A quiet day today with a chance to catch up on general tasks around the house and business. The weather held again today. Our draft video arrived and we are pleased with the results but will probably make some changes. Will let some of the guests view it for some feedback.

A fine Saturday – the first for weeks which helped with a busy day. Seven cottages out with seven back in and one staying for a second week. Moved new dining suite and sofa into respective cottages which meant moving other bits around A chance for the B&B guests to have a look at the cottages and also some cottage guests before they departed had a quick look in some of the other cottages. Two cleaners and Fay up but no problems encountered and cleaning finished by 1.30. Just having lunch when first guests arrived on the off chance that cottage was ready but I hadn’t done my checks so they went off for a while. Steady stream of guests arrived between 3 & 5 pm. At the end of the day there were five cottages with guests who have been before! Had probably last ice cream of the season but who knows! In the evening went round to Geoff & Margaret’s at Chelmorton for a meal. A very enjoyable evening and I managed to stay awake as usually on a busy Saturday I could quite easily go to bed at 9pm! Last Night of the Proms so summer over. Probably.

Another pleasant day with both B&B out and one back in so plenty to do. After guests departures went down to Bakewell to get Sunday paper before returning to turn room round. A look at the weather for farmers during Countryfile shows a dry week ahead. At last – a decent week in the offing! After lunch caught up with some odd jobs before arrival of guests. Then an early dinner as we were going to the village hall in Over Haddon for the first of this seasons film nights. Tonight’s film was ‘There Will Be Blood’ starring Daniel Day Lewis. A long film at over two and a half hours so an interval was appreciated. I found it an absorbing film but Cris was not impressed.

Plenty to do today with one set of B&B guests out and one back in. Ironed some more new bedding as well as usual tasks and one cleaner up to turn room around as well as public areas. After lunch went down to Bakewell which was quite busy. New B&B guests arrived about 5pm, they were here this time last year for the Bird Art exhibition in Bakewell this weekend. A quiet evening in preparing for Saturday and watching the continuing drama of The Tudors. I dropped History at school to study Geography so I often enjoy these dramas that fill in gaps in my knowledge even if sometimes they are a bit glossy!

Our ‘day off’ started a bit dull despite a good forecast but after our usual chores it started to brighten up. We had planned to visit Chatsworth House (http://www.chatsworth.org/), well actually the gardens, this year to see ‘beyond limits’, the outdoor selling sculpture exhibition. This is the third year it has been held at Chatsworth House and occasionally some of the exhibits have been a little controversial. This years exhibition had been previewed on local TV on the previous evening. So it was not surprising that when we arrived at midday the car park was already very full. There were about two dozen sculptures dotted around the gardens which we found with the map provided. Some were very good but there were a few which we wondered about – but then that is art. Amongst our favourites was House of Knowledge’. One of the sculptures we never found. I have included some pictures here.
In the gardens themselves there were some new features open to the public for the first time this year such as the Quebec area in which a 300 year old cascade has been restored. If you were to walk the full length of the grounds and back it is not far off 3 miles. The grounds cover over a 100 acres. We had a late lunch of sandwiches and a piece of cake from one of the eating establishments and by the time we had visited the gift shop to buy some bits for the business it was almost 5pm. It had been warm and sunny enough for an ice cream!
Back home a quick check on emails and phone calls before dinner then took one of our guests to our first WI meeting this season collecting Joanna en route. The keep fit session hadn’t finished and we had to wait outside. Our speaker tonight was Sally Mosley (http://www.sallymosley.co.uk/) who lives in Over Haddon. She writes articles for the Peak Advertiser, our local ‘free paper‘, mainly about walks in the area but she has also done articles about dogs in the emergency services and more recently guide stoops. (Stone markers built in the 1700’s to guide walkers in the direction of the nearest market towns). She told us how she got involved in writing the articles and also brought along Alfie, her dog , who has accompanied her on many of the walks. A very entertaining evening and driving back in the dark was a reminder of the changing season.

