2024

 Last year was a weird one which slipped by without me really paying attention. It feels like it was only a month or so since last New Year!

It ought to have been a momentous year really as I turned 66 and became a pensioner. There wasn't any dramatic impact on my life though as I've been a stay at home mum/homemaker and my husband took early retirement a while ago; the main difference is in number.

Thornbridge Hall 

Getting older has made me more determined to get fitter. Use it of lose it, is what they say! It's two years since my fall-down-the-stairs incident but the enforced rest while my ankles healed knocked my overall stamina (while increasing my fear of steps, stairs, and anywhere slippery), so I've tried to get my daily step-count up with short walks near home though I'm too easily put off by bad or hot weather. While we were on holiday my daughter helped by nagging me into walking further than I thought possible and back home I tried to push my limits occasionally but I still ended the year with a daily average of below 4000. Moving forward I'm determined to improve this. 

Wray Castle

I was definitely busier last year than in 2023. We had two adventures in Canopy and Stars cabins - one in the Wye Valley  near Tintern, the other at Wildernest near the Ceredigion coast, a few days in an AirBnB in Norfolk to visit Sandringham, Houghton Hall and the sea, two weekends away with my youngest daughter - Lake District which was dreadfully wet, and Settle, Yorkshire - and a weekend with the whole family near Prestatyn. In between all that I found time for day trips to local National Trust properties including the Summer of Play activities with my grandson, and a sitar and harp performance at Kedleston, several trips to my daughter in Manchester with visits to RHS Bridgewater and a sitar recital at the Northern College of Music. Then towards the end of the year there were trips to the Diwali decorations at Kedleston, and Christmas  markets and decorations at Chatsworth, Haddon, Calke, Kedleston, and Sudbury. 

I at last made the effort to start two craft kits that my elder daughter had given me - a macrame bag which I've finished, and a crochet bag which is almost done (just the sewing up needed) 

2024 was the year I really committed to buying second-hand. I cautiously tried Vinted at the end of 2023, but this year, apart from underwear and two items bought in the January sales, all my clothes have been second hand; I even bought a swimming costume but never got the chance to wear it. I thought this would be an excellent way to save money but I don't think I've actually spent less - I've just bought more. Still it's good to give items a second home rather than being sent to the dump. I've even bought books and jigsaw puzzles this way for presents. Another second hand bargain was a small sofa; theoretically it would fit in the available space but I wasn't sure how well it would work in practice - a find on Facebook marketplace saved spending a lot of money on an item that might not be appropriate. Second hand does seem to be the way forward for me.

I always believe that there's something new to be discovered - whether it's a previously unvisited garden or a musical performance - and although I haven't found 60 things as I did for my sixtieth year, there've certainly been a few. It's been more a case of new places to visit than experiences but here are some of them.

Wray Castle

Fellfoot

Thornbridge Hall

Wye Valley Sculpture Garden 

Markeaton flower gardens

Coughton Court wisteria 

Thornham

Houghton Hall

Sandringham 

Settle

The highlight though has to be the family weekend away together, something we're planning to repeat this year

One last blast of Christmas - Cinderella at Sudbury Hall

In those slow days between New Year and 'back to school' my grandson came to visit, and for one last blast of Christmas we headed over to Sudbury Hall to see their Once Upon A Time, Cinderella exhibition. Sudbury is known as the Children's Country House with a museum of childhood and a deliberate attempt within the Hall to involve children, encouraging them to search out hidden details their parents (or grandparents) might miss, to dress up for the ball, to settle down in the library and read. There's also a room given over to construction play, and mock cookery encouraged in the kitchen. 

The main attraction though was the themed decorations of Cinderella. The 'cast' of Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, Ugly Sisters etc were gathered round the dining table, a silver slipper waited on a cushion, pumpkins were scattered around under the Christmas trees and by the fireplace.

In the Long Gallery, with its marvelous ceiling, there were games and toys to play with and a small stage where children could dress up and enact the tale of Cinderella.

After exploring the kitchens we headed outside where a fountain was playing despite te ice forming on its pond! 

My grandson wanted to play with the toys and games in the courtyard, and clamber about in the adventure playground, but tbh I thought it was too cold to spend much time outdoors, so with the enticement of a ride in the buggy/bus we headed back to the car,

Despite it being a National Trust property not far from home, it's a place I've never visited before (so there's my first 'something new' ticked off for the year), and I'd like now to return sometime when it's rooms and walls are in their un-decorated state. and the weather is nice enough for a further exploration of the grounds.

 

December

December is always a busy month - more so than usual I think this year with visits to Christmas markets and decorated stately homes, followed by the inevitable shopping and cooking.

We started at Haddon Hall, continued at Calke Abbey and Kedleston Hall, then returned to Chatsworth which we'd already visited in November for the market, but this time to see inside the house.

In between all these trips, I tried to keep up my daily walking (not easy with damp weather and dark evenings), and, very exciting, we had a new front door fitted (a sort of Christmas present to ourselves)

Christmas itself was busy and fun-filled with two full dinners  - one with turkey (though it's missing from the photo) and one with a vegan roast. My grandson's birthday falls in the immediate post-Christmas period so involves another family party - this time with burgers and cake, as he was allowed to choose the food.

The days just after Christmas were shrouded in mist so instead of a walk outside we settled for another inside visit to Kedleston

Kedleston in the mist