Wednesday was a sunny but cold day at our Bolehill Cottages near bakewell (see here). One cleaner and one handyman here. More jobs in the cottages during the morning before Joanna collected me and we had an Over Haddon WI lunch at the Ashford Arms in Ashford. We have arranged to meet again in May for a walk and afternoon tea. Guess who is sorting that out! Some time in the afternoon to do some more odd jobs and take the dogs out for a walk. A hint of more spring like weather is forecast for the weekend. Thursday 5th March still had a cold touch about it. No arrivals or departures but cleaning for the weekend arrivals continues. Work finished in Shippon and for me work revolved mainly round curtain washing. In the afternoon I went down to Bakewell to get provisions for the next couple of days. Later in the day we had a visit from the couple who live in Ashford and we showed them what we have been up to over the last couple of months. Friday was mainly sunny and felt milder. One cleaner here to give Shippon a final clean and Chris and I did a number of finishing touches. I spent a lot of the day hemming new kitchen curtains for Shippon as well as ironing and rehanging curtains washed over the previous days. Final checks on the two cottages due to arrive in the afternoon, both were here just after 3pm, one has been before. This gave me time to carry on with curtains and I didn’t finish until 7pm. Saturday was another mild day with long sunny spells, not that we had much of a chance to enjoy it. One departure with three arrivals and one cleaner. Staggered arrivals with first cottage here just after 3pm, next one at 5pm and final one at 6pm, all have been before. Busier Saturdays from now on!
Author: Shirley Swaap
Winter’s last bite?
passing shower
We anticipated snow first thing on Monday but luckily none had fallen overnight at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). Handyman here to carry on with work in Shippon. No arrivals or departures or cleaners so I headed down to Bakewell to the market. With a biting wind and snow showers forecast there were a number of empty stalls. I also called in at the Oxfam Jumble Sale. Back home I spent time working my way through outstanding jobs in the cottages. There were many snow and hail showers during the day but nothing settled. In the evening we abandoned the dogs and I headed to Over Haddon for indoor bowls and Chris went to Bakewell for the Photographic Society meeting. I went prepared as snow was forecast but again I was able to get home without a flake in sight. I really had hoped not to wake up to snow on Tuesday 3rd March but we did. Luckily it was only a dusting and luckily the sun soon melted it. I had planned to go to Chesterfield as I had to drop off a box of Over Haddon WI paperwork at the Derbyshire WI Spring Conference. If I had got a ticket I could have listened to the main speaker which this time was Peter Snow. I took the opportunity to have a wander around town as I haven’t done that for ages. Again a few passing wintry showers but nothing significant. I had a number of bits to buy for Chris for work in Shippon as well as returning some items back to The Range and Dunelm and making further purchases. In my absence two handyman were doing some re pointing of brickwork and a cleaner carrying on with the preparations for weekend’s arrivals.
Feb weather stats: highest temp 9.1 deg C on 26th and lowest -3.1 deg C on 1st. Warmest day 18th and night 25th, coldest day 2nd and night 1st. 2.08 inches rain (2/14 6.27 inches) with wettest day 22nd with .79 inches.
A quiet weekend
Friday started sunny but cold at our Bolehill cottage near Bakewell (see here). Two departures and one arrival and one cleaner here. Chris and handyman carried on in Shippon and I carried on with jobs in the cottages and house. As it felt pleasant out of the wind I did some more tidying up of planters etc in the afternoon. Guests arrived at 8pm, they have been before. Saturday was milder with the threat of showers but it stayed dry until later in the day. Two departures but no arrivals. After saying goodbye to departing guests I went down to Bakewell to the Farmers Market which was quite busy. When I got back Chris told me that the hunt had been across our land, I had seen some of the hunt cars on the way back so I knew it was in the area. After coffee I did some checks on the vacated cottages as I do if they are not going to be cleaned immediately. Chris did some more jobs in Shippon and in the afternoon I did some WI work and prepared a shopping list for my next trip to Chesterfield. Green Cowden will start lambing in two weeks time. Sunday 1st March was a cold day with passing wintry showers. We invited the cottage over for coffee and also showed them what we had been doing in the other cottages as they have stayed in most of them. We stocked up on logs and the rest of the afternoon went in odd jobs. In the evening we went to Buxton to see a production of Madame Butterfly at the Opera House. A good show but we went in the 4×4 just in case there was snow, as it had been forecast for the evening in Buxton, but none materialised.
