Stimpy sitting in Derby – August 2017

In Derby with Tim

We’re now on our third housesit since arriving back in the UK at the end of May, this time at our friends Tim and Jill, who have a lovely house just outside Derby. We’re here for the month of August while Jill, Ellie and James are in Australia, for half of July and August and Tim joins them sometime on Monday (7^th August). Jackie’s niece, nephew and her mum joined us for a few days while Tim was still here and, below are their comments from their stay:

Jackie with Charles and Caroline

Hello, this is Caroline speaking. We have been with AJ and UB since Wednesday and are getting on the train this evening at 17:13 precisely. At the moment all the mad people are fighting to win the game of Boggle Slam. If you don’t know what that is, look it up. I am sitting here protecting my toe from AJ who wants to squeeze the pus out. Ewwww. We went climbing yesterday and I got sunburnt on my face and arms, same as everyone.

I think that Stimpy is THE most talkative cat I have ever seen. She just never shuts up. Anyway, I feel slightly left out of the mad game they are playing and will join in. see you soon, bye… JJJJJJJJJJJJJ

Caroline, Jackie, Charles and Gran (Jackies mum)

Jackie and Brian were very good however; I must say that the meal variety was rather limited as I remember the spaghetti Bolognese from our last outing. I must say though that the cooked breakfast was rather fine and all the house facilities were in good working order. The planned outings were acceptable and the visit to the national memorial arboretum was very moving whilst the climbing excursion was rather fun. However, their keeping of a vicious and dangerous cat has to lower their overall service meaning I can only give a 7/10 with a recommendation to visit. Upon visiting one should demand a crumble from the secret menu which the chef Brian can whip up with ease to an exemplary standard making the cooking a solid 8/10.

Bye, bye Sooty, for a while

To pad in the detail around the above, Abi arrived home on Saturday, not Friday as expected as she too had had a dodgy tummy, I'm sure we are twins separated at birth, so can't tell a lie we thoroughly enjoyed sitting in front of a movie after an easy dinner. Saturday back to it and out for a yummy Chinese. We shared the meal for two between three and were all thoroughly stuffed! 

Hello Stimpy cat

Sunday we packed the car and waved bye bye, though we'll be back for the end of September, so it's not for long. Arrived at Tim's where Stimpy greeted us outside which Tim seemed to find funny as we sat on the floor talking to her rather than coming in to him! Well she is our main charge.....

We had a lovely couple of days with Tim, it really felt like being on holiday, we cooked a roast when we arrived after a short positioning walk. Monday was a lovely day, so we went for another gentle walk along the canal from the marina, to a pub, rude not to have a pint, before returning to the marina for a lovely tapas lunch. The promised pub crawl fell short in the evening as Tim realised that a few pints before his blood tests may not be the best plan, though we did have to walk the village to check the pubs and have a couple as my stress level was through the roof. As commented in the last blog 'can we both possibly pass the TEFL assignment as they are so different?' The answer was no, he did with flying colours, but I had to resubmit my first lesson plan! Not happy. So worked very hard, till we had to go out, tried to drown my sorrows with a couple of pints and some great pizza, which sort of worked till bedtime when I only managed four hours sleep! Oh well, assignment resubmitted by 11.00, fingers crossed! Shopping and prep for the arrival of Charles and Caroline before a trip to the cinema with Tim to see Dunkirk. Really glad we saw it, though it's one of those films you don't 'enjoy'!

Jackie and Tim outside the Hilton House Hotel where we went for our beer and pizza

Well, it was outside the pub, we had to do it!

Up bright and early to get the kids, and gran from the train station, a whole new experience for the kids, train travel on their own, but they seem to survive the experience, as did Gran despite her journey taking longer and cost more while covering a much shorter distance. 

