Wimpole

"It will be quiet today", said my wife. Famous last words!  Wimpole Hall (National  Trust) was heaving today! I have never seen it so busy. It was "Lambing Day" and most schools were still on holiday. We walked to Home Farm and then had a sandwich at the cafe near the entrance.

A decent walk for me and a surprise to see so many daffodils still in bloom. Lambs were in short supply though: there were lots at Ickworth a few weeks ago.

Church blog

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

The church blog has been updated to include the redundant St Peter's Church in Cambridge.

I have still to add a photo of the font.

Grandchildren

Our "London" grandchildren return to London this afternoon. We had the "Kent" grandchildren and their mum and dad the week before last and another visitor over Easter. These days, I enjoy them very much, but I get tired. After a few days and nights I am exhausted.

St Peter's Church, Cambridge

This redundant church in Cambridge was visited on Friday. It was open. It is located just north of the Folk Museum. I'll do a write-up for the church blog next week. Nice place - small but holy. It is a pity it is no longer in use.

Blog posts

To get to my blogs you may have to change the URL. See the following from Google:

Coming in late April!
All visitors will be able to view your Blogspot domain blogs over an encrypted connection by visiting https://<your-blog>.blogspot.com. Existing links and bookmarks to your blogs will continue to work. As part of this change, the HTTPS Availability setting will disappear, and your blogs will always have an HTTPS version.

CCS Concert in Cambridge last weekend

My wife's concert was last Saturday and she spent part of this morning erasing pencil marks from the many scores borrowed by inter library loan.

She now has a break until the autumn when they start rehearsals again for the 2017 concert which is Mendelssohn's Elijah.

FTSE 100 and Sepura

The UK share index was down 1.25% this morning.

Yesterday shares in my old  firm Sepura (SEPU) dived 40% following a profits warning. They seem to be roughly steady this morning. I thought that values in SEPU close to £2 were too good to last! Let us hope SEPU shares recover.  Sepura is a good investment as they have made profits every year since they listed. Their focus is secure digital communication, mainly for public safety, worldwide. Recently they acquired a competitor and entered the North American market, which is potentially huge.

More views of the Fen

Another collection of views of Redgrave and Lopham Fen, with our best man who left after breakfast yesterday (top LHS).

Lopham and Redgrave Fen, Suffolk

River Waveney

A few weeks ago a friend very kindly gave us a pack of "Easy Going Trails" in Suffolk. She thought I might like them. So far, we have done 3 of these.

Marsh Marigolds

Today we went to Redgrave and Lopham Fen which is located about 3 miles west of Diss. I have yet to work out how far I managed but we saw or heard lots of birds including snipe as well as seeing several Konig ponies and marsh marigolds. It was a round trip of 73 miles in the car. Although I enjoy the walks, I get very tired by the end.

Goodbye time

Our best man 45 years ago (we married in 1971) has left after a few days with us. He is a good friend and guest and we always pick up as if we saw each other just yesterday. He live 200 miles away and it is often 6 months or more since we last met.

Stroke

As many will be aware I suffered a stroke 2.5 years ago. I expected to make a full recovery, but it has not worked out that way. Even now, although people tell me how well I look, I still feel giddy most of my waking hours and I tire easily.  My voice is poor and I have trouble with drinks. My fine motor skills are not good. Basically, I have struggled with things that were easy in the past. I really miss just fiddling and building. Life is much harder.

UK Football

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/tables .

The English Premier League seems more to do with money these days with many players and managers from outside the UK. I can understand this but feel sure we have untapped talent. The lower leagues are less glamorous and get far less TV coverage.

When it comes to football I admit to being a "fireside fusilier" in that I'm gunner do this or that, but rarely go to a match. I follow the fortunes of Plymouth Argyle and my local team Cambridge United and check where they are in their League (League 2). At the moment Plymouth are doing quite well and have a chance of automatic promotion at the end of the season. Cambridge are also doing pretty well too.

UPDATE 1557z:  71 minutes in Argyle were 1:0 up. In the end they lost 2:1. Had they won, they would have had a very good chance of automatic promotion, but they threw it away.

CCS Concert in Cambridge Tonight

A final reminder that my wife's concert is at the Leys School, Cambridge at 7.30pm tonight, April 2nd 2016. The venue is a new one and tickets are available on the door if you don't already have any.

