17th November 2019

Dear All,

It was “Legumes” in “Just Vegetating” on Monday with accompanying Bean Burgers and several other bean dishes. For the second week the swimming pool was bracing which kept the numbers down!

In the evening Terry Rugg came over and we planned the next Moldova trip probably in May while Kate was at the Dickens Fellowship in Cambridge. Driving back later that night was the usual excitement as the layout of the A14 changes almost daily – or more bafflingly -nightly.

On Tuesday I thought that the wasps in the compost bin would have lost their aggression and emptied the bin and mucked both greenhouses. The nest was small about 8” across and only a few inmates still alive and active. I also measured up the broken panes of glass (3) and got replacements from the glaziers on Over Industrial Site.

Wasp’s Nest

Mucked greenhouse

We both went to Cambridge shopping on Wednesday, Kate to buy new walking boots and me to be outfitted for the wedding.

Our Thursday walk began in a downpour which kept the numbers down but still 20 turned out. We started in Fulbourn which is surrounded by a surprising amount of Fen and Nature reserve. It stopped raining by half time and overall was not a bad walk with the autumn colours looking particularly good this year.

Damp Start

Surface water in Great Wilbraham

Winter Draws On!

The “Biography” subject was “Henry Blogg” ex coxswain of Cromer lifeboat. He is the most decorated lifeboatman of all time with 3 gold medals and 4 silver. Under his captaincy the boat was launched 387 times and saved 873 people.

Henry Blogg

Bill and Sue were present when I arrived home en route from Derbyshire to their sons in Kent. They had endured a very wet week in Derbyshire and had great difficulty getting out through the floods. Adrian Hart then called for us to help him renew his passport on line. When I did this for myself earlier in the year it worked like a charm, this time it did not work so well and tested our patience somewhat.

There were no decent football matches locally yesterday (damn International break!) so after a trip to Oakington Garden centre I finished off my biography contribution – Jack London for 3 week’s time.

I harvested Sweet Potatoes this week and they produced a decent crop.

 

Sweet Potato Crop

With love

Mike & Kate

10th November 2019

Dear All,

Not too much to report this week as we have not been far. “Just Vegetating” this week was “Salads-Fruit” covering Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers and Aubergines. The food continues to be popular with none left over for hungry leaders who have skipped breakfast to go swimming!

At the weekend I received an invitation to speak to the “South Devon Organic Growers” in January. It is a long way to go but I have met them before as they supply “Riverford”.

I have started working on my next “Biography” presentation this week as I have to perform in December now, as someone has dropped out. This time my subject is “Jack London” who packed a lot in a short life dying at 40.

Our walk venue was one of the more distant locations at Haynes in Bedfordshire beyond Old Warden. The weather was better than forecast and it was a good autumn walk with coloured leaves and loads of fungi.

Autumn colours

Fungi

Maulden Wood

  

Clophill Old Church

In the evening it was the AGM for Over Produce Show which is a bit of a non-event but necessary nonetheless.

This week’s biography was “George Keith” he was an obscure Scottish and Prussian army officer and diplomat. Jacobite by persuasion. He served in Flanders under the duke of Marlborough from 1708 to 1711, but for considering placing the Old Pretender on the British throne on Queen Anne's death he was deprived of his commission. He fought on the Jacobite side during the 1715 Jacobite rising and his estates falling to the crown. He then served Frederick the Great in Prussia eventually dying there.

George Keith

Yesterday I wrote December’s Garden Column and watched Cherry Hinton 2 v 0 Eaton Socon while Over beat Fulbourn 8 v 2

With love

Mike & Kate

3^rd November 2019

Dear All,

“Just Vegetating” this week was “Salads-Green” and Kate produced salads with fruit and hot ingredients which went down very well.

On Tuesday there was another event at NIAB celebrating their 100 years with talks, historic photos and a tour of the new buildings they have put up. They are working more closely with the University and host several University staff on site and will soon accommodate a new professor of Crop Science.

Our Thursday outing was fairly local starting at Meldreth, south of Cambridge and taking in Melbourn, Bassingbourn and Whaddon. It remained dry throughout.

Pub car Park carving

Melbourn

Seasonal Field

One of the ladies in the group presented me a cheque for £1000 towards the repair of the church in Leova, Moldova where the mud bricks did not survive a flood earlier in the year.

  

Leova Damage

“Biographies” this week featured “Josephine Butler” an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of Contagious Diseases Act in British law, the abolition of child prostitution, and an end to human trafficking of young women and children into European prostitution.

Josephine Butler

We were on Street Pastor duty again Friday night. It was a busy night with a hangover from Halloween the night before so we tended 6 or 7 rather ill persons in various states of distress but fortunately most had friends to help them recover.

I slept through the Rugby final but watched Over lose 4 v 2 to league leaders Cherry Hinton in rather wintery conditions.

Star plants in the garden this week are celeriac which has had a good year and Michaelmas Daisies

Michaelmas Daisies

 

Celeriac

With love

Mike & Kate

27th October 2019

Dear All,

A good mixture of talks and gardening this week. I had a children’s talk on Sunday, “Just Vegetating” Monday, Women’s meeting Tuesday. Royston garden club Wednesday, NIAB conference Thursday and “Biographies” Friday.

