October

The weather in October became more unsettled and we only made three trips out.

Our first trip was to Bluebell Arboretum
and Nursery near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire http://www.bluebellnursery.com/ It was a blue sky day but the recent rain was a warning for us to take boots. Once more, because of bad weather, we were allowed free admission. However the attendant warned us that not even our footwear would be suitable. Everywhere we put our feet was a pond.

Despite this it was a beautiful place to see autumn colours and fantasic variety of trees. It was here that Irene took a photo on her phone which has become her phone wallpaper and her Facebook picture.

 Our second trip was specially arranged for Irene's birthday. We started with refreshments in the Broadmarsh Centre and went on to the Nottingham Contemporary. We have become recognised as 'regulars' and members of staff home in on us like familiar friends when we enter the galleries.

The first two galleries had been combined to house one complete work. This consisted of an arrangement of objects which moved or lit up. There was both an element of randomness and of programming going on. The artist, Geoffrey Farmer had created this to carry a sound sculpture based on the work Frank Zapa. I instinctively knew that I needed to record the sound. It was talking to one of the attendants that I found at that this was the intention of the artist. I took an number of videos. I cannot upload them but the link will take you to a YouTube upload  http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/art/geoffrey-farmer

In the other gallery was displayed the work of a group of 'Performance' artists under the title 'No Movies' http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/art/asco It was an interesting concept involving the artists pretending that they had filmed a movie on the streets of Los Angeles.
From here we walk to the May Sum restaurant to a filling Chinese buffet. The chocolate fountain was great fun and I found that my dish soon froze on to the table top. However I think that we prefer the Flaming Dragon.
We walked down through the sunny Market Square where there was evidence of preparations for Christmas on the City Hall frontage.
Finally we made our way back to Broadmarsh where Irene looked to purchase clothes with her birthday money.
While she browsed I went on to wander round a model shop. What a disappointment. Not only was the shop closed but Model Zone seems to be under liquidation. Together with another gentleman we bemoaned the loss before going our separate ways.
The shopping centre is even more of a disaster area. And I do not think that the placement of distorting mirrors along shop fronts does much to disguise the fact.
Home we went.
In the evening Irene was caterer at the dance and following tradition took cakes to share. I was DJ and it fell to me to lead the 'Happy Birthday' singing.
On Saturday Joni and Fiona bought cake and we found out how to play Hamburgum together.
On Sunday Jan and Lawrence bought cake.
Its a good job that we like cake.
The last outing of October was a visit to Hardwick Hall. We have visited it before as consolation for missing our flight to New Zealand in 2005.
This time we went as members of the National Trust. The first photograph I took was of the hall from the drive. The sun was shining on the building and you should not miss opportunities like it. 

The car park was a mud bath, but it was a blue sky day. First came morning tea. Thank you Joe and Julia for the tea for two. To accompany this we had a slice of Guinness Cake each. It was a very dark cake with a creamy icing which looked like froth on top. The veranda made a good view point to have our refreshments. The toilets, as were all the facilities have had a first class upgrade since we last visited.

The Old Hall

A window view

The first point of exploration was the 'Old Hall'. This was where Bess was  bought up. After her return she decided rather than improve it she would build a new hall. The old hall would have been very grand. We learned that a later owner of the new hall had the old hall converted to a ruin.
We spent a long time doing the audio-tour before returning to the car for lunch.
The second part of the day was taken up with exploring the gardens and the new hall. There was still some colour in the gardens but they must have been very impressive in the summer.
 Our first stop in the new hall was in Bess' filing room. We learned that one of her husbands was an accountant. Bess used his methods to keep very accurate records down to the number of nails used in the building.

Bess' Filing System

It is a shame that the building has to be so dark in order to preserve the artifacts, but we had a good wander through. Earlier this year we had been in a hall (Sudbury) which had been partly converted by the Victorians.

Grand Staircase

 Up until their times privacy was not a major concern. In Hardwick to go from room A to room C meant going through room B. The fourposter bed not only helped with keeping warm but gave the occupants some privacy.
We began to understand Bess' character as the second richest person in the country she was a favourite Queen Elizabeth I. She was determined and tough, but readily rewarded those who did 'service beyond the call of duty'.

Home we went. It was only a thirty minute journey for a worthwhile visit.

Is blogging going out of style?

I thought that it has been some time since I last blogged, but when I think about it I realise that it is a long time since I read anyone else’s blog.

While we were in New Zealand it seemed right to blog regularly. There was more reason to blog and more time to do so. At times it seems that we have never really got back to ‘normal’ since returning from our antipodean trip. A lot could be said about the definition of ‘normal’ when, in retirement, there is little by way of work schedule structure. Even regular ‘hall opening and closing’ duties are subject to the whim of others and can be ignored when we have a reason to do so. In fact everything that we do can be subjected to change at a moments notice.

Two of our regular weekly events have gone on with little interruption. Friday night has been our sequence dance time and Sunday is church attendance.