More work in the cottages
Irises in bloom
With a quiet week ahead at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here) work started in Shippon on Monday. One cleaner here to catch up with cleaning and one handyman here to help Chris in Shippon. The main aim is to retile the kitchen and upgrade the lighting in the bathroom. For me various jobs around the vacant cottages. A few wintry showers but nothing settled. One arrival here just after 3pm, they have been before. After tea I went down to the village hall for indoor bowls. Tuesday 24th February saw more work in Shippon and the cottages. A brighter day but a cold wind took the edge of the temperature. One cleaner here to carry on with cleaning. Wednesday was a mild but cloudy day and it stayed dry until the evening. Work in Shippon continued and I washed some curtains. A trip to the vets for the dogs for their annual check-up. Blue has lost weight but Smudge has put on yet more weight. Time to do final checks in the cottage where guests arrived just after 3pm, they have been before. In the evening we went with one of our guests out for a meal at Piedaniels in Bakewell which we all enjoyed. Thursday started mild but wet but as the day brightened up it got colder. A day on paper work for a change and also went down to Bakewell in the afternoon to get some provisions and do some banking. With a wet weekend ahead more bookings look unlikely, next week will be the last chance to do major work in the cottages before we really start to get busy.
A walk in the park
Woke up to a covering of snow again at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here) on Saturday 21 February. Didn’t last long but we did have a few more wintry showers during the morning. Two departures with no arrivals so we made the most of the nice afternoon. We parked at Baslow village hall and I popped into the hall first to have a quick look at the Baslow WI jumble sale. Haven’t been to a proper jumble sale for years! After we had booted up we headed into Chatsworth Park with the dogs and took one of the marked footpaths to Chatsworth House. We paused at the new WW1 commemorative stone wall and also climbed the Queen Mary Bower for a look at the views towards the Edges. Thought we would stop for tea and cake but due to a wedding the restaurants had been closed. Although it clouded up once or twice it stayed dry and it was pleasant albeit cold. It had been a long time since we had walked through the park from the Baslow end so it was nice to see the scenery from this angle. Back to Baslow via a different path and then we stopped at the Cafe on the Green for tea and cake. In the evening we drove to Over Haddon village hall with a couple of our guests for another visit by Breeze and Wilson (a folk/blues/jazz duo). A very enjoyable evening. Sunday saw four departures but no arrivals It started dry but clouded up and by lunchtime was snowing. The snow started to settle but being more like wet snow it soon disappeared once it turned to rain. So a good day to catch up on personal paper work. Luckily we stocked up on logs for the week before it starting snowing ! Enjoy the pictures from Saturday.
Some mixed weather
Wednesday was another mild day at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here), but not as sunny as Tuesday. One departure and some time spent outside tidying up around the courtyard and gardens and stocking up on logs. Also sorted out some stuff for collection by one of the WI ladies for a jumble sale. Chris and handyman did some finishing jobs in Derwent. In the evening we were joined by my friend and her family for a meal. Thursday 19 February was a wet and cold day. Later in the morning we went down to Bakewell for a dental appointment and had lunch at the Tiroler Stuberl, the Austrian coffee and sausage place. Back in time to do final checks before cottage arrived at 3.30. Time for some jobs around the house and least there was a bit of sunshine later in the afternoon. Friday was a busy day with one departure and five arrivals and two cleaners here. A pleasant mild day with sunny spells. Would have done some gardening if we hadn’t been so busy. All the cleaning and checks completed by 3pm. First two cottages arrived just before 4pm, one has been before, the next two arrived just before 5pm, both have been before. Final cottage arrived just before 6pm. A quiet evening in after all that!
A hint of spring?
Wow! What a lovely start to Tuesday (17 Feb) at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). Blue skies, sunshine, and birds tweeting away in the trees. Do they know something? It looked like a lovely spring day and it stayed that way for most of the day, some fair weather cloud appeared in the afternoon and their was a hint of winter still in the breeze but a lovely day nevertheless less. I had planned to get out and do some tidying up in the grounds but the morning went in emails and odd jobs. Plumbers here after Derwent departed to put new water tank in so Chris was involved with that. Found a little time in the afternoon to walk round the grounds and admire the snowdrops, not as spectacular as Hopton Hall, but they look nice and I had forgotten how many we have. I went down to Bakewell in the afternoon and had a bit of a shock. Being half term week it was very busy, it’s easy to forget what Bakewell can be like when it is busy. Noticed Green Cowden Farm had some of their early lambs in the fields. They looked so cute! When I got back I cleaned the car out as I would be taking some of the Over Haddon WI ladies down to Bakewell WI in the evening to see what their WI is like. The speaker gave us a talk on Leek Embroidery (the town not the vegetable) and it was interesting to learn about the silk industry in Leek. Think we may be going back and joining next month.
