(Post) Christmas Cheer at Carsington

Babes do Breakfast 

27th December 2017

 

Dashing through the snow a bevy of babes (including the elusive Pam!) arrived at a very grey and chilly Visitors Centre at Carsington. Thankfully the snow stopped as soon as Helen J got the car handbook out to find out how to operate  the snow mode function. Sadly Jo doesn't have a snow mode function and found herself snowed in in the wilds of Market Harborough but it was good to hear later that the intrepid travellers were safely returned.

 

After some time spent doing battle with the car park payment machine, which seemed determined to baffle all of us in turn, we finally made it to the warmth and safety of the café and settled down with a warming drink looking out over the grey waters, enlivened only by a couple of circling crows. We were a little bit worried by the absence of Alison who is normally very prompt but she soon appeared, a little out of breath after her four paper rounds.

 

 

Full English breakfasts soon arrived and very fine they were too, for a while there was a pause in the chatter - lots of catching up to do - especially with Pam who we hadn't seen for some time, there was a resounding chorus of 'we told you so' when she admitted that retirement was rather good - although there was an equally resounding groan when we were told of her supply work plans!

 

Not sure if Alison is enjoying hers - should have had a sausage!

 

 

Once the our plates had been scraped clean and Lynn had cleared up for us it was in to present swapping.

 

Every Babe needs a duck and every duck needs a babe!

 

 

What wonderful thoughtfully chosen gifts - here are mine in situ:

 

Ready for the next trip

The perfect colour

 

This one is my favourite Pam! guess who it reminds me of...

Ready for a dip

 

We didn't get to do much bird watching but we did manage a bit of retail therapy in the shop - everyone needs a beautiful tin to keep their bird food in.

 

The birds were probably watching us and laughing at our feeble efforts at identifying Lynne's very pretty Cromford duck

 

Later identified by Helen J as a young female Wood Duck

 

 We might even manage a walk next time and Helen J might get her binoculars bout of the car! But sometimes it is just too chilly even for the most hardy babes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strutting our stuff in Belper

Industrial Belper

20th November 2017

 

 

 

 

A 1030 meet at CafeG in Belper certainly hit the right spot with Alison, Maggie, Jo, Lynn and the Helens.  Having missed Helen M at the last meeting, we were now able to catch up on her wonderful two holidays: cruising around on the Hurtigruten in Norway (did she mention the sea-eagles?) and sterner Stalin stuff in Warsaw. This led to some rather interesting stories about border controls, e:passports and illegal importation of wine onto above mentioned ferry (a wine box, no less!).  A slightly more watery tale from Venice has led Alison to check the ‘acqua alta’ for her impending trip. She’s now checking what H&S say about walking on water and wonders whether she will manage it with as much grace as Helen J.

 

As the sun was beckoning, we set off to discover Belper.  And, what an interesting  tour it turned out to be! So, we started with a long-distant view of De Bradelei Mill and learned that Queen Victoria’s Brettle stockings were made here, as was Admiral Nelson’s vest, (you know, the one he wears in Trafalgar Square)

 

Battling on, we headed back from whence we had just come, and took a peek at a rather dilapidated building which turned out to have previously been a blouse factory, the former Thorntons’s toffee factory and a theatre where Gracie Fields once performed and without any encouragement at all (once we’d ruled out “We’ll meet again”), we burst into spontaneous song:

 

“Sally, Sally, pride of our alley”

Well, no wonder she only performed there once, because there are no alleyways, snickets or ginnels in Belper… only channels.

 

And at the old corn mill, built by James Webster and enlarged by guess who…. 

 

A seasonal tableaux from Acorn Antiques….

 

With voices thoroughly warmed up, underneath the arch, we posed for another photo to discover that Will Hay, star of Ealing film comedies stayed nearby in Wellington House

 

 

“Oh Mr, Porter what shall we do?”

 

With Helen J very much, not in charge of her group, she showed them where he had stayed, but has apparently mis-led them. As the group were far too busy chatting, the correction is best left to another time. 

And so to Belper station of 1878 where Lynn burst into another song and we viewed George Stephenson’s five bridges over the railway line

 

Cutting edge designs, eh?

 

Following a footpath, not a channel, and an old ropewalk we then checked out the tarmac surface on Joseph Street:

 

I’m sure this bit is the original

 

 

We then walked through varies channels, past lots of cluster houses and admired the pig-stys and wonky windows.

 

 

Wonder why this is called Long Row?

 

There was a lot of ‘pointing’ as we noticed the ’continuous roofline’, as opposed to the ‘stepped roof line’ and  a place to park your horse, but not your car. We also pointed to a lot of Strutt provisions: the school, the church, the houses  and oh, so much more, including …

 

An early beauticians

 

But it was now time to hit CafeG again..

 

Spot on with different kind of long row!

 

 

With the weather looking decidedly dodgy, Lynn decided to head back home, but not before a group hug with local lass Anne Gibbon!  The white hornbeam trees temporarily stumped our knowledge, but have at least been saved by sensible Belper folk. 

 

A rather atmospheric shot!

 

Somewhere ….
 

We and our …..

 

 

So,  with raindrops a-falling on our heads, we decided to call it a day and save the parts we hadn’t seen for another time .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 'Owlers!

