20^th November 2016

Dear All,

What with one thing and another it has taken sometime to sleep patterns back to normal following jetlag and Street Pastors. The latest excitement was Kate going down with a severe bout of sickness which kept her in bed all Friday, which I followed by attempting the world diarrhoea record Friday night! On the bright side I am lighter than I have been for some months and I have learnt to spell diarrhoea!

I had another Garden Club talk at Fulbourn on Tuesday night then we drove down to Hove so were late arriving but naturally the roads were clear. Albert’s latest trick is tobogganing down the stairs at great speed on his tummy – nothing to worry his minders there! Amélie’s homework was to talk to an old person about the toys they had as a child, so I was able to fit the bill and help her.

On Thursday we met at Glatton near Sawtry for our walk taking in Denton, Stilton and Folkesworth. It was quite undulating and beginning to get sticky but a decent walk.

Near Glatton

On Friday I was kindly invited to attend a “Speed Awareness Course” at Huntingdon Racecourse having been nabbed on the way to Exmoor travelling downhill on a deserted road at 8.30 am on a Sunday morning on Thrapston by pass. Actually the course was excellent presented by a couple of comedians but imparting a deal of interesting information.

How many road casualties were reported in 2014? 194,477 (probably 750,000 realistically)

How many killed? 1,775

Which year was worst? 1967 – before seat belts and drink driving warnings

Which counties have the worst records? 1. Lincolnshire, 2. Cambridgeshire (rural road with dykes)

Where do collisions occur? Urban 71%, Rural 25%, Motorways 4%

And deaths? Urban 44%, Rural 50%, Motorways 5%

When were 30 mph speed limits brought in? 1935

How do you tell what the speed limit is? If there are street lights it is 30 mph unless there are signs overruling it then there should be repeaters on every street light.

What do motorcyclists call their SMIDSY club? Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You.

If you stop at a certain distance at 30 mph, what speed would you be impacting at the same distance if travelling at 32 mph? 11 mph. I could go on!

Last night we had a Street Pastor’s Drug awareness training session from “Inclusion” a national organisation that works with folk affected by drugs, alcohol and mental health. We can now tell you the effects of Amphetamones (Speed), Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, LSD, MDMA (Ecstacy), Floral cannabis (Skunk), Resin, Spice, Methedrone, Heroin, Ketamine, Rohypnol (date rape drug) and their combination with alcohol.

Love

Mike & Kate

13^th November 2016

Dear All,

Where to begin? American is another country – they do things differently there! We started in Los Angeles after an almost 11 hour flight. We did not rate LA too highly as it is so large and constipated by traffic jams. We had a tour round Hollywood which seemed a bit run down and then travelled to Venice Beach and Santa Monica and had a paddle in the Pacific. We opted out of the full tour of Universal Studios but did a short one when we picked the others up later. Instead we found a Nature Park in the hills above the city which demonstrated the local flora and fauna.

Hollywood Boulevade

Next stop was San Diego which was better, especially Balboa Park, where we could have spent longer, and then onto Coronado Island where only millionaires can afford to live. Later we had a boat trip round the bay taking in the Maritime museum, sea lions, pelicans and considerable military presence.

San Diego Bay

Next day we drove inland to Arizona passing close to the fence on the Mexican border and travelling through acres of desert eventually arriving at Scottsdale on the outskirts of Phoenix staying at the marvellous Carefree Resort surrounded by impressive specimens of cacti and spotting a Javelina (no we hadn’t heard of them either – it is a bit like a wild pig but in fact a peccary).

Saguaro Cacti

Sedona Red Hills

We got up early next morning to explore the area before departing to Sedona to explore the Red Rock area by jeep. This was a really rough ride in spectacular scenery.

We stopped that night in Flagstaff and departed next morning for our first look at the Grand Canyon at Tusayon and Grand Canyon village. We visited three different view points on the south of the Canyon and as someone said “photos make it seem incredible but the reality is better”.