Thunder later?

At the moment it is lovely here with a clear blue sky. Not many hours ago, they were forecasting heavy rain and thunder for here later tonight. We will see.

April Fool

Although I quite enjoy the humour is some April Fool articles I am quite glad we are now April 2nd: any articles today are serious and could be true, whereas on April 1st one can never be quite sure.

Many of the great ideas turn out to be jokes if published on April 1st. All I can say is caveat emptor. It is quite common to be caught out with many serious replies to obviously spoofs. The trouble is you are often not quite sure.

In the past I have been taken in and sometimes good ideas are taken as spoofs.

Meal out

Cheese at The Packhorse Inn, Moulton, nr Newmarket

My wife and I with the medieval bridge behind

We have our Best Man (nearly 45 years ago!) staying with us and he treated us for lunch out today. We went to the Packhorse Inn at Moulton near Newmarket. Yet again the food and service were excellent. We have now been there 4 times and not once been disappointed. I can highly recommend this place, which we found by accident as the pub in the next village was closed. Judging by the numbers of people at lunchtime, this place is on the up.

Aldi Low Cost Mini Brench Grinder

See https://www.aldi.co.uk/mini-bench-grinder/p/069369016930200.

Steve Wigg (a radio friend) has just bought a mini bench grinder from Aldi for £26.99. This is only available in their stores and not online.

Aldi stores certainly have some low cost items, presumably made in China. At some point we will have to pay for these low prices.

FTSE 100 sliding?

I see that the UK share index, the FTSE 100, has fallen quite sharply this morning. The last time I looked it was 6093.16 down 1.32%.

UPDATE 1646z:  The index recovered somewhat during the day and ended up 0.47% down at 6146.05.

Nuclear waste and the fight against cancer - spin?

OK, I know I am becoming a grumpy old man but I was not impressed by the latest statements that the exchange of nuclear waste with the USA would benefit cancer sufferers. To me, this sounds like "spin" which we can well do without. You can almost hear the civil service man or minister saying, "we can make this sound a positive thing by dropping in the words "fight against cancer"".

Sorry, but we are not totally stupid! Stop treating us like idiots.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35930906 .

Going home time

Our "Kent" grandchildren and their mum and dad returned to their home near Canterbury today after a few days with us.

We have our next guest staying tomorrow for the weekend. Busy!

The photo shows me with the "Kent" grandchildren outside the windmill next to our home.

Stroke

One of the after-effects of my stroke 2.5  years ago is I get profoundly exhausted. Very little physical or mental activity and I am exhausted. As an example, our bird table blew over in the recent winds and fell apart. In years past fixing this would have been trivial but these days it has become a major job and by the end I was shattered. You cannot imagine how frustrating this is. My fine motor skills are still poor and ladder work is all but impossible. Life is much harder these days.

Windmill and Museum open

As it is a bank holiday here in the UK, our local museum and windmill in Burwell, Cambs are open.

There is an Easter Egg Hunt for the little ones, but there is loads here always to interest youngsters. Our grandchildren love it.

We can see the windmill and museum from our kitchen and lounge. Ours is the bungalow on the left in the photo. As you can see, we are very close!

See www.burwellmuseum.org.uk .

It is a very fine museum and windmill.

East Anglian Churches Blog

http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/
I updated the churches blog with our local church here in Burwell yesterday. It is a church designed by the same man (Reginald Ely) who the world famous Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. Tradition says he practiced on Kings College Chapel!

Winds

It has been very windy over much of the UK in the last 12 hours. It was worse in other parts than here although Storm Katie was enough to blow over our bird table and I notice quite a few fallen branches on the ground when I walked to our local co-op earlier.

The winds are subsiding as the storm slips into the North Sea, leaving behind sunny intervals and blustery showers. We have all the family here today.

BST (British Summer Time)

If you are in the UK did you remember to turn your clocks forward an hour last night? We lose an hour but get this back in the autumn when we go back to GMT. At least we get an extra hour of light in the evenings, which is good.

I not sure when BST first started (WW2?), but it is good idea. There was even thought of adopting BST all year around. I think clocks are also advanced in some European countries too, but I'm not sure if they move at the same date.

