A Farm Journal ~ from the 27th to the 31st March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

1 - 27 Fine day Dearman Cloak [?] here to dine  - self in aft[ernoo]n to his home to tea & on to M[an]chester 7pm all well

 

2 - 28 Fine & frosty - self on to Longstone & Ashford found Father much better - on to B[akewe]ll mark[e]t full of cattle but dear Co[u]s[in] H[enr]y there buying for S.H. dined at Jos[eph] & on with W[illia]m to Middleton had tea & looked round - & on to O.A. at night - all well

 

3 - 29 Fine & frosty - looked ab[ou]t O.A. Eben[ezer] to M[an]chester - self round Monyash & S.H. & to Ashford

 

4 - 30 Fine Self & Co[u]s[in] E[liza] Gott [on the left in the photograph above] to Sandycroft - all well - to Copt Farm sale of imp[lement]ts good sale - on to Fishers & bo[ugh]t 14 sturks @ 8/15/- & 1 cow £15 - Less £1

 

5 - 31 Fine the beasts came from Fishers Chester Fair poor show of graziers many milkers of mongrel breeds 

 

 

A Farm Journal ~ from the 9th to the 26th March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

4 - 9 Fine - Father better - SA & I off for Sandycroft arr[ived] Chester noon & home found all well - they had sown the lints 1 ac[re] & were on sowing the beans & 5 cwt Laws man[ure] p[e]r ac[re] 

5 - 10 Fine breezy day W. N. W. sow[in]g beans & cross cut[tin]g fallows - ewe dead - from that curious dull complaint  - scour & mouth watering - gave Godfrey & Flour grind - (Ewe lambed 2) - SA LA Sarah & I to Chester LA. to Longstone S.A. & I to buy furniture - Dodds

6 - 11 to 3 - 15 Fine sow[in]g beans bro[ther] Eben[ezer] came even[in]g

5 - 17 Showery sow[e]d oats - 13 ac[res]

6 - 18 Fine - fin[ished] sow[in]g oats & har[rowe]d Capt. Arthur's - fetch[e]d seeds fr[om] Chester 

7 - 19 to 7 - 26 Mostly fair few hail storms [word indecipherable] frost & cold N.W.Winds

3 - 23 [this date does not appear to be correct] Showery drizzle sow[e]d  Grass seeds on 13 ac[res]/roll[e]d beans & chain harr[owe]d roll[[e]d oats in lambs come very slowly - 15 E[wes] & 22 L[ambs] - had ewe torn behind & bit in fore leg by dog - she died next day (had two lambs) went with Jones - butcher of Saltney to look for some bar[ren ?] cows went round by Ruton Dodleston Broughton bo[ugh]t 3 - 2 of John Challiner 30 15/- & 1 of John Sheen 14 17/6 of Broughton 

A Farm Journal ~ from the 3rd to the 8th March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

5 - 3 Very wet morn[in]g high tide - made gr[oun]d very wet in work[in]g it to Queens Ferry Coliery [sic] for slack for Engine - making bone manure ready etc

6 - 4 Fine S.A. & I to Nott[ingha]m (Aunt Lucy's - had a cold) rest pretty well except poor Sam's family they have had a very sick house for some time - Whooping cough & measles - sister Maria had gone to Matlock with Wilson & Celia - none of them are very well - met bro[ther] W[illia]m at Nott[ingha]m

7 - 5 Showery

1 - 6 Fine self to meet[in]g - morn

2 - 7 Fine S.A. & I & bro[ther] W[illia]m to Ashford found all well - Eliz[abe]th to meet W[illia]m - Eben[ezer] also there

3 - 8 Fine - Co[u]s[in] Eliza & Joshua - in car[ria]ge to Monyash - paid some bills - round S.H., Cales & to O.A. to dine - met W[illia]m at Cales - he had weighed the cheese for Etches @ 73/- all well at Cales - John Archer & Father to look at some of Eben's straw at Cales - down to One Ash - left O.A. Eben not very well - rest well - to Ashford to tea - Father was not well this morn[in]g his right arm & leg were weak & partly useless his stomach was very much out of order windy took some medicine seemed better - self no worse for the ride

 

 

The Monsal Trail and three of its tunnels ...

The newly opened tunnels on the Monsal Trail were the main reason for heading up into the Peak District in May 2011. After parking at Monsal Head we walked down the lane towards Little Longstone Congregational Chapel ...

 

 

  and the village itself ...

 

Just beyond the Packhorse we took the path across the fields towards the Monsal Trail ...



 The signs on the Trail had been upgraded.



 We turned right along the Trail and headed towards the first tunnel ...



 ... passing under a bridge linking the fields on either side of the cutting ...



 The cutting was soon below ground level ...





 ... and we were walking into Headstone Tunnel ...



 After a few hundred yards we came out into the bright daylight below the Monsal Head ...



 This is an area that has its admirers ...



 We followed the Trail north-westwards ...



 Away to our right there was an excellent view of Cressbrook Mill ...



 We entered Cressbrook Tunnel ...



 On leaving Cressbrook Tunnel we caught a glimpse of the River Wye below ...



  We entered our third tunnel of the day, Litton Tunnel ...



 Before many minutes had passed we came out into the daylight above Litton Mill ...



 We left the Trail and descended the path towards Litton Mill ...



 The butterbur was looking very healthy ...



