A memorial to a deer ... at Chatsworth

One thing that made my September visit to Chatsworth more enjoyable was all the different things I saw whilst I was there. I did find quite a few things I had never seen before ... including this memorial stone ... 

I had never seen this memorial until September of this year which means I have been going for 30 years and missed it. Now how did I manage that ? I suppose it could be a new memorial but it doesn't look like it does it.

I recall seeing a very tame deer when I visted Chatsworth back in the 1970s so I suppose it could well have been Sarah. I even have some photos somewhere. I will have to try and dig them out ...

In the meantime I just have the memorial stone to show you ~ albeit a rather unusual memorial stone.

Ticking away ... Day 730 ~ "any gentle swelling Charles ?" ...

Earlier today I went back to the Lymphoedema Service to have a word about my Mk. II stocking. I wore it for the first time ... sorry, let me explain. My Mk. II stocking was supposed to be tighter so it compressed my leg more and it was supposed to have a different fitting at the top, around my thigh, so it would stay up better. I wore the Mk. II for the first time a week ago and within one hundred yards on my first walk with it on it had slipped down around my knee ... and I had long trousers on. Trying to pull it up whilst I was wearing long trousers was a challenge but I managed ... and then it was slipping down again. It was less than successful. 

So today I took it back, freshly washed, with one of the first ones I had, to compare them. In short I am now having a third stocking.  It seems that when they saw me last time, not so long, after I had come out of hospital my leg was probably still swollen from the cellulitis and so their measurements were never going to work for me as soon as the leg went down slightly.

New measurements were taken ! 

I am having another Mk. II with revised measurements.

We got to talking about the massage that will help the lymph flow upwards out of my leg and into my body ... and also the exercises. If I do none of these the lymph will just sit in my leg ~ it's the "sloth of the body" is how the nurse described it.

"We don't want your leg to swell any more Charles. We want you to be able to stay fit and get out." she added. She then asked me if I "... had any gentle swelling ...". This baffled me for a split second and then I realised she hadn't said that, I had sllghtly misheard her, ... and I answered "no ... no, at least I don't think so ... I've not looked. No, of course, I haven't got any swelling there, I would have noticed ..."

"Well, that's something you want to avoid Charles. Genital swelling is definitely not something you want ..."

Now I'm waiting for them to let me know when my third stocking has arrived.  Hopefully this stocking will work better for me ... and stay up.

Oh ... I will also be massaging my leg and exercising it to make sure there's no more swelling ...

A Farm Journal ~ from the 16th to the 31st May 1867

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

In this photo John is fourth from the left. My great great grandparents, Ebenezer and Hannah Bowman, are the third and fourth adults from the right. John and Ebenezer were brothers and their parents are the elderly couple in the middle, Henry and Mary Bowman.

"A Farm Journal"continues :~

5 - 16 Ditto weather set potatoes in Pewet Knobs - E.H. home

6 - 17 Fine - frosty nights none too much grass cows milking well too Jesse to Hopton for bones - doing Waterhole to seed down filling a big pit hole up

7 - 18 Ditto weather sow[in]g bones Waterhole etc

1 - 19 Ditto weather

2 - 20 Ditto seed[in]g Waterhole

3 - 21 Ditto little snow at times to Hopton for bones to Watchell for the 3 beasts from Chas Dyson

4 - 22 Very sharp frost hail storms & a covering of snow aft[ernoo]n w[hi]t[e] over at night very cold N.E.wind finish[e]d sow[in]g bones on Waterhole - & part seeds

5 - 23 Fair but cold E wind with frosty nights - little rain even[in]g - fallow[in]g

6 - 24 Ditto ditto & work

7 - 25 the same - pastures are failing cows milking well considering 2 cheeses 1 day 1 the other at both places

1 - 26 Very showery

2 - 27 Ditto Fine growing day

3 - 28 Fine day - fallow[in]g

4 - 29 Ditto

5 - 30 Ditto

6 - 31 Fine growing weather to the Union aft[ernoo]n Audit of Overseers a/c's [sic] - sow[e]d corn turnips Pewet Knobs  

A walk on the Derwent Valley Heritage Way ...

The Derwent Valley Heritage Way is a 55 mile walk from Heatherdene [a car park at the southern tip of Ladybower Reservoir] all the way down the Derwent valley to Derwent Mouth [where the River Derwent flows into the River Trent].

It's a varied walk full of interest though some may say that the scenery becomes slightly less appealing the further south you go ... see what you think in the series of blogs to come.