Two things have impacted our ‘normal’. First, the weather has not been conducive to regular walks. It would be instructive to compare the list of summer UK visits this year with those of last. Second, the decision to rebuild our kitchen units has really taken over. 

My last blog covered the period from 23^rd May until 15^th July and was a marathon effort. This one may get really boring as it will cover the period since then.

 Doing the usual ‘follow the photos’ we take up the story at 25^th July. This is a very significant date. Not only was it our oldest son's birthday, it was the date on which we went into ‘B and Q’ to order the components for our kitchen. It began as one of our ‘regular’ Wednesdays off. (While in New Zealand we made this decision which means I do not do any hall duties on this day of the week.) The day started quite well. We collected our friend Margaret Cornish OBE from her care home (Stanton Hall) and took her for coffee at the village cafe. 

This was in the old school house where we had a delicious but expensive piece of cake with our beverages. ‘Beverages’ is going to be shorthand for tea or coffee or any combination of the two for the remainder of the blog and probably for other blogs unless there is a significant reason to break from the convention.

The reason that I remember that this is the day that we purchased our B and Q kitchen is not by looking back at our receipts, but from looking at the photographic records. No, there will be no photographs of ‘B and Q’. The clue is in the photographs taken at our picnic by the River Trent. This is not the first time that a visit to the DIY store has been followed by a picnic by the river.

The embankment has seen a significant change since my years of travelling along it to work. The road has been narrowed by flood defences and the play area has been much improved, as have the parking areas along the road up through the centre of the recreation area. I was keen to see if anyone was in the Kings School building. However, the place looked very deserted and sad. This was heightened when I tried the intercom from the gate and received a melancholy dialling tone. Looking over the site and seeing the work that I had been part of abandoned in this way was a chastening experience. I wonder how the last members of staff must have felt when they closed the gates for the last time. I think that I am glad that I was spared this event. Although I worked on the site for only two years, it was only five and a half years earlier that I returned from a New Zealand trip to join my colleagues for a few frenetic weeks of setting up the building to receive its first Kings School intake.

While waiting for the flat packs to arrive and on a sunny Wednesday we went off into Derbyshire. There was an ulterior, kitchen related motive; namely to purchase 25 door handles in Ilkeston. As we had left early I thought it would be nice to go on further for morning coffee. Coffee time today would be in Rowsley mill, to the north of Matlock. The cafe is in a lovely, peaceful setting, disturbed only by a very loud gentleman on his mobile phone telling his wife where he was. It seems that some people have not discovered that you don’t have to shout into the microphone to be heard.

We still had time left and so we drove onwards through Baslow and on to our beloved Curbar Edge to walk and sit down for our picnic before going home.

Saturday 11^th turned out to be another sunny day and it was a good opportunity to take Nan for a walk in the garden at High Clere. She can’t really see that well now, but she enjoys touching and smelling the flowers.

By the 22^nd work on the kitchen was well underway, but we had a visitor. Irene called me to see a bird sitting on the fence. Speedily I went upstairs to find the camera, change the lens and then go back to replace the batteries. The result of this exertion was well rewarded by a lovely image of a sparrow hawk.

On the 24^th it was our anniversary. We had booked a cruise on the River Trent. The cruise included a pleasant roast dinner. Having told the cruise office that it was our anniversary, we were presented with a framed annotated painting of the boat.

At the beginning of September our routine was interrupted. Tim and Isla were back to work, but the girls were still at home. So, on Sunday 2^nd we travelled down to Milton Keynes to do our child minding. My Monday morning started with taking Iona off to IKEA so she could buy some storage units and lights for her room.

In the afternoon we went off with both girls to Willen Lake. The first part of the session consisted of Izzy and me going off for a master class in photography. I am sure that will you agree that she is very talented. In the meantime Irene and Iona sat sketching. We all then went on to complete a walk around the north part of the lake.

On Tuesday we went off to Salcey Forest. After delicious ice cream and a walk above the tree tops we had our picnic, before returning to the play area. It was fascinating to watch the girls wheedle their way to having a play on the hammock with a girl who showed no intention of surrendering it to anyone else.

On the 14^th the new camera arrived and I was disappointed to find the autofocus function did not work. Further research showed that the lenses I had were not compatible with the new camera so I took a decision to buy a new lens.

On Saturday I had just settled down to watch ‘Doctor Who’ when the door chime sounded. My friend Alan had come to tell me that the mayor had arrived at the community centre, and ‘could I come to take photographs’. Normally notice is given but on this occasion communications had gone awry. The purpose of the visit was to present the centre with a cheque for £4000 which would be used to give back to the council to pay our rent.

On the 18^th the new lens arrived. However, this failed to function. I was very disappointed. It had taken weeks for the exam board to pay me for the marking that I had done in June and I really wanted the camera to take special photos when Sally arrived from New Zealand at the end of the week. Not being sure about what was wrong, I took the camera into Jessops. I would even have considered the possibility of buying a lens if they sold one at anywhere near the price that Amazon was charging. I tried a lens and found that the autofocus did work and so I could conclude that I had been sold a faulty one. I was amazed by how easy it is to send a faulty product back and get a replacement. However, the lens would not be with me on time.

