December Delegation (the first meeting with all seven of us)

 

 

A Carol for Carsington

19th December 2015 

I think you can work out which carol this is meant to be sung along to.  Add extra beats etc as you think fit.

 

 

Away in a grotto, no room for a bed

‘Cos six of the Gelly Babies have nipped in instead,

The reindeer is a-glowing, the snowman might melt,

We are waiting for Pam who we know will be late.

 

All hungry for breakfast we start our chatter,

Sharing stories of sadness balanced out with banter.

Queries why armed policemen were outside HJ’s house

As she returned from her holibobs, something in her suitcase?

 

 

An audience with the special one gave rise to much mirth,

Until Alison showed more evidence of scenes of a birth,

No pattern for a stable, oh dear what a to-do

Perhaps the grotto might be suitable for all of them to go? (in!)

 

Preparations for a lovely Christmas is a problem indeed,

Perhaps a Lidl donkey or an Aldi-ternative may help us succeed.

Not wishing the true spirit of Christmas to become moribund,

Some left early to look for items to make the festivities more fecund.

 

With exchanges of some presents and greetings cards,

A group hug was essential in the reservoir car park,

Leaving three Gelly Babies checking out all the birds,

Did we see the great northern diver?  No, that idea was absurd!

 

So now all that is left is for me to say,

Merry Christmas to all of us and Happy New Year’s Day.

The bird list is now ready and our target nearly met,

Perhaps next year it is one we all will get!

 

December 2015 bird list :

black headed gull

black-backed gull(not sure which one)

blackbird

blue tit

canada goose

chaffinch

common tern*

coot

crow

gadwall*

goldfinch

great crested grebe

great tit

grey heron

house sparrow

lapwing

little grebe

magpie

mallard

mute swan

pheasant

pied wagtail

pochard

redshank*

robin

rook

teal

tree sparrow

tufted duck

wigeon

wood pigeon

wren

 

A total of 32 birds within an hour, not bad considering the dwindling light.  Had anyone gone with Helen J to the other car park in the drizzle,long-tailed tits and a black-cap would have been added to the list;  sadly the great northern diver was living up to its name.

 

 

*are firsts for this year.  Our grand total therefore for the year is 59.  We have added 8 new birds to our running total, which now stands at 74, just one short of our target of 75.(but some of us have seen a golden eagle and hen harrier!) Well done everyone.. I have set a tougher target for next year!

 

 

 

November Navigations

A wag of a tale……………

A walk in Calke

(Part One)

Running to Pam’s timings and with Alison’s back street tour of Derby, Maggie, Pam and Alison arrived at Helen J’s exactly as expected.  After inspection of the not-so-new kitchen and conservatory they set off to try and catch up with Helen M who had planned to be there yesterday……all going well so far.

 With the round car park shut, courtesy of anti-social behaviour goings-on in Calke village, Alison did a bit of nifty reversing and we parked up on the verge. After some good birding:

 

Is it a bird?  Is it superman

No, it’s Ryanair… aeroplane of the day.

However, after only her third trip out, Alison’s shortcomings started to show as her wildlife  spotting skills let her down when she announced she could see the deer with horns. Deary, me! Saw plenty of red, white (winter camouflage?) and fallow deer in the distance, but sadly no noisy rutters.  Had to settle for bellowing cattle … note, with horns!

 The  Helen’s tried to finalise ‘the meeting’. So, how does…”if you are in the car park, turn to have your back to the house and set off down the path, keeping the deer fence to your right and meet you by the pond” translate into

 

 I’ve got my back to the front of the house,

so, where are you?

 Luckily, Betty is developing good tracking skills and soon found us.  So finally we had our first coffee of the day and fortunately for Helen M and Betty it was sunny enough for all of us to sit outside… although ‘Abigail’ was definitely stirring.

 

 Someone is excited to see us .. can’t think who that might be?

 Betty’s take on the day so far...

(Part One)

Sheep poo for breakfast… yum!I’m quite happy jumping up at everyone thank you very much.

 

When I grow up I’m going to sit like them,but right now I’m enjoying my puppyhood .

If you all walk abreast together (as in Reservoir Dogs), I know where you are and I don’t have to keep herding you up!

Branches are better than sticks.

 And a Saunter in Staunton

(Part Two)

With Calke now behind us, we all set off to check out whether Betty, or indeed Helen M,  had remembered anything from puppy training.  Rendezvous number two then planned and after a brief au revoir, the walkers continued on towards to Staunton Harold.

 

Forging ahead.

 With autumn now truly set in, we enjoyed the rustling leaves, the muddy fields, the lush Leicestershire houses and views.

 

Here’s looking at ewe

 

 Lynn’s other home is definitely near here …

 Ahh… might this be it?  Pity she won’t answer the door!

 With Betty safely tucked up in the van, we all had a lovely lunch at the Ferrers tea rooms and without Betty-type interruptions,  we caught up with all sorts including:  proof of Alison’s knitting prowess (only the camel, donkey, cows with horns and inn to go), the far-reaching powers of chilli peppers, Nigella’s latest acquisition with an avocado, wine case offers, outstanding motorway service stations, friends who have become authors (there’s a story in there somewhere) and trying to find a suitable date for December.

 After a little browsing in the art and craft rooms, we set off for the final leg of our journey.

 

Betty’s take on the day…

part two

Feathers for afternoon tea… yum Yes, I do like checking out to see how deep the puddles are; the muddier, the better. And I do like checking out how soft the mole hills are; the more soil I can get on my nose, the better

 

And yes, treats help me to sit down

 

 

 and lie flat.

