Lymefield

Broadbottom Midsummer show

It was the village Midsummer show today and there were 200 hundred entries, from cross-stitch to flowers, cakes to collages. The highlight was the Scarecrow Competition with some really good entries.

We did quite well - Poppy got a 1st and 2nd for photos and a 3rd for her collage, while I got 1st, 2nd and 3rd for photos in various categories. Susie has two lovely photos entered which I really liked but didn't score. Anyway, six winners between the three of us isn't bad! And in spite of her age, Pops probably had the second best child photo overall after Christy Dowling's gem.

The average standard was far higher than the previous year - lots of people entering 6x4" snapshots didn't bother this time. The serious competion in future will be David Wrench who submitted perfectly developed black and white pictures that he printed himself. Amazing quality.

Manor Park

Had a lovely day in Manchester with Pops yesterday - after a bit of business we went on the Big Wheel then had a nice meal in a restaurant. Afterwards she had ice cream in the park then we played cards on the train home. I wonder how many five year olds really make good company for a whole day?

Last night was a bit mad - around midnight two guys tried to smash their way into a flat up the street with a spade. They got through the outer door and made quite an impression on the inner door before they left. Two police vans and two police cars turned up and got the family inside away to a place of safety. Lovely. Unfortunately this kind of thing keeps happening to the same house, all thanks to their lovely slum landlord who keeps filling it with the same kinds of people (who can be relied upon not to make a fuss about the conditions!)

Today we went to Manor Park in Glossop for a bit of a play. A nice afternoon out.

Poppy's Birthday

Poppy had her 5th Birthday and had a wonderful time. Susie did a really nice party for her and at the end of the day Nicola said with great feeling "I REALLY enjoyed today!". What more can you ask for?

She has the loveliest friends and at the party she said "I've got SO many nice friends" which was great. And even later, opening the presents, she was just overjoyed with each one. It will be such a pity when she "grows up" and loses that sincerity.

She's the best.

Broadbottom History Exhibition / Little Mill

Last weekend was the Broadbottom History Exhibition. It was a fantastic job bythe organisers - really impressive and very well attended indeed. I'm hoping they bring out a book as there was just so much to take in. Anyway, it dated our house to around 1839.

Afterwards we all went to the Little Mill pub at Rowarth. Average food in the bar but a nice atmosphere and a great slide outside for Poppy.

Museum of Science and Industry

On Bank Holiday Monday we went to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It wasn't very good, to be honest. The aircraft section was a little half-hearted and in disrepair, the textiles bit was OK-ish and we had a short ride on some ancient train.




Old and new Manchester ...


After the museum Pops and I went to a restaurant where they provide crayons and let the kids (and adults!) draw all over the paper tablecloths. Why don't all restaurants do that? It certainly kills the time while waiting for the food and is good fun.

Simple weekend

Went for a nice walk in Great Wood, first time for me. Pops played in the river by the dye vats. Saw a heron getting chased by crows and later a huge owl which flew across the path in front of us. Later she went for her first ride of the year.

Russian Air Force

Completely OT but this video showcases my main non-Broadbottom hobby/interest, the Russian airforce of WW2. This was sparked by the IL-2 PC game, which I started off in as a tester and then became a developer, firstly within the team and later with my own product, Ostfront. Even though the game is now 7 years old it still consumes far too many hours per week and has been the basis of many friendships in the real world. Yes, we even meet up in person and stay with each other when not trying to shoot each other down.

Another reason I like this video is that it's one of the few songs I know off by heart in Russian. It helps that it only has 2 verses :)

Cycling at the mill

Good Friday - Upper Derwent Valley

The day didn't start too well with news that my brother Peter is in hospital with pneumonia and the huge fire in Glossop's Wren's Nest Mill. Even though it started at 0700, wagons were still arriving at 1300 with blue lights flashing. We passed it just before 10 and the top floor was ablaze and the High Street full of smoke. By the time we returned at 1300 the roof was gone and central Glossop was sealed off.

Anyway, we had a much better day over the Snake's Pass in the Upper Derwent Valley. It was sunny and windy, gorgeous for walking, and the valley is just beautiful. We walked passed Ladybower Dam, made famous by the Dambusters film and saw the 617 Sqn memorial. They lost 204 aircrew in 2 years, which is over 100%!

We then walked up to Howden Dam, got tired and took the bus back to the car. A lovely day out.