Hopton Hall
Saturday started quite misty at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). One departure and three arrivals and one cleaner here. All cottages prepared by lunchtime as was those for Sunday. A mass arrival at 3pm, luckily all have been before so Chris and I were able to have a chat with them all as we showed them in. Gave me time in the afternoon to get some jobs done around the house. At least it did brighten up in the afternoon. Sunday started dull but brightened up a bit quicker than Saturday. Two departures and two arrivals with cottages already prepared. Got paper from Bakewell and later in the morning we headed over to Hopton Hall to have a look at the snowdrops. The place was busy but not to busy to have a wander round and stop for soup and cake at the cafe. They were just about at their best. We bumped into the former owners of Bolehill Farm too. Drove home via the wind turbines and back in time for arrival of guests, one is a friend with her family and they have been a few times before. Monday 16 Feb saw one departure and one arrival and two cleaners here to keep up with cleaning. A day of catching up with odd jobs and paper work. Guests arrived just after 3pm. In the evening we abandoned the dogs with me heading to the Village Hall for the Village Hall Committee meeting and Chris went to Bakewell for the Photographic Society meeting. At my meeting I relinquished my WI representative’s hat and took on the Indoor Bowls representative’s hat! Enjoy the photos from Sunday.
Chesterfield again
Smudge in front of the fire as usual!
Tuesday was disappointingly overcast at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). There is hardly any snow left now and more snowdrops are starting to appear! A day to catch up from Monday with emails and jobs in cottages, mainly inventory work, and handyman here with he and Chris doing some painting in a cottage. A busy day for emails with a number of bookings as a result. Wednesday was similar weather wise but felt colder. Another busy morning for emails and preparing shopping lists for the afternoon. Chris was still busy with jobs in cottages. After lunch I set off for Chesterfield to do another round of shopping. Since the last shop a few weeks ago there was another load of things to get and some items to return so my stops today included B&Q, the Range, Dunelm and Morrisons (to do some food shopping!) Some more bookings too in the evening. Thursday 12 February was another cold day, mainly dull with a little brightness. One departure and one arrival and one cleaner here. The morning went in cleaning and cottage preparations for the weekend and the afternoon went in paperwork and paying bills. Cottage arrived just after 3pm. Not long after a new mattress arrived so we put that in Sheepfold and took the old one to one of our cleaners. Friday was wet on and off. Chris needed to go to Buxton in the morning leaving me to carry on getting cottages ready for the weekend. One arrival, not here until 10.30pm, they have been before so let themselves in.
Castleton 8 Feb
Sunday was forecast to be another nice day at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here). Bad news from our main cleaner who had fallen over whilst out roller skating with friends on Saturday night and broken her wrist. Was able to cover her days for following week but she is going to be out of action for a couple of months. The snow is thawing pretty quickly now and I have spotted the first snowdrops! As we hadn’t been out for a while we thought we would drive over to Castleton and perhaps have a short walk. We picked up the paper in Bakewell and drove over to Castleton noting that there was still a lot of snow around and more as we reached Castleton. approaching Winnats Pass we could see where someone had been skiing down the hillside (there was a picture of it in the Independent). The aim was to go up to the Mam Tor car park and do a short walk to the top but despite getting there reasonably early the car park was already full and very icy as was the path up the Tor. Over the hillside looking towards Buxton and Glossop we could see it was foggy whereas we were in glorious sunshine with bright blue skies. No wonder it was so busy so we headed back down into Castleton and had a wander with the dogs stopping for coffee and cake (of course). Back home and time for some jobs before an early tea and off to the village hall for the monthly film night. This time it was Silver Linings Play book. Monday saw another day of wall to wall sunshine and blue skies. One departure and one arrival and one cleaner here. A different day for us today. We were heading to a hotel not far from Leeds to meet up with our friends from Yorkshire for lunch. This was to help my friend celebrate her birthday and we were joined by another couple and had a very enjoyable time. Headed back late afternoon noticing there was a nice sunset with the colours in the sky lasting for a long time. Cottage, who have been here a couple of times, arrived in our absence but I popped round and checked everything was OK before settling down for the evening – after I had sorted out all the phone calls and emails.
