Blogs from Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 16

" Depend on your walking stick and not on other people " What an interesting and thought provoking Japanese proverb and one which hits the right spot. If you depend on others they can let you down badly. Depending on yourself and your own devices can be the better option. When I was young my dad brought home a book. I cannot remember the full title but it definately had the words "Phrase and Fable " embedded into the text . It was full of wise sayings . Some that were no longer used and were archaic and old fashioned . Others were still part and parcel of the rich English language . Some borrowed from others. Some totally unique . I loved that book. It smelt old . Turning its pages it smelt musty . ... read more

Janet volunteers on a Friday at Chatsworth House,which is about 3 miles from their place. The definite bonus of this is that we can get into the house for free instead of paying £24! Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. "Chatsworth House is renowned for the quality of its art, landscape and hospitality, and it has evolved through the centuries to reflect the tastes, passions and interests of succeeding generations. Today, Chatsworth contains works of art that span 4,000 years, from ancient Roman and Egyptian sculpture, and masterpieces by Rembrandt, Reynolds and Veronese, to work by outstanding modern artists, including Lucian Freud, Edmund de Waal and David Nash. There are over 30 rooms to explore*, from the magnificent Painted Hall, ... read more

Fridays Janet volunteers at Chatsworth House, which is about 3 miles away. It is a very impressive house that is well worth a look both the house and the gardens. Each year they hold a country fair which I have been hearing about for years but this year I'm here for it. Rob, Jim and I went on Friday and Janet, Jim and Jim's mum Ann went on Saturday. It was a bit like the Perth Show without all the judging of things. There was a main arena with displays all day and some rides and then rows and rows of tents selling everything from country clothing, petware, gifts, food and samples, lots of gin stalls to cars and BBQ huts. We had pretty good weather with a few small showers but nothing to put a ... read more

Day 1 of the Pennine Way beats quite a few walkers, we may have met one of them. It’s a difficult and long day. Any day with a section named Jacob’s Ladder is going to be tough. If it was called Jacob’s Incline even that would give walkers some hope without being misled. I’m waiting for sections with names like Rob’s Gentle Meander or Julie’s Easy Decreases in Elevation. I’m waiting but not expecting. It blew incessantly today and we were lucky it only rained briefly as it could have been bitter. We both walked in shorts (not the same pair) and for a while in t-shirts but the wind got the better of us. I didn’t stop blowing until we managed to get off the high plains. The plain is named Bleaklow and you don’t ... read more

We had a relatively early start today as we have a lunch appointment in Derby. After a great light breakfast we were winding our way through the countryside. Today we are meeting up with Pam, a friend of George´s who we have not seen since we moved to Tenerife. She has had a lot going on in her life during that time and it is great catch up with it all. Lunch today was at the local Toby Carvery. Food was great as expected. Was very busy though as today is Easter Sunday here in UK. After a quick cup of coffee at Pam´s we were back on the road again. Our hotel for tonight is the Best Western in Appleby Magma near Derby. It is right near the M42 ready for our journey further south ... read more