Red legged partridge

We frequently get these birds wandering around our close. There are also 3 Mallard ducks that appear regularly. Red legs now far outnumber ordinary partridges.

I think red legged partridges were introduced, but they are now widespread in the UK. Like several introduced species these have become widespread.

The pheasant was introduced but you find these all over the place. It is a pity these don't have more road sense!  Pheasants seem to wander across roads just as cars approach.

Spring?

There are probably another 6 weeks before we see the trees coated in fresh green, the blossom well out, and fields of yellow rape.

Swallow

Already the first sand martins are returning to Devon and there has even been a report of a returning swallow in Devon. It will probably be into April before I spot swallows up here in East Anglia. Usually I see my first swallows here April 7-14th. Swifts are not usually seen (by me at least!) until the end of April.




See  http://www.wildlifeindevon.org.uk/pages/sightings.htm .

These returning migrants bring joy to my heart: long after I am gone they will still be doing this journey as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. I admit there have been times when I never thought I'd see this spring.

Lackford Lakes

Before lunch we visited Lackford Lakes, a nature reserve not far from Newmarket. There were plenty of water birds plus we heard at least 2 chiffchaffs, which have probably just got back from Africa although some of these now over-winter in the UK.  Driving through Lackford there was a red kite overhead. We also saw a tree creeper in the reserve.

Stroke update - doctor's check up

Today I had to visit the doctor for my check-up. Blood pressure and chest were fine and my PSA levels were lower than in December and "no action is required". Overall, I still feel wobbly on my feet, thin liquids are hard work, my voice is poor and I still feel not as I was. Any improvements are hard to see. I guess this is how it is going to be now and I'd better learn to adapt.

Riverside walk

This morning we did a walk from Mildenhall to the village of Barton Mills and back to Mildenhall along the River Lark.  It was classic kingfisher country, although we saw none. Instead lots of mute swans, mallards and Canada Geese. A delightful walk and probably my longest walk since my stroke a few years ago.

Mildenhall is better known for its US airbase, which is closing. I am not sorry as I found this base very threatening. Mildenhall is actually a very pleasant Suffolk town with some fine buildings, church and museum. Barton Mills is a delightful village too.

Moulton Packhorse Inn

We ate lunch with our son (pity the other one wasn't there too) at the Packhorse Inn in Moulton near Newmarket. The food was very good and it was very busy, which is always a good sign. This is our third visit. This medieval packhorse bridge is just a few metres away.

Our rear garden in early spring

Rear garden in early spring

This was our rear garden taken this morning. In a few weeks time all the blossom will be out. In the distance, in our neighbour's garden is an apple and plum orchard.

Frog (I think)

When it comes to frogs and toads, I am no expert. We'd not seen one in the garden since last summer, so it was good to see this chap today.

FTSE 100

After an early fall, the UK share index is recovering. As I write it is just in positive territory.

Pasties

We bought some meat from Waitrose on a "3 for £10" deal, which was good meat at very good prices. As there is some beef left over from the stew at lunch today, the plan is to make some homemade pasties for lunch tomorrow.  My wife will do the pastry and I'll do the rest. I love pasties!

Quy

Today we did a walk at Quy, knowing that nearby Anglesey Abbey (National Trust) would be quite busy at the weekends. On this walk we saw very few people, but quite a few birds including 2 little egrets and 1 buzzard overhead. We heard a couple of green woodpeckers and saw mute swans, tits, a coot and several mallard ducks.

Getting ready for summer?

As we walked past today, it looks like the Burwell cricket team was getting ready for the new season.


The Tan House is the biggest house in the village and was once the home of Francis Pimm who was at one time Foreign Secretary in the government.

FTSE 100 roller coaster

After rising earlier, the FTSE 100 UK share index ended the day down 0.19%.

Dull, wet winter

We have had a mild, wet winter here in East Anglia, UK. There have been more muddy, wet puddles than I can ever recall. I have lived in this part of the UK since 1970.  They were forecasting a very cold winter. Mind you, they said this last year! At some point they will be correct. Most spring flowers came out very early.

It re-enforces my view that the most reliable forecast is to look out of the window! We had rain last night, but I don't think it was forecast.

Ickworth (National Trust) walk.