Intersting history of the Hilton House Hotel

Apple and blackberry crumble and custard (and beer) with Tim

Rosliston Park in the afternoon where we followed Caroline map reading us, with what turned out to be a very bad map, round a good wood sculpture walk. Back for the traditional Spag Bol, as mentioned by Charles, it's just one of those things I know they will eat, and I can cook in advance! 

Can we go climbing? Hope to, but not today, the forecast is not up to it, so off to the Heights of Abraham at Matlock Bath, a good plan as it turned out, up the cable car and into a cave as the rain poured down. By the time we came out though it had stopped and the rest of the day was clear. Lots to do, something for everyone, and home tired!

Jackie and Caroline being silly, Charles being cool and gran, well, just not wanting to look at the camera as usual

At Rosliston Park

Friday, hurrah, good forecast so off to Birchen edge for some climbing, though as we went through Chesterfield the road was very wet, but that was the last we saw, did anyone bring the sunscreen?

Having not climbed for a long while we sent the kids up the first route, then Charles tried the harder start, perhaps not, except then Caroline did it, so did I. He tried again and succeeded, no pressure on Brian then! We had a great time, Gran going on the scramble up and down and Charles leading a route and belaying Caroline up while she removed the gear.

Caroline sliding down the pole in the playground

Back to the chicken pie, that Brian had made the pastry for and Charles had made the filling for the previous day. Tim back from his cultural sojourn with his mum we sat around the dinner table talking till bedtime. 

As Charles said, the National Memorial Arboretum today, which was very moving, though we could have timed it better as we did get very wet, but hey, we're not made of sugar. And now? Kids and Gran all packed off on their respective trains, Tim has left for the airport for his three weeks in Oz and it all seems very quiet!

Who took that photo of me sliding down the pole?

Oh yes, and my assignment was remarked on Thursday and I too have now passed with flying colours. Just hideous looking assignment number two to go....









 

Stimpy helping Brian write the blog

Charles showing us how to do pull ups. I managed 5, Charles managed a few more (lots more actually!)

 

Brother and siterly love!

 

Waiting for the cable car to the Heights of Abraham at Matlock Bath

On they get. Did you know, the Heights of Abraham is so called after a famous battle at the place of the same name in Quebec against the French in the seven years war where General Wolf lost his life

Exiting one of the show mines

Fabulous selfie!

Lunch stop

Gran, Caroline and Charles posing, but obviously Charles is too cool to show his face

The Victorian tower at the Heights of Abraham

Caroline at the top peering over the edge at gran below (Jackie was hanging on to her!)

The view down to Matlock Bath from the cafe

Charles abeiling down Trafalgar Crack at Birchen Edge

And then climbing back up again. Its a V. Diff 4a climb

Jackie showing Caroline the starting move on Barnacle Bulge, HS 4c

Away she goes...

Charles on the same climb

And me making a bit of a meal of it. It was hard and pumpy!

Caroline on a very polished Diff that went up through a cave at the top

Caroline seconding up the climb that Charles led, watched over carefully by Brian at the top and Jackie below

Last climb of the day a Severe 4c, one of the top 50 climbs in the Peak District

The National Memorial Arboretum

Unfortunately the rain and hail came down

But we did find the tree planted by Tim's family in memory of his great-grandad who was shot below the heart and lived while a stretcher bearer in the Royal Army Medical Corps in WWI

Here's the plaque

The 'shot at dawn' memorial. The statue represents Private Herbert Burden, one of the men shot at dawn in the First World War for breaking the rules. There are six trees facing him that symbolise the firing squad of soldiers. The wooden stakes represent the other soldiers that died in this way, some under 18 years of age. Today we understand that many of these were probably suffering from combat stress, also known at 'shell shock', but it wasn't understood until much more recently

The huge armed forces memorial at the national memorial arboretum

On one side is this sculpture. The slit between the stone doors is so aligned that sunlight shines through to the central pedestal at 11 'o' clock on 11th November each year

The wall on the left lists service personnel killed since WWII

A final shot of Stimpy relaxing at the top of the stairs