23^rd July 2017

Dear All,

Kate and I joined the Over Gardening outing to Norfolk yesterday. First stop was Peter Beales Roses at Attleborough for coffee and a look round. They have a very attractive display garden as well as useful café.

Peter Beale’s Rose garden

Rose “A Mum in a Million”

The main attraction was East Ruston Old Vicarage Garden on the east Norfolk coast near North Walsham. Two guys brought the run down vicarage in 1973 and gradually built up 32 acres of garden divided into small areas with different themes. It is definitely one of the most interesting gardens I have been to and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

Kate and Rolls at East Ruston

House & Dutch garden

The Exotic Garden

The Entrance garden

  

                      View of Happisburgh Lighthouse                             

Painted Lady

We had begun the week culturally by attending the “Shakespeare in the College Gardens” performance of “Hamlet” in St John’s garden on Monday evening. It was a fine night and an excellent performance with a decent crowd.

We had the church AGM on Tuesday and on Wednesday I borrowed a pressure washer to improve the performance of the cricket mowers which soon get clogged in damp weather.

Our Thursday walk started at Chippenham, near Newmarket taking in Fordham, Landwade and Snailwell. Landwade is one of the smallest parishes in the UK consisting of one farm, a large house and a privately owned church – a bit like Blackadder’s Rotten borough! We were treated to one short shower but otherwise it was an enjoyable walk including Chippenham Fen Wildlife reserve.

Chippenham Water Pump

Chippenham Fen

Landwade church

Friday saw us in Cambridge for a Street Pastors briefing as we are to act as “Seniors” on our next outing as they are short of leaders this summer. The security system in St Andrews church which acts as our HQ, is a thing of wonder and complexity and we were given a very thorough induction by the caretaker!

We should be in Aldeburgh with the family for a week from next Friday so no letter.

Love

Mike & Kate

16th July 2017

Dear All,

It was Over Carnival yesterday and Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie & Albert came for the weekend and Esther and Kian (one of her respite care lads) came for the day. We had a chapel stand as usual with a quiz, game, children’s goodie bags and lego. It all seemed to go quite well, the weather held up and there was a good attendance. The local Raptor Centre made guest appearance.

Float

Chapel Quiz

Albert on the Game

Refreshment Time

We had been down to Hove again this week by way of Bishops Stortford U3A where I was addressing their Garden Club. For the third time running the journey was in wall to wall rain. On Wednesday we pushed Albert to Brighton where he enjoyed the beachside playground and explored the pier.

Our Thursday walk started locally in Cottenham and circled the Fen taking in Rampton following Cottenham Lode. The crops were not as good as the previous week but there was some decent hay being made.

Hay Making

Swan Family

Mervyn and I finished strimming the graveyard after swimming on Monday. Kate meanwhile had been comforting Rachel (our South African friend) whose daughter Grace was screaming and uncomfortably hot.

Our Apricot tree has always been reliable but this year has been exceptional.

  

Apricot Tree

Love

Mike & Kate

9th July 2017

Dear All,

Kate had a check up on Wednesday and was given an all clear until her next mammogram. She also had a blood test and an X-Ray on her hip which has been playing up. She celebrated on Thursday after our walk by being violently sick and feeling awful so had to be rushed home where she recovered quite quickly after a shower and a sleep.

The Thursday walk started at Howletts End, near Thaxted. The crops in the area were excellent: uniform and fairly weed free. We took in Brocks second hand agricultural machinery show ground, at Cutlers Green, which is now massif.

Wheat near Howletts End

Brock’s Machinery Showground

Kate pre collapse

Apart from that we haven’t been far this week. Kate has been painting windows and fence panels, I have demolished part of our old coal bunker to accommodate the three dustbins. This produced 10 bags of brick rubble which we took to the tip yesterday.

