Jo’s big birthday bash!

Hardwick Friday 13^th May 2016

Working to Helen M’s precise schedule, the Babes met in the car park at Hardwick for the start of a very exacting schedule of coffee, nature walks, picnic, house visiting, tea, evening meal and a lot of cake.  Quickly admiring Alison’s new birthday present.. a car(!)..we made the first of many trips through the office to collect our badges.  Maggie was placed on badge monitor duty as Helen M is not to be trusted in such matters, as proved later in the day.   Maggie can now add ‘Badge Monitor’ to her ‘Super Domestic Goddess’ title.

I'm sure the toilet is marked just here!

Word has it, that some Gelly Babes might be satisfied to have a blog full of nature lists and a myriad of photos. But, following a relaxing holiday, with her mojo (not her Adblue) tank, now fully charged, Helen J will not allow such slipshod thinking (not on her shift anyway!). 

As it was Jo’s special birthday, and as she didn’t have a car for a present, she was allowed to make up as many lists as she liked.  With the help and superlative wild plant knowledge of Helen M and Lynn, she excelled herself in listing lots of plants and then re-listing them at the end of the day to make sure none ended up on the wrong list.  But, sometimes the plant-loving babes’ skill was lacking in absolute precision because the Romans definitely named the following plants: ‘cioccolati hellebore’, ‘daisy alba’ and the ‘internet plant’.  Fact: the Romans were very advanced for their age. It is such a shame that cohesive devices, fronted adverbials and modal verbs, to name a few, are the focus of the KS2 curriculum and not Latin, otherwise we would have all known what we were talking about.  But muddling our way through the day, is part of the fun of our Gelly Babe trips.

 

So, after our first coffee and chat, the babes set off on the first of their nature walks,

Just too rude to mention...

 

but soon needed a break from all the thinking, writing and looking:

 

And babes just wanna have fu-un...

Alison not making any allowances for Jo's age...

The Swinging Sixties...

Action woman 

As well as Chief List Maker, Jo is allowed to add Action Babe to her list of titles. 

As we know all Babes can multi-task: walking, talking, list making and nature spotting all at once but they also love distractions and compliments .  Greetings of ‘morning girls’ are most appreciative, which means we can now add Girlie Babes to our other names of Gelly birder and Domestic Goddess.  One man may not be right… but can all three be wrong? 

 

Bumbling along, but with time ticking away, we spot many things on our walk:

Where wood we bee without you?

It's caption competition time....

Not so secret now, eh?

Wild garlic soup  anyone?

 

 

The first of many lists:.  Wild flower list on walk..

alcanet (borage family)

arum lily/ lords n ladies or the rude one

bluebell

bugle

celandine

dandelions

dog violet

forget-me-not

garlic mustard

lady smock

pink campion

queen anne's lace (cow)

solomon's seal

speedwell

wild garlic (wild plant of the day)

wood anenome

wood sorrell

yellow rattle

 

 And look who we also spot

Lynn, making a fine entrance...

 

After our second trip through reception we settle down with our picnic, exchange rather a lot of birthday presents, eat cake and sing a rousing canon of ‘Laugh Kookaburra’

 

“Will you love me in December as you do in May?”
― Jack Kerouac

Of course we will, Jo, of course we will.

 

Trees and fungi list

bracket fungus

cherry

holly

hornbeam

pholita adiposa (yellow pimple one)

twisted hazel

yew

And, at the third count through reception, we head towards the gardens

Sitting and 'aying' a moment whilst waiting for Pam

Continuing our plant identification, although stumped at the time, after a clever bit of research, Sherlock Mitchell has discovered that this plant is called Ribes Speciosm

 



but we know the Romans really called it Ostendere Arbor Fushcia



 

But it was all too soon to say farewell to Lynn…

Look this way, girls

 

Garden wild flower list

alpine strawberry

aquilegia

buttercup

chickweed

comfrey

cowslip

daisy

dock

greater celandine

hawkbit (is this on the right list?)

honesty

oxslip

primrose

Ribes speciosum

saxifrage

shepherd's purse

snakes'head frillaria

welsh poppy

whitebells

 

And not a moment too late for the House talk, but too late to have a photo with all of us together

Pam makes her entrance

 

After a careering talk by Mr Stubbs, the Babes move into the Hall for Arbella’s story. What with Scotland and England divided, rumours of treason, claims to the throne, palaces vs prisons, rather a lot of dates, names and portraits .. it felt as though the referendum has been going on for centuries.

 

Moving with the times.. the modern tapestry

What a purler!

