October 2019

The month started with reasonable weather and we were able to make an early trip out. Irene had some gift vouchers to spend at M & S. This meant going down to junction 28 of the M1 to MacArthur Glenn. Knowing that there would be queues on the slip road I decided to go across country. This was not the best plan. The shopping mission was very successful, but I was disappointed to find that Thornton's Cafe had disappeared and there was a Waggamma in it's place.

Coffee had to be taken at Harwick Hall. The sky was a nice blue sky and the gardens are never a disappointment.

 Our next adventure was to find the 'Norwood Tunnel'. This is on the 'Chesterfield Canal' and was one of the longest canal tunnels in the country. Our walk started at the 'Norwood Industrial Estate in Kilamarsh.
 We walked across some beautiful and very muddy countryside. Members of the Rotherman Running Club kept passing us and churning up the mud even more.

The tunnel entrance wasa too well hidden to find, but we did see bits of the canal which had become water features for the houses there.

 On Sunday was the start of the 'knock through' into the house. Builder Peter arrived on a wet evening and did the cutting into the outer wall.

Two days later the windows, door and roof were put in place and the building bacame waterproof. Or so we thought.

The following day came the 'knock through' and the building was part of the house.

The following day the tiles went on the roof.

A week after our first attempt to find the tunnel mouth we went to track it down at Kiverton. It was very muddy walk passed a waterfall intake to the bricked up tunnel portal.

 At the weekend we repeated one of our early canal walks from Hollingwood Hub to Brimmington.

 On the 25th it was Irene's birthday. She was very pleased with the watch that she bought for herself.

 On the 28th we had a visit from our son Tim, his wife Isla and Granddaughter Izzie. It was cold, but sunny so we went off to visit Bolsover castle.

The following day Irene and me had a little stroll along our path to appreciate the autumn colours.

 The plasterer then spent 2 and a half days and the building looked more like a room.

 As a bit of a final touch, the skip was taken away. Notice the water dribbling out. This is agood reminder of how foul the weather has been throughout most of the building work.

First UK Blog of 2016

We touched down on the evening of Wednesday 24^th February. The departure from Singapore has been delayed for about 1 hour, due to a tropical rain storm. This made us late in arriving at Heathrow. We left the airport on a shuttle which met us minutes after leaving ‘Arrivals’. We had been delayed in arrivals due to the non-appearance of our luggage. It turned out that we had been standing at the wrong carousel.

The cold of this country met us as we disembarked at our Hotel. The lobby is on the ground floor, pretty much exposed to the elements, but once in the lift we were soon in our comfortable room and asleep. The alarm was awake much later than we were and so we had time to go down to breakfast, which was a full buffet which even had ‘Linda McCartney’ sausages. I also had the proper ones with meat in.

It was a sunny morning when we left the hotel and sat, still tired, in the expectation of a coach that would whisk us back home. The announcer called us to the gate. Here we found a very indignant coach driver who was refusing to put so many cases on his coach. It turned out that, just in the same way as we had departed Nottingham three months earlier, we were once more faced with a coach that had broken down. After getting through the gate our surly driver looked at my case and said, ‘I’m not putting those on with handles up’. As I put down the handles I said that I would gladly oblige if I was asked politely. Eventually the coach station staff persuaded him to drive. He sat in his seat, but another passenger said, ‘Get on with it then’. This resulted in another walk out. Eventually we were off; going through Hemel Hempstead, making three stops in Luton before arriving at Milton Keynes. As the outward journey so on this. Off we got, but this time I refused to leave the barrier until the coach came. Last time we nearly missed the bus because we were told to go into the coach station.

With more pleasantness the next driver took us directly to Nottingham. Having got off the bus (not disembarked) and feeling tired. Instead of taking the bus that would drop us off nearer home we got on the i4. Unbelievably the hour delay was going to help us. At the next stop our next door neighbour, Francis, got on. He was carrying a portfolio case and it turned out that he had been a week early for a meeting and was on his way home. He said that his car was parked near the Savoy cinema and that if we got off there he would pick us up. Hurriedly he repacked his car, got our luggage in and soon we were in. Thanks to Joni the house was warm and there was food.

The next few days were spent in painfully getting over jet lag and stocking up with food.

While we were in New Zealand our friend Paul had told me about a local railway model show. We did not get to church, but Paul and I got to the show while our wives wandered around the garden centre.

The refurbishment of the study got underway. One week the furniture was ripped out and taken off to the skip. Then the carpet and underlay came up and the work of applying white emulsion and white gloss went on until finally it was time to order the carpet. The computer desk had already been ordered and stored in the garage.

During this time we had got back to dancing. I did one of my once in three weeks spell onstage. 

Joe and Julia announced their engagement.

The weather continued to be cold and our UK trips out waited until 16^th March. By this time the rain had not happened for over a week. Via McArthur Glen we headed for Hardwick Hall. It was a cold, but sunny day. The coffee stop proved pricey and this led to the purchase of a flask. The intention is to take our own drinks from now on. The hall gardens were pretty bare except for the bright colour of the crocuses and the hellebores. Snowdrops were being grown in compost hanging from the trees and a collection of deck chairs graced the lawn. There were no takers for the seating.