 I noticed a floating apostrophe on a blue sign that perhaps I ought to bring to the attention of the Apostrophe Protection Society ...




 Beyond Litton Mill we followed the path beside the River Wye ...

 We were soon back on the Monsal Trail, passing over the River Wye a long way below ...



 We followed the path rising from the Trail to Monsal Head itself ...



 As the path rose out of the valley there's a good view of the viaduct below ...



 The whole area was a very healthy green ...



 For the last few yards of the walk the footpath passed through sweet cicely on both sides of the right of way ...



This walk was followed on the 15th May 2011
 
Length of walk ~ 5.95 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 185.95 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 15th May 2011 ~ 707.69 miles

  41 of 2011 [which means in 2011 I was averaging just over 4.5 miles a walk.]
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap

A Farm Journal ~ 1st February 1870 to 2nd March 1870

My great great great uncle John Bayliff Bowman lived at Summer Hill, near Monyash in the County of Derby, until the end of January 1870 when he moved to Sandycroft Farm, Queensferry, Flintshire.

The Bowman family, who were Quakers, had rented 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.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 

 A Farm Journal continues :~

 

4 - 1st 2nd Mo[nth[ 1870 self worse sick all day - at night had to send for Dr. Moffat of Hawarden who reported Scarlet fever so I was booked for a season of bed - had the fever mildly & went on satisfactorily

 

7 - 4th Jesse went home again the men on the farm are plough[in]g or lead[in]g manure

 

15th I was well enough to get dress[e]d & be in the room upstairs - in another week I managed to get down stairs

 

23rd I went out for a walk 1st time & next day 5th day 24th bro[ther] W[illia]m came - was very pleased to see him - he looked round & saw about things I think nothing has gone much wrong - helped to put my a/c right

 

7 - 26 Fine bro[ther] W[illia]m left - he would call at Ashford & see F & M

 

1 - 27 to 4 day 2nd of 3 Mo[nth] - fine up to 4th day - wet - had been working land for beans & lints - 4 wet day no work on land - S.A. & Lucy Ann to Chester to shop etc - expected bro[ther] Eben[ezer] but not come - I did not get out today as it was wet - only have 1 lamb yet - the engine broke down but they are getting it mended at the works - it is a great convenience having being so near a smiths shop 

A Farm Journal ~ 20th to the 31st January 1870 ... John leaves Summer Hill

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.]

John Bayliff Bowman is fourth from the left in the photo below ...

 A Farm Journal continues :~

6 day 20 Hard frost began to get implements set out in Square at S.H. ready for sale & gears blacked etc

7 - 21 Ditto work & weather

2 day 24 Hard frost with a little snow on gr[oun]d few showers during the day

1870 1st Mo[nth] 2nd day 24 1st Sale day at Summer Hill cattle horses & carriages, had a very good sale

3 - 25 2nd days sale ditto weather implements etc - things sold well not a very large company

4 - 26 no sale

5 - 27 Ditto weather 3rd days sale furniture good sale on the whole the best furniture made the worst out -

6 - 28 Ditto weather Valuation at S.H. & packed the cart

7 - 29 Ditto weather Valuation at Cales - final - down to Ashford in evening Isaac went with me to help me carry my things

1 - 30 Fine frosty day at Ashford - to M[an]chester in even[in]g - lodged at the Cathedral Hotel & off by 6.40am

2 - 31 to Chester & on to Queens Ferry & Sandycroft Fine day Taylor-Churton & his clerk met I paid ch[eque ?] £2000 which was telegraph[e]d to Bakewell about no answer had to go to Chester arr[ive]d & rec[eive]d telegram & there was end of the transaction [word indecipherable] inventory & possessions of farm lodged at Hop Pole & to breakfast with Taylor at Grosvnor [?] & on to Sandycroft again - met our folks with the trap 12 oClock at Queens Ferry - all well - self on mare in even[in]g - to Cherry orchard to John Fishers - bo[ugh]t 10 sturks £9 each & then to Green End farm & bo[ugh]t lot of ewes £2 - 8/- & home - sore throat - sent Chas Wright with mare to meet Jesse - self worse had mustard plaster on throat - & went to bed - Jesse arr[ive]d all right very wet night did not unload so had to sleep between blankets self rolled & toss[e]d all night no sleep  

Ticking away ~ Day 1056 ... oh, that's a bit of a blow.

After a week of scans, bloodtests and what have you I turned up at hospital this morning wondering if I was fit enough to join the Clinical Trial I had been screened for ...

The doctor asked how my back felt and I told her that it had started to feel easier. She then informed me that the MRI scan showed that cancer cells had got into my spine and this had resulted in some compression of the vertebrae. As a result the only course of action she could recommend was radiotherapy ... starting today.

The chances of being involved in the clinical trial are obviously reduced but they are going to ascertain whether I can still take part if the radiotherapy is effective ...

By about midday I was once more being irradiated (you feel nothing) and I was home by 2-ish. I will now have treatment for the next four days (excluding the weekend). I have been warned about the possibility of increased pain (at least initially) so I need to keep my painkillers close by.

It's a blow. I have always been able to console myself with the thought that I would get better in a few days time ... or a week ... or a month.

I will prevail for as long as I can.

It is two years and two days since I retired. Here I am enjoying a pint as a newly retired Legal Executive ...