Keeping Cool in Crich

Keeping Cool in Crich

Thursday 14th July 2022

Inbetween heatwaves, it is important to keep a cool head when planning a trip around Crich. A good, slightly chilly night's sleep? Tick. Park in the shade? Tick. With Alison, Jo and Helen J raring to go, we paused to wait for Julia and exchanged even more belated birthday presents. After a quick 'hi' to Bob and 'adieu' to Julia, we set off up the hill. Shady?  Of course. 

Anyone seen some sheep?  

As life is returning back to a sort of normality, other babes were either on holiday or had other plans. Life just seems very busy and there were even hints that the blog might be late.  

A couple of shady characters

We mostly chatted about the stress of self-updating computers, our inability to keep up and their ability to use up yet more space.  Ilford photos are a definite rose-coloured picture of the past. 

Alison, the nettle basher and gate crasher on a path to... ? 

We arrived early at The Loaf and start with a lovely brunch. Just as Julia arrives, Jo needs to rush home to put the kettle on for Matt who may or may not have escaped from Heathrow.  So swapping one J for another, we start our activity: the Northern Loop of the Crich Heritage Treasure Trail. We wend our way to the old village green and check out the telephone kiosk which handily doubles up as a Defibrillator. 

Pretty, cool  eh?

Crich's open air lido

Having nearly lost the Treasure Trail questionnaire in a bin, Alison took charge! Once a travel and tourism teacher...  

We diligently follow the trail up the hill, admire lots of buildings and find answers to the questions.. 

Where the White Swan was

Where a Chapel once stood 

Until we hear cries for help; the source of which was a vintage gentleman laying on the ground. We kept cool heads, checked he was ok, helped him to his feet, wobbled him to his door and left him in the capable hands of his handyman who, luckily was just finishing a bit of plastering in the shade of the back garden. He's not called a handyman for nothing! Let's also just say that we were thankful that Alison did not need to race back down the hill to that telephone box! We allow ourselves bonus points for services to Crich. 

It's just a cross we have to bear! 

Ignoring  instructions not to stray onto the road, we cross it several times.  We survive and admire all sorts of stonework and end up at the old cattle market. 

Julia's re-enactment of a beast tethered to the rail

We continue to learn about George Stephenson's influence on Crich: the narrow-gauge railway, his love of ale and a grilled chop.

And George's legacy... a playground at the end of the tunnel! 

We head up past the church, admire views of Crich Stand, decide to visit it at a later date,  and give a cheery wave to a lovely lady.

She's at it again! 

We do a bit of tram spotting as it is certainly cheaper than getting on one! And admire the recycled facade of the old Assembly rooms. 

Crich's hidden well. 

We know we are nearly back as we spot the quirky planters from the morning.

Bit too big for our backpacks! 

Albeit a few hours late, Lynn is doing exactly what she said she'd be doing. So we chatted about those sort of books one reads, not for their literary merit but because they are set in our locality.

Set in the Dark Peak then! 

We settle into afternoon tea and cake and compare days before Stag and Hen parties were invented, getting married abroad, honeymoons and cute great-niece baby videos (my payback.. haha!). Holiday costs are also spiralling, but that might be owing to our need to regain our lost entitlement  (so, why not add- a-few- more-days- whilst- we- are-here) and the trouble with arrogant waiters. And what about the continuing effect of Covid? With numbers up again, and even greater numbers of family and friends recovering from it, how on earth are some of us still dodging it?! 

Our time soon comes to an end,, so with further gifting, we then bid goodbye to Lynn and Julia

Might come in useful for dog-catching! 

To finish with a literary mis-quote of a truly accomplished writer : did Alison and Helen J  'cut themselves a new path'* ? Or did they retrace the path Jo found? Our secret's safe between us! 

We spy three helicopters. Can you see them? 

Birds were mostly hiding today but we did see..

Crows

House sparrow 

Swifts

Swallow

Magpie

*Maya Anjelou

Found ewe flocked to a pretty cool place! 

Carsington - again!

Carsington 

June 9th

On a slightly grey morning we assembled according to instructions at the Sheepwash Car Park, three of us exactly on time and the fourth member of the group arriving late - and not the person you would expect to be late! Julia and Helen J off on their travels again, Lynn being fitted with a new coil spring and Janice has a date with Mick! So four of us in total with Alison meeting us somewhere along the way.

