Although a cool day was forecast it was quite humid. A good change over with no problems and a 3pm dash with about four cottages arriving at the same time! Today there was one cottage with a set of returning guests.

The post brought an envelope which we have been expecting. Our opportunity to advertise in next years Peak District and Derbyshire Visitors Guide. It amuses me as to how early we have to submit our entries which includes the associated web advertising. We advertise in the B&B and cottage sections with a larger advert too in the self catering part. We have a couple of weeks to decide what to do – the new guide comes out in December! Having said that there is a lot in the current guide and a lot of work must go into it. The guide is a major source of enquiries for us – particularly for those who do not have Internet access.

We had tickets to see Dickie Bird at Buxton and decided to eat out there. By the time we arrived in Buxton we were short of time but went to Flamencos, a Spanish and Tapas restaurant where we were able to fill up quickly. We had some tapas and I hope to go back and have a leisurely meal soon! The evening with Dickie Bird was very enjoyable.

Breakfast then a zip into Bakewell to get the weekends provisions. With a busy Saturday looming and no B&B changeover I made sure that I could get some planning and preparation in. This plus the usual tasks and more planting. I think there is only about 50 plants left…

We go to the Dentist in Bakewell every six months. It is a good practise and I also see the Hygienist who this time introduced me to a TeePee which can get between gaps in the teeth. No work to be done this time. Phew! It did mean that the morning had gone. Chris went to the last of the photography sessions and I did a bit more planting out.

A day at home sorting out purchases from yesterday after all the chores were done. One set of B&B guests left as did a one set from the cottages. Rain was forecast but it did not materialise until much later so I was able to get more plants in. The new B&B guests arrived this evening for a three night stay as did a couple with a dog in one of the cottages.

After tea a friend from Chelmorton called in. Geoff is a professional photographer, and Margaret, his wife is a Calligraphist. We first met them when they did some work on our brochure. She also sings in a local choir and we usually go to performances, so we bought some tickets for a week Saturday. That actually means we will be out three Saturdays running. Very unusual.

If I can I like to go to Chesterfield once a month. I alternate my supermarket trips to Buxton and Chesterfield and if I have time I will visit the towns too.

First of all I need to get the usual bits out of the way, dog walking, breakfast, laundry. I rarely get away before 11.30. It is a nice drive to Chesterfield, going over the moors when the heather is out is lovely, the only thing I hope for every journey is not to get stuck behind a large slow moving vehicle as it is a long uphill drive! Today I did, but I do not let it unduly worry me and accept it will take a few minutes more. I Park in the car park behind the bus station ad walk the short distance to the shopping center. I have a set route, Thorntons, M&S, CO-OP, Poundland, charity shops, Woolworths, BHS, Bon Marche, Wilkinsons. Sometimes I do them all, today I didn’t. I checked the sales at the Co-op and usually look in the linens and housewares. Wilkinson is good for toiletry goods for cottages and B&B, charity shops usually cheap toys for the dogs! I usually have a list of things and today that included potato peelers! I stop off at one of the bakeries on the way back to the car (sometimes I have to make an extra journey back to the car if I have a lot or bulky goods. Next a short drive round to on of the retails parks. This one has a pet superstore and a Currys. Here I purchased an oven and two microwaves which I was able to get into the back of the car! Then the next retail park which has one of my favourite places Dunelm, which is good for linen and housewares. I looked today but found nothing to buy. Starting my route home the last stop is Morrisons. Usually the round trip will take 5-6 hours.

After tea we popped down to the farm to have a piece of Birthday cake but had to rush back as a storm broke and we (well I) was worried about Smudge. A short sharp downpour which soon passed.

