Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Buxton Festival 2011 is now in full swing, havng opened officially on Saturday. It’s a cultural highlight of the year, which sadly, this year, we are not supporting as well as we usually do. There are various good reasons, one being a diary clash with prearranged trips and events and another, more shamefully, because we had left it too late by the time we got round to booking – even though as ‘Friends of Buxton Festival’ we have a chance to book before the box office opens to the general public. We’ll try to do better next time.
Anyway, with luck there may be a last minute opportunity as friends and colleagues in the village find they have bought tickets they cannot honour which will be advertised on the blog. We start tomorrow with one of their wonderful mid morning talks in the Opera House. These start at 10.30 – possibly after a leisurely coffee in the sunshine beforehand if one is sufficiently organised, or possibly a pleasent lunch afterwards if not. The talks last for an hour, concluding with very relaxed question and answer sessions; the Opera House is sufficiently small to make it feel quite intimate and uninhibiting, but the audiences are always very respectful and appreciative, and questions – even when very searching ones – are never offensive (or at least, the ones we have been to).
Amongst other literary talks we’ll be going to is Joanana Lumley, standing in for the Dowager Duchess, who sadly is indisposed (at 91 that’s fair enough). There are always a lot of opera and musical recitals, and then the odd cookery demonstration, debates, hosted walks round Buxton and masses of things on the Festival fringe. It is an excellent three weeks.
The talk tomorrow is Professor Christopher Andrew and Professor Keith Jeffrey talking about the MI5 and MI6 – we’re told “Expect an interesting debate on many different aspects of British, colonial and international history over the past 100 years”.
Our local Peak District Premier Cottages group of ‘the very best 4 and 5 star holiday cottage owners’ locally are setting up a very exciting scheme of discounted prices for our guests at various appropriate local attractions, products and restaurants.
Each set of guests will be find a laminated ‘privilege card’ on their set of keys while they are staying, which they will show to the relevant destination to receive the price discount, free pudding etc… The scheme is already up and running although the list is still growing; I have put it up now on a new page within the Tom’s Barn and Douglas’s Barn Facebook site which I can keep updating but you can also click on this link to see the current version from the Peak District Premier Cottages Facebook page.
I already know that Haddon Hall is starting in the autumn (when their tills have been re-calibrated to cope with this special situation) and Sally Mosley’s Guided Walks are offering a 10% discount off her walks which will make them even more enticing and there are numerous other concessions in the pipeline.
Sorry it has taken so long to get round to writing about this. So much has been happening but while we wait to go down to watch the Parwich Hill Race I have a few blissful spare minutes which I shall enjoy putting to good use.
The concert in St Paul’s was a wonderful occasion. John and I had taken an earlyish train down last Wednesday to give us plenty of time before the reception in the crypt at 6.15. The sun was shining and St Paul’s looked wonderful; as soon as we went in we discovered there was a Sung Eucharist at 5 so we decided to get ourselves in the mood, and managed to place ourselves literally beside the choir (complete with young cousin Harry!). The music was superb and an impressive number of people were attending, including a lot of young – maybe that is normal on a Wednesday evening when it’s St Pauls?
We then crept down to the crypt, which had been totally transformed into a party venue. By this time we had been joined by Ruthie and Nick, and Tom Sykes, a family friend and were served generously with wine and canapes before making our way up for the big event, the concert. The Duchess of Gloucester arrived, looking very elegant in a lime green outfit… But still what anticipation…!
Lots of lovely music, mostly but by no means all of the 1st World War era with several Benjamin Britten pieces plus a 7th Century plainsong and ‘How Beautiful are the Feet’ from Handel’s Messiah. And then we had the anthem we had all been waiting for, the first performance of Ben Parry’s especially commissioned ‘Went the Day Well’. It was hauntingly beautiful and there were many family hearts swelling with pride when Harry sang the solo parts, accompanied by his brother Tom on the French horn.
Then it was home to Ruthie’s flat for a delicious meal conjured up by Nick, a quick night, a haircut and then back to the Peak District. I don’t think Boots the cat even knew we’d been away.
Meanwhile, no peacful Peak District for the two boys, who will be now be on their nine-day cycle ride, hoping to average I think it was 120 miles a day for nine days. Rather them then me. You can follow them on their blog which makes terrific reading especially from the comfort of an office chair!
They have already raised over £12,000 for Help for Heroes which is pretty amazing for two 17-year olds, still at school. Help the Heroes has agreed that all of the money raised will go towards the new Just Giving site for any kind soul who is minded to help them in their quest.
The sun has shone brilliantly all weekend, apparently there are more Nottingham campers and caravaners than ever and the Oddfellows Dinner had a record turn out yesterday (so I’m told).
