I had been worrying about Monday because after a busy weekend at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here) Monday was a busy day.  Five departure and four arrivals and two cleaners here.  With early departures cleaning was quickly under way and apart from a few minor maintenance jobs cleaning and checking was complete by lunchtime.  The weather was mixed with sunshine and showers but the forecast is better from Tuesday.  Between arrivals found time to keep up with accounts.  Two cottages here by 3.30, one at 4.30 and final at 5.15, three have been before.  Tuesday started dull but brightened up and warmed up during the day. No departures but one cleaner here to keep up with cleaning.  The morning went in odd jobs for me and Chris spent the morning with the Tuesday handymen tidying up in the gardens and more log splitting.  In the afternoon I went to Sainsburys in Matlock. Later in the afternoon we went to Youlgrave to see the well dressings which were excellent as usual.  As it was a nice evening we stayed and had a meal at the Farmyard and we sat outside in the sun with the dogs.  We enjoyed our meal. Wednesday was a warm and mainly sunny day.  Ideal day for a power cut!  This power outage for most of the day was the rescheduled one from just after Easter.  All guests had been advised on arrival and again on Tuesday night.  The power went off just after 9am and was back by 4.45.  During the day Western Power were checking the overhead electric cables in the area and some tree men were also here to lop some branches close to power lines.  I made the most of the day to do some indoor jobs while Chris was mainly outdoors weed spraying and strimming.  He also helped round the cows up for milking.  One arrival here just after 6pm.

Friday was an overcast day at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here).  Three departures and two arrivals and two cleaners here.  Both cottages are here for the Eroica cycling event in Bakewell over the weekend and they dropped off a bike at lunchtime before heading back down to Bakewell.  Cleaning and checks completed by lunchtime and I had time to plant out the final bedding plants and pot on some shrubs I had bought from the nursery.  This meant that I had now finished most of the gardening work for this summer so it will be mostly maintenance from now on.  Chris also spent time watering and feeding the hanging baskets as well cutting the grass.  He also went to photograph a cow for Andrew. Also found time to do some preparations for the weekend.  Cottages back from Bakewell just after 6.30pm.  When taking the dogs for walk in evening a curlew flew close by, pity I didn’t have the camera ready.  Saturday started dull but it brightened up in the afternoon although there were a few showers.  Four departures and three arrivals.  Two cleaners here.  All cleaned and checked by lunchtime.  A rush of arrivals at 3pm, one has been before, so rest of afternoon to do final checks for cottages arriving on Sunday and other jobs.  Two cottages were here for the Eroica Britannia.  Sunday was a better day than forecast.  No departures but two arrivals with cottages already prepared.  We went down to Bakewell to get the paper and had a wander around the show ground where the Eroica Britannia festival was taking place.  This year there was an admission charge but that didn’t seem to deter the queues.  Some 3500 riders had set off in stages from 6am to 10 am on either the 30,55 or100 mile route from Water Street returning to Bakewell show ground later in the day.  The bikes have to be at least thirty years old too!  Back home for lunch then a quiet afternoon.  First cottage here at 3pm and second one at 5pm, both have been before.  Also chatted to our Eroica guests when they returned.  One has already planned to book for next year’s Eroica as soon as the dates are known.

Wednesday and Thursday were our weekend at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here).  Initially I had planned a walk for Wednesday but by Tuesday evening the forecast had deteriorated so we had a day at home.  I had hoped for a fine morning so I could planting out more bedding plants but despite the sporadic drizzle I did some anyway.  By lunchtime the rain had set in but it was still humid so the afternoon went on accounts.  Thursday was also a day off and I had planned for us to go to Hayfield for a walk but it was very breezy and cooler than we expected so we opted for plan B which was shopping!  We hadn’t been to Junction 28 for a while and my chocolate stock was low.  We left mid morning and stopped for coffee and cake at Lea Gardens where it was warm enough to have coffee outside.  The rhododendrons were still out and the gardens are still open for a few more weeks.  From here it was a short drive to Junction 28 of the M1 where we spent a few hours browsing the shops.  Well I did anyway, Chris had a magazine to keep occupied.  Drove back via the Peak Outlet at Rowsley while I was in the mood for shopping then called in at the Chatsworth Farm shop to get some provisions for the weekend.  This was because of the cycle event taking place over the weekend which meant Bakewell would be busy.  Back home late afternoon and by now it felt milder but was still breezy.  We have declared this year the year of the buttercup as we have never seen so many in our fields.  Pity the cows don’t eat them!

Beer Tapas at the Lathkil

Monday was a fine day at our Bolehill Cottages near Bakewell (see here). A busy day with two departures and four arrivals and two cleaners here.  The Tuesday handyman here too and he and Chris did a lot of odd jobs around the gardens and grounds.  Andrew was moving cows and also rebuilt a part of one of our stone walls which had fallen down.  Sometimes they just do that.  All cleaning and checks finished before guests arrivals. Three here by 4pm, one has been before and one is already here for L’Eroica and final one here by 6pm, they have also been before.  In the evening I went to the Over Haddon Village Hall Committee meeting.  As this was the first meeting after the AGM there was a lot to cover so it was longer than usual.  Tuesday was the best day of the week with warm sunshine for most of the day.  We went down to Bakewell later in the

Coconut Cake at the Garden Tea Room

morning, I got some provisions for the next couple of days while Chris went to the builders merchants and the repair centre as one of the strimmers is not working.  We then went to the agricultural merchants to look at a new gate for the garden as it needs replacing following the cow invasion.  As it was so nice we thought we would have lunch out.  It was quite busy in Bakewell so we dropped the shopping off then went to the Lathkil for lunch.  We were able to sit out and enjoy the view. We then walked round to the garden Tearoom and had a chat with Karen and Mark and of course some tea and cake!  Back home I did a little more planting out and Chris used the old strimmer to do some tidying up of edges.  After tea I collected Joanna and we went down to Bakewell for WI.  This months speaker was the Director of Northern Tea Merchants in Chesterfield who gave us an interesting talk on Fairtrade Tea.  A Lovely sunset but the colours had gone by the time I got home.

Sunday 7th June was another fine day at our Bolehill Cottages near Bakewell (see here) and with less of a breeze it felt warmer.  After getting the paper we went to see our cleaner who has broken her wrist.  Due to complications with it she is still not back at work but she needed a hand with some diy jobs.  Back home for lunch and Chris helped move some of Andrew’s cows along the road to some fields where they could munch around the edges after silaging.  After lunch we went to Birchover for their open gardens as we have never done them.  It’s always interesting visiting gardens and on afternoons like this we always find parts of villages that we never knew existed.  We never knew Birchover had a church but now we do!  We also found a spot to look over towards Bolehill!  We stopped for tea and cake at one of the farmhouses on the way out of the village at the end of the afternoon. Back home they had finished cutting in the fields behind us and we’re already rowing and collecting in fields cut on Saturday. At least the weather had held.  Monday stayed fine with a couple of light showers in the afternoon.  No departures but two arrivals and one cleaner here.  Down to Bakewell first thing to go round the market.  When I got back they were rowing and collecting in the fields behind us.  Final checks completed by lunchtime and the rest of the day went in odd jobs.  Silaging continued all day as they also had some fields on their side of so the road to do and silaging finally finished at 7.30.  First guest here at 3.00pm and final guest here at 10.30pm.