Buxton

On Thursday we spent a lovely hour or two in the town of Buxton.  I've taken you there before in several posts.  It was the first time we'd viited since November 2019.  Since then the renovation work had been done on the buildings on The Crescent and we wanted to see what they looked like.

 We parked near the Pavilion and had a cup of coffee before setting off into the town. 

The Opera House was open for performances again which was good to see.

We passed by the Old Hall Hotel which is opposite the Pavilion Gardens and Opera House.

According to the hotel's website part of the present building was built for George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury so that Mary Queen of Scots, who was in his custody, could take the waters.  George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury was the fourth husband of Bess of Hardwick.

 Above, St Ann's well.  The fountain, built in 1852, dispenses the famous Buxton mineral spring water.  It stands on the Crescent at the bottom of the Slopes next to the Bath House (below) which is now a visitor centre.

The Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel has now opened after many years of restoration work.  It was wonderful to see the hoardings down and the building in all its sweeping splendour.

In Georgian times there were two rather grand hotels here where there is now only the one.  The buildings on the Crescent were designed by John Carr of York.  Here is a - link - to their website so you can see and read more.

We wandered into the town and spent some time looking around a few shops and gazing at a few buildings.

 

We then found a cafe where we could have lunch. It was quiet and peaceful. The Apple and Blackberry tea was refreshing and the cheese and salad sandwich tasty.  They make their own bread.

The shop had some wonderful locally made treats and goodies for sale.  It's called The Buxton Pudding Emporium.  We didin't try the Buxton Pudding but it did look delicious and quite similar to a Bakewell Pudding.  Here is a - link - to their website.  Here is a -link- to some Buxton Pudding recipes.

 

After lunch we headed back to the car through the hot house where there were many plants to admire.

 

Plenty of fish too.  Below seasonal displays at the flower shop in the entrance.

All for now. Have a lovely weekend.

Between the Storms

All of a sudden it's Friday again.  We've not been very far from home this week.  In fact we hardly left the house between Saturday lunch time and Wednesday morning whilst the storm and then the snow took over. 

On Wednesday morning we drove the few miles up to the town of  Leek to take some books and CDs to the Staffordshire Wildlife Charity shop

We also wandered around the covered market and bought sunflower hearts for the birds and also some plants which have now been placed in a larger pot. I also noticed a lovely stall selling hand made soaps so will probably go back and chose some later as we've gone back to using hand soap to avoid using plastic bottles.

We also bought red berry loose leaf tea from Cafe Apollonia where we stopped for a coffee and toasted tea cake.

We usually have loose leaf fruit teas from Lee Rosy's by post as they don't have a retail outlet now but we prefer to buy locally where possible. We've found one variety of fruit tea at Sainsburys which is also very good.

Towards the end of last year we planted spinach seeds in a pot in the conservatory and this week the leaves were ready to be cut and eaten.

We have a recipe for cheese pie which asks for 'a handful of Spinach leaves' and that was more or less what we had.

The pastry caught a little in the oven but the pie was delicious with salad.

 This morning we walked around the lake at Trentham.  It was very bleak and cold.

 The runner ducks were rather hoping that we'd have seed in our pockets. 

I did spot one of the first Wood Anemones of the year under the trees.  This seems slightly early as they usually flower March to May. 

Now it's time to make sure everything in the garden is safe once again before the next storm appears this weekend.

N.B. For those who asked I've added the recipe for the cheese pie below.

Cheese Pie

500gm puff pastry

Milk or beaten egg for brushing

1 free range egg (2 if additional fillings are added)

110gm strong cheddar cheese

2 handfulls of washed spinach leaves

pinch English mustard

ground black pepper

100g feta cheese (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 220c *.   Roll pastry into two oblongs**  Lay one half of the pastry on baking parchment on a baking tin  and brush edges with the egg or milk.  Mix the egg and grated cheese in a bowl, stir in spinach and mustard.  Season with black pepper.  Spread onto pastry base and crumble in the feta (if required).  Cover with second oblong, sealing well, turn over edges and crimp with fingers.  Brush with egg or milk and mark the top in a lattice design.  Bake for 15 – 20 mins and then, if needed, reduce the temp to 190 degrees and cook for a further 10 minutes until top is puffed and golden brown.  Serve warm.