Across from the entrance to the gardens is the start of a walk. Once around the corner the vista opens up and 5 lakes in steps down the hill could be seen. From the top we could see what appeared to be ants dashing around. The phenomenon turned out to be members of an orienteering club going about their business.

Another project I have been engaged in was jigsaw puzzle. Paul had given up on it, but I had to try. The last part turned out to be impossible. The puzzle is now in recycling.

This week the outing was strange. Once more we had to go up to MacArthur Glenn to return our purchase of the previous week. We then had to head back south again has we had a lunch appointment. First we arrived at the woods around Beauvale Priory. It was a winter time walk with little sign of spring life. 

In need of a toilet we set off for the IKEA retail park. Irene was not best pleased with public toilets on offer. In the car we used our flasks before setting off for the Erewash trail. To be honest we were just killing time. Finally, we set off for Kimberley.

Before we left for New Zealand the ladies of the post-natal yoga group had given us a voucher for Tea-For-Two at the ‘Mad Hatters’ café in Kimberly. The tea shop was on a narrow street off the main street. Most likely it would have been a ‘Greasy Spoon’, but the owner had turned it into Mad Hatter themed tea room. The pictures tell the rest.

Good Friday morning was shopping for our family party and I continued work on the study. Then we went for a service on the town square followed by more hot cross buns than I could eat. It was the warmest and sunniest day since we returned home.

Today my study is complete and I am sitting down to write.

Happy Easter.

August blog

August began on Saturday with the, by now, usual unpredictable weather. The sun shone and as we were about to set off Joni rang with a question about a ceiling light fitting. After visiting and giving an explanation as to how lighting circuits work we left it to him. By the end of the day he sent a visual report showing the completed work.

We drove off to park at Pit Lane in Trowell. It is a splendid car park. From there we set off with aim of going further along the Nottingham Canal. Near to the garden centre one field had the appearance of a snowstorm as fluffy seeds filled the air.

Despite our best efforts we were unable to achieve our goal of reaching the car park near to Cossall. There was very little to be seen of the canal. The motorway had completely destroyed any hope of reinstating it.

There was a special service at the church on the following day. Four leaders had their heads shaved for the Macmillan charity. But more importantly there was a celebration of the first year (1st August last year) that the church has been in the building.

Our first Wednesday visit of the month was to Newstead Abbey (The home of Lord Byron). It was just over thirty minutes drive away. It has gardens set in a large acreage of forest. Coffee and cake was the most expensive that we have had. The gardens have a number of water falls and very ancient trees. In the end it was not a large area to explore and was not really the type of garden that Irene wanted to see. 

So, without SATNav we set off to find Hardwick Hall. There was a lot of summer colour. It was very crowded with families enjoying the activities put on by the National Trust.

The first tiny spots of rain fell as we left. A little more fell as we returned home.

On Friday night we were involved with running the ‘Grand Summer Dance’. The theme was yellow. The Mayor of Broxtowe, Councillor Susan Bagshaw, attended with her husband to present our grant aid cheque. It turned out that her husband was about the same age as me and grew up around Sutton-in-Ashfield. We reminisced on our old haunt. We went to the same dance school.

The weather has improved and we decided to drive to the car park by the Nottingham Canal at Cossall. The aim was to walk back towards Trowell until we arrived at the pond that we reached last week. The bulrushes were at their best and it was about the first time that we have felt pleasantly warm this summer. I was able to take, what I consider to be a superb photograph of a dragonfly.

 In a dramatic move, on Monday morning, Irene and I looked up and booked flights to New Zealand. We fly on 1st December 2015 and return home on 24th February 2016.

Due to the duties at the community centre we were not able to have our usual walk in Derbyshire. It was, of course one of the nicest summer days so far. However, it turned out to be a useful time for a friend to transport my new doors from B and Q. After shopping and lunch we did manage to have a walk.

Two years ago we had our first walk along the Trent Canal from Cossall towards Eastwood. On that occasion we turned around near a car park. I have been able to locate the car park and so was able to find the place to resume the walk. It was really hot, with little shade and after an hour we reached Newmanleys Road, Eastwood. Now we have to do the next bit.

 It was a 6661 steps walk of 2 miles 848 yd 1 ft 9.2 in and burned 199.83 Kcals. 

We woke to a bright Saturday morning and so we rang Paul and Mary to see if they would like lunch, possibly do some computer work and go for a walk. Our usual summer weather cut in so we abandoned plans to go to Calke Abbey as the cold and lack of sun would be a waste of the entrance fee for P and M. We set off for Wollaton Hall, knowing there was a food and drinks fair on. Paul was sure that we would be able to park and walk in. However, this was not the case. Every side road was blocked off and 'No Parking' notices were around for miles.