The 22^nd was a historic day and I had it recorded that I was placing piece 3000 into the jigsaw. The only problem is that I did not record when I started*. But, be assured that it was many weeks before and it was a major challenge.

The 23^rd was an even more historic day. All the UK children and grandchildren and us met up with our New Zealand daughter at Nan’s home in High Clere. Having spent some time with Nan, Isla and Iona and Izzy went off to orchestra rehearsal in Cambridge. The rest of us went back to Tim’s house for lunch and then played a game called ‘Settlers of Catan’. The girls and Isla returned in time for a wonderful dinner together. This was followed by good conversation and ended with family photos before Sally drove us back home, Joni and Fiona drove home and Joe and Julie stayed in a hotel before returning the following day.

Did I say that the rain started about lunch time on Sunday and continued for the rest of the time that Sally was with us? Fortunately, Saturday was a sunny day for Sally to enjoy at her friend’s wedding.

On Monday Sally and Irene went shopping leaving me to run the Monday cafes. I don’t think that I have mentioned that for some weeks now we have been running cafes. The Monday morning one started because I noticed that the mums would hang about talking and I thought that it would be nicer if they sat inside to enjoy a chat and refreshments. A voluntary contribution is asked and is generously supported. While we have the equipment ready we move on to provide a cafe at Leicester House sheltered housing.

In the evening Joni and Fiona joined Irene, Sally and me at our favourite Thai restaurant. Sally could not get over the fact that it was at the back of a normal English public house. From there we went back to Joni and Fiona’s place for coffee and to let Sally see their home and, of course, Tay the cat.

On Tuesday we drove off to MacArthur Glen (http://www.mcarthurglen.com/en) which is a collection of factory outlets at junction 28 of the M1. In the evening Joni and Fiona joined us for a meal and stayed as long as they could.

By the morning Sally’s bags were packed, but there was still time for one more shopping trip. This time the ladies set off for Sainsburys at Pride Park, Derby and returned with 5.5 kg of shoes and clothes. I know that this was the weight because we had to ship them off to New Zealand after Sally left us that day. She returned home safe and well and the package caught up with her on the morning of her birthday.

Our next event was Lawrence's birthday. We thought that we could buy a meal rather than a present. The event turned into a meal and the cinema. Irene and I have never been to the Corner House in Nottingham. Jan drove us and we went to the Flaming Dragon Restaurant. (http://www.flaming-dragon.co.uk/nottingham.php)

This was an amazing place. It had a good atmosphere as well as an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese buffet. As pensioners this cost a staggering £6 each. The film which followed was called ‘Looper’. The film had just been released and was a science fiction story involving time travel. It would seem that most Sci-Fi writers have a very jaundiced view of the future. Perhaps they are right.

From the third to the tenth there is little to report apart from the gradual progress in the kitchen. Tim invited us to join them for lunch on Saturday following our visit to Nan. Lunch involved the presentation of a birthday cake and then we had a walk before returning home.

A retirement village and a lot of water

On the 21^st I finally had an opportunity to get to the allotment. Irene has worked really hard to clear it and I have built the bonfire.

On the 25^th it was Irene’s birthday. We had a wonderful present opening time and then, despite the cold, damp weather we went off on our travels. The first stop was Bardill’s Garden Centre. First we had a pot of tea for two and lovely cream and jam doughnuts. Then Irene spent her birthday tokens on a number of plants for her garden.

The next port of call was Shardlow and a meal at the Clock Warehouse pub. (http://www.clockwarehousepub.co.uk/) It lived up to the recommendation that we had been given. The main meal (two for £10) and the ‘Crabbies’ ginger beer was tasty and so filling that neither of us had room for pudding. The setting is great. The pub is a warehouse on an arm of the Trent-Mersey canal. It was too cold to have more than a brief look around. But, I am sure that next summer we will be back.

Our road home took us through Long Eaton where we investigated the possibility of new floor covering for the breakfast room to finish off the extensive work that we have been doing. From there we went on to the ‘Cheese Cake’ shop and purchased half a cake of ‘Continental Caramello’. Not being far from Trowel Garden Centre our final call was to spend some more of Irene’s birthday money.

The day ended by a visit from Joni and Fiona in the evening. They bought a delicious carrot cake which we enjoyed together.

On Saturday we woke to the first snow of the winter. We then continued with the kitchen. I wish that we could say that it was complete, but there are the finishing off bits of skirting board painting and putting trims around the electricity outlets in the kitchen and the grouting in the breakfast room. However, there was time to sweep and wash the garage floor so that the car could be housed before winter really sets in.

*Actually I did record when I started the jigsaw. If I had have been following my own blog I would have learned that I started the jigsaw on 10th July.