 * in our oven we heat to 200 c then reduce to 180c after 10 mins  as it gets very warm and can burn the pastry quite quickly.

** we buy the ready rolled sheet and just cut it in half.

At Bakewell

Having spent two or three days around home and not travelling very far we decided that if it was going to be dryer and brighter today that we would venture out a bit further.  The weather on the local breakfast news looked favourable so off we went to one of our favourite places the little town of Bakewell in Derbyshire.  I've taken you here in several posts before but it is somewhere I never tire of and I hope you don't either.

We were in search of a warm, winter shirt for Paul and new jar labels for the jars of  chutney we made over the weekend.  Dear friends from Nottingham visited us for lunch last Friday and brought more apples from their garden with them. You may remember I wrote about making plum and apple jam with the apples they gave us a few weeks ago, this time we made a spiced apple relish and some apple and prune chutney. 

We had a lovely wander around the town and I took a few photos along the way.

 The water in the River Wye was very high as we crossed over the bridge from the car park on the other side.

 

 It was frothing and cascading over the little water falls as it travelled at quite a rapid pace through the town, past Haddon Hall on its way to the village of Rowsley where it joins the River Derwent.

  It always seems that little bit colder down by the water, where the gulls dip and dive and look for food from passers by.

The metal bridge is festooned with love locks, I had read somewhere that these may have to be removed as they are undermining the structure of the bridge.  For the moment they are still there.

 In the centre of Bakewell are lots of little alleyways and courtyards full of interesting shops.

 We always enjoy mooching around them looking in the shop windows and sometimes venturing inside.

 We managed to get some labels from a kitchen shop

I bet this cafe looks lovely all lit up in the early evening.  I wouldn't want to sit outside  at this time of year though.

 Apparently Hulley's of Baslow have been offering bus services in the Peak District and South Yorkshire since 1921.

 The church of All Saints stands high above the main part of the town.  I wrote about it in a post on 26th August 2013 (link here)  It looks from the scaffolding around the tower as if restoration work is being done.

Many shop windows were decked out with Christmas displays and I was drawn to them like a child to the window of a toy shop.

 

These bears were my favourites standing in the door of a clothing shop.  We went in, we bought a winter shirt for Paul at an eye watering cost but as he's been looking for months for a warm, checked casual shirt that was two inches longer in the sleeve we felt it was worth every penny.  Most shops now stock only standard sizes and those that do offer a longer sleeve length only produce them in blue, grey or white cotton for business and working purposes rather than every day casual and leisure wear.

After that it was time to set out for home, we called at the bookshops at both Hassop and Brierlow Bar on the way home.  Hassop was heaving, mostly in the cafe section, but Brierlow Bar was quiet and peaceful much more conducive for looking at books.

Just popping to the Shop

I was writing out my shopping list this morning and got to thinking about how we used to shop when I was a child. No popping down the road to the huge supermarket where everything is under one roof like we do now. The nearest small town to our village was Bolsover three miles away; the larger ones were about six or seven miles with a bus once an hour to Mansfield and every two hours to Chesterfield.

We had a village shop in the heart of the village near the church and school where we children would call to buy aniseed balls and banana flavoured gob-stoppers on the way home. This shop was also a post office which sadly closed about five or six years ago and is now a private house.



I remember that across the road from our house lived a little white haired lady called Mrs Frost and her home was called The White House. She kept chickens and my Mum would send me across the road which wasn't anywhere near as busy then as it is now. I used to take a bowl with me and stand in Mrs Frost's huge farmhouse kitchen. When I think back her scrubbed topped table seemed enormous but then I was only small. She would fill the bowl with eggs and I would walk back clutching the bowl tightly. They would be put on the stone in the pantry next to the meat safe and the bucket of cold water where the milk bottles were kept.


