Friday was a day of showers with some brighter spells.  Down to Bakewell early to get bits for the weekend.  One of the butchers has closed, which will be alright for the other two, so long as we don’t get another outdoor shop!  On the way back called in the at the Bakewell Auction Room to see the preview for Saturday’s auction.  Just leaving there when got a call from Chis to say we needed more eggs so called into Green Cowden Farm.  Here like everywhere I had been this morning talk was still of the Ashover Show.  It was reckoned that there were 18,000 people there!  When I got back to our Bakewell cottages work was progressing on my extension despite the weather.  After lunch I did some housework and sorted out a lot of stuff that was being collected by a Buxton charity.  I also caught up with a number of sewing jobs and after dinner prepared myself for Saturday!

After a number of weeks with guests staying for the week, we now have a few weeks with a mixture of weekly stays and short breaks. A hot day was forecast at our Bakewell cottages but a breeze once again kept it from feeling too hot.  Seven cottages out with our Dutch couple staying for a second week and five cottages back in including another couple from Australia.  Four cleaners up today, a bit of overkill but included a new cleaner up on a trial basis.  Needless to say cleaning of the cottages needed was very quick with most cleaning finished by coffee time!  This also gave me a chance to do a few odd jobs like wash a number of cushion covers and throws, they were ready to go back on before guests arrived. Three of the cottages were here by 4pm, one has been before with the remaining two arriving by 6pm.  A number of guests had tales of the high temperatures, day and night, and being unable to sleep without fans.  No worries of that here!  Had hoped for a picnic but the breeze would have spoilt it so ate al fresco once again.

Here are some pictures from Consall Hall taken on our day out from our Bakewell cottages

…is that they always want to be where they shouldn’t be.  Andrew and Joana have gone away for a few days and when Ian came up on the tractor on Tuesday morning Chris went out as we had noticed that one of the heifers had jumped the wall and was in our front field.  I thought I would go and help too which was just well as Ian had spotted that four of the heifers were with the maternity wing and the rest of the heifers had somehow opened the gate and were in the hay field.  Chris and I had a ride on the tractor and we managed to get the heifers back into the field they should be.  We discovered a part of the wall had fallen down which was how the four heifers had got into he maternity wing.  We had to open the gate and get these heifers out into our front field then between the three of we manged to get the five heifers back to where they should be.  That was most of the morning gone!  Spent some time putting out more plants and chatting to guests and later in the afternoon we walked down to the farm and rounded up the cows and got them into the milking shed for Ian.  A quick change of clothing and off to Buxton as we had tickets for Blood Brothers which we both enjoyed.  Noticed how light it was when travelling back at 10.30 – soon the longest day will be here.  By the way Monday was a quiet day, first Monday for many months when we had no arrivals or departutes at our Bakewell cottages so a day of paper work!

We are in a transitional stage with more and more guests staying for a week so although we had three cottages out of our Bakewell cottages we only had one retuning .  One cleaner up this morning and later in the morning went down to Bakewell for the weekends provisions.  Chris came too and as he does not often come down to Bakewell he took his camera, which was handy as they happened to be filming an episode of the Great British Bake Off in one of the central car parks.  We came home via the Chatsworth Farm Shop. On the way we passed Hassop station which until recently had been a bookshop with a cafe.  It has recently re opened as a cafe with a book shop and with a plan of hiring bikes for the adjacent Monsal Trail. This will be handy when they re open the tunnels.  Another warm day and after our guests had arrived I continued to put out more of my plants.  I decided to plant up the trough at the entrance of the drive.  As I had to walk all the way down the drive and the cows who are naturally inquisitive followed me down then followed me back up! Had hoped for a picnic but it started to look ominous so we had dinner al fresco!

The weather for May showed we had a very dry month, only .76 in rain of which 1/3 fell in just one hour on 29/5 which had a total .38 in rain.  May 2009 had 3.91 in rain.  Hottest day was 23/5 with highest temp 25.8 deg C and that night was the warmest.  The coldest day (and night) was 10/5 withlowest temp 1.2 deg C.

Sunday turned out to be the hottest day, worthy of the first BBQ of the year shared with friends.  Otherwise a quiet day at home.  Monday was cooler with three cottages out of our Bakewell cottages and three back in.  Two cleaners up today.  Usual Monday task with laundry and rubbish collections.  First guests arrived about 3pm and the remaining two about an hour later.  First evening for a few days when it was too cool to eat outside.

A busy day.  Four cottages out with six back in to our Bakewell cottages and two cleaners up. It felt like hard work in the heat but everything completed in time.  Three cottages arrived between 3 & 3.30 with the remaining three between 5 & 6pm.  Three have been before.  It was such a nice evening we packed the rucksacks and headed towards Sheldon but stopped at the brow of the hill to enjoy a picnic with the views and setting sun.  Whilst we were there one of the cottages who had walked to Sheldon for a meal walked back.  On the way back we could see a number of hot air balloons so it was an ideal evening for a flight.

After another fraught rail journey back woke up to sunshine and birdsong bearing in mind the last few days I had been under the flight path of Heathrow.  Can see Chris has been busy and I know some cottage carpets were cleaned by one of the cleaners with the weather being nice.  One cottage out today with two back in to our Bakewell cottages and one cleaner up.  Went down to Bakewell to get provisions for the weekend and when got back popped over to Haddon Grove.  Always nice that we can exchange information.  Both cottages arrived between 3 & 4pm so a chance to catch up with paperwork from the last few days.

What a lovely day.  Although the air was cold there was some warmth in the sun and it felt like a spring day.  We just need it to last! Two cottages out with one back in to our Bakewell cottages.  One cleaner up and cleaning quickly done so we did some odd jobs in the cottages and made a shopping list for when we next go on a shopping trip.  I replaced the crockery in another couple of cottages.  Cottage arrived about 7pm and Chris went to the Bakewell Photographic Society.

Weather stats for February.  Wettest day was 2nd with .34 in and total for month was 2 inches exactly.  Warmest day was 5th with night before the warmest night.  Highest temp was 6.4 on 5th and lowest temp was -3.9 on 22nd.  Coldest day was 17th with the night of the 10th being the coldest.

Thursday and Friday were relatively quiet at our Bakewell cottages, but we usually have a lull after the February half term before bookings pick up just before Easter. On Thursday one cottage departed and one cleaner came up.  I finished hemming and hung the curtains for the main door and dining area in Sheepfold. Chris discovered there was a leak in the roof to the log store, we had been wondering why some of the logs were so wet, so now another job for Chris to do.  Went down to Bakewell for some bits and pieces but most food I will get at the Farmers Market on Saturday.  Chris went to Over Haddon for the digital workshop and I did some housework.  On Friday we had one cottage out with two back in. One has been before.  One cleaner up.  Chris did some finishing off in Honeysuckle shower room where the pipework has been boxed in and new lino laid.  I spent some time putting the new crockery into the empty cottages.  First cottage arrived at 3.30 pm and second one at 4.30 pm.  The forecast for Sunday is not good so we wait and see what happens.