Tuesday 31 December 2013

The Peak District

Here I am again with catching up to do!

We had a quiet day of boat chores on Saturday after we got home.  Mick installed the new water pump, and set about fixing up the old one as a spare. 

Sunday morning the pontoons were icy.  It's the first time since we've been in the marina although we've been told it was like this a couple of times while we were away.  We went out in the car for the day for a drive around the Peak District.  What absolutely stunning countryside.  I can't imagine living up in those hills though.  We had a glorious sunny day, although quite chilly, but imagine if it was icy and snowy and you had to drive home on the steep, narrow, winding roads.  I don't think I'd like that much.

We thought we'd have lunch at the farm shop at Chatsworth.  Being a very sunny Sunday it was crammed with people.  The carpark wasn't coping and the queue for the restaurant was well out the door.  Instead we bought some goodies in the farm shop and drove around to Edensor.  We parked with a nice outlook over the countryside and ate our lunch in the car. 

There were plenty of ramblers out and cyclists too.  So many cyclists without helmets.  My photos just don't do the day justice.  The views were outstanding and sometimes 270 degrees.  It was a very enjoyable day out.

We picked up some groceries on the way back and lit the fire on nb Winton's Folly so it would be warm when Barry and Carol arrived home late at night.

Another quiet day today.  I worked this morning and we wiled away the afternoon catching up on our Christmas news with Barry and Carol.  It was very windy overnight and Winton's Folly appeared to be missing a plank.  Mick had seen something floating in the water when he went over to take our rubbish to the bins.  The "something" turned out to be the missing plank... now way over the other side of the marina basin.  Barry managed to retrieve it with his boat hook. 

We have the resident swans and their two youngsters knocking at our kitchen window.  They actually paddle their feet really hard against the side of the boat to raise themselves up out of the water enough to look in.  It seems every time I stand at the kitchen sink I have a swan peering in.  Our fault of course... we've been giving them scraps.















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