Derbyshire

Lucky enough to have a wonderful 3 nights up in Derbyshire - not an area I knew well at all.  I went with John and his family and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Truly glorious and we were in such a brilliant location.  And all we did was a lot of fun while still feeling like a relaxing holiday.  John was really good at getting us to say what our favourite 4 things were about each day.  There were lots of choose from.  These photos include some of my top fours!

We shared the journey up from Leicester.  John found a compilation CD from 1999 - I think it was Now 42 or some such.  We had a funny time singing along to some of the 'classics'!!  I realised just how lacking my music knowledge is - even from an era I remember watching Top of the Pops!
This is our lovely place that we stayed - I haven't worked out the best thing to call it: cottage, barn conversion... 

We were in the middle of a golf course with nice views out across the valley and with a castle in the distance.  We headed out on a walk for a bit of an explore.   Having left the map at the ranch we was a little longer than intended but a good time no less!

Each night, the younger generation took it in turns to cook.  Think we all did a good job.  It was a nice sized dining room and on the last night we ate outside.

On our first full day, we drove to Chatsworth House and parked the cars.  We went on a walk that had featured in Leicestershire Life magazine.  It was absolutely lovely.  This is the iconic-to-me bridge on the entry to the house.

A stop for our picnic lunch by a pub.

The uphill stretch of the walk - a little trickier - but it was shaded by trees so I couldn't really tell how steep and ongoing it was!

And it let to some good views, over a type of moorland, at the top.

On the second day, we headed to Bakewell, then on to Lathkill Dale.  I didn't really know much about the Dales but they were a nice place to spend time.

One of the great things about the house was it's games room.  We kept finding new and exciting forms of entertainment in there.  We all went over one evening after dinner.  I was feeling tired and not majorly in the mood but had a lot of fun there!  Having a go on the weights machine:

The games room also had these springing running shoes which we had a go at and I absolutely loved the hysterics I ended up in watching people!

And the piece de resistance was the tennis court outside.  We had many a game out there.  I have never enjoyed playing tennis as much before.  I particularly enjoyed it when we played games of round the world, which just seemed ludicrous to try with the four of us, but we managed a rally of into the 30s and I think even once in the 50s doing it that way - much better than properly!!!

A lovely holiday indeed.  Thank you all!

Royal Wedding

Really wish to record about one of the most exciting historical events of my younger life!  Though not quite sure how best to label it!

I was excited ever since William and Kate announced their engagement back in November, though many others only seemed to get into the mood in the days leading up to the event.  Sometime a few months ago, when we were at home and up in the roof, we found a box of magazines mum had saved from Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981.  They were really interesting to look at and they really came in to their own in the last couple of weeks, including a literacy lesson at school!  Wasn't sure what to actually do on the day, Friday 29th April, whether to try and go to London or to join in mum's day of a rolling buffet, family style!  Really pleased John and I chose the latter.

We had had 3 days back at school after the Easter holidays and then on the Thursday night, it felt like a very exciting holiday adventure as we set off on the drive home.  Then it was all systems go on the Friday morning as we had to make it round to the Grandparents by 8am for the start of the coverage.  Mum had been up from some scarily early hour cooking sausages. We stopped to buy a tabloid and a broadsheet on the way there;  I leapt out of the car forgetting I had my Union Jack head bandanna on, but the people in the newsagents seemed to find it funny!

We were greeted by, what else, a feather duster in Union Jack colours poking out of the letter box.  The giggles and excitement were certainly underway! We were all dressed in our best red white and blue - it was so lovely to be with people who were equally excited and wanting to share in the day!

There was food to be unloaded and decorations to add to then we could settle down for the start of Hugh Edwards coverage on BBC1.  And can you believe it, we didn't really leave from our seats for 8 hours!!  The big decisions were just what time to pop into the Dining area, momentarily out of site of the TV but within hearing distance, to fill our plates with the splendid food Mum had created; whether to have the union jack iced Judith during the ceremony; at which point to pop the champagne.

 

Happy day indeed.

Little about me

Post 200!!  Can I believe it??

A couple of things happened yesterday and made me think, blog?  But they didn't quite seem enough to blog about.  So I thought combine them into one post and maybe it will just pass the quality threshold.

The first was (in a entertainingly way) a defining moment of me!  I have had it well etablished in my mind and have even mentioned it on the blog, that the things that I'm passionate about and you ought to know about me are: love of musicals, Harry Potter, Formula One, family, then also ER, Anne, Scottish Dancing...  Well, I had a testing of these yesterday.  I was hurrying back to the car just after 1pm ready to put the radio on to hear how the Spanish Grand Prix had started.  I leapt into the car, turned the engine on and the radio came on.  But the radio had been left on Radio 2 and my hand went to the button to change it to 5Live but then it paused.  It was the start of the Elaine Paige show and the song was Me and My Girl.  What should I do???  The first few laps were under way - those that are most likely to be exciting, but this is one of my favourite musicals???  I ended up listening to the verse and music until it went into the tap dancing then switched over, thinking I could listen to it on iplayer - so I don't know what you'd say would have won!