Grand Canyon South

 We travelled next day on Route 66 stopping at Seliman to visit the famous barbers shop before proceeding via the Hoover Dam to Las Vegas. We had a night tour of Las Vegas including Freemont which is like Sodom and Gomorrah rolled into one.

Our highlight was probably the next day when five of us rose at 4.30 am to be driven to Bolder airport to take a flight in a small plane to the Grand canyon west, picking up a helicopter to touch down on the floor of the Canyon swapping to a boat for a trip up the Colorado river. Back at the airport we picked up a bus for another three viewpoints including the “Skywalk” which is a bit scary - looking down from the glass bottomed walkway!

Grand Canyon Guano Point

Back in Vegas we toured round some of the hotels by day, some of which are mind blowing. Our verdict on Las Vegas was “great to see it once, but will not be in a hurry to return!”

Las Vegas

Next day we drove through the Mojave Desert on the way to Selma where we stayed before visiting Yosemite National Park where it had rained so the waterfalls were running.

Yosemite, El Capitan

Our final stop was San Francisco which was our favourite city by far. We were staying near the Fishermans Dock and Pier 39. We had a tour round Chinatown, Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge before taking a boat trip round the bay and Alcatraz. After we took in the Aquarium and the Crooked Street before dining in Chinatown. On our last morning we explored the city via a cable car and street car visiting Bloomingdales, Maceys, the Railway museum and the farmers market.

Golden Gate, San Francisco

On the plane home we were able to watch the election result in excruciating detail before eventually arriving home at 2 pm on Wednesday. Our planning had not been ideal as I had a garden Club talk at Shepreth on Thursday night and we were on Street Pastors on Friday night. Our time clocks are still adjusting!

Esther is back in Bulgaria helping with OT training this week and Ben is running in the Athens marathon.

Love

Mike & Kate

23rd October 2016

Dear All,

It has been an “interesting” week. Kate was called back after a mammogram as they had found a small lump and she had to endure a painful biopsy. Unfortunately we will not get the result until after our holiday. Then on Friday I was delivering my contribution to the “Biography” group subject “Angela Merkel” when I had a funny turn and cannot remember what happened. Evidently I went back to the beginning three times but eventually finished the talk. I have been checked over and nothing was amiss except high blood pressure. In the evening Esther phoned to report she had been violently sick and was covered with spots as a bad reaction to an antibiotic which she had been prescribed for an ear infection.

Kate travelled to Hove on Tuesday by train as I had a talk on Wednesday. The journeys to and fro went well despite the threat of strike action on Southern Rail. The highlight of the trip seems to have been Kate pegging washing on the drier and Albert watching then taking his own socks off and arranging them on the rail!

My talk on Wednesday was to Newmarket U3A and this week I have to address Cambridge U3A Gardening Group.

Our Thursday walk started at Monk Street and took a wide circle round Thaxted. It is still dry underfoot, most fields are ploughed and drilled but there are some very lumpy seed beds.

Monk Street

Boyton End

Break time

Cutlers Green

We had a work party at chapel yesterday removing the kitchen cupboards as we have been donated a new kitchen. It was quite hard work especially removing the vinyl floor covering which had been stuck to the floor.

Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie and Albert are flying to Budapest today for a couple of days.

If all goes well we fly to California on Thursday after spending the night in a Heathrow hotel.

Love

Mike & Kate

16th October 2016

Dear All,

It has been the start of the new U3A term this week, Kate has enrolled for a course on “Joints, Muscles and Nerves”, I am back on “Biographies” and we are both going to “60s Music” as well as “Rambling”. We are not teaching “Just Vegetating” until after Christmas as we plan to miss a couple of weeks in the USA this term.

“60s Music” is headed up by Rob Turvey who some of you may have met at my 70^th. It is nostalgic trip but amazing how many of the records don’t seem to sound quite as good as they did then!