First thing this morning I showed a couple around our vacated B&B room which they decided to book. They had phoned on Saturday when I was unable to help but as I had suggested where to try (and they found somewhere) they decided to try me first today to see if I could help for a few more nights. After the usual Monday tasks and lunch I went to Bakewell Market – well the street market. There is a livestock sale on Mondays at the Agricultural Center and I still haven’t been to see one yet. Today there was also a property auction which I was tempted to go to out of curiosity. I had brought Smudge along too so we had a nice stroll around the market. His favourite shop is the Country Life Book shop where they have a very good selection of cards for all occasions and people. They are very dog friendly so if we are walking past Smudge always tries to go in – as he knows they will give him a treat.

As breakfast was over early we decided on another walk. Cloudy but humid with the promise of better I decided on a five mile walk based on Eyam. Eyam is a lovely village whose fame rests on the self sacrifice of the villagers during the plague, when the villagers isolated themselves to stop the spread of the plague. We used a footpath on the Foolow side of the village to walk up to Sir William Hill by the mast. I am sure this is the mast we can see from the back of Sheepfold but Chris isn’t so sure. The landscape changes dramatically here to moorland and as we walked across Eyam Moor we had a lovely view towards Hathersage. We found a nice but windy spot to admire the views. By now the sun was shining and we set off towards Stoke Ford on Highlow Brook. A number of years ago we stayed at Highlow Hall and did this walk from there. Then it was a cold wet February day and the mist obscured the views. So it was nice to see what we missed then! At Stoke Ford we headed back to Eyam via the Barrell Inn and the youth hostel at Bretton. We thought about stopping for a quick drink at the inn but it was busy so we set off back down Eyam Edge past the ‘black spot’ of the walk – a quarry – and back to Eyam. We stopped for a cup of tea in one of the tea rooms. Back home and back to normal!

So another week is over for the guests and a busy day looms for us. One freezer to defrost and a problem is brought to my attention. A couple of the laundered duvet covers have marks on, presumably from the laundry. I will wash them before next week but had a quick panic as to whether there would still be enough for the turn around. Luckily there was. Phew! Today there was two couples retuning who had been here before and we had seven canine guests too!
It was Ian’s 21st birthday party at a nearby pub. It was a nice evening but the music was a bit too loud for me. Unfortunately we left too early and missed the stripagram!

We had already had .75 inch rain by 8m but the morning turned a lot fairer even though more rain was forecast. Our American guests left – we had had some interesting stories of their local wildlife. We worry about foxes but imagine finding a bear in your garden! I went to Bakewell for the usual bits for the weekend and banking and also picked up a copy of the Peak Advertiser. I like to see what property is for sale. In the afternoon I thought I would make sure the two smaller cottages were ready for tomorrow. At each change over I do a check of crockery etc but we also do a regular inventory check. I noticed a potato peeler was missing in one of the cottages so replaced it. Sometimes things do get broken. I would rather guests let me know so I can replace them straight away. Things get broken at home so it is only natural things will get broken on holiday. We do have far fewer breakages than we envisaged.

My B&B guests arrived late afternoon just as it started to look ominous. They have been here before. At about 6pm just when we were watching news of the floods in Sheffield (the center of which is only about 15 miles away) it started to rain. Actually it was one of those heavy thundery downpours so the heavens opened. Smudge doesn’t like storms since he got caught in one last year. Blue does not worry, so I had one dog practically glued to my leg for the next hour or so. After tea I made a list of what would need to be done the next day and made sure I was as ready a possible.

By the end of the day we had had over an inch of rain. The wettest day so far this year.

It was one of those days when the weather made it miserable. It rained for most of the day, but not heavy rain, but drizzle, which I think is even worse. The two smaller cottages were cleaned today as one set left today and the other had left yesterday – two less for Saturday. I had also planned for the carpets to be cleaned. We invested in a carpet cleaner after we replaced the carpets a couple of years ago and it has been very useful not only for regular carpet cleaning but occasionally, even after a week – especially if the weather has been wet-for a bit of ‘spot’ cleaning. We wet ahead and cleaned them but as it was not warm or dry enough for them to dry naturally I used a dehumidifier to help the process. Chis went to Over Haddon after lunch and when he came back I went to Bakewell to have my hair cut.