I started off following the route on the 9th January 2011, nearly two years ago ... and I still haven't finished it, though I haven't got that much more to do. That's the way of things for me I'm afraid.

I started off from Severn-Trent's Heatherdene car park where an impressive carved wooden seat sits outside their toilet block ...

I soon saw my first waymark ! How many more of these would I see I wonder ?

 

At the southern end of the path that stretches away from the car park I crossed the A6013 and leaned over the wall to see how much water was flowing into the Ladybower overflow that day ...



We can all see that there was none.

After crossing the reservoir we turned south and soon picked up the old railway line that is now the Thornhill Trail ...





There were some good views across the valley towards Bamford Edge on the far side ...



At the southern end of the Thornhill Trail, beside a Quaker Meeting House ...




... we noticed some community gardens !



The stonework over the entrance to the Meeting House indicates that it was once a meeting house for something very different ...



... the Derwent Valley Water Board.

In fact it seems that although the building is used for Quaker Meetings there is a Quaker Community there too.

Even though we were moving away from it, we still had some great views of Bamford Edge ...



After walking on the edge of a couple of fields we passed under the railway line ...



... and walked through the grounds of High Peak Garden Centre to reach the A6187. 

We turned left along this road and left the Derwent Valley Heritage Way to walk south-east along the Mytham Bridge road to reach the main road near Bamford railway station. Here we walked up through the village of Bamford itself. 

Have I mentioned that my walks are sometimes not like other people's ? This may be because other walkers probably don't use as many roads and lanes as me. Ah well ... we love looking at other people's houses [we really do].


 We left the main road near the top of the village [somwhere between the two pubs] and walked up what is shown as Bamford Clough and Leeside Road on my OS Dark Peak Map and The Clough on Google Maps. 

I did say that we "walked up what is shown as Bamford Clough" didn't I. Well initially it was a gentle enough climb ...



... though I think you can see from the photo above that it was pretty steep. 

It got steeper ... and rougher ...



In fact, it got even steeper and rougher ... and slippery too ...



We were glad to take a few breaks to admire the view towards Win Hill ...



Then the track [which is in fact a road] got bumpy too ...



We passed one of the five sculptures on the Bamford Touchstone Sculpture Trail. This one represents 'Air' ...



All the way up this very steep track I had been concerned that we might have met something coming down ... a 4x4 or some motorbikes perhaps.

As we got near the top of the track we noticed a very poignant plaque beside the track ...



Feeling tired and rather subdued we finally reached the top of the track and turned left down New Road with Bamford Edge above us on our right. On the roadside we passed an interesting old stone fencepost though it wasn't being used quite as it would have been used in the past ...



As we descended we had Win Hill away to our left all the way ...



At the bottom of the hill, on reaching the A6013 we turned right and retraced our steps back to the car. An interesting and sometimes taxing walk.

This walk was followed on the 9th January 2011
 
Length of walk ~ 5.6 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 10,8 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 9th January 2011 ~ 539.85 miles
 
3 of 2011
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/15 ...

... and so to the sound of much cheering, sighs of relief and the odd muttered "Thank God that's it ..." we reach the last sculpture in 'Beyond Limits' at Chatsworth.

Fortunately we end with a good one, Nijinski Hare ...

It has been sited so that Chatsworth House provides the backdrop ... 

 

... and this provides a great contrast ...

 

I do feel though that it looks as though Nijinski Hare is playing football rather than ballet dancing ...



The slight haziness in the photo above was due to the water vapour drifting across from the Emperor Fountain over my right shoulder.

If you want to visit 'Beyond Limits' this year you'd better hurry ~ it ends tomorrow, Sunday, the 28th October 2012.

I end with Nijinski Hare getting in a cross from the wing dancing off into the autumn night.

 

 I'm not quite finished though. Overall I found this year's 'Beyond Limits' the most disappointing since I first started to view them. Much as I love Barry Flanagan's work you can have too much of a good thing and this year I had too much of Barry's work. Lets hope that next year's 'Beyond Limits' has a little more variety.

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/14 ...

Size matters ! At least when it comes to Barry Flanagan's hares ...

We're down to the penultimate exhibit ~ 'Large Nijinski on Anvil Point' ... 

 

... and I love this ...

I said it was large didn't I ...

 

Here's a question, are these bronze sculptures solid ?

I think they got the positioning of this sculpture right too ~ at the far end of the Canal Pond. At the other end is the house itself ...

 

There this Nijinski Hare stands, balanced on an anvil point ...

 

... dancing ...

 

Excellent.

A Farm Journal ~ from the 1st to the 15th May 1867

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had three farms, One Ash Grange [which John Bayliff Bowman often referred to as O.A.], Cales and Summer Hill [which he usually referred to as S.Hill or S.H.]

In this photo John is fourth from the left. My great great grandparents, Ebenezer and Hannah Bowman, are the third and fourth adults from the right. John and Ebenezer were brothers and their parents are the elderly couple in the middle, Henry and Mary Bowman.

"A Farm Journal"continues :~

 

5th Mo[nth] 4 - 1st dull & moist morn[in]g fine aft[ernoo]n Heanor M[onthly] M[eeting] 

 

5 - 2 Fine drill[e]d N[ethe]r Intake twice over in two days with black tartar oats

 

7 day 4 Fine sow[e]d 1/2 ton to ac[re] in Heath[sic] piece  S.H. & harrow[e]d for seed[in]g down

 

1 - 5 Fine

 

6 - 2 ditto - finish[e]d Heathy piece

 

3 - 7 ditto roll[in]g N[ethe]r Intake fallow[in]g at S.H. Winkerley [?] for swedes

 

4 - 8 ditto ditto

 

5 - 9 Fine sow[e]d some swedes at S.H. 1/2 bone dust p[e]r ac[re]

 

6 - 10 Showery sow[e]d rem[ainde]r 2 ac[res] swedes S.H. etc

 

7 - 11 Very misty then heavy thunder rain till noon - fine aft[ernoo]n set potatoes S.H.

 

1 - 12 Fine but cold East wind

 

2 - 13 Ditto - fallow[in]g in Pewet Knobs for swedes - self & Eben[ezer] in gig to Chesterf[iel]d - got tea with Aunt - & onto Chas. Dysons bo[ugh]t 3 beasts of him 1 calved Heifer 12£ 1 to calve 13 - 1 d[itt]o 4 y[ear] old duck [next word indecipherable though it looks like 'bile' !] 14£

3 - 14 Ditto weather - went round looking for cows offered for 4 others back to Chesterf[iel]d got dinner at Fletchers bo[ugh]t 1/2 lb potatoes 16/- & 18/- p[e]r lb part Irish & part French - home by Ashford to tea looked at two or three but too dear home found all well

4 - 15 Fine but very cold sharp frosts at nights showery aft[ernoo]n Eben Howitt came yesterday with 2 young horses - sow[e]d 2 ac[res] swedes Pewet Knobs

 

   

 

 

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/13 ...

A change from the hares ! 

Exhibit No. 13 is Barry Flanagan's 'Bronze Horse' ....

Once again though the 'line that mustn't be crossed' gets in the way and spoils some of the photos ...



Just think how much better the photograph above would have been without the chain and metal pegs.

The horse isn't quite life sized ...



... or even lifelike ...



Even so I rather like this horse ...



You could almost imagine him springing to life.

Aimee Mann - Labrador

Aimee Mann is so under-rated ...

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/12 ...

'Drummer' is exhibit number 12 in the 'Beyond Limits' exhibition at Chatsworth ...

 

... and with this sculpture a bit more mischief is injected into the exhibition ...



... there's a bit more menace ...



You wouldn't want to mess with this particular hare ...



... would you ?

Tired stag

Tired stag, a photo by kev747 on Flickr.

Another great photo from kev747 on Flickr ~ this is more for the composition though there are another couple of images taken yesterday that are also worth seeing.

Snakes on a moorland! - Local - Derbyshire Times

Snakes on a moorland! - Local - Derbyshire Times

This is one type of snake we shouldn't expect to see in the Peak District !

Chatsworth ~ Beyond Limits ~ 2012/11 ...

Just four more to go after this one. Will this last handful of sculptures save the day ? How many hares will feature ? 

To start the last third of the exhibits we have Empire State with Bowler - Mirrored ... 

 

Once again I am underwhelmed I'm afraid ...



I can see that they're 'fun' ...



... but now the hares look half-starved ...



The position is wrong for them too, in my opinion. They should be in front of a large privet hedge so they contrast with the hedge. Instead they're in front of a busy background ...



I keep wondering if we're supposed to compare them with King Kong ...



... but all I can do is post this final photograph so that you get some idea of the scale of the actual sculptures.

 

I'll never make an art critic ...