It has been a busy and fun time for everybody and the Carnival and Rec. Committee has done us all proud once again. Our attendance has ben a bit sporadic as, after a buy day yesterday we missed all the evening jollities including our neighbours’ annual barbecue and the fancy dress parade last night as we had been invited to a very lovely party just outside Lichfield to say goodbye to Peter (the headmaster) and Ros Allwood (his very supportive wife) who are leaving the Cathedral School after a number of successful years there. More later, but back to Parwich where we did not return ourselves until lunch time today, having stopped overnight with friends in Lichfield; busy catching up we ducked out of the treasure hunt here this evening but tried to make up for our absence by offering helpful suggestions to the rather perplexed hunters wandering along past the house.
John always takes plenty of photos on these occasions and as their unofficial ‘Official Photographer’ he felt very honoured to be asked by Mick Edge to attend the midday ‘Feast’ of the local Oddfellow ‘Loyal Laurel and Crown Lodge’ as a guest.You can get an idea of the parade and general occasion by looking at the Parwich blog entry which saves me repeating it all!
While all this was going on there was a village market on the green with various stalls and attractions. My main responsibility was to help Sue Hughes on the 1st Responders’ site, selling heart-shaped biscuits and letting people practice or learn how to do CPR (chest resuscitations) on the two limbless Annies lying on the grass! We were most impressed by the children – they all, even six and seven year olds knew what to do, much more confidently than many of the adults. Apparently thay are taught it at school as part of life-saving, which I remember we did too, all those years back, although ours was largely to do with recuing people from drowning; we weren’t allowed to swim in the school pool (this was in Africa) until we had passed our life saving test.
Only one photo from us tonight. This is Parwich pulling Nottingham which sounds rather like David and Goliath! It passed me by, who actually won, but we do have some strong men so possibly it was Parwich!
Another embarrassing delay for the blog output, but we have been busy and down to London… and today was changeover day, and tomorrow is the first day of Parwich Wakes so there have been other priorities.
And it is nearly midnight now but I just wanted to bob my head up again and briefly break the silence. ‘Went the Day Well’ in St Paul’s went very well, and more of that to come, tomorrow I hope. London was good; Wimbledon was on and the Pensions strike was on so we expected the train and things generally to be more crowded. Everywhere was littered with policemen but we saw and heard nothing of the march other than two decidedly nearing pension-age teachers in the tube, looking very clean and orderly, proudly sporting badges asking us to protect their pensions.
There was another incident which we completely missed and John didn’t even know about until I arrived late at our planned meeting for lunch on St Pancras station (who would have dreamt ten years ago that lunch on the station could actually be a treat? In the past all one could have was a greasy burger and chips, with a rather distinctive smell of artificial flavourings and slightly stale hot fat, which the (myriads of) pigeons would do their best to pinch off you).
This other incident was a ‘fire alert’ at King’s Cross. Those of us in the tube hoping to dscend at King’s Cross for St Pancras were told in an announcement – fortunately repeated ad nauseam because it was almost incomprehensible at first – that because of the said alert the tube would not stop at King’s Cross and those that wanted to get off there should descend at Euston. Fortunately I was in good time (train-catching if not lunch-wise) but there were numerous very harrassed looking passengers hurtling along the pavement, pulling behind them suitcases-on-wheels which were lurching wildly from side to side and toppling over in their owner’s haste.
On the road were ambulances and fire-engines and police cars… Whether it was a real fire or a ‘fire alert’ – whatever that technically is – or a training exercise I have no idea. Anyway, I got to St Pancras without any problem, too late for lunch but with several minutes in hand before our train left. Since then we’ve heard nothing more about the incident; it’s almost as if I dreamt it all (which I did not!).
Back to Parwich. It’s always the same: you open the car door and instantly smell that lovely fresh, green, sweet air and hear all the birds. Tomorrow with the Oddfellows’ March, a band, a’village market’ on the green, a mini fun fair (if maxi-noisy) for the children and young at heart, a fancy dress parade and lots more, the centre of Parwich will not be peaceful; up here on the edge of the village peaceful it will remain, but the jollity is not far away for those that want it.
Ideas, please! What can you suggest for our Tom’s Barn and Douglas’s Barn Facebook page to make it fun, interesting and useful for friends, holiday cottage guests and family?
We’re so new, there aren’t too many friends of our site yet to let us know, but hope somebody will!
Some of you may vaguely remember a blog post in February bewailing a) my general ignorance and b) despite this ignorance the fact I had the last two or three years rather neglectfully run a total of three Facebook sites! Needless to say all three are the wrong sort of page for a business which our two family run romantic cottages for two in the Peak District technically are and sooner or later I will have to close down the two barns-based ones, Tom’s Barn and Holiday Cottages in the Peak District.
I had been lazily hoping for the problem to disappear but since the launch of the Peak District Premier Cottages page, and an inspirational Facebook workshop run last week by our friend and colleague, Martin Hofman of Wheeldon Trees Farm Holiday Cottages, we have taken the plunge! ‘We’ actually means me: John is more than happy to hand-hold and keep us supplied with lovely photos but is less inclined to launch into the Facebook world himself (which you have to do before becoming an administrator of a business page). Other members of the family have happily agreed to step into the breach.
