One minute we are being told that a high pressure is working in and then the next minute a low pressure system swings in!  Having told my incoming guests that we would be enjoying good weather for the next few days I found the forecast had suddenly changed!  Never mind.  Still Sunday was supposed to be dry on the whole with a risk of showers in the morning, so we decided to go for a walk.  Waited for cottage to depart from our peak district cottages then went and got paper.  Had arranged for a cleaner to come up and she would do the necessary in our absence.  We set off for Hartington pausing briefly just outside Monyash to take a photo of a farm that has come up for sale.  It must be one of the last real ‘development opportunities’ in the area and I thought it would be interesting to have a photo of it before it gets developed.  We parked in Hartington without too much of a problem and had a look at the well dressings before we picked up the footpath to Beresford Dale from just behind the village toilets.  We hadn’t got far when a shower broke out so we sheltered for a few minutes before continuing spotting the fishing house of Charles Cotton and the tower at Beresford Hall before reaching the dale.  This is the River Dove still in its early stages.  We moved through Beresford Dale into Wolfscote Dale.  At a convenient point we stopped for lunch.  We then carried on down the dale before turning into Biggin Dale.  This is quite rocky to start with but eventually turns back to a grassy track.  Where this meets the road just outside Biggin we picked up the track that took us back to Hartington where along the way we had some nice views over the Staffordshire and Derbyshire countryside.  We have done this walk before but this time did it in reverse so you always see something you  missed on the opposite route.  As we entered Hartington we stopped for afternoon tea at the Youth Hostel before returning home.  Guests who did not make it yesterday had arrived and within the hour the expected arrivals turned up, they have been before.  A quiet evening but after a long walk that was most welcome. Pictures to follow.

After a lot of deliberation here are a dozen pictures from the Red Arrow display at Chatsworth House, not far from our peak district cottages.

We all wonder where time goes sometimes, don’t we  I haven’t got much to show for Thursday and Friday in my opinion but that’s life. Thursday was another summer like day, pity we couldn’t have had a few more of these in July and August. With no village hall we hosted the digital work shop in the games room.  I went down to Bakewell for the weekend provisions and it was warm enough to have an ice cream in the afternoon.  Friday was a weird day weather wise.  Rain on and off but feeling very muggy. Two cottages out with one back in and one existing cottage moving to one of the vacated cottages.  One cleaner up to our peak district cottages.  Time to get things ready for Saturday and guests arrived about 7pm.

Tuesday turned out to be another fine day at our peak district cottages as did Wednesday, which was quite warm.  On Tuesday another cottage departed and arrived so again a cleaner here.  I went down to Bakewell in the afternoon, which I thought was still busy and got back just as our guests were arriving and it had started to rain.  On Wednesday the scaffolding arrived so that the builder can work higher and the roof can start go on next week.  The steel joists have been delivered too.  In the evening I went to WI at Over Haddon, but with the Village Hall demolished, our meeting was in the church which was nice.  With a number of members on holiday a smaller group than usual enjoyed the speaker, a local musician, who entertained us with a variety of instruments and a bit of audience participation!

After Friday’s excitement Sunday was back to normal.  Sunday was bright but breezy with one cottage departing from our peak district cottages.  Usual trip to Bakewell for papers and recycling otherwise a quiet day at home.  Monday was more active with the builder, a plumber and a joiner here, who put in a velux window, luckily before the rains arrived.  Decided to go to Morrison’s to avoid the chaos.  One cleaner up to ready cottage for arrivals later in the day.  Unfortunately they were held up having been involved in a accident on the way finally arriving about 8pm by which time it was raining quite heavily.  Chris went down to Bakewell for the first session of the Photographic Circle in the evening while I did some paperwork.

Whether it was because I kept on talking about it I kept on finding more to add to Friday’s adventure.  Like if we had stayed at home we would still have had a good view of them because the Red Arrows were re grouping over Andrews fields!  Andrew said he looked out the window and there they were!  They watched them fly back and forth to Chatsworth, as did some of our other guests.  Well next time they come to the show we’ll watch them from here! Finally a dry Saturday, I almost cant remember the last time we had a completely dry Saturday for a change over.  At least it was a less rushed changeover with five cottages out and five back in and with three cleaners up quick work was made of the turn around.  Time to do some inventory checking and Chris gave the lawns a quick cut to make it look tidier. Four guests arrived between 3&4 pm, two have been before, the final cottage arrived just after 7.30pm, they have been here before, but we weren’t here at the time as we had walked up to the back fields to see the balloons take off from Chatsworth.  (I caught up with them later). Less than Friday and too far away from our peak district cottages to be photographed.  Just as well Smudge couldn’t see them, his exertions on Friday meant he was limping a bit.  That’s the problem when he remembers he’s a collie!

