A Christmas Past

It's Christmas Eve!

Shall we sit and have a mug of coffee and a mince pie whilst I tell you about the photo below? 

Recently I came across this photograph on the wonderfully named Magic Attic's facebook page.  I visited The Magic Attic in Swadlincote in Derbyshire a number of years ago to follow up some family history enquiries and to donate a manuscript that had been given to me about the history of the nearby village of Newhall.  When I first visited the archives were kept in an attic above a snooker club, hence its name.  It is now housed in the Sharpes Pottery Museum in Swadlincote town centre.  Apparently the photo above was taken from a Magic Lantern slide which was entitled 'Christmas'. It is dated 1911.  A little research had been done to find out who the people were in the photo and imagine my delight when it was found that they were part of my ancestry.  Not a direct line but the man in the photo above was the son of a younger brother of my great great grandfather.   I looked the family up on the 1911 Census and they lived at 59 James Street, Upper Midway which is on the outskirts of Swadlincote. The adults are William Gough, his wife Frances Davies Williams and the older lady to the right could be her mother Jane Williams.  The little girl is Muriel Williams Gough. What a delightful photo it is and Muriel has some lovely toys to play with. I have done further research into the Davies Williams family who seem to come from Monmouthshire and Shropshire but more of that another day.

This year we decided that we didn't want a sugary iced Christmas cake so have made a Dundee cake instead.  I say we as I weighed out the ingredients, washed the dried fruit and started creaming the butter and sugar but in the middle of mixing the ingredients got a phone call about one of our neighbours who is in hospital so Paul finished it, lined the tin and put it in the oven.  It took over four hours to cook.  I hope it tastes okay.  Paul, with his Yorkshire background, will eat a slice with a piece of cheese.

As I get older Christmas seems to me to be a time of reflection when we remember those we used to share it with and think of those less fortunate than us who may be lonely or ill or struggling through troubled times.

I'd like to wish everyone who visits me here a very Happy Christmas and to say thank you for your visits, wonderful comments and special blogging friendship throughout the year.

Walking Again

This morning we returned to Greenway Bank Country Park this time parking our little car at the lower car park and walking the stretch of the path way which goes right around Kynpersley Reservoir. This reservoir holds water, not destined for our homes but as top up for the Cauldon and Trent and Mersey Canals. It was designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1827. Like the canals it feeds it has become an area of leisure pursuits rather than industrial ones.



Unlike the first walk we did where we only saw a couple of dog walkers the lower part of the walk was a hive of activity. There were joggers, weight lifters, bird watchers, anglers and families out for short walks with their children.



The views across the reservoir or pool as it is called were stunning, we walked round to the bridge in the picture above and back round to where we had started. A complete circle.



Under the trees someone had left crumbs and grain for the birds.



We diverted to look at the now abandoned Warder's Tower which looked beautiful in the dappled sunshine.



As squirrels scrambled up and down trunks and branches, ducks entertained with their almost 'guffaw' like call and a stately grebe was diving and disappearing we sat near the pool and drank coffee from our flask and ate my homemade date slices whilst watching the trees reflected in the bright, still water.