...I went to the Peak District. Because I grew up in South Manchester and attended University in Nottingham, I have a long-standing familiarity with the area - numerous day trips from school and with the parents - but had never been as an adult. I determined to go to Crich Tramway Museum, just to Facebook check-in tag in Helen T from school who's still fuming that back in the 1970s Mr U forced us to go. I enjoyed it. Her feminism is that mixed sex school trips shouldn't be to boys' attractions; mine decrees no such thing as Boys & Girls' attractions. Helen would defend herself by citing her ongoing interest in her local heritage railway! Unfortunately, before we had a chance to visit, the museum closed temporarily because of a problem with the poles for the overhead lines. So, no photos of trams!
We stayed in a nice cottage in Castleton. Busy village, entirely geared up for visitors: day-trippers, holiday makers like us, and hikers & climbers. Nice cottage, with quite a lot of history. It retained some traditional features, with contemporary décor and all the mod cons. I'm surprised I didn't take more photos.
A small stream ran through the back garden, and when we first arrived, there was a duck with a large brood of chickens. I got a lot of pleasure watching them that first evening and the next morning, but by the second evening there were fewer ducklings, and one was dying. By the time we went out the following day, they were all dead. I couldn't believe how much this affected me. I have a fairly hard-hearted attitude to the brutality of life for wild animals, but it's more difficult when they share territory with humans.