We used to have a milk delivery every day to the doorstep. Once a week the grocer from the nearby town would come with my Mum's order. She had two books she filled out for our requirements one was returned with the order the other taken away for the next. It was a lengthy process as the grocer was a friend of Dad's and he would sit and have a cuppa and chat as the items were checked and paid for. We also used to have 'pop' delivered by the Corona man three bottles I remember Dandelion and Burdock, Cream of Soda and Lime and Lemon.



The pub nearby also sold sweets. The landlady sold them from her kitchen - big boxes of liquorish sticks, penny chews and sherbert dabs. We used to knock at the door during the school holidays clutching our pocket money and she would let us in to choose what we wanted.

I also remember the 'fish man' coming in his van and having to run outside when he 'pipped' to buy fish for tea - we always had fish on Fridays. Last, but not least was Cherry's Ice Cream van oh the joy on a summer evening to have a cornet with raspberry sauce or a milk 'lolly'. Mum and dad always had a wafer; ice-cream sandwiched between two thin wafer biscuits and wrapped around by a thin piece of white greaseproof paper.


Saturday was big town shopping day! We would be off on the bus so Dad could watch his sport on television. In the big town there was a British Home Stores, Marks and Spencer and a Woolworth. A bakers shop and a butchers shop called Birds where Mum would queue to buy cold sliced meat like ham and tongue for tea. There was also the market where we could buy fruit. Dad used to grow most of our vegetables in strict rows in the garden. We also had raspberry canes, rhubarb and gooseberry bushes. I remember sitting on the back steps with my friend with a stick of rhubarb and some sugar in a cup in which we dipped the rhubarb stick before eating it. I remember collecting apples from the orchard at Auntie Ruth's house on the edge of the village; I loved their sharp, green taste. You had to watch out for earwigs though especially in the windfalls. We also had a market garden or two - one specialised in tomatoes the other in strawberries. I can't describe the wonderful taste of both of these fruits - they were famous locally and the markets in the big towns would have them marked as Scarcliffe tomatoes or strawberries. We were lucky to live nearby and with just a knock at the door you could buy a bag of tomatoes or a punnet of strawberries.

Things began to change in the late 50s early 60s when we got a fridge and then a small car and when supermarkets started to appear gradually replacing the local Co-op, Melias or Home and Colonial shops.

Well I think that is enough reminiscing for one day - I'm off to the supermarket with that list!

Christmas Shopping

It occured to me last week that I actually ought to do something about preparing for Christmas; I've been avoiding the issue for ages but suddenly, I had the feeling that I should probably start the shopping. With this in mind, one day last week after work, I walked up into the City Centre to see if I could make a start. I struggled around WHSmith but did manage to get what I wanted and also queued for stamps in the Post Office - now in Smiths. I dashed into M&S but couldn't face the rugby scrum at the checkouts so left there empty handed and foolishly entered Woolworth - I took five steps in saw the sea of bodies and turned round, walked out and caught the bus home, with the intention of trying again the next day. Three days later I still hadn't done any more towards present buying so, yesterday, we decided to see what we could find elsewhere. Our first stop was Amerton Farm near Uttoxeter.

It had been ages since we visited and there were many changes but so many lovely, pretty and festive things to look at in both their garden centre and gift shop; some things very expensive but others at a surprisingly modest price. Here we managed to buy small gifts for all my little great nieces and nephews and gained a couple of ideas for the adults too. I began to relax a little knowing that we had made a good start.

This place is interesting at any season with plenty of space for everyone and lots of things for children to do including a play barn and farm animals. There are lots of smaller shops too including a jewellery shop, pottery and bakery.

I couldn't resist taking the photo below of the cake and sweet shop - what great cakes in the window. Surely they can't be real cakes on display? The designs must be achievable though!

There is also a steam train enjoyed just as much by mums and dads as it is by the children.