Q. What was the best selling record of the 60s?

A.” She loves You” – The Beatles

Q. What was no.3 on the list?

A. “Tears” – Ken Dodd!

The topic of “Biographies” was Brendan Bracken. He was quite an influential politician but I had never heard of him. He was born in Ireland, ran away from school at 14, sent to Australia, conned his way into teaching jobs, became an MP then Churchill’s private secretary in the war and Minister of Information after the war. He was a Jeffrey Archer type of character who was always stretching the truth and claiming things that were fantasies.

I had a garden club talk in Hitchin on Wednesday night talking about “Costa Rica” and Thursday missed the walk in favour of visiting the seed trade open days in Lincolnshire accompanied by David Cook and Lawrie Gray. We managed 6 out of the 7 sites mainly featuring new varieties and developments in Brassicas. The main trends were developments in long stemmed broccoli to replace Tenderstem and the reintroduction of Collards.

Collards

Calabrini long stemmed broccoli

New purple cauliflower

Sakata display

New Beauty Heart Radish

Elsom’s Kale trial

We were on Street Pastor duties on Friday night and it was fairly busy with new students and the continued increased presence of street life folk. The two low points were finding a young couple of street people in a doorway who had been urinated on by a drunk and a boy who had only been on the streets for a couple of weeks – he had gone to sleep and someone had stolen his shoes. “Jimmy’s” the Cambridge night shelter is full every night and the excess have to rough it, but folk come in hoping for easy pickings from tourists as well as access to the night shelter facilities.

We both had ‘flu jabs yesterday, (me for the first time) and helped Gillian & Richard Law celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary at the Crown in Girton. We are out again lunchtime today joining the leader of “Biographies” David Miles-Dinham for his birthday.

Love

Mike & Kate

9th October 2016

Dear All,

We have been down to Hove again this week entrusted with looking after Albert for the first time now that Mary-Ann has returned to work. Before we left on Tuesday, Kate’s sister Sue and husband Bill called in on the way to a reunion at Stratford upon Avon. On the way down we stopped for a walk at Devil’s Dyke on the South Downs from where the views were excellent.

Albert is having to adjust to Nursery so is understandably a bit clingy, but was fine once Mum was not around. We walked along the seafront away from Brighton towards Portslade and had lunch at a seaside restaurant owned by Fatboy Slim. After we sat on the beach and moved a few tons of stones! There was one hardy soul swimming and another optimistic topless sunbather. Amélie seems to be coping with school quite well and is very good with Albert.

View from the South Downs

Devil’s Dyke

Keen Gardener?

Hove Beach Activity

Our Thursday walk started just up the road at Dry Drayton and took in familiar places: Bar Hill, Lolworth, Boxworth, Knapwell Woods and Childerley Hall.

The Black Horse, Dry Drayton

Later in the week it has been fund raising. On Friday it was the annual quiz for Over Day Centre. Kate had compiled the questions and there over 50 attending. It seemed to go well and my job was easier as we had a working sound system so less shouting.

Last night we attended a concert at Little Paxton in support of CEEM and Moldova. The music was from “Damascus Road” a local St Neots group and there was an excellent curry midway.

Keen gardeners amongst you will know that autumn digging has begun and it is time to plant shallots, garlic, and broad beans for over wintering.

Love

Mike & Kate

2^nd October 2016

Dear All,

It has been a fairly busy week culminating in Harvest Festival this weekend. On Monday, after swimming Kate and I did a recce for Thursday’s walk that we were due to lead from Abbots Ripton. We also have the Day Centre Quiz next Friday so Kate has compiled the questions and I have been computerising them.

This week we hired the Cricket Association trailer of equipment to carry out the winter maintenance on the square. I cut the pitches on Tuesday then on Wednesday it was scarifying, fertilizing, reseeding and applying 50 bags of Ongar Loam. There were three of us but it takes a bit of time and the equipment is showing signs of ageing so there were a few breakdowns. In the afternoon Kate and I travelled down to London for a theatre trip in the evening using tickets paid for by my children for my 70^th. We saw “The Entertainer” with Kenneth Branagh in the lead role at the Garrick Theatre.

