27th January 2019

Dear All,

We had our first spell of settling snow on Tuesday night but it did not amount to much. Earlier I attended the second week of “Wicken Fen” at U3A this time on “Life in the Fens” describing the various ways that people scraped a living and how they managed with shelter, food, fuel and transport.

On Wednesday we had the plumber in to replace a 30 year old shower that had packed up and to cure a toilet dribble. In the evening we attended a Street Pastors seniors meeting to discuss the state of affairs. We are currently a little short on both volunteers and money and the police presence is shrinking by the week.

Thursday saw us at Heydon, south of Royston for a walk which took in Chrishall, Duddenhoe End, Building Eng and Chishill. The ground was initially frozen but gradually thawed making the going very sticky underfoot. One interesting feature was the “Hamlet church” at Duddenhoe End – a small thatched building that was converted from a barn.

The Hamlet Chapel

Between Chrishall & Duddenhoe End

Chiswick Hall, Building End

In the afternoon we met up with a group of ex NIAB colleagues at Horningsea Garden Centre.

“Biography” topic this week was “Elizabeth Gaskell” the Victorian novelist who wrote “North and South”, “Cranford” and “The Life of Charlotte Bronte”. She was fond of travel but was married to a Unitarian minister who hardly left Manchester.

Elizabeth Gaskell

In the afternoon Kate and I visited Ken Elsom the old chap whose garden I look after. He had a stroke at the weekend and although out of bed is still rather confused. Kate had also been in earlier in the week.

Kate catered at the Lego afternoon at chapel yesterday which attracted a record attendance of 44. I watched Hemingford 2 v 2 West Wratting.

Love

Mike & Kate

20th January 2019

Dear All,

Another Review this week, this time at our Walking Group’s annual social at Newnham College. We did not hold it last year as Newnham was having structural repairs and although we had used another venue in a church hall two years ago, our leader Philip is a trifle snobbish and did not rate it as highly as Newnham so cancelled the party last year! The formula is good though as it is a “bring and share” but far more competitive than church lunches, so the standard of offerings is very high. Philip, of course, vets the proposed offerings in advance and makes helpful suggestions if the menu is not balanced.

The new U3A term is underway and I am on a course on “Wicken Fen”. The first session was about how the fens were formed and was very well presented by one of the Wicken Fen volunteers. In the evening we had rather a painful church meeting discussing the appointment of female Deacons which eventually was agreed almost unanimously – if a little begrudgingly in some quarters.

On Monday evening I went to a cricket umpires course to keep up with the ever changing rules. The main difficult areas are lbw, wides and no balls for height – but I am sure I didn’t to tell any of you that!

I set up the Germination cabinet in the greenhouse on Wednesday so we are, as ever, looking forward to spring also having purchased seed potatoes and onion sets this week as well.

Our Thursday walk started at Kirtling, south of Newmarket and took in Upend, Saxon Street and Woodditton. The route takes in some of Sheik Mohammed’s racing studs which are of course in immaculate condition. There were actually snowflakes on the ground as we started but the sun came out and remained with us for the whole the whole time. Walking when it is cold and sunny is always good so it was an excellent morning.

Near Saxon Street

Near Woodditton

Golden Crab apple tree

“Biographies” restarted with “Agnes Jones” a nursing prodigy of Florence Nightingales, who started serious health care in the Liverpool workhouse in the 1860s and eventually succumbed to typhus having worked herself into the ground at the age of 35.

Over won a chilly cup tie against a team from a higher league yesterday: Cambridge University Press 2 v 4 Over, which nearly made up for both Ipswich and Colchester losing. We were on the streets last night; it was rather chilly and more lively than anticipated. There were three fights and we escorted three serious drunks to Nightlite. The council and churches have laid on extra beds for the homeless during this cold period. We still found over a dozen sleeping on the street and though we told them all about the provisions they all said they knew and weren’t interested!

Love

Mike & Kate

13th January 2019

Dear All,

This week has been largely building up to the church New Year Social last night. Kate was in charge of a 4 course meal for nearly 50 with Jane Gregory and I presented a review of the year. It was also my turn for the epilogue. The meal was excellent (creep!) carrot and ginger soup or prawn cocktail, roast beef, roast potatoes, red cabbage and peas, choice of 8 desserts, cheese and biscuits – not bad for £6 per head.

Trying to keep up the New Year exercise regime it was swimming Monday, a walk round Over Fen Tuesday, exploring Wisbech and Crowland Wednesday and the normal walk on Thursday.

Tuesday was sunny and good conditions for walking. Sadly not for biking as one of our local men – Edgar Monks of swimming pool fame, was out in a convoy and in the process of overtaking hit the handle bars of one of his colleagues and fell off in front of a van and was run over and killed.

Sluice gates at Overcote

We hadn’t visited Wisbech for some time – and it had not changed much. There are some very impressive old houses on the banks of the River Nene and a very large church. The town has a rough reputation; I played football there twice, once the game was abandoned at half time as the opposition refused to retake the field as one of their number had been sent off. The second time the referee on the neighbouring pitch was knocked out by one of the players! Nowadays we hardly heard English spoken on the street.

Wisbech River Nene

Crowland is a bit like “The Land Time Forgot” It has an interesting Trinity bridge with three sections and a historic abbey which was well worth the visit. Crowland was an island before the area was drained and a monk went there for solitude but he helped the future king of Mercia who promised to build an abbey if he became king.

Crowland Trinity Bridge

Crowland Abbey

We were leading the walk on Thursday starting at Hempstead and taking in Great Sampford and Radwinter. Dick Turpin was born in Hempstead and William Harvey, the discoverer of the circulation of the blood, is buried in the church. The main highlight of the walk was an impressive avenue of Aconites near Great Sampford.