Here are the first lot of pictures which are of the walk to Chatsworth, some shots of the Country Fair in the distance, some deer that wandered by as we picnicked, the balloons and the sunset as we walked back.  On has a balloon the other actually has Bolehill on the horizon so we could have got some good shots of the setting sun from the fields behind us had we been home at our peak district cottages.

A quiet day at our peak district cottages with no arrivals or departures.  With another good day forecast we had decisions to make.  The Chatsworth Country Fair had opened, it is on for three days,  we have been before but it has been a few years since we last went, but in the end decided to leave it for another year.  It started cloudy but by lunchtime it had brightened up and was turning into another warm day.  We had known for a long time that the Red Arrows were displaying at Chatsworth this year, but until a few days ago we hadn’t known at what time on Friday they were scheduled to appear.   With an ETA of 4.15 (on the dot) we had decided we would go for an afternoon walk.  The plan was to park at the old Bakewell Railway Station and walk along the Monsal Trail for a bit before crossing the golf course. Up through Manners Wood and across Calton Pastures (from where you can glimpse Bolehill Farm in the distance) and through New Piece Wood to Chatsworth providing the footpaths were open as a number of concessionary paths were to be closed during the course of the Fair.  Well parking and the walk went to Plan A (we had a number of alternative options) so we arrived at Chatsworth about an hour before the Red Arrows were due.  There were already a number of other people there with the same plan in mind and we found ourselves a spot not far from where we had sat a few weeks ago.  This gave us a good view up and down the Derwent valley and over head so we hoped it would be a good spot to see the display.  We had time to observe the scale of the Fair and cold hear the popping of guns and the general hub bub.  At 4.15 suddenly I could see them approaching straight ahead so we got to our feet and armed with our cameras enjoyed the display.  A number of times they flew (what seemed very low) right over us and disappeared behind us only to pop up somewhere else.  So I resorted to what I called RAF speak when we were waiting to see where they would reappear.  ‘Red Arrows at 3 o’clock’.  The dogs woofed at them as they flew over.  The display lasted about 30 minutes and I think I was exhausted by the excitement of it all!  For a few moments after they had gone there was utter silence before activities at the show recommenced.  We had brought a picnic tea with us so we had that as we watched the crowds disperse from the first day.  As we set off back to cross through the wood we spotted a hot air balloon taking off from Chatsworth so we stopped and watched for about an hour as about 20 balloons took off.  Plenty more woofing from the dogs and Smudge was running up and down so much that it made Chris laugh!  So more photographs.  The noise the balloons made as the burners were on sounded like a heavy breathing dragon!  We then set off back to the car and with it being about an hours walk we wanted to get back before it got too dark.  I made Chris ring the bell at the golf course. It was a lovely sunset.  We got back just as two other cottages did they had also been to the Fair so we all swapped stories.  Now to sort out the 200 plus photos I have taken…

Summer is making one last stand.  Hurrah!  Wednesday was a quiet day at our peak district cottages with time to catch up with household chores and paperwork.  Also prepared for first WI committee meeting of the season later that evening when I collected Joanna and we went down to the President’s house in Bakewell.  In the afternoon went down to Bakewell which was still very busy.  Thursday was a busier day with one cottage out and three back in.  One cleaner up and time to do some odd jobs in the cottages before guests arrived.  Two cottages here by 3pm and final cottage arrived just before 6pm. In the afternoon we had some visitors, a couple who run a B&B in Great Yarmouth.  We are still members of a B&B forum with Chris making regular contributions as does the wife who came with her husband  It was warm enough to sit on the patio for a couple of hours with a cup of tea.  Planned a walk for tomorrow and took the dogs for a walk after dinner which I have been doing regularly this summer, the evenings are drawing in though.

Weather stats for August which has been declared as wetter, duller and cooler than usual.  No surprise there.  August had 2.24 in rain compared to 2.45 in rain last August. Two days, 4th and 23rd share the honours for most rain both with .27 in.  The coldest day was 26th with night of 29th being the coldest.  The warmest day was 20th with that night being the warmest.  Highest temp was 21.1 on 16/8 and lowest temp was 7.2 on 30/8.  Highest UV on 3/8 of 7.7.