls had been killed crossing the line so they had tightened crossings. Philip disagreed rather forcibly giving his opinion that “people should be trained how to cross lines safely rather than close them for everyone!”

The Beautiful Ugley Chequers

Break in Elsingham Railway Waiting Room

Ugley Green

The other highlight evidently was me getting caught on barbed wire trying to climb over a gate – fortunately I had the only camera!

I did a talk at Soham Allotment Holders on Tuesday, they were a very friendly group who meet in the conservatory of a pub and a certain amount of improvisation was needed to project without screen or blackouts. They were not the most organised because when I arrived one old chap said “I don’t think we have a speaker tonight – I think it’s a plant swap evening!”

We have gardened a little between showers this week and Kate has started redecorating the Playroom.

Next door have completed an impressive fence between our properties, it is good to hide the building activity but strange after 45 years without one.

We were on Street Pastors on Friday night. It was quiet for the first two patrols but lively after 2 am with two serious drunken youths and a couple of altercations and “amusing” taunts of “are you hungry – here come the Street Pastas!”

Love

Mike & Kate

3^rd April 2016.

Dear All,

It was good to see you all last weekend, I hope you all enjoyed the party and had safe return journeys. Thanks for your contributions and donations – we received £660 for CEEM. No photos yet from the “official photographer” so only have a “pre party“ picture of the cake which has been widely praised.

Egg Collection

Serious outdoor gardening got underway this week, firstly digging up the large bamboo clump which got out of hand with runners emerging 6 or 7 yards away from the main growth. Kate has been digging up the outlying runners for several weeks so we blitzed the main clump, it took two days with a pick axe as the roots were like steel.

Otherwise I have rotovated the allotment and planted maincrop potatoes, broad beans, parsnips and carrots.

Our Thursday walk started from Kimbolton and touched Graffham Water. The shorter walk was intended to be 7.5 miles but our leader lost the way a couple of times so it ended up as 10.5 miles – the same as the long walk and not for the first time recently they had finished their lunch by the time we returned! It was rather sticky as the soil is mainly clay thereabouts but fairly undulating and we were treated to an aerial display by a red kite.

Above Kimbolton

Graffham Water

I fetched the cricket roller from its winter quarters yesterday so serious wicket preparation is scheduled to begin this week.

Service and meal in memory of Mervyn’s mother this morning

Love

Mike & Kate