2019 - but only the good bits

There was far too much heartbreak and loss in my life last year, and a lot of months passed in a haze of grief, but there were good times too, so for the purpose of this blog post I'm just going to ignore the bad bits.



The highlight of my year has to be our short break in Argyll. we were only there for a couple of days but went walking through forests and along Crinan Canal, and, best bit of the whole year, my daughter persuaded me to go swimming one evening in Loch Fyne.

Wells Next The Sea

Whitesands Bay, St Davids

We cautiously started taking holidays again, with short breaks to Norfolk, Manchester, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Edinburgh and St Davids, and most of the time had beautiful weather.

In Appleby I saw red squirrels racing along branches, seals at Abereiddi, dolphins playing out at sea off New Quay, deer up close at Dunham Massey, a nuthatch (first time I've definitely seen one) and a watchful owl at Acorn Bank, and red kites flying above Bwlch Nant yr Arian.












Nearer to home, in addition to my normal rounds of visiting Chatsworth and local National Trust properties, I eventually went to places I've been intending to go for years - Wirksworth Hidden Gardens, Hopton Hall rose garden, and Melbourne Art Festival.















Throughout the year I went out to local gigs - less than normal, but I'm getting back into the habit -  seeing Sean McGowan twice, Skinny Lister, From The Jam, Skerryvore, Deaf Havana, and other smaller bands.








And, not least (in fact a close contender for top spot), enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing, inspiring weekend at Timber Festival courtesy of organisers Wild Rumpus.

Wirksworth Hidden Gardens and Courtyards

Regular readers (I hope there are one or two) will know how much I love gardening, and, that gardeners' down-time activity, visiting other gardens. Usually this means the vast gardens of stately homes which bear little resemblance to my own tiny plot, but at weekend I visited gardens of a different sort - private gardens opened for just one day, in the Derbyshire market town of Wirksworth.










I'm not going to post photos of the gardens as they are after all private, but the entrances were just as delightful. Wirksworth looks rather built up from the street - the houses form a continuous front to the road with no glimpse of what lies behind, but up narrow passages, through gateways, and hidden behind hedges were so many hidden places waiting to be discovered.









Seeing so many beautiful small gardens was inspiring, though I think the main things I learned was be ruthless with invasive plants no matter how attractive they are!

Wirksworth itself is an attractive place of old buildings and narrow streets leading away from the main road.

We didn't have enough time to visit all the open gardens, but afterwards we walked (staggered?) up Greenhill to the highest point of Stoney Wood to take in the view over the town and across to Black Rocks

30 Days Wild - week 4

This last week of Thirty Days Wild is a bit longer than the others - and, as the weather improved, a little bit wilder.

Day 22 - we went out to a Food and Drink Festival held at Shipley Park, and, after sampling the goodies on offer, went for a short walk round. Shipley Country Park was once an opencast mine but in the years since trees have been planted and meadows grown. It's not 'wild', but it's lovely open countryside with paths and cycle-ways.

Walking through one of the small woods I spotted orchids growing beside the path.


Later that day we went back out to a different, closer to home, area of the park to catch the rather dramatic sunset.

Day 23 - A more 'formal' outdoors day, with a visit to Locko Hall Gardens. Gravel paths lead out past rose gardens and herbaceous borders to a woodland walk with squirrels scampering among the trees





















Day 24 - I've been wondering for a while what this lovely wildflower/weed is, growing in my parents' abandoned lawn. Twitter friends tell me it's hawkweed. I want to make sure to lift some and establish it in my own garden to attract bees.

Another wildlife encounter at my parents - an old birds' nest found inside a cupboard, inside a shed! Those birds were determined to stay dry.












Also, an evening walk at Dale Abbey through the Hermit's Woods with foxgloves, and old twisted trees growing in seemingly impossible places






















Day 25 - a day at home, with bees and other insects investigating the welsh poppies, and a pigeon flying into the dining room window!



















Day 26 - another at home day with more bees, and strawberries (though they're not completely wild)











Day 27 - a day out in Derbyshire with Painted Lady butterflies settling on scabious flowers at Hopton Hall, and later a walk down into Bradford dale





























Day 28 - a day of gardening, supervised by a blackbird singing on the roof. This week's sunshine has brought feverfew plants into flower. Generally there are lots of small insects buzzing round them, but not at the moment I snapped this photo!







Day 29 - the hottest day of the year so far, a day of checking the water level in the birdbath, and finding baby feathers on the lawn.












Day 30 - the last day of the month was still sunny but cooler than the day before. We finished a visit to Wirksworth by walking to Stoney Wood, a 'rescued' quarry now a wildlife haven filled with trees, bushes, grass and wildflowers. A good place to end these Thirty Days Wild.

Ascent to the Stars - Stoney Wood, Wirksworth

Last Sunday was a beautiful day, and, looking for a comparatively easy walk, we decided to re-visit Stoney Wood and its Ascent to the Stars. Situated just outside Wirksworth, this former quarry is now a quiet peaceful place for a short walk, or just to find a spot in the sunshine and take in the view.

I say 'comparatively easy' because although the walk is short, it's steep on the way up! I thought it might have been a little difficult for Dylan the dog now he's unwell, but he scampered on ahead and reached the top long before I did.

At the top, the Star Disc shows the position of stars and constellations. Dylan wouldn't sit for a photo by Sirius, the Great Dog, though.















And if it's too light to see the stars, there are wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

The way down was more circuitous and not so steep - it might have been a better way to go UP as there are also art installations to look at (while you pretend you've not stopped because the path's steep).






























There's a special charm about Stoney Wood, lying I think in its peacefulness, and the delight of seeing nature reclaim a former busy industrial area. From the highest point, another abandoned quarry can be seen, and I hope this one day could become as lovely a spot as Stoney Wood