 

Saying farewell but thinking,

‘I wonder if I’ve been good enough to become a Betty babe?’

 With final farewells to Helen M and Betty (puppy of the day; knitted rosette on its way), the walkers continued into Dimminsdale Nature Reserve, and dreamt of spring walks with snowdrops, bluebells and wild garlic.

 

Not much ‘fun’ without Jo.

 

And with the setting of the sun, we came to the end of a glorious autumn walk

 Bird list today:

Blackbird, black headed gull, blue tit, buzzard, chaffinch , coal tit, cormorant, coot, crow, dunnock, great crested grebe, great tit, grey heron, house sparrow, jackdaw, little grebe (or dabchick), magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, redwing* (silhouettes) , robin, rook*, teal (duck of the day), tree sparrow*, tufted duck, wigeon, wood pigeon, woodpecker silhouette, wren (32 in total – a good score for the day).

*First records  for the year.  We are 55 for the year so far… who cares about targets!

Our thanks to Betty babe for providing so much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October Outing

Eyam Extravaganza

October 21st 2015

 

 

Well, given the dreadful weather forecast for the day I think we can be certain that Helen J has a direct line to the weather gods! Yes it was a bit grey and damp  when we met in the car park at Eyam but it got progressively better throughout the day.

Looking at you....

 

Numbers were down as Jo was working (and we are all desperate to hear about her adventures in Las Vegas) and Lynn was otherwise engaged, but Alison has paid her subscription and taken up the offer of full membership and so she was able to join us again.

In keeping with tradition the first port of call was the café for coffee and a toasted teacake relay (there was only one toaster working and we had to be very careful not to have two bottoms – or tops for that matter – the teacake police were watching closely!) We were entertained with tales of knitted nativities and speculation about what might be happening behind a certain closed door!

Looking at me!

 

On to the Hall which is delightful and we all agreed we could live there - except in the winter and on dark windy nights and only in certain rooms and of course we would need some staff, however before Alison could move in she would have to make some very drastic changes which might not be allowed by the authorities!

Maggie having to have a sit down at the thought of ripping out the oak panelling!

Who nose what the smell is!

 

All the right notes Pam just not necessarily in ......

 

Alison is definitely amooosed!

 

A knitted nativity would be the perfect addition to this nursery

 

We also took in the gardens which are small but perfectly formed and managed to look pretty despite the time of year with the sweet peas still in bloom.

 

 

 

Must be one very strong gardener!

 

you can never have too many photographs of tree bark

 

Come on up for cocktails!

 

We walked down into the village to one of the cafés for a very nice  lunch of leek and apple soup with kale accompanied by more chat and speculation and holiday tales!

This menu did look inviting but there didn't seem to be a vegetarian option.

 

 

 

We called in at the church where we caught the tail end of a talk being given to some school children and we learned about the link between Eyam and Aids and squiggly DNA.

The last resting place of one of the famed pirates of Eyam

 

The effects of squiggly DNA commemorated in stained glass

 

Then we followed one of the walks in the National Trust leaflet which took us around the outskirts of the village discovering some of the interesting buildings which made us realise that there is more to Eyam than the plague!

Someone knew we were coming!

 

 

Back to the Hall and a final visit to the café for a cup of tea to conclude another lovely day.

 

 

 

September Saunter

September 15th 2015

Chatsworth

 

 

The day started rather grey and damp – a bit like some of us! But Helen J had ordered good weather so we knew it would clear up later. We met at Caldwell’s Mill at precisely 11.03

Pam sent a text to tell us that she wouldn’t be able to make it as her car wouldn’t start (hope it isn’t her big end!) and Jo was working and not able to escape on this occasion,  but the gap was filled by Alison who was hoping that she might be given full membership if her performance for the day met with our exacting standards!

Quick rest between café visits!

 

In keeping with tradition the day started with coffee and a good catch up with everyone’s summer activities and then a wander around the workshops and shop – super socks! But we managed to resist any more expensive purchases – where would I have put that lamp!

Back to the café for lunch of super soup and a bit more gossip – Alison passing the test with flying colours and several points earned  for her Michael Flatly story.

 By this time the sun was shining exactly as ordered so it was on to Chatsworth for a walk along the river side.

Not sure what the smell is but I hope it was the dog!

 

Jolly kind of the aristocracy to let us mere mortals enjoy their wonderful surroundings! The house looked particularly splendid with its gold embellishments glinting in the sunshine.

Spot the deer

 

Four old dears

 

There they are!

 

After a bit of confusion over the route we made it to Ensor just in time for tea and cake.

 

tea shop this way!

Not a car in sight

If you look at it from this position it is perfectly in proportion

I told you it was this way!

We took advantage of the lovely sunshine and sat outside and the wasps took advantage of us and or cake but Lynn did an admirable job of fighting them off.  

 

 

Alison did let herself down a bit at this point by refusing both tea and cake but she did provide drama of the day by getting stung by a bee, thankfully she was able to administer first aid to herself.

 

 Yes Lynn - those are leaves in your teapot

 

No sign of exploding toes at the moment

 

Still in glorious sunshine we made our way back to the car park, admiring the views and hints of autumn.

 

Bird wise, we didn't have anything new to add to our list but did see: blue tit, coot, crow, jackdaw mallard, pied wagtail, pheasant, robin and a domestic white duck which doesn't count. Plus squirrel, fallow deer (getting a bit frisky) and a lot of sheep.

 

Another lovely day with excellent, weather, good company and beautiful surroundings with the addition of a little bit of retail therapy thrown in for good measure!