A damp day forecast so an ideal day to go to Chesterfield for a few bits and pieces. So after cooking breakfast, walking dogs and servicing rooms set off about 10.30. First stop was to find the Chesterfield depot of Bookers. It was easy to find and we had a look round and bought some bits there as they were on special offer. It is convenient enough for me to drive to without Chris. We then went onto a furniture store where we bought a dining table and chair suite and a sofa for the cottages. They will be delivered tomorrow. We then went on to Halfords where we replaced the roof rack bought recently that was missing some fixings. So much for their postal replacement service as after three weeks the bits had still not arrived. By now it was lunch time so we headed for the Town Center and had a bite at M&S. Chris popped into Vodafone and I went to Argos as I wanted to replace a saucepan set in one of the cottages. After a few other purchases we set off for home. The traffic from Chesterfield to Bakewell can be slow if there is a large lorry or farm vehicle and we soon realised we were in a queue of slow moving traffic but it was something completely different causing the delay. A diesel train engine! Would loved to have had a camera. We assumed it was being taken to Darley Dale to the Peak Rail sheds. We knew we would be in the queue for a while, it wasn’t until the engine turned onto the Baslow–Bakewell road (aka 13 bends) that we could make a detour to Pilsley to bypass it. We stopped in Bakewell to get some provisions for the B&B before getting back in time for our next B&B guests. This is the first time they have stayed in the B&B but they have stayed in the cottages. A chance to catch up with phone calls, emails and bits before going out again. this time we were meeting the previous owners of Bolehill and going for a meal at Alberts in Bakewell. This has replaced the Prospect which we had always enjoyed. The meal was fine although Chris always objects to having to pay extra for side dishes such as potatoes and veg. Back here for coffee before retiring to bed.

A lie in! First and last for a while. With no breakfasts to do an early walk for the dogs. Decided to wash the new linen to take away the starchy new feel so washed a few loads of new linen as well as my overnight wash (I had had a washing free night on Saturday). So plenty of ironing to follow. One cleaner up with two rooms to do although only one room back in today. Also a last minute booking for the cottage where there had been a cancellation so full house in the cottages again. Cottage guests arrived about 3pm and B&B guests about 4pm. Warm and dry enough for Chris to cut the grass for the first time in nearly two weeks. Warm enough to sit and have a cup of tea outside! Not going to last though! After dinner did some paper work before sitting down at 9pm. Guess I should mention the film The Duchess which has just been released. Based on the story of the 5th Duchess of Devonshire it has been filmed at Chatsworth House (home of the Devonshire’s) and Kedleston Hall near Derby (standing in for Althorp House). Both can be reached from here – just looking at the Kedleston Hall website www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-kedlestonhall it has a large parkland area with bluebells in spring so I must add it to our list of places to visit.

Another big changeover today with six cottages out and six back in with one arriving tomorrow although booked in from today. Two cleaners and Fay up and with timely departures and no problems everything was finished by lunch time. This also gave me the time to do a few odd jobs. First guests did not arrive until 3.30 and there were intervals between the arrival of all the guests with the final cottage arriving about 6.30. Out of the six arrivals today three have been here before. Better weather today here but obviously there are problems elsewhere. Our guests with the collies last week had left something behind and when I phoned them they told me they had had to walk the last mile home due to flooding (they live near Morpeth, which was on the news). Had just over 1 in rain today as well as just over 1 in yesterday and so far this month we have had 2.99 in rain. There is some minor flooding in Bakewell along the flood plain and there have been problems in Ashbourne too. Went down to Bakewell and did a bottle bank run and got some fish and chips. Had a walk along the river which is high and the flood defences have been put out in some places. After dinner sat down just after 8pm.

Up for an early breakfast so guests could depart for a business meeting. Both rooms out today with both rooms back in later in the afternoon. Two cottages out today, one planned and the other left a day early due to the weather. Two cleaners up, one for the B&B rooms and public areas and one for the cottages. After guests departed did usual chores and some more ironing. After lunch went down to Bakewell which I thought was empty for a Friday afternoon. New guests arrived about 5pm. They have been here before both in the cottages and B&B. After dinner got bits ready for tomorrow before sitting down at 9pm. By this time we had had an inch of rain today. This reminded me I had not written down Augusts weather stats. The warmest day as the 29th with that night being the warmest. The highest temperature was 21.3 on the 6th. The coldest day was the 22nd, although I don’t recall it being that cold. the lowest temperature was 8.7 on 13/8 am. The coldest night was 12/8. The wettest day was the 17th with .78 in rain. Overall we had 4.28 in rain compared to 1.29 last August. As a PS Andrew mentioned we could be in for a warm September as the swallows have hatched another brood. The swallows kept our dogs busy today when I let them out!