2^nd May 2021

 

Dear All,

Another tough week for plants with freezing nights and dry days. The season is beginning to look to be a late one. Nevertheless, sowing has carried on with squash, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins, sweet corn and sprouting broccoli all sown in the greenhouse but only calabrese planted outdoors. I have also dismantled the propagation cabinet and erected canes ready for runner beans. My novelty crop chick peas have germinated quite well while other crops are queueing up to be planted.

 

 

Chick Peas

 

 

 

The Queue

 

The night cam has not been quite so productive this week but still getting regular badger, deer and fox appearances as well as an annoying number of cats!

 

 

Badger

 

 

Muntjac Deer

 

We tuned into the U3A lecture on “Dyslexia, Rhythm, Language and the developing Brain” on Tuesday given by Prof. Usha Goswani head of the Centre for Neuroscience in Education Dept of Psychology. She used to be a primary school teacher and was inspired to go into this field to try and understand why some pupils found reading much more difficult than others. I can’t claim to understand all she said but it is nothing to do with intelligence, it occurs in all languages and has much to do with the brain not detecting rhythms. Detection of rhythms begins in the womb and nursery rhymes often have the pattern of sounds which reinforce it. Learning a musical instrument can help develop the target areas in the brain. It should be regarded as a Disadvantage not a Disability.

Derreck Medlock and Joyce were back in town this week and came for a drink on the lawn and Kate Foster called in to collect tomatoes for her father-in-law who is now resident with them – for better or worse!

Our Thursday walk was a few miles hence beginning at Halls green near Stevenage. It was a very colourful walk with OSR, bluebells and dandelions in full bloom and as usual in Hertfordshire involved a few ups and downs and although chilly it was good conditions for walking followed by a good pub meal – outside of course.

 

 

Bluebells in Warren’s Green Wood

 

 

100 acre OSR field

 

 

Walkern Octagonal Dovehouse

 

 

Walkern Church

 

I gave a short talk about out time in Ecuador to the Biographies group on Friday which brought back a few memories of horse riding and walking in the Andes and mixing concrete at 10,000ft on the Equator.

 

 

Quilotoa, Ecuador

We managed table tennis at St Ivo on Friday and watched football on Tuesday night and both Over cricket and football were at home yesterday.

 

I had two pictures in the Cambridge News this week: The Grand Canyon as a centrefold and Alliums in the blooming collection.

 

 

River Colorado in the Grand Canyon

 

 

Alliums at Chelsea

 

A busy week on the rain gauge 1mm and 0.25mm making 2.25mm in 5 weeks!

                         

 

With love

Mike & Kate

25^th April 2021

 

Dear All,

It was my turn for the “Can you spot the difference?” treatment this week – value for money I think you would agree?

 

 

Before

 

 

 

After

 

The other excitement was trading in our old heavy bikes that we have had for over 20 years for new lighter models. The trade in value was not great and the price of the new ones was! – but not as great as some, how can a bike be worth £7,000?

 

 

Easy Riders?

 

I have set up the camera I mentioned last week for 3 nights in the garden and one at the allotments. The results were quite surprising as it captured 3 badgers, 2 foxes, a muntjac and a very large cat here and a pregnant deer at the allotments. Consequently, I have reinforced protection in the garden! I have put the videos on Dropbox should you wish to see them.

 

 

Fox (the videos are better!)

 

Our walk on Thursday started at Dillington near Grafham Water. We were going to meet at Perry next to Grafham but the car park was £5 for 3 hours! The walk took in Perry, the edge of Grafham Water then back via Little Paxton Wood to Dillington. The bluebells were out in the wood but not fully and the elm trees were in full bloom. We had our first pub lunch in the garden of the Wheatsheaf at Perry and it was heaving so took a long time to be served. Fortunately, it was sunny and the novelty kept us going!

 

Setting Out

 

 

Perry West Wood

 

 

Bluebells in Little Paxton Wood

 

 

Elm Flowers

 

We had a Zoom session with one of the guys from Moldova last night which was tricky as his English was modest and our Moldovan non-existent, but we did manage to gather some information. Getting money to Moldova is a challenge as there are so many precautions against money laundering so it either involves drawing out 1000s in cash and going to a Western Union office or dribbling small amounts via card being careful not to exceed the daily and monthly limits. So far in Moldova only medical staff have had Covid vaccinations. Samuel who we were talking to, has had Covid as well as his brother, while his father has a chronic bad back. Igor who handles transport for us has also had Covid as well as his wife and both parents!

The theme of the photos in the Cambridge News this week was “Grand” and I had a photo of the Grand canal in Venice published. Can you remember a romantic couple getting married there and her father’s face when he received the bill for the gondola transport?