There was a slight change of plan which meant driving back and crossing the main road to park in a side street near Martin’s Pond. Last time we were there it was spring and the walk was covered with white blossom. We walked round the main pond and then through Harrison’s Plantation to a second pond. We had begun to see some blackberries and I joked to Mary that we would not be able to go home until we had picked 3 containers. Mary said that it was wishful thinking. She was wrong.

I also took some nice reflections shots and some of a heron. We saw two herons in two weeks.

On Wednesday 19^th the weather was quite kind with rain coming in from the west. In the sun it was quite warm but the wind, that has been a nuisance all summer kept cooling us down. The aim was to see the heather on the moors. Irene thought that instead of going to Curbar Edge we should go in the other direction over Baslow Edge. This was a good call. Along the edge the path was more rugged than on Curbar Edge but this made for more of an adventure. I even grazed my knee on the millstone grit. It was not long before we came across a herd of large mammals with large horns. They were highland cattle and were quite docile. They had calves and they were all reluctant to move out of the way.

The heather was splendid and in places cotton tail grass was visible. 

The rocky path came to an end and in front and to our left was a stone cross. This was the ‘Wellington Memorial’. We wondered why it was up in this remote place. 

Wellington's Monument on Baslow Edge

Wellington's monument can be found on Baslow edge, standing high above the village of Baslow. It is dedicated to the Duke of Wellington and a celebration of his victory at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. It was erected by a local called Dr Wrench, who as an army man, felt the need to counterbalance the memorial dedicated to Admiral Nelson on nearby Birchen Edge.

Having examined it and had lunch sitting on a nearby bench we crossed the moor along a much easier bridle way. This took us past a large rock tower called 'Eagle Stone'.

There was then an urgent need so we drove straight back to ‘Caldwell’s Mill’ in Rowsley. However, we could not really rush. Part way along the road through the Chatsworth Estate a herd of cows decided to be indecisive about whether or not to cross the road. Several did but one in front of me started across and then changed its mind. When we got to the mill toilets came before coffee and cake. For the first time, since we have been going there, we noticed that all the food was vegetarian.

Next we walked along the river on the mill side of a large island. We saw a couple more changes. The overflow from the river had been dry for ages and the bulrushes were so high they screened the cottages from view. We could see people on the other side of the field. We found the entrance to the field in the car park and we were able to walk along the river on the other side of the island.

There was a family of swans. For some reason the herd of sheep decided to visit the swans. The swans got angry and the sheep fled in terror, but regrouped to make an idyllic procession along the river bank. A family of human beings were picnicking and their young were paddling in the cold clear water of the river.

This was 8821 steps walks to cover 3 miles 505.2143 yards and burnt 264.63 Kcals.

We held another ‘Not for any particular reason party’ for our family on Saturday. There were about 30 of us in the community centre. There was plenty of food provided by us all. I think that everyone had a good time. We even had some real rain.

Tim, Isla, Iona and Izzy spent the night with us. We had a lazy morning, a walk through the park and lunch together before they went home. This was an extra blessing to our weekend.

The 24th was our wedding anniversary. As all too often this summer the weather varied between unpredictable and ‘it will rain’. This being the case we decided not to travel far and we ended up at the ‘National Arboretum’. This is a large area for remembrance near Litchfield. After coffee in their restaurant we made our way to the chapel where each day at 11.00 a.m. they hold a service of remembrance which is composed of a message read by Kate Adie of the BBC followed by ‘The Last Post’, silence and ‘Reveille’. 

There was so much to see.

We tried to track down Irene’s dad’s regiment and concluded that he may have been in the ‘Paratroopers’. 

 Apart from the many monuments there was a lot of nature by the River Tame including a beautiful swan.

Around 1.30 p.m. it began to spot so we beat a retreat and headed for lunch. This we had in the ‘Clock Warehouse’ in Sawley. 

Being determined that there would be no cooking or washing up today my evening meal was purchased at our newly opened ‘Subway’.

On Tuesday I set about repairing the front wall. I removed a number of blocks, cleaned them up and cemented them back in place. The rest I will re-point at a later date.

Our usual Wednesday outing was again blighted by the weather but after a morning spent trying to produce a CD of Elvis Presley’s songs we went out do some more of the Erewash Trail.

The most northerly section
 of the Nottingham Canal

The top of the Erewash Trail;
marked by KFC

The towpath crossing the Erewash Canal
at the Eastwood Lock

 This time we drove to the place we ended last time and walked along the quite dry Nottingham Canal. There were a lot of blackberries from which we picked a box full before continuing up to the top of the trail at Eastwood and crossing the bridge to the towpath of the Erewash Canal. 

We came across another family of swans and eventual come to a bridge where the canal crosses over the river. This meant that we have now completed the trail from Coventry Lane, up through Cossall to Eastwood and back down the other side to Cottmanhay.
The wall is now complete and I have almost hung the new toilet door. 

Today, Bank Holiday Monday, I did hang the new toilet door. It works!

To end the month on a memorable note - it rained.