The second occasion is about wellness.  I had been saying this weekend that it was like I had a cold, but without feeling really bad.  I wondered if it was like normal peoples colds.  My nose, throat and eyes weren't great, but inside my head itself I was ok... mysterious.  Then I was chatting to mum and lizzie and Lizzie said, 'isn't it hayever' and I went 'ooohhhhhh'!  I had been saying to people over the last month or so when asked if I suffer from hayfever, that I never really think that I do, but then I will be feeling unwell and someone will say is it hayfever and then it clicks that maybe it is a really mild form of it.  And that's what happened to me exactly again, and I was even kind of expecting it!  Doh!

So there are two little things about me, recorded for posterity!  Posterity, if you're reading this, do comment and let me know what you think!  Are you pleased I recorded it?

A Sporty Day

A small post and a photo-less one but just wished to make a quick note of the sporty day I had yesterday  - being something that doesn't often happen!!

A group of ladies at school have decided to run the race for life this year.  I did it 3 years ago with mamma and lizzie and really enjoyed it, and am excited to be giving it another go!  After school yesterday we went for our first run together.  There were 5 of us and I was really pleased with how I did.  We didn't all run together and I came in second with another teacher - 1 and a half miles in 17 minutes.

Then John and I drove home and drove to the swimming pool.  We have signed up to do a mini triathlon in June so have been having a go at the constituent parts.

After our swim, we went back to John's then we cycled down to the tennis courts and played tennis with John's family.  Then cycled on to their house, ate and watched the apprentice, then cycled back to John's.

Can you believe it?  I'm feeling tired just remembering it!

Blog updates - quotations

I decided it was time to change the snow picture as the heading, seeing as it has been springtime for so long.  I decided to put a picture of me trampolining up, which when taken in Derbyshire I had thought 'profile picture' for facebook.  And I have consequently spent some time trying sort it so that the sizing is right.  But writing this now, I have thought maybe it might be a nicer idea to put a picture of some flowers.  I take a lot of them but then don't really know what to do with them!  The truth is, I like there to be a picture of me because I am quite vain, but I don't want to appear egotistical and so I have chosen photos where I am not full in the face.  But this one is pretty much just me!  So I reckon I will see how I like looking at it and change it to a flower if necessary. 

The trampolining picture is a portrait size one and so not ideal for a banner.  I have added the blue background to make it fit in the space.  But then the blue background left it looking a little empty so I decided to add some writing to the edges - but what to add?  Ideas that initially came were along the lines of:  Sky’s the limit.  Jump.  Reach for the sky.  Leaping locomotives.

Back at home tonight I have looked at the books on my bedside table that I acquired from Lizzie when she was having a clear out a while back.  I ashamedly really like inspirational sayings, and am one of the people who can stand for ages in a gift shop looking at the fridge magnets with quirky phrases on.   I know must people think they are gushing and sentimental but i like them!


Here are a few that I wondered about for the blog:


Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.  Confucius (551-479 BC)  I have this one up in my classroom.

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspiration.  I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) Adds special appeal to me as she is the writer of Little Women.

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about. Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) This has nothing to do with trampolining, but it just seemed to suit me, which is when I decided writing a post about quotations would be a good place to keep them!

21/5/11  So I have spent about an hour of this Saturday morning trying to get the heading picture how I would like it and am just about prepared to settle as it is now.  Having written the above, I then went and had a shower and found the 'Ain't it a glorious day' quote written in crayon in my shower and decided that's what I wanted on the blog.  Not about leaping, but the colour and atmosphere of the day suited, even if it wasn't May!  So this morning I have learnt how to make a text box rotate and crop a picture elliptically in preview. I came to edit this post to put the updated photo on, but reading the quotes, decided I would really like the first two on there so am going to try add them as text. 

Musical - Mamma Mia

A trip to the West End with friends to celebrate a birthday.

We had all seen the film made a couple of years ago and enjoyed but none of us had seen the stage version that has been going over a decade I believe.  We were excited about the occasion.  It took us a little while to fully ease into it.  I think we were kind of expecting it to be so good and fun that it was a bit hard to live up to initially, but I felt sold from the Chiquitita number.  The Julie Walters character and the other woman (that's how i think of them!) were really great!  And from then on I was going with it and loving it.  I think if I didn't have the film comparison it would seem even better.  The stage (obviously) couldn't manage the beautiful shots of the Greek Island and sea and sun which were amazing, and also it didn't have the big stars.  The dancing in flippers was amazing though - and of course I loved the big set numbers!  A truly silly story but that didn't worry me!  I enjoyed the swaying heads in the audience and there was some singing along from me and others.  Then the encore started and everyone got up on their feet and danced for 3 whole numbers!!!!  Brilliant!!!

So I Say Thank You For The Music...

And, of course, I couldn't stop thinking about the legendary Mark Kermode review of the film, so here it is!!