Before the performance we had explored round Kings Cross a little: Camley Street Park, Regents Canal, Old St Pancras church and the new Francis Crick building. Later we took the tube to Charing Cross and had a quick visit to the National Portrait Gallery before meeting up with Ben for a meal before the show. Ben has achieved a promotion at Kings but still putting in long hours. We got home at midnight and were up for walking next morning.

Regent’s Canal

The Hardy Tree, St Pancras churchyard

Francis Crick Building

The walk was not in spectacular scenery but the views northwards were panoramic and decidedly autumnal.

Abbots Ripton, The Abbots Elm

The rest of the week centred round collecting material for the Harvest Festival. I took Jim Burr for a ride to Biggleswade to collect a few extra vegetables on Friday morning then Kate and I were on a St John’s ambulance First Aid course at Cherry Hinton in the afternoon.

We had a men’s breakfast yesterday with a heavy metal guitarist as speaker. I watched football in the afternoon, and we had the Harvest Supper in the evening.

Esther is in Lisbon this weekend, part work, part holiday and we are due in Hove again next week.

Love

Mike & Kate

25^th September 2016

Dear All,

We had an enjoyable week on Exmoor although the walking was fairly up and down and generally quite hard work. We stopped at Nether Stowey on the way down as we have some serious English Literature adherents in the group and they read “The Ancient Mariner” in the grounds of Coleridge’s cottage – very U3A but performed very well.

Exhibits at Coleridge’s Cottage

We stayed in Simonsbath taking over the pub and the Hotel which was old and family run. The hosts were excellent and told stories of the local history and helped with the walking routes.

View from the Hotel

We had a damp start on Monday and did a walk near the coast at Lynmouth taking in Watersmeet and the Valley of Rocks. It was waterproofs all day and as it was warm we were very quickly soaked from both sweat and rain. We managed two casualties on the first day – not a great start, one case of severe vertigo (Ian for those who met him at Swavesey) and one fell in the river and cracked his head (Jan Ingram for those that know him). Both recovered but it is the joys of stretching activity with the elderly! The weather improved thereafter and waterproofs were not needed again.

Start of the First Walk

On Tuesday we started at Dry Bridge on the moor and headed for Shilstone and Rockford. Unfortunately we suffered the next (and final) accident when after 3 miles or so Felicia slipped on a narrow leafy path leading down a stream and was in serious pain with a damaged arm. Kate and I returned to collect our car, which took a while and collected her Ian and Mary – an ex doctor and headed for A&E at Barnstable with Ian following in his car. It was only 23 miles but seemed to take forever as she was crying out with every bump in the road. When we reached A&E they were at first a bit slow to get going but eventually once the wheels were in motion were very good and the X Ray revealed that her shoulder was dislocated and nothing was broken. When it was relocated she recovered very quickly. As we had missed the rest of the walk Kate, Mary and I headed for Ilfracombe and explored the Tunnel Beaches and the harbour including Damien Hirst’s “Verity”.

Tunnel Beach, Ilfracombe

We did a circular moorland walk on Wednesday starting from the hotel taking in Exhead and ending up on “The Two Moors Way” following the river Barle. At our briefing Philip had assured us that “the climbs would be gentler than Whitby”. By the end of the week he was admitting that he was mistaken – a fairly rare event!

Two Moors Way

On Thursday we drove to Porlock down the infamous Porlock Hill and walked the Coastal Path to Culbone church where Coleridge had composed “Kubla Khan” and we had a recitation of this by Ian in the churchyard. The long walk then struck inland up some fairly steep climbs to Porlock Moor and back down the valley to Porlock. We did about 12 miles each day but there was very little flat walking and on this day climbed 2,900 feet – almost the height of Snowdon!

Culbone Church

Porlock from the top of Porlock Hill

The other piece of information from the briefing that did not materialise was that” the moors are teeming with ticks” and several of our number rushed out to buy tick removers. In fact, in a party of 34 humans and 1 dog, no tick damage was recorded!

We had a long journey home on Friday taking 8 hours with traffic jams and toilet stops.

Love

Mike & Kate