 

Jo trying out her birthday outfit

 

obviously  about the Babes…

but the special day belongs to Jo
 

 

All too soon, we needed to say farewell to Pam so she could go back to one of her many jobs.  But not before Jo shared her birthday cake..

 

How clever of Maggie to find enough badges to decorate the cake!

 

A pity we forgot to collect the serviettes from the kitchens!
 

And at the fourth count through reception for a well-deserved cup of tea and retail therapy the remaining Babes chew the cud before heading off to the Hardwick Inn for a lovely evening meal.

 

Arbella babe

 

Creature list

bumble bee

cow

dog

donkey (ass of the day)

horse

llama  (GB first)

pony

shetland pony

spectacled fly

wood bees (carpenter bees?)

 

Bird list

blackbird

bluetit

chaffinch

chiffchaff

coal tit

crow

dunnock

goldfinch

great tit

greater-spotted woodpecker

house sparrow

jackdaw

long-tailed tit

magpie

nuthatch

peacock

pheasant

pied flycatcher (GB first)

pied wagtail

robin

song thrush

swallow

wood pigeon

(23 in total, 48 this year gives us a running total of 83)

 

 

Martin Heidegger:

"the most thought- provoking thing in our thought -provoking

time is that we are still not thinking".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April Amble

April 15^th 2016

Shining Cliff Woods

 

Only four babes and Betty for our jaunt today as Helen J is off on yet another holiday, Pam has a morning of work and Lynn has her hands well and truly full with other matters.

We met in Ambergate at the start of the footpath to Shining Cliff Woods, Alison and Maggie were ready, waiting and eager and Jo and I were almost on time. A grey morning and the more foolhardy amongst us were regretting casting off our thermal vests! Wellies and boots were the order of the day and off we set. Betty was very excited to see her new friends again and was soon leading the way along the track to the woods.

I am almost certain this is the way!

Yes this is definitely the way!

Perhaps one of these might be useful

The original plan was to walk to Whatstandwell for lunch and we headed in the general direction but we soon resorted to the freestyle navigation methods favoured by Jo. We followed paths up and down thoroughly enjoying the woodland in all its early springtime glory although there was some extreme mud to negotiate (much to Betty’s delight!) and the thermal vest wasn’t missed at all once we got going.

FLOWER LIST

Bluebell

Wood Anemone

Celandine

Dandelion

Wood Spurge

Daisy

Stitchwort

Wood Sorrel

Garlic Mustard
 

Wood Sorrel

 The fresh green, trefoil leaves of Wood-sorrel form distinctive clumps in woodlands and shady hedgerows, often growing from the moss on fallen logs. Rising from these cushions, the delicate white flowers hang on tiny stems, blooming around Eastertime and giving rise to its popular European name of 'Alleluia'

A moment of reflection

 

We passed by the youth hostel and then wound our way down to the small lake. Eventually we found ourselves back on Jackass Lane (no comment!) and decided that we probably wouldn’t be walking to Whatstandwell so we headed back down to where we had parked the cars. This part of the walk gave us the perfect opportunity to develop our eye spy list of animals, both wild and domesticated and also gave us some excellent views.

We can see Jo's house from here!

 

ANIMAL LIST (Domesticated)

Horse

Cow

Calf

Lamb

Sheep

Dog

ANIMAL LIST (Wild)

Brown Hare (wild animal of the month)

Bumble Bee

 Betty trying to make friends with a cow

 

We drove to the Family Tree at Whatstandwell and Pam was already there waiting for us, it was very busy but thankfully there was another room ideal for those with muddy boots and dogs. We had a lovely lunch and a long sit and a thoroughly good chat, catching up with everyone’s recent activities. Jo assured us that we aren’t too young to go on a coach trip but none of felt that we could afford the compulsory £7000 earrings! We were able to reassure Maggie that none of us can remember what Glasgow was like 25 years ago and none of us fell for Jo’s trick comment about Princes Street!

 

Yes, there is definitely a bird up there!

BIRD LIST

Dunnock

Blackbird

Robin

Pigeon

Great Tit

Moorhen

Tufted Duck

Mallard

Blue Tit

Pheasant

Collared Dove

Kookaburra

Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Wren

Collared Dove

Magpie

Swan

Greylag Goose

Canada Goose

Grey Heron

Common Crow



 All our intentions of a stroll along the canal after lunch were thwarted by the fact that it was tipping it down with rain by the time we had finished lunch, so we said our goodbyes and we look forward to a Merry May gathering.