Aconites

Our pastor David has been suffering from flu all week so it is all hands to the pump to sort services today. I sat next to him at a meeting on Monday and have been slightly below normal since Wednesday, but it seems the flu jab is fighting the worst effects.

Love

Mike & Kate

6th January 2019

Dear All,

It has been almost back to normality this week. On Monday it was swimming, a little digging followed by vegetable seed ordering. I guess Tuesday was not very normal on reflection being New Year’s Day. We called in briefly at Norman and Rosemary’s as they had their usual gathering then Kate and I travelled to Cambridge Corn Exchange to watch the St Petersburg Ballet Company perform “Swan Lake”. It would be wrong to say we are avid ballet fans – this is the third one we have seen in 70+ years! It was a high class performance and I could admire the effort and spectacle but it seems a strange way of getting a story over!

 

Above is us practicing at home!

We have walked twice this week, on Wednesday we recced at Hempstead and Radwinter for a walk we are due to lead next week them the normal Thursday outing started at Therfield above Royston. It was a decent walk – not too muddy or cold.

Dane End

Sandon

Well Laid hedge

Therfield

Kate has had two trips to the dentist to fix the tooth she broke over the New Year and they seem to have done the trick – at a price of course! We followed the Friday dentist visit with a clothes shopping trip to Cambridge and lunch at Coton Garden Centre.

Watching football was distinctly chilly yesterday. We travelled to Linton v Great Shelford: first and second in the Cambs Premier league.

Albert seems to have rallied and the family move out temporarily today to make way for the builders.

David and Rebecca celebrate their silver wedding this week end so they have been given the weekend off and Kate has organised a collection and card.

Love

Mike & Kate

30th December 2018

Dear All,

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas? We certainly were pleased to have our branch of the family here. Ben cycled up on Sunday taking less than 6 hours. He chose a more scenic route back on Friday which took well over 7 hours and while here had cycled to St Ives, Cambridge and Ely. Andy also took a little exercise walking to St Ives and back a couple of times as well as other shorter excursions with Mary-Ann who played her part with a couple of jogs!

Esther and Emma arrived for Christmas lunch with a certain amount of luggage, considering they were only here for one night before returning to work on Thursday!

Christmas Morning

Christmas Afternoon

We all went to St Ives on Boxing Day to meet up with Andy (walking) and Ben (biking), mainly to feed the water fowl which were by no means starving. Jackie arrived for lunch en route for Beaumont and we were very pleased to see her.

St Ives Quay

Three Wiseish men?

Happy Families?

On Thursday Andy had to work and the rest of us went to Cambridge to the Fitzwilliam Museum and Newnham Playpark. Amélie had been studying ancient Egypt at school so we thought she would like to see the mummies but I think the highlight of the trip was “the café”.

 

Fitzwilliam Museum

At Newnham

Ben left Friday morning and the Hoveites after lunch. Albert had been coughing on the last day and deteriorated to wheezing overnight so had to be taken to the clinic where they put him on a nebulizer and ordered an ambulance to hospital. He was kept there for most of the day under observation having been given steroids and an inhaler. He was released home with the inhaler. Meanwhile Kate has broken a tooth at a less than ideal time to catch a working dentist!

Return Journey

Best wishes for the New Year to all (both?) our readers!

Love

Mike & Kate

PS Albert is much better but his inhaler is a two man job!

23rd December 2018

Dear All,

Well it’s pretty close now, I hope you are all ready and will have an enjoyable time. We have partaken of a couple of Christmas lunches this week. On Monday it was with the ex NIAB “Wrinklies” at The Moat House at Bar Hill, there were 30 of us and the meal was good, much better than the previous year – you can never be sure with mass catering!

On Thursday it was the turn of the Rambling Group at the Orchard at Grantchester, this was more variable as my Turkey was fine but Kate’s beef was rather chewy and she had a long wait for cheese and biscuits.

Lunch at the Orchard, Grantchester

Swimming on Monday was bracing as the pool was rather chilly, but OK once you had gone numb!

NIAB celebrates 100 years next year and they sent out a request for photos to augment their collections so I took some in on Tuesday and met up with a few survivors. I dropped Kate off in Cambridge for a few last minute purchases then we travelled to Coton to supplement our fish tank. We had another Christmas “Bring and Share” meal at the Kitson’s as our home group celebration, followed by a “Sing, Say or Do” session on a Christmas theme.

We had a shortish walk on Thursday before the meal starting at Grantchester and looping locally via Coton and Newnham. We were entertained to mulled wine and mince pies in a member’s very grand and old house in Newnham. The man of the house is East German by birth and escaped from there by swimming across a river by night with a bicycle strapped to his back.

Grantchester

Newnham house for refreshments

River Cam at Grantchester

I collected Brussels sprouts on Friday with David Cook. My usual supply in Bedfordshire has dried up and as last year I had to go to Hilgay in Norfolk to collect stems which I think originated in Kent. The price was higher than last year but still cheaper than Christmas cards and the quality was better than expected after the dry summer. The distribution list now stands at 60 so that occupied the rest of Friday and Saturday morning.

Sprouts 2018

We rose early on Saturday and were in Tesco’s by 7am to beat the crowds – but we were far from being alone!

Ben should arrive Sunday, Mary-Ann, Andy, Amélie and Albert on Monday and Esther and Emma on Christmas Day. Andy fortunately flew home via Gatwick before the drone saga.

Best wishes to you all.

Love

Mike & Kate