Dovedale

I took the dogs to Dovedale this morning. I'd aimed to get there early to avoid the hordes of ice cream eaters, but didn't set off until nearly nine o'clock, as I was watching a film on my laptop ("Mesrine Part 1" a French film about the gangster Jacques Mesrine).

I have a months free trial with Love Film at the moment (plus a £15 Amazon voucher that they gave me for doing the free trial!). On top of the DVD's that they select from your movie list and post out to you, there are hundreds of movies available to watch for free on your computer.

There weren't many people there when I arrived and I set off to do the walk along the Dale to the village of Milldale - returning on the same route (last time I came here, I walked back to the car park across fields on the hills alongside the valley. I had to lift the dogs over about 20 dry stone walls and was exhausted by the time I got to the car).




I stopped at Pickering Tor to take a photo and was over taken by a couple who must have arrived at the same time as me. They told me that I had left my book on the boot of my car. So no "extreme reading" for me, as the car park was about 3 miles back. Given the amount of people visiting the Dale, I didn't expect to see it there when I returned. It's a good book "The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp" by W H Davies. He was a Welshman who spent his life as a tramp travelling across America and around the British Isles at the beginning of the twentieth century. The band Supertramp took there name from the title of this book apparently. A couple of my colleagues have seen it on my desk and are queueing up to borrow it.




The dogs loved splashing about in the river, and kept plunging in as and when they felt like it. It's a nice shallow river so safe for them to paddle in.




The gnats had woken up by the time I had got about half way back to the car. There was a swarm at the stepping stones. This seems to be as far as the majority of people walk - missing all of the best sights.
I got back to the car and was pleased to see my book still where I'd left it.

Clutch Day

I had an unscheduled extra day in London today whilst my car had a new clutch fitted. "Mr Clutch" was conveniently situated next to the tip so took the opportunity to dump two car fulls of rubbish when we dropped my car off, and some more when we went to pick it up. I spent the rest of the day pottering around. I Found some cute garden fairies -







And a womble, hoovering up the apples -


The Synchronised weeing display team gave a demonstration -

Sunday Visitors

Some pagans dropped by this morning, as they do.


Pagan Pride 2011 is taking place at the local park. I might go along to learn how to make a fairy door at 3.30pm, or for the fairy meditation at 5.45pm.

Riverside Festival

I took the dogs for a walk down to the Riverside Festival. It's an annual event that takes place by Trent Bridge. This is my office which we passed on the way.
I was surprised to see an advert for the monkey forest (a troop of over a hundred free ranging Barbary Macaques in Stoke on Trent) as its about 50 miles from here. I guess that school holiday pester power has at least a 50 mile range.
I was tempted (but resisted the urge) to stop for a drink at Hooters as there was a friendly looking crowd milling around outside.

This is the view from the bridge. I dawdled along the river listening to a few of the bands that were playing whilst the dogs scavenged for dropped burgers.
I headed back into town along the canal. This is the view from my office. The development is called Southreef, a £40m mixed residential and business development that was started in 2007 and has been on a go slow ever since. The original developers went bust and then the businessman that rescued the development was made bankrupt. A few pioneers have moved into the flats, but it is, essentially, a mothballed ghost town. I can't see the retail units being let any time soon.


I stopped at the "Trip to Jerusalem" an old, touristy pub, for a couple of pints of Abbot and a few chapters of "The March" by E.L. Doctorow (historical fiction set in the american civil war). The dogs loved all the attention they got and the complimentary dog biscuits from the bar staff.