As members of the National Trust, we are very lucky to have several properties with fine grounds nearby.  Today, as the sun was shining, we went to Ickworth not far from Bury St Edmunds. Although there were lots of lambs, the daffodils are still not out, in the main. A few are, but most are still in bud. All the NT places nearby are very different. We also made use of our free "tea for 2" voucher which came with a card.

Summer bird migrants arriving

The wheatears have started arriving back in Devon and soon it will be martins and swallows. The long winter will soon be behind us.

See http://www.devonbirds.org/news/bird_news/devon_bird_sightings .

The image below is not on this site but at the link below. You may have to wait for it to load. The link to the image will be removed if a problem.
http://www.devonbirds.org/images/library/dbn/public/stoke_point_male_wheatear_10617_0.jpg.

FTSE 100 on a roller coaster ride

The roller coaster ride continues. Presently, the FTSE 100 UK share index is up 0.35%.  It was higher still.

This is budget day in the UK so a lot can change later. I am still expecting big falls once the punters wake up in the real world with all its problems.

I would not be surprised to see the FTSE 100 at 5000 rather than around 6161. It will recover later, but we have uncertainty ahead.

FTSE 100 UK share index

At the moment, the FTSE is down on yesterday.  I am not too surprised, although as I speak it is trying to come back.

UPDATE 1124z:  Currently it is down 0.59% on yesterday.

UPDATE 2300z:  The FTSE 100 index ended the day down 0.56% on yesterday.  It fell a lot then hovered around at this lower level most of the day.

Syria and Russia

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35809087 .

I am no expert on Middle East politics but this move by Russia surprised us all. They still keep their bases in the region, but I think no-one (except maybe the US military?) was expecting this. Does it make peace in the country more (or less) possible? I only hope that all players work towards a peaceful and fair outcome for all in this war-torn land. The people of Syria have suffered too much.

Disappearing Patio

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35800866 .

Thank goodness no-one was sitting on this patio when it disappeared into a 300 foot mine shaft!

U3AC

Mondays this term I have been attending a University of the Third Age course in Cambridge. I go into, and out of, Cambridge on the bus using my bus pass. As I usually have some time after the course, I get a bite to eat in different places in the city. At the moment my favorite is Le Patissier, opposite St John's college. This is a small place but prices are reasonable and I have found the service very good.

Spring

The Met Office (our UK weather bureau) treats the start of spring as March 1st. Well, there was no doubt that here it is now spring. Today I cut the back lawn for the first time since the autumn. It was a day of b's: bench, beer (on the garden bench after doing the lawn), buzzard (overhead), bees, butterflies, blooms and blossom. Today really felt like a spring day. We have had a mild, wet winter but it has seemed endless. Today, the garden was calling.

Oh to be in England now that spring is here.

Honestly, there were times when I thought I would not see this spring.

Stroke update

It is hard to see any improvements now 2.5 years after my cerebellum brain bleed. If improvements are occurring then they are so small they are not noticeable. I still feel giddy on my feet and I still feel sick most of the time. My liquid swallow is still poor as is my voice. I still get exhausted very quickly. If any improvements now come, they are a bonus, but I guess I have to adapt to life as it is now, much though I would like my "old" self back.

Jews - why do people (historically) hate them?

I have great respect for all people whether they are Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or whatever. But, I must relate an incident yesterday.

We were in NE London and my wife was taking a very innocent photo of a squirrel up a tree. We happened to be outside a synagogue. A Jewish man, driving a car, stopped us and asked us to stop taking photos. My wife was very angry. Clearly the person was fearing we were taking photos with a view to attacking the synagogue. Nothing could have been further from our minds.

If any race in the UK wants to minimise risks they should blend into our culture and not try to be a race apart: NE London is full of Hassidic Jewish people in their unique dress. In 15 minutes of trying, I managed to get 2 Jews to acknowledge my existence. They prefer to live separate lives. No, the Jewish community is its own worst enemy sadly.

One of my good friends is Jewish. In my illness she has been kindness itself.

By the way I managed to shake hands with the man. Shalom my friend.

London Grandchildren

We have just returned from a few days in London looking after 2 of
our grandchildren whilst their mum and dad had a short break. This is me with them in their lounge on their settee. The second photo shows our granddaughter painting.