Hallowe'en Harlequins at Hardwick

25th October 2017

 

 

With good weather ordered (and delivered); Jo, Alison, Lynn and Helen J finally met at Hardwick Hall which apparently has the same satnav code as the Hardwick Inn. HJ certainly won’t make that mistake again via all the narrow lanes of Stanley!  Missing, but not forgotten:  Helen M, Maggie and Charlotte, all busy entertaining elsewhere, and Pam, on her first birthday holiday somewhere over a mountain far away.

 

Always lovely in sunshine

 

But, shouts of ‘just knock ‘em down’, was fortunately delivered and met with good humour as we all stood in the way of the Hardwick tuk-tuk whilst debating what to do first, as if we didn’t know our own ritual.

 

So, it wasn’t long before we got down to the serious business of holiday catch-ups before we’d even joined the coffee queue.  Alison, with comical anecdotes about cruising around the Canaries; managing to spend less than 20 euros over the whole 10 days.  Lynn, with countless tales, of a holiday to Die for.  And, Helen J full of admiration for the Civil Aviation Authority after her very lucky ‘Monarch-no-Monarch’ holiday.

 

Topping up our suntans.

 

However, it wasn’t long before we got seriously distracted:

 

Ladybirds out tricking, not treating

 

Not entirely sure about the origins of this ladybird, we were loath (at the start of the day) to squash them, but some say they have a kind of pheromone group-speak when swarming, causing consternation and this unsettles our native ladybirds.  Another theory is that they carry a deadly STI… I dunno, they come over here and take our… oh, no, that refers to the GI’s, a different story altogether! Or, is it?!

 

Refreshed, we decided to amble around the gardens, complete with swarms of children armed with clipboards out spider hunting.

 

He’s behind you (oh no, another Harlequin reference! Out damned spot…)

 

It wasn’t long before Jo got up to her tricks, foraging for food

 

 

Brussel sprout curry tonight anyone?

 

Quintessentially, not yew or cherry!

 

Bet Alison will be hopping mad when she sees this photo….

Humulus lupulus

 

 

Whilst Lynn nearly had to be censored whilst …

 

 

Having a cheeky little moment!

 

Well, one can’t go to Hardwick without one more visit into the House.  Following our theatre visit to see Bess of Hardwick, and mindful of fulfilling Helen M’s wishes, a re-enactment was indeed undertaken, starring Lynn as Bess, Alison as Arbella, Helen as Mary Queen of Scots and Jo backstage as Queen Lizzie 1.

 

Watch out for us on BBC Look North filming close-by.

 

Such is the wonder of National Trust properties that there is always something new to look and today it be mostly about stitching, starting with a rather wonderful story of Tobit whose eyesight was restored after being blinded by sparrow dung! 

 

unfinished work... how tardy..

The 3-D wall tapestries were amazing

 

 

What a relief!

 

Although Arbella had spent many a year under close guard in Hardwick, it did cross our minds that had she spent more time crafting her skills, she may have avoided ending her days in the Tower of London

 

 

Elizabethan selfie, by Arbella

 

 

Selfie- explanatory

 

So, with children rushing around and some clipboard crowd surfing, we decided to return to yet another queue.  With further topping up of tans and yet more hallowe’en ladybirds, now with wasps in tow

 

we finished off with a rather lovely lunch.

 

Whilst there were probably a million  squillion harlequin ladybirds around, we spied only a few birds:

 

blackbird

blue tit

buzzard

carrion crow

great tit (Lynn saw a pair!)

jackdaws

kestrel

magpie

pied wagtail

wood pigeon

and a possible flock of fieldfare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bubbles goes to Norway

 Adventures in Norway

October 2017

 

Always good to do a bit of research before setting off on a new adventure

 

 

OOh this cabin is even nicer than I expected

 

 

Really hope I can manage all this lunch - it only seems like 5 minutes since breakfast

 

 

Always good to check out the safety arrangements when setting out on a voyage, although I do think the life belt might be a little bit big too big for me

 

 

Now this is a good spot for taking in the view - I do have to sit very still though or I might end up needing that life belt.

 

 

If only the steps up to the Jacuzzi weren't quite so big.....

 

 

Now, where is the next stop?

 

 

It's going to be chilly chasing those sea eagles in that little boat, thank goodness I brought all my thermals with me

 

 

Good job they thought to pack this - I need something to warm me up after that trip!

 

 

Didn't need my thermals after all I found this captive one on the boat

 

It's been a very busy day but this bed is lovely and cosy - I wonder what adventures tomorrow will hold

 

 

Everyone needs a hug from a Troll...

 

Ooh its looking almost tropical today

 

It's nice to get ashore and do a bit of exploring, there are some lovely little places along the way, this seat isn't very comfortable though

 

 

Relaxing on deck again - my companion isn't very talkative though

 

 

Erika and Hege have left us these helpful phrases on the mirror in our cabin everyday - how do they know I don't speak fluent Norwegian?

 

Here I am in Bergen taking in a bit of culture, not sure who this chap is - he looks friendly though

I am not looking at that painting - it's a bit depressing, didn't that Munch chap paint anything cheerful 

I hope they haven't deserted me! How will I get home all by myself?

Thankfully they hadn't left me behind and here I am waiting in the hotel for the bus to the airport