 

 

 

 

Muddy March 2016

4th March, 2016

Creaking around in Crich 

or A Gelly Babe Guide to being a Domestic Goddess 

Communications between the two Helens further demonstrated that Helen M is not to be trusted in matters of precision.  Not only does she not know her front from her back, but she has now proved that she doesn’t know her A38 from her A6.  Thank goodness Jo is clued up and gave us our very first Gelly Babe experience of group parking in the A6 layby. Luckily not all roads lead to Rome, so nothing untoward happened.

 

All good Gelly Babes arrive on time.  Lateness owing to injury caused by tying one’s  shoelaces is acceptable; being pulled over by the police is not.  Luckily for Helen M, the precious cargo in the back of the van went unnoticed. 

 

 

We are not sure whether Jo is crying out in pain or laughing

at Betty’s joke about the one who got away with it.

Most Gelly Babes know that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing and are therefore not deterred by a bit of sleet, snow, mud or the biting cold.

 

Even Betty knows that a decent coat and

a cute pose are essential tools for the day

So, when Pam turns up with claims that her walking jackets are all ‘at the cleaners’, Jo wishes she had brought her one of her 26 jackets. Jo has lots of coats, but not as many knickers as Helen M’s mum who holds the Associate GB record of 66 pairs.

 

Hardy Gelly Babes with the lady-who-only-lunches…. 

Now that the Gelly babes are reaching a certain age, they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and are keen to share their tips on how to keep one’s carpets clean.  Tips include use of giant ladybirds, cordless vacs-come-ghostbusters and the trusty rubber glove.  Pam, having recent experience of a house fire recommends a deep, steam clean but it’s a shame the effects only lasted a day or so.  Becoming a Domestic Goddess is a title which needs to be earned and Pam now wishes she had brought her men up to wear slippers in the house.  However, to gain the  Super Domestic Goddess title one keeps a vacuum cleaner in every single room.  Maggie is an Super Domestic Goddess.

 

The stuff of dreams at the bottom of every Domestic Goddess's garden.

 

Whilst Gelly Babes are clever and know lots of things about housework, they  are also interested in current  affairs.  However, concerns  about which way to vote were soon put to the test after Maggie recanted a recent  experience at a local Derbyshire pub.  With ‘lurchers on settles’ and ‘blow-ins fined for using mobile phones’, Maggie was unsure about whether staying in was such a good idea.  Helen J was also bemused and wished she’d packed her local dialect dictionary. 

 

Pointing in the right direction!

Sometimes a little local knowledge is helpful and Jo is very good at pointing out places of interest in Crich. This cross marks the spot where one should cross the road safely.

 

Jo also claimed that the  church in Crich is fascinating, but the Babes will have to take her word for it, as photo opportunities in Crich’s  car park were not to be missed…..

 

Another vintage collection  …

Views  from the dead centre of Crich.

The plaice to be...

 

Jo, desperate to share her knowledge about George Stephenson, was disappointed that she could not hold the interest of the two youngest members of the group, but having spent the first hour of the day on buttock toning exercises, Helen J was in need of a tonic and Alison knew just where to find it. 

 

 

Peak Practice wasn’t filmed in Crich for nothing you know.

Full of soup , sarnies and salad from the rather lovely 'The Loaf', the intrepid explorers hugged Pam farewell and set up off up the hill where they learned about a bit more about the history of Crich.

 

Graffiti from a pre-Domestic Goddess era

A Domestic Goddess's work is never done.

And here are some other useful tips from the Domestic Goddesses who venture outdoors in inclement weather.

 

 

Walking poles are useful in mud

 

 

Trees are useful for catching snow.

 

Walls are useful for gathering moss 

 

Puddles are useful for cleaning dogs.

 

Useful friends for the Gelly Babes to meet.

 

Gelly Babes always like to round things off nicely and thanked Jo for organising such a brilliant day.  They also feel  pleased that they can now add Domestic Goddess to their other titles of being a Gelly Birder and a Gelly Babe.   But maybe not all things ended as well as they might because there still appears to be a communication issue between the two Helens.

 

Helen M's final message to Helen J!

 

 

Crich bird list

With Jo’s expert eyes and expert list making, we were able to see quite a few birds

blackbird

blue tits (well, it was very cold; Helen M just doesn't know when to stop!))

bullfinch*

canada goose

coal tit

coot

cormorant (flying over)

crow

great tit

mallard

mandarin *(probably not wild, but a bit angry at the goose)

mistle thrush (random splodges, one on the top of a tree)

moorhen

mute swan (two flying over)

robin

siskin (default bird of the day)

song thrush* (neat arrow spots, five by the layby))

woodpigeon

 

A total of 18 for the day, not bad considering the weather and steamed up glasses!  If we include the mandarin duck we now have added three to this year’s list which now stands at 43 and a running total of 82.