We then set out towards Rugely stopping at the Wyvern Garden Centre at Wolseley Bridge to see what we could find. As we were wandering around we spotted Father Christmas buying his Christmas cards at the R.N.L.I. charity stall in the entrance hall. He saw a little boy coming towards him so turned and asked him what he wanted for Christmas. In the split second it took the boy to answer my mind, bathed in nostalgia, thought - a teddy bear, a red train, a jig-saw puzzle and a Christmas stocking full of sweets, nuts, chocolate pennies and tangerines - the words X-Box and Nintendo whisked me quickly back to the 21st century - I only hope that those things bring as much magic to the little boy as the less technological presents did to me over 50 years ago. We moved into the centre and managed to find a couple more present here.

Next to the garden centre, which is close to both the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal is Wolseley Gardens, run by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. After a picnic lunch in the warmth of the car we had a walk around. The lakes were frozen and looked beautiful in the sunshine. Water birds were standing and slithering on the ice and ducks were flying overhead looking for somehwere less icy to settle, perhaps unnerved by the souind of the clay pigeon shooting coming from the nearby Shugborough estate.

The river, too look cold and icy. There were plenty of birds flying around and gathering at the feeding stations and bird tables. Including this festive little fellow.

Just before this photo was taken of the antiques barn across the road from the gardens a group of about 30 ramblers, all dressed in red with santa hats or deer antlers on their heads marched by on their way to walk along the canal side.

All of a sudden I felt slightly festive and a lot more positive; perhaps all the preparations for Christmas wouldn't be so stressful after all.

Blue Monday

According to this morning's news today is one of the most depressing of the year, the day when everyone feels down in the dumps because of post christmas debt, bad weather and failure to keep new year's resolutions. Although pay day does seem a long way away we are just about scraping through, the weather last week got me down - wet and very windy - but today is lovely, cold, dry and very sunny. I didn't make any resolutions so I'm not kicking myself about my lack of application. But, and there is always a but, I think today I will not make a resolution as such, but mentally agree to take part in a campaign organised by today's 'Independent' to tackle the problem of waste caused by supermarket packaging. I have been trying, half heartedly I admit, to not buy things that are over packaged but still it is hard, in some cases for example - soft fruit and berries. I try to buy things that are loose rather than packaged because I think any fruit or vegetable with a skin that can be peeled or washed doesn't need to be protected. The only thing I now drawn the line on is bread.

We make our own bread and have done for years but sometimes we run out and or can't be bothered or don't have time to bake so then we buy bread. If I bought it at the supermarket I always used to buy the loose bread from the baskets until one day I saw a woman walking along feeling the bread rolls with her bare hands. She went back and forth along the row whilst her husband leant on the trolly handle willing her to hurry up and chose something. I had to bite my tongue in order not to say anything but I've never bought any of that bread since. I'm afraid I buy it with wrapping - just in case.

Yesterday we had a long walk along part of the High Peak Trail from Middleton Top to Black Rock, I will post photos when they are sorted out.

Oh, what a laugh

On Friday we went to the New Vic theatre to see the Northern Broadsides production of 'The Man with Two Gaffers' and as you know from previous posts, I love Northern Broadsides, so I have been keenly anticipating this performance and I wasn't disappointed. As usual the exuberance and sheer versatility of the actors was second to none. Every character was a gem, especially Roy North as the vicar and of course actor/director Mr Rutter himself whose reaction to the breaking of his trifle bowl after sticking his finger in the gooey mess was absolutely priceless. I left the theatre with a happy heart and aching sides from laughing so much.


On Monday we popped over to the retail park at Trentham Gardens where all is tastefully lit for Christmas including a German Christmas Market and piped festive music competing with the sounds of Germany from the purpose built bierkeller - on the way home we saw the first house decorated for Christmas. Now this is all very well, I love Christmas but not on the 13th November - could it all start on 1st December please? This early start ensures that by the time Christmas actually does arrive - it's lost it's magic and that is a real shame.