Bin Bunker

I have also been tunnelling a track through the 6 feet high brambles behind the chapel to allow a painter to access the windows. While I was doing this the lady next door came to chat and said “I am surprised you haven’t done something with this area as it belongs to the chapel” which is a major surprise to us as our deeds state that it belongs to them. I have also started strimming the overgrown graves at the Cemetery – this is not one of my favourite jobs as strimmers seem to be especially temperamental!

We chalked up a rare victory for the Chapel cricket team this week. I managed to bowl 2 overs for 6 runs but when batting faced a whole over of a slow bowler lobbing balls out of the sun and didn’t see any of them.

We were invited to a BBQ at Matthew and Rachel’s yesterday together with their toddler Grace who Kate sometimes looks after.

The garden and allotment both seem to be going fairly well after last week’s rain and courgettes have entered “would you like some?” stage. Tomatoes and cucumbers are underway in the greenhouses where we also have melons, sweet potatoes, peppers, aubergines, ginger and peanuts.

Bottom Greenhouse

Peanut

Melon

Love

Mike & Kate

2^nd July 2017

Dear All,

Yesterday was a long day as I was drafted into the cricket team for the afternoon followed by Street Pastors – a bit much for a 71 year old! Both cricket and SPs seem permanently short of numbers at present. It was fairly busy in town as it was payday. We were called to a comatose girl outside “Revolution” and were able to get her to “Nightlite” to recover from whence she was collected and returned to Stevenage. A group were amusing themselves by throwing glass bottles off of the roof garden of “Revolution” so there was broken glass everywhere. A lad had been thrown out of “The Regal” for fighting with all the buttons ripped off his shirt and had become parted from his wallet and a coach driver was refusing to drive his passengers home as they were very drunk and abusive and trying to overcome his reticence by threatening to “break his jaw!” So enough going on to make the time pass reasonably quickly!

We had over an inch of rain on Tuesday – which was needed but did not make for an easy drive to Hove. We were late setting out as I had a Garden Club booking at Barton Mills and eventually arrived at 11.20pm. On Wednesday we caught the bus to Brighton Marina together with Albert, as we had not explored it before. It has been developed with smart new houses together with shops and many restaurants. Amélie was getting excited in preparation of her birthday party yesterday.

Brighton Marina

Fishing Boats

Housing Developments

Harbour Development

Homework

Serious Snack Consumption

Teeth Hygene

Bubble Fun

The rain led to a sticky walk on Thursday starting at Great Chesterford close to where Kate used to work.

Great Chesterford

love

Mike & Kate

25^th June 2017

Dear All,

A little too warm this week perhaps? Anyway it resulted in the unprecedented event of Philip cancelling our Thursday walk for fear of the health and safety of his elderly participants. Ironically Thursday was the coolest day of the week!

Kate and I went swimming instead which has the advantage of feeling better afterwards whereas walking sometimes needs time to recover!

On Monday, Kate and I met up with John Law at “Edible Ornamentals” at Chawston, just off the A1. They specialise in Chilli Peppers and are taking an interest in growing and importing from Moldova.

Tuesday, we made a rare foray to the shops in Cambridge ending with a picnic by the Cam at Fen Ditton.

The Chapel cricket team braved the heat on Wednesday against Huntingdon District Council,  narrowly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory with 3 balls to spare.

Kate has been stoically picking currants nearly every day this week. We have a bumper crop and she has been delivering most of them to a friend in Fen End who makes jam as a business.

Friday evening we had a chapel outing to Les Cook’s farm on the edge of the fen. He specialises in raising and selling pedigree Hereford and English White cattle. He shows all over the country and has some outstanding stock. He sells stock, semen and embryos all over the world. He claims not to make much money but to have a fantastic way of life.

English White family

Champion Hereford Bull

Transport

I judged the first F & V show of the year at Stapleford yesterday. It was a very poor turn out and standard with rather fussy organisers.

Later we attended a “Marie Curie” tea party hosted by Kate & Gordon at Haddenham.

love

Mike & Kate