Still floundering but rather less so since the workshop, ‘we’ are now anxious to make it a genuinely useful site, not just for chit chat or thinly disguised sales pitches… And we have no intention of neglecting the blog but hopefully making the two work together usefully in an as yet not totally clear way!
Please have a look at our page and let us know what is missing, wrong, could be done better and or more attractively. I am sure the scope is endless, even if one’s time isn’t.
A week today, on June 29th, we are going to a rather special concert in St Paul’s Cathedral. Tom Jackson and Alex Bridle, two 17-year old boys who are both pupils at St Paul’s School in London, have set themselves the target of raising £50,000 for Help the Heroes. Their main challenge (I think!) is cycling from Land’s End to John 0′ Groats in nine days but to my mind organising a concert in St Paul’s is not excatly easy, nor is trying to raise £50,000… And nor come to think of it, is commissioning Ben Parry to write a special anthem for the service, ‘Went the Day Well?‘.
This – apart from the ride – the two school boys have done. I would be impressed anyway, but one of the two, Tom Jackson is a cousin once or twice renoved of mine and I feel remarkably proud of him, amd of course Alex Bridle whom we have yet to meet. And the family pride stretches even further, as Tom’s younger brother, Harry, is a chorister at St Paul’s and will be singing the anthem. Whether he is singing a solo part or not I don’t know, but he sang one at his grandmother’s funeral in March so beautifully that there really wasn’t a dry eye in the church by the time he had finished.
I shall report back at the end of next week. Meanwhile, if anyone would like to support their effort and of course Help for Heroes, they have a Just Giving link on their website and I know they would be very very grateful, and so would I on their behalf. They have no idea I am soliciting possible financial support so of course they won’t be disappointed if they don’t get any so feel under no obligation…
House for Sale
No, we haven’t turned into estate agents, nor are we on any sort of commission but Avril and Keith who live in the village have decided to move to pastures new, so their home at Fernlea House, Main Street, Parwich is up for sale.
Knowing that several of our guests over the years have had more than half an eye on finding a nice house in these parts we suggested to Keith and Avril that we should put up a post on our blog and are more than happy to do so. They are hoping to sell their house privately.
They write: “This is a Grade 2 listed limestone 18th Century former Yeoman’s house in the Parwich Conservation Area. It has been thoroughly and tastefully refurbished and is in excellent condition.
One of the prettiest houses in the village, it is south facing and stands back 14 metres from the road behind a lovely garden. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, large utility room, cloakroom, dining room, and sitting room. Cellar with well!
THERE IS AN ATTACHED BARN (with development potential) containing a stable, tack room, garage, store room and a workshop upstairs measuring 38 feet by 18 feet. THERE IS A LARGE SEPARATE GARAGE with storeroom across the road from the house.
The property has been valued by local agents at £750,000 and is available at OIRO £735,000 FREEHOLD.
For more information and photos click on this link or call 01335 390500 or parsons.parwich@gmail.com”
Who knows, we may end up as estate agents yet…!
I am told feeding on demand is now (once again) the fashion and preferred choice for many mothers and professionals for human babies but it would apper that this is nature’s way too.
We have already shown but will again here on the right let you see John’s photos of our little trio of blue tits who wore ther parents out with their constant open mouths always, always wanting ‘More’ with not a hint of a please or a thank you.
John has just been down to see Patti B’s swallows, lodging in one of their stables. Just look at their open, demanding mouths in the photo on the left. He will shortly be putting up more of these in our photo gallery but I just thought these were rather fun. Meanwhile, to finish off here is a photo of a goldfinch baby being fed. You can’t see his open mouth but you can see why they open them so wide. The parents have to put their entire beak right into the baby’s mouth.
(Couldn’t resist the dramatic headline!)
Poppy is here with her owners, who are staying in Tom’s Barn for their honeymoon. Before they all arrived, John and I went to Chatsworth Farm Shop to catch up on some shopping (it’s difficult to stop catching up once there). John went to ask the butchers section for a bone for Poppy; deciding he perhaps ought to offer some explanation he found himself explaining it was for a dog coming for its honeymoon, so the idea of the hoenymooning dog has rather stuck. Incidentally, the butchers were so tickled by the idea John was handed a quite enormous bone which he had to ask them to saw into slightly more manageable lengths! They refused to charge anything.
Poor Poppy. Nobody quite knows how she hurt herself but as luck would have it it happened as far as possible away from their car while they were walking in Dovedale… She had been loving the walks. They went to Tissington yesterday and returned unscathed but she is young and very lively and apparently prone to getting into all sorts of scrapes- today it was a more serious one in Dovedale.
They say the cut she has is deep but clean, and was well dealt with by our Blenheim vets on the Industrial Estate. She certainly sports a very professional looking dressing – one wonders how long it will take to chew it off? Or maybe vets these days know how to discourage that in some magic way. Her fond owners emailed these two pictures across the Tom’s Barn courtyard but before we feel too sorry for her they do reassure that she has done ‘her sad puppy face’ for us! We are hoping that the injury won’t prevent them from enjoying some more walks in the next few days.
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