“Just Vegetating” was “Brassicas” this week so it was kale crisps amongst other recipes. We did a presentation on the RHS for the ladies and Kate made carrot cakes. At Royston I did a talk on “Growing in Cuba”. The NIAB Conference was to mark 100 years since the Institute was founded and entitled “100 Years of Plant Science” and we were presented with a commerative book, a mug, a bottle of beer made from Proctor barley and a few badges.

Kate went walking starting at Arkesden.

The “Biographies” subject was “Jan Smuts” the South African statesman, military leader, and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948. His father described him as “a queer fellow with little intelligence” but he went on to get a double 1^st in South Africa and Christs College, Cambridge. He was an outstanding tactician in the Boer War but supported Britain in both WWI & II. Although his life made a huge impression he is controversial because he believed “that native Africans are unfit for politics” which foreshadowed segregation.

Jan Smuts

We had Arthur & Grace again on Friday afternoon – both with sniffles. I finished digging the allotment this week between the showers and Kate has been busy planting wallflowers,

  

Allotment

Wallflower Planting

Yesterday there was a party at the Community centre to mark Rosemary Fosters 80^th birthday. I was honorary photographer and Kate and other folks made cakes or puddings.

 

Ancient Fosters

More recent Fosters

The Cake

With love

Mike & Kate

20th October 2019

Dear All,

It was Street Pastors again last night, hence the delay in publication as we did not get to bed until 4.22am. The streets were fairly busy but reasonably good humoured with no fights. We had a few serious sickness cases but it was not too bad.

“Just Vegetating” this week featured “Alliums” and this year’s class are full of questions which is a good sign.

We have been down to Hove on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday we caught the Coastliner bus to Worthing with Albert and explored the pier and the town which seems to be prosperous.

Worthing Pier

Kate & Albert on the Pier

Amelie the Artist (Cat theme!)

Our Thursday walk was local at Eltisley including Caxton and Cambourne. It was a decent walk with several green lanes. When we came out of the pub after lunch we had a 15” crack in the car windscreen, how it happened was a mystery but it has now been replaced.

Bourn Post Mill

 

 Caxton Church

On Friday the “Biographies” subject was “John Howard” of the “Howard League of Penal Reform” fame. He became High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and therefore responsible for local prisons. He was shocked at what he found and spent great energy visiting almost every prison in England and many on the Continent studying conditions and suggesting improvements covering about 80,000 miles mostly on horseback.

John Howard

In the evening we had the annual fund raising quiz at the Day Care Centre. We were a little apprehensive as the Centre failed to advertise the event in the “Over News” but in fact we had a full house and raised about £400. Kate as ever has complied all the questions and it seemed to go very well.

It was the first Lego event of the season at chapel yesterday. Kate was in charge of refreshments so all in all has had a fairly busy week.

With love

Mike & Kate

13th October 2019

Dear All,

We started “Just Vegetating” teaching again on Monday. We have increased the size of the class as there was a long waiting list and nearly everyone turned up for “Carrots & Parsnips”. Kate followed this by attending “The Balkans” which I had also applied for but did not get in.

We replenished the tropical fish tank on Tuesday with more Neon and Glowlight Tetras and a few Guppies from Coton Garden Centre then raided the Fenwick’s allotment for some Delphiniums.

Wednesday was the Seed Company Open Days in Lincolnshire. I was accompanied by Lawrie and Howard from the walking group and managed to get round 7 of the 8 sites. It has been very wet in Lincs hence the talk of £3 cauliflowers and Christmas sprout shortages but the plots were not too bad. There was still a lot of influence on Broccoli that falls into florets with a single cut and varieties which produce small sideshoots to replace the labour intensive Chinese broccoli. There were also demonstrations of two mechanical harvesters to cover the anticipated shortage of harvesting labour. The Japanese company Sakata as ever went to town on the vegetable based decorations.

Seminis Mini Broccoli

Seminis – Multisideshoot Broccoli

Takii Ornamental cabbage

Hazera Mechanical Harvester

Clause Romanesco

Sakata  -Take me to your Breeder!

  

Sakata Display

Syngenta Baby Leaf array

 

Elsoms Carrot, Beetroot & Parsnip Display

Thursdays walk started at Graveley and took in Offord Darcy and Offord Cluny on the River Ouse. It was not the most scenic walk with large windblown stretches of Rape and stubble.

“Biographies” on Friday began with “Benjamin Franklin” who packed so much in his life that the presenter ran over time.  We entertained Grace & Arthur again in the afternoon part of which was spent harvesting squash from the allotment.

Yesterday we drove down to Hutton for Esther’s birthday lunch. Mary-Ann, Andy and family were up from Hove and Emma’s mother sister and family also attended so quite a houseful with much wedding talk and trying on of bridesmaids and page boy outfits.

Ben flew to Japan on Thursday arriving about the same time as Typhoon Hagibis! He and three mates were due to watch the England v France Rugby match which was of course, cancelled and were confined to their hotel for sometime by the hurricane and an earthquake, but have travelled to the far south today to watch Wales v Uruguay.

With love

Mike & Kate