After making a fuss of Bob who didn’t seem at all sheepish about his recent exploits we set of to walk to the visitor centre.

Everywhere is looking wonderfully green and pleasant.

Much chat about recent travels, the craze for Ethel bagging and the pros and cons of cruising.

Loads of buttercups in the fields and lots of orchids.

And hedgerows full of dog roses - definitely to be sniffed at…

We stopped off at the hides along the way, thankfully no sign of shags and very little that we could steal from the sightings list. But we did meet up with Alison who wasn’t fooled by us ‘hiding’

Our list was much more comprehensive.

We finally arrived at the visitor centre for coffee which ended up being lunch and the approaching black clouds along with other commitments saw us eventually heading back to the cars where it was a bit like Christmas with the birthday gift distribution, some going back several months!

Not sure what’s wrong with a crepe - unless you’re reading creperie as craperie and thinking it is a Tripadvisor review……..

Wirksworth and Kedleston

Wirksworth Welcome and Kedleston ... 

9th May  and 12th May 2022

In a stylish Wirksworth apartment, fittingly our stylish friend returns. Sporting half a scarf(!) but the biggest smile ever, we hugged and laughed... a lot. 

With most Babes reading the instructions properly, we thankfully had enough mugs for refreshments. Tupperware revealed enough homemade cake to feed the whole town but disappointingly not a slice of kitchen roll was to be found in any of the cupboards! 

Now, hoowzaboout a selfie? With Charlotte's rickety phone camera and Jane's long arm, we somehow manage a group selfie. 

Pam throwing herself into the frame.

Perfect!  

We harked back to times when we 'took action' and swapped our lunchtime duties for trips to the pub, our IT skills ( somewhat varied!) which led to THAT calendar featuring our male colleagues in various guises.: balloons, carrots, goggles, santa ... how did you persuade them Jane?!

Yew look good Jane, but a bit boxed in😉 

Meanwhile Maggie, is looking forward to some soggy weather in the Lakes.  Practising looking out from within at the 

Tebay Services on the M6.

If only she had waited a day, she might have found a drier spot and another babe.

Jo on her way to support Dave get stoned.

Meanwhile Alison is receiving  birthday wishes on the wrong day, and then the correct  day.

A few days later five go walkies in Kedleston. 

Think we might have cracked the group selfie thanks to Janice’s expertise!

After coffee and a good old catch up under a spreading chestnut tree we set off through the gardens and up through the woods, once again Helen J had organised some good weather, a bit breezy but dry and sunny.

Much talk of the perils of no mow May, rewilding, the joys of honesty plants, ponds in washing up bowls and being mistakenly thought of as clueless old ladies!

A band of merry women (slightly out of focus thanks to Betty wanting to join in) - not quite the Major Oak but still impressive and no sign of Robin Hood.

Stopping to admire the view is compulsory at this point - Alport Heights in the distance

Sheep shall safely graze, despite Betty’s best efforts to try and play with the lambs

Wild garlic and much talk of foraging and here’s the recipe for wild garlic soup:

• 25g butter
• 2 (roughly 275g) medium potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 (about 150g) medium onion, chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 4 big handfuls (about 200g) of wild garlic leaves, chopped 
• 100ml double cream
• Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When foaming, add the potatoes and onion, then toss until well coated. Season. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.Add the stock, bring to the boil, then add the wild garlic and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Immediately liquidise the soup with a hand-held stick blender, then return to the pan, stir in the cream, taste and season. Serve hot with crusty bread.

The garlic mustard also created some interest and here’s  a link to some interesting stuff about it:

https://www.foragersfolly.co.uk/garlic-mustard/

Betty was very excited to be back with her chums and showed her joy by rolling in every type of poo she could find, badger and goose being her poos of choice

A paddle in the mud at the edge of the river - she’s hoping that will mean she won’t have to have a bath when she gets home.

The walk ended in the now traditional lunch on the lawn outside the hall with more catching up, talk of upcoming holiday plans, various ailments etc etc… Pam headed of for her Ukrainian meal and Helen M headed off to bath a smelly Betty. 

