2019 - a year of mini adventures

 I'd like this year to be one of adventures -
not anything huge and dramatic, just a combination of days out (hopefully to some new places), evening gigs, seeing everyday things in a new light, and trying just a little to step out of my familiar rut.

January 

2nd Evening bus trip to book club -  I feel I've got too accustomed to being given a lift everywhere I go. It's nice, but makes me reliant on what my husband's doing in the evening. So, striking a blow for independence, I caught the bus






4th DPP Festival - Hunger Moon, Ayres, For the Girl, Arcade Hearts, The Covasettes











5th - Calke Abbey winter garden, tapas at Lorentes

6th - lunch at Cromford, trip to Manchester - taking the scenic route rather than the motorway, we stopped off at Cromford Wharf and sat outside by the canal and watched the ducks and swans squabbling over food - amazingly it was quite warm for January.
















And I had a micro-adventure (if there is such a thing) in Manchester of finding my own way from my daughter's flat to the nearest shop. I've been many times but it's the first time alone when you fear you'll get lost - I didn't!






18th - Rebel Rebel gig, Bowie tribute band. I saw these guys a while ago, and I've been intending to catch them again, but haven't. A guy I knew at school plays with them but intends leaving soon so I had to make the effort and catch one of his last gigs.




23rd - dog-walking and re-discovering the countryside I grew up in


26th - Driving into town! For most folk this wouldn't be a big thing but a) I rarely drive anywhere, and b) this involved driving down town just before lunchtime on a Saturday! I wasn't going to push my luck though by going to a multi-storey car park where I'd have to drive up narrow ramps with concrete either side, but parked further out on a nice, fairly empty, open air car park.



27th - Early snowdrops on a blustery day at Shipley Park




February 


This was undoubtedly a month dominated with my father's illness - two hospital stays, with the last one following the stroke from which he didn't recover, but I'm a great believer in the curative qualities of getting out and about, particularly outdoors, so ...

3rd - back re-visiting old places from my childhood; Aldercar Flash nature reserve

Revisiting the snowdrops at Shipley


26th   Elvaston Castle Country Park

28th - Sean McGowan, Brand New Friend, Bodega, Nottingham


March



5th - Shipley daffodils




9th - along the canal at Cromford

18th and 21st - Swan Lake


20th - strawberry gin at Ask Italian

24th - Stoney Wood

26th - Shipley

29th - round the wood - first bluebells spotted!


April

1st - Colliers Wood Country Park, Eastwood

5th - Birthday lunch at home
         Skinny Lister at Rescue Rooms

6th - Birthday lunch at Annie's Burger Shack

7th - Birthday lunch at Cosy Club, Derby (and I drove down town again!) - all three lunches in one post :)
      -  afternoon walk at Swan Lake

13th - Cromford, and Locko Park

14th Derby (with driving and lunch), afternoon walk at Allestree Park

18th - new walk at Carsington Water

21st - new (shorter) walk at Bow Wood, and on to Lea Bridge canal spur and Aqueduct Cottage

28th - evening walk at Duffield Millenium Meadow, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve

May

3rd - 'lunch' at Heavenly Desserts :)

4th - Carsington

5th - Calke Abbey, sunshine and wisteria

13th - Swan Lake

15th - Mapperley Reservoir, Shipley Country Park

22nd - Brinsley Headstocks

26th - Exploring Shardlow 

June

1st - 2nd - A weekend in Manchester (Dunham Massey, Quarry Bank Mill, dinner at Brewski, Bugsworth Canal Basin)

3rd - Tissington Well dressings

7th, 8th - lots of eating out :)

Biddulph Grange

9th - Biddulph Grange Gardens






16th - Swan Lake

17th - to the wood



18th - Derbyshire Big Day Out - Ashford in the Water well dressings, 
                                                    Monsal Head, Alport

22nd - Food and Drink Festival, Shipley Park

23rd - Locko Hall Gardens

24th - Dale Abbey and Hermit's Cave

27th - Hopton Hall Rose Garden
          Youlgreave well-dressings

30th - Wirksworth Hidden Gardens


July

 5th -7th Timber Festival; an introductory overview
                                          enlighten, educate, and inspire
                                          music and more

12th - Deaf Havana at The Venue, Derby (new venue)

14th - afternoon trip to Chatsworth, and evening walk at Locko

15th - evening walk in search of the sunset at Allestree Park

16th - sunset walk along the canal at Shardlow (with too many biting flies!)

21st - Buxton Country Park
        - High Peak Trail at Parsley Hay

27th - Kedleston

29th - Carsington

31st - Belton Hall, Grantham                   Three Days Away - an almost holiday
        - Peckover House, Wisbech
        - Cromer

August

1st   - Felbrigg Hall                              The Sea at last!
          Cromer
          Mundesley
          Norwich

2nd  - Blickling Hall
          Wells-next-the-Sea
          Burnham Deepdale
          Hunstanton                                  National Trust - Five Properties in Three Days

8th -  Carsington

12th - Cromford Canal and High Peak Trail

13th - Locko Park

15th - Breadsall

17th - Biddulph Grange Gardens

18th - Chatsworth  

20th - Darley Park Hydrangeas

21st - 26th  - On holiday!
                      Edinburgh






   Loch Fyne and Crinan - part one; Loch Barnluasgan and Crinan  
                        part two; Crarae Garden and Taynish Nature Reserve
                     
The Hill House, Helensburgh

September

7th - Swan Lake

8th - Chatsworth, Manchester, Wye Valley (Derbyshire)

13th - Chatsworth

14th and 15th - Melbourne Art Trail

14th - Staunton Harold Reservoir

15th - Melbourne Hall Gardens

        - walk round Melbourne Pool

17th - sunset walk round the wood

18th - Calke gardens 

22nd - Quarndon sunset 

25th - Shipley Country Park

27th - Attingham Park, Shrewsbury and Aberaeron , Ceredigion

28th - Solva, Abereiddi, Whitesands - Pembrokeshire



29th - Porthgain, St Davids, Whitesands, Carn Llidi - Pembrokeshire -  Get Outside Day

30th - Abereiddi, New Quay, Bwlch Nant yr Arian - Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion

October

 4th - Museum of the Moon, Derby Cathedral

 12th - Kedleston 

 13th - Shipley

 16th - sunset from the wood

 20th - Allestree Park

 22nd - Chatsworth

 28th - Calke Abbey

 31st - Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
           Appleby-in-Westmorland by night

November

1st - Long Marton
        Appleby-in-Westmorland, riverside walk
        Acorn Bank Gardens
        Penrith
        Pooley Bridge (without a bridge)

       Two night break in Appleby-in-Westmorland

2nd - Appleby-in-Westmorland, riverside again
         Dunham Massey

3rd - Skerryvore - at Bodega, Nottingham

17th - From The Jam - at Rock City, Nottingham

21st - Chatsworth Christmas market and decorated house

29th - Chatsworth again, followed by trip to Manchester and tapas

30th - Manchester




December

1st - sunset walk

3rd - Shipley

6th - Nottingham market and George Gadd at Bodega

7th - Calke Abbey - another Christmas market (!) and illuminated walk

15th - Kedleston Hall
          Sean McGowan at Chameleon Arts Cafe, Nottingham

23rd - Haddon Hall

26th - Swan Lake                                                                }
                                                                                            }
28th - Rushcliffe Country Park                                           }
                                                                                            }  Out and About at Christmas 
29th - Chatsworth (third time over the Christmas period)  }
                                                                                             }
30th - Biddulph Grange                                                       }