 

 

The Grand Canal, Venice

 

With love

Mike & Kate 

 

18^th April 2021

 

Dear All,

The running theme this week has been frost protection, with a decent frost every night we have developed a routine of bringing tender plants back into the greenhouse, covering most susceptible items with newspaper inside and cloth outside. I guess it was ever thus and so far, nearly everything has survived.

Kate was quick off the mark and at the hairdressers 9am on Monday – she feels like a new woman, and I have be careful of the next thing I say!

 

 

 Before & After

 We have finished decorating the study and now all that remains is disposing of the surplus books. Emmaus say they will take them.

 

Revamped Study

 

Cricket pitch preparation has been in full swing preparing 4 strips this week as each junior team needs a different length wicket. Needless to say, both mowers played up, one had a snapped pull cord which was easily fixed but our state-of-the-art Lloyds mower started clutch slipping so we had professional help. Fortunately, they came the following morning. The square is very dry and is going to need watering this week somewhat earlier than usual.

Mary-Ann posted Christmas presents this week as they have been clearing the house ready for the estate agent photographer and an open house viewing. Pictures posted on WhatsAp make the place look immaculate and surprisingly spacious!

Kate received books and my present from the whole family was a trail camera to check night time activity in the garden and allotment. All I have to do is work out how to set it up!

 

Christmas in April

 

Our walk on Thursday – still in groups of 6 started in Orwell and looped to Eversden, Harlton and Barrington. It was excellent conditions for walking: cool but sunny and bright. The route took in old Clunch Pits in Orwell and Harlton, clunch is a hard form of chalk formerly used in buildings.

 

Orwell Clunch Pit

 

 

Gt Eversden Church

 

 

 

 

Harlton Village pond

 

 

Harlton Clunch Pit

Thursday evening, we had a CEEM meeting on Zoom to decide how to split the money we are sending to Moldova this year. So far, we have collected £10,500 which will go to four locations mainly for the Street Kids Meal Deal projects but also some fabric repairs including a flood damaged mud brick building.

I haven’t sown much outdoors this week due to the cold nights but did plant out the third lot of peas and lettuce and sowed parsnips under fleece. The top greenhouse is now full of 11 varieties of Tomatoes.

 

 

Tomato house

 

Football was painful watching as Over fielded a weakened team and lost 3 v 0 to Eaton Socon.

The theme for photos in the Cambridge News was pubs so I had a few to choose from.

Arkesdon Axe & Compasses

And maybe you missed it but the Duke of Edinburgh died this week and his funeral was yesterday – it has received very little coverage so you might have missed it!

With love

Mike & Kate

11^th April 2021

 

Dear All,

Spring decorating fever has hit 19 Willingham Road, driven as ever by Mrs Day! This time it is the study, which is of course lined by a large number of books, each of which has to be examined to see whether it’s future existence can be justified. I don’t know about you but I do not enjoy discarding books, so it is a painful process, but necessary I will concede!

 

 

Study

 

 

Labour Force

 

We both had our second jabs this week without serious after effects. Mine was administered by an old friend Sue Colquoun, which was a surprise.

We began serious cricket square preparation this week, rolling, cutting, marking creases and weed control. It has been soggy most of the winter and has now set hard with some patches of moss so has not emerged as well as usual.

 

 

Cricket Square

 

 

On Thursday morning we discovered an envelope on the doormat which simply said “19 Mike Moldova” on the outside with £500 in notes inside – no idea who it is from.

Our local Facebook page has been excited by the sighting of a White-Tailed Sea eagle over the RSPB reserve – definitely the largest bird seen hereabouts.

 

 

White Tailed Sea Eagle

 

Our Thursday walk started above Royston and climbed the Icknield Way to Therfield. There are things called “Hills” there and being on chalk it was very dry. There was a large array of cowslips and one hill is covered with fairly rare Pasque Flowers. It started very chilly but by the end it was warm enough for a picnic.

 

 

Icknield Way above Royston

 

 

 

 

A Hill!

 

Pasque Flowers

 

 

Chalk Woodland

Our Biographies group have continued to meet on Zoom despite term being over and each week someone is asked to talk about their past. This week John Bastable told us about being a headmaster in Papua New Guinea. He was based in the mountains where there is an incredible level of violence. They had a 10’ razor wire fence round the house, armed guards, panic buttons and guns in every room, a steel bedroom door and two large dogs. Despite that he and his family stuck it for 4 years and claimed to quite enjoy it!

 

Football was back on yesterday with the league being abandoned and an end of season cup competition replacing it, result Over 1 v1 Huntingdon Utd.

 

Mary-Ann and Andy are hoping to move house – not an easy task in Hove, but have made an offer for a place near Hove Park so fingers crossed time!

The rain gauge needed reading for the 2^nd time in 24 days with a massive 1mm recorded!

 

With love

Mike & Kate