Helen J, Alison and Janice went off to explore the hall in the hope of finding the dressing up box

The reception hall for visiting aristocrats. Visiting months were May to September so perfect timing. 40 rooms to stay in. Stay until you felt you had overstayed and then move on to another posh place such as Chatsworth! Go home in September.

Helen J is wonder if this will fit in her van -I’m sure it will!

A bit of light reading

Janice sets the alarm off whilst peering to look at the silver - hope they checked her pockets on the way out

Secret door to unused en-suite.

Roman charity

Quite a pair!!

The bird list for the day:

Chaffinch

Jackdaw

Canada geese

Greylag geese

Blackbirds

Pied wagtail

Tufted duck

Coot

Goosander

Mallard

Swan

House Martin

Crow

Chiffchaff

Swallow 

Oyster catcher

Allestree Park

 Not-yet- rewilded Allestree Park 

14th April 22

Maggie, Alison, Jo, Bob and Helen J, met in the round car park without the need for mobile phones or binoculars to find each other, as instructions had been followed to the tee!  As many Babes, busy with family, were unable to meet up we ditched some of our plans and headed off for a walk in, beyond  and around the park in search of sun for our picnic. 

Bob behaving perfectly, as were Jo and Alison!

  We might have seen moss, fungi brackets, fallen trees, spring flowers up the muddy path and through the woods, but who knows? Because, as some of us hadn't met each other for months, we spent much of the time catching up and ignoring all the wildlife going on around us.

We bumped into Helen's other Thursday friends where we met up with Sarah C-Smith's mother-in-law and wondered why woodpeckers drummed.

Bob on top form makes a new friend.

Feeling adventurous, we left the park, crossed the road and out into open fields into a gentle, warm breeze and lighter clouds.  But when will  the sun actually come out? We admired some of nearby mansions and Alison kindly filled us in on the gossip about which footballers lived there. 

Views across Allestree and Kedleston, sort of. 

Back across the road, we set off down a slightly slippery slope in search of some wildlife.

Found them! 

And, then our first evidence that Allestree Park has been around for a very long time.  

Dinosaurs once roamed here.  Proof in the footprint.

Feeling mellow yellow. 

By now it was nearly midday, so, obviously time for lunch. The ground was a little damp for sitting on the grass, so we went in search of a quiet bench.

Making a grand entrance.

A perfectly quiet spot.

 The most exciting part of the day was clearly the comparison of our picnics.  Three of us with cheese were quite envious of Alison's onion bhaji and mango chutney sandwich; all home-made, of course!  And the sun came out... perfect!

Perhaps Alison is having second thoughts though!

After our post-lunch chat about holidays, snow, Scottish wildlife,  how many Peak District questions we got right on Mastermind and most significantly vet fees, we set off in search of some flower power.

First bloomin' bluebells

Encore: Feeling mellow yellow...

Candles in the shade.

Carpets of wood anenome

And then... the injuries.  First Jo and Bob manage to part company.  Bob ends up in a whirlwind with another tiny dog and Bob comes off worse.

Bob lifting up his poorly paw., but it was his fault!

Fortunately a lovely lady with loads of information, gave Bob the once over and much to Jo's relief didn't charge her anything. However, Bob is made of strong stuff and with the occasional limp, holding his  paw up for inspection and hoping for even more sympathy continued on his now much-embarrassed walk. 

This is what a well behaved owner and her dog look like!

Not quite done with injuries, Maggie was then attacked by a pussy willow! 

Licking their wounds, we sauntered beside the lake and admired the lovely view of Marsh Marigolds

but didn't stay long because of the smelly lake!

It's even too much for the swan! 

We then said 'adieu' to Bob and wished him a speedy recovery and hope that Jo doesn't need to visit the vets over a the Easter weekend! Alison, Maggie and Helen continued up more slopes, through more woods and found the tree where distinctive drumming was happening.  Alison spotted the great spotted before it flew away, unspotted by Maggie and Helen J. 

Our bird list was a bit dodgy considering where we were, so we hope that when it is properly re-wilded we will be able to spot a few more.  19 for the day. 

Plus:  a few grey squirrels, a pond skater and brimstone butterfly.

.