Husband Pieter met with Darlington Spawn Makers and Fred Atkins in England

Yes, husband Pieter was very, very fond of the U.K. and loved going there!
On October 3 of 1958, Pieter visited the Darlington Spawn Makers in England

For those of you that have no clue how mushrooms are being grown, this is a MUST see short 4 min. video about how they take the spores from a disinfected, mature mushroom and inoculate on some agar to incubate and next let it overgrow on rye grain.
This one mushroom contains millions of spores!
Just click Growing And Eating Aka Mushrooms 1966 and enjoy.

Pieter met with Fred C. Atkins, the very first Sinden Award Winner and also an author, like my husband Pieter.

Mushroom growing houses at the Noble-Atkins mushroom farm near Peterborough in the U.K., on October 4, 1958.
Growers Ben Noble and Fred Atkins

Fred Atkin's book MUSHROOM GROWING TO-DAY from MCMLVI (1956) is in Pieter's library.
Fred C. Atkins also was the Editor of THE MUSHROOM JOURNAL Official Publication of the Mushroom Grower's Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Via link below this post you can find a letter that Fred wrote to Pieter after receiving his publication of Modern Mushroom Growing.

Related links:
1978 - P.J.C. Vedder's Modern Mushroom Growing Book Published in English | previous post by me where Fred Atkins' letter is shown.
SO Happy for Having Met Another WRITING Mushroom Wife in the U.K. | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's Fond Relationship with Mushroom Growers in  the U.K. | previous post about Pieter's very first visit to a Mushroom Farm in England

Lovely Birthday Dinner at Ristorante da Maria

Yep, another Birthday has passed by - way too rapidly but I've started another year once more.

It was such a lovely day with sunshine, warm weather and lots of LOVE.

Happy me at Ristorante da Maria, enjoying a romantic birthday dinner...

Wearing my silk Escada blouse with roses and woolen Escada cardigan with roses.

Husband Pieter enjoying his dinner... Lady Chef Maria is the BEST and her 5-course dinners are always special.
Apart from celebrating a blissful relationship!

This is me on my Birthday and yes, the Japanese Magnolias were opening up fast!

My Pieter against the picket fence as the best view was from the neighbor's garden as there's the sun early morning!

That is today, February 12, on Mom's 5th Birthday in Heaven...
Magnolia petals are falling off.

Lovely birthday weather! It was 24ºC or 75ºF and next day 27ºC or 80ºF and that's when we biked together in shorts for the first time.

With all the phone calls, video calls etc. etc. I had my breakfast kind of late... but happy with sunshine and with Pieter's red roses in a vase and some fresh camellias from our garden.

With a few supplements, I've made it so far... Eating healthy and drinking only coffee at breakfast time, with cocoa added. A mug of unsweetened soy milk from Trader Joe's, half an avocado, half a banana and a mandarin. Multi grain bread from Costco with cheese and crunchy almond butter without salt.

A lovely bouquet from a lady from our R.C. Church...

Wish I could pass on the fragrance of those lilies!

Lily buds have fully opened, but one at the top left. Pure PERFUME...

Hope you are also enjoying some sunshine in your life.

Sending you the very best for your area to enjoy!

SO Happy for Having Met Another WRITING Mushroom Wife in the U.K.

Both, my husband Pieter and I myself, have met thousands of mushroom people world wide.

At the Practical Mushroom Training College in Horst, The Netherlands we met thousands of students over the many years. Also short courses in German, English and in Dutch.

Pieter spoke at so many International Congresses and he did Seminars etc.

Both of us always have loved people, guess that is a MUST for doing such a job as we did; educating and training others for making a better living.

Mushroom Wife, by Joan Barton

September, 30 in 1988 during the MGA Conference in Cambridge, she wrote this message for both of us when I purchased her book.

She wrote about their second Farm Walk, in 1962...

In my previous post I did mention husband Pieter going to the U.K. in 1958 with his boss, Pieter Bels  and many other times followed.

It actually was Dr. Henriëtte Bels-Koning and her husband Pieter Bels... but that is not important.

Husband Pieter has been numerous times to the U.K. and he also went with his students there, after finishing their education at the Practical Mushroom Training College in Horst.

He either took his students to the U.K., to Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Germany to a large mushroom farm.

Such Farm Visits always proved beneficial for both parties!

Exchanging experiences is a big win-win.

Mushroom Wife by Joan Barton is still available at Amazon, just click.

Shown in above photo are Nissen huts that were left behind on an abandoned WWII military airport.

Hugh Barton cleverly used them as mushroom houses. There was also plenty of concrete surface for creating a compost slab.

~

It sure is a great book, also contains recipes. Have to read it once again - provided I 'EVER' find the time... 

Trying so hard to finish all the writings for husband Pieter to enjoy!

Praying that I will finish them in a timely manner, God willing.

Review by Geoff Ganney about 'Mushroom Wife' or 'Mushroom Mum' in The Mushroom Journal 1988-12  Best click this link for having a clear reading about this courageous lady that made motor cycles jump over hedges, de-clutching huge lorries (trucks) alongside unsuitable roads.

Also about the tragic year of 1956 where three of the children succumbed to polio...

~

Winterpicking Parlour AD 1970

Hugh Barton who used Fish Boxes and Ammunition boxes...

Published by ISMS in 1990-6 The Mushroom Journal, too bad that they did cut off part on the left by scanning...

~

Just came across this:

Slaugham Millennium Seating click link for source.

This gentleman, who meanwhile has passed away, did some research on the Barton mushroom farm, how it came about.

Hugh Barton was a demobbed airman during WWII and lived with his wife Joan in a war-time Nissen hut and set up trials for mushroom growing in another Nissen hut.

Their product was being sent to London restaurants for lucrative profits.

Husband Pieter has been to their Winterpick mushroom farm several times, in combination with MGA conferences and such.

HUGH JOSEPH BARTON - HORSHAM - MUSHROOM GROWER, born in February 1915...

JOAN MARY BARTON - HORSHAM - MUSHROOM GROWER born in May 1920...

Obituary of Hugh Barton uploaded by ISMS to 2004-12 The Mushroom Journal

Hugh certainly was one of a generation that showed pride and was high-spirited in everything he did.

His Army days no doubt taught him that iron discipline and endurance, which served him throughout life. 

They have six children and for sure several grandchildren, which can all be very proud of both their parents and grandparents!

Very fond memories, more so for husband Pieter since he knew them for decades.

Thanks for your visit!

Related link:

Husband Pieter's Fond Relationship with Mushroom Growers in  the U.K. | previous post about Pieter's very first visit to a Mushroom Farm in England