The drive to Derbyshire for a family wedding reinforced my view of travelling. Driving is no longer as fun as it used to be. Larger cars, heavy traffic, roadworks, bridges being built to connect who knows where to who knows what, the speed of traffic, the difficulties of navigating in a new area all combined to make me yearn for a comfy coach seat.
Derbyshire days included a lovely day out at the Butterley Railway. We enjoyed a long chat with one of the volunteers who explained that the site was really two separate groups, one running the trains, and the restoration group restoring steam trains. The place was a pleasant walk from our hotel, although we caught a bus back to the town centre. Not much in the town, so walked back to the hotel.
The wedding was a colourful, friendly affair and an opportunity to catch up with cousins and people not seen for a very long time.
Sherwood Observatory was a real highlight and has its own separate report for the benefit of my own observatory. Uploaded as a separate part 2 blog post.
Newstead Abbey provided a pleasant background to a day with one of my cousins. The former home of Lord Byron, the garden had been left untended but the paths were kept maintained and the lake with its array of water lillies. The abbey itself sounded of interest although we did not go in that day. It was quite warm and humid so we sat and chatted and then chatted some more over a cup of tea in the nice tearoom.
The following day we took the bus to Derby. I had not been there before and was pleasantly surprised by how clean and bright it was, with a pleasant riverside walk. Our aim was to locate 27 Queen Street, the childhood home of John Flamsteed. This we did and then found the museum and art gallery with its special exhibition of Joseph Wright paintings. They were stunning. His depiction of emotions and candlelight was awesome. We had an interesting conversation with the volunteers there.
And then it was time to drive home. I chose to make a short detour to see a Peak District village where we stopped for a stroll and a breakfast. The traffic on the M42 is something I never with to experience again. It took me a few days to recover, hence the late uploading of this post. My long-distance driving days are behind me sadly. It is a hard thing to admit to.
It is with disbelief that I hear a news item about vegetables that are ‘too large’ being donated to those who need help. I would have bought them. There seems to be an issue with standardisation, surely, as if they were on sale in a local greengrocer, I am sure many people would buy them.
Karen Hedges 