Cromford Canal ~ temporary towpath closure

I was walking along the towpath beside Cromford Canal this morning before discovering that part of it is closed for the whole of November.

It was enough to put me off and I took a few photos instead.

The closed section runs from Aqueduct Cottage as Derbyshire County Council call it [I've always known it as Wayfarers Cottage] to Gregory Tunnel. It's being closed whilst a works depot is being demolished.

Whilst I was stood there taking the photo four cyclists came up having ridden along the closed path. They removed the fence, came through and then put the fencing back in place ...

Before anyone points out that there are only two cyclists in the photo perhaps I should add that the other two are a little way away along the towpath, behind them.

This is the first time I have uploaded a photo from my phone to Flickr and then to Blogger. I'm quite impressed though I will stick to the camera generally. Still, the photo also went to Facebook and Twitter almost immediately ... or it would have done if the signal had been better !

Matlock Bath ~ an old black and white photograph

During my legal 'career' clients got to know that I was interested in local history and photography and some kind souls used to hand me photographs and books etc that they thought I might like ... rather than dump them in the bin. So there was an upside to the law.

Here's an interesting black and white image [scanned from a photograph I was given] which was taken I believe on the main road passing through Matlock Bath, about five miles from here.

I have the feeling that these buildings have gone though I think I saw them before they were demolished. Who knows someone might come along and tell me they are still there.

Whilst this may not be of much interest outside our immediate area I thought that it might be of passing interest to one or two of you.

If anyone has any information as regards this photograph I would be pleased to hear from you.

On the back of the photograph someone has written "WALKERS (PLUMBERS ETC.)"

 It's over to you ...

The Conservative Wall !

The Conservative Wall is at Chatsworth ...

... and I can do no better than show you the information panel [in Chatsworth blue rather than Conservative blue presumably] that explains why it is so called.

A Farm Journal ~ from the 1st to the 15th June 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 :~

 7 day 1st 6 Mo[nth] Ditto weather wash[e]d some sheep - was ordered to take the sheep out of Lanes - Co[u]s[in] Frank & Annie Howitt came to tea

1 - 2 Fine morn[in]g - wet aft[ernoo]n to O.A. to tea & down dale

2 - 3 Very thoro' wet but fine growing day - F & A left for Ashford

3 - 4 Fine day finish[e]d washing sheep

4 - 5 Very wet early SA & I to Ashf[or]d to Breakf[ast] & then on to Chesterf[ield] M[onthly M[eeting] & on to Eckington aft[ernoo]n to Chas Dyson's found Chas very poorly stayed all night & on to M[an]chester morn[in]g B & RA's all well

6 day to J B B Edmondson's to tea

7 day to look at his factory & home 9 p.m. Very showery all the time

1 - 9 Fine day

2 - 10 D[itt]o B[akewe]ll fait bo[ugh]t 12 pigs 22/- - Middleton to tea Co[u]s[in] E.G. came

3 - 11 Fine sow[in]g turnips

4 - 12 D[itt]o finish[e]d Pewet Knobs

5 - 13 D[itt]o home hoeing swedes - Martin thinning @ 10/- p[e]r ac[re]

6 - 14 Showery & cold W[ind] N[ortherly] fallow[in]g etc

7 - 15 Showery day D[itt]o sow[e]d corn turnips on Stone Pit close S.H. Lizzy & L.A. here

An unnamed sculpture ... at Chatsworth

Still on the topic of what else I saw at Chatsworth [other than Barry Flanagan's sculptures] I'm moving on to an unusual piece.

 There was no name on it or near it and having done a search in Google I could find out nothing about it. Perhaps I will have to buy the Chatsworth guidebook.

It's a slightly unattractive piece to me almost as though all the meat has been boiled off the head of an ox and then the skull has been rammed on a post ...

It's a strong piece though. Heavy and uncompromising.

It's stuck between two ends of a hedge behind a seat ...



That may well be the best position for it from a Health and Safety aspect, of course.

War Horse ... at Chatsworth

In my last blog about Chatsworth I mentioned there were a number of things that caught my eye whilst I was there, other than Barry Flanagan's sculptures.

One of them was Dame Elisabeth Frink's War Horse. 

It is sited near the restaurant and it can be touched and children can sit on it and have their photograph taken, apparently.

There is more information about the sculpture here ...

  

I rather like it. It's strong and self assured.

Ticking away ... Day 732 ~ a second anniversary !

Yes, it's two years ago today that my prostate cancer diagnosis was officially confirmed (I now pronounce you Man and Cancer !) ... and it is very, very hard to believe.

As I was thinking about what to write a number of things came to mind. 

Should I mention the friend who (in a nice way) tried to 'reassure' me (not that I particularly needed reassuring) in those early days that "I should think you'll have three or four years". Well, I'm half way through those "three or four years" now ...

Should I mention how people (family and friends) have surprised me ? Some (no, most) have done exactly what I would have hoped. Others (probably not the ones I might have expected) have really surprised me and in a good way ... then, on the flip side there are others who have, perhaps, disappointed. Would I have been a better friend though if the tables had been turned ? Possibly not ... still, I'm not intending to berate anyone ... this situation is what it is and, do you know, I am enjoying life more than I ever did ~ now ain't that a thing ?

I should mention our wonderful National Health Service. All the treatment I have had (as most of you will know) hasn't cost me a thing (OK I've paid my National Insurance stamp over the years). The doctors and nurses and auxiliaries (all bar two) have been so kind and caring ... well, we should be proud of them.

I'm not going to finish off with a "Here's to the next two years !" ... No, all I 

intend to do, to try to do, is wake up tomorrow morning ...

In the meantime thank you for reading this and thanks to all those friends on here (and before that Multiply) as well as Facebook for supporting me during the last 732 days